I have spent the past 3 nights in the capital of Estonia, Tallinn. It is a medival gem of a city. The country is small as all are of the Baltic Countries so there are only 1.37 millon people who live here. The capital has about 500,000 people or so, give or take a few. There is the Old City as usual that is surrounded by some old walls that are still standing. I arrived here at 11am on the bus and found my hostel. I tossed my stuff in the room and then was off to do a free walking tour recommended from the hostel. As I approached the tour, I ran into 3 girls from my previous hostel in Riga, Latvia, so that was kinda fun. We did the tour together and then I was off to explore the city for the day. I spent the entire day just wandering all the winding zig zagging cobled streets here. I tossed out the map and just went. I discovered that this is really the best thing to do. There are some great old churches here that were beautiful. One of them has a bell tower with the best view looking out over the entire city, so I climbed up it for the view. Now, I climbed up Notre Dame and the Effiel Tower by foot in Paris and this was much mroe intense. I think it was probably the equivalent of climbing 10-12 flights of stairs by foot except these are winding stone staircases with very little footing or they are very tall stairs that are nearly to my knees. I was huffing and puffing by the time I made it to the top, but it was so worth it. There is an unbelievable view looking out over the entire city unlike any other.
Yesterday, I took myself on a day trip to Helsinki, Finland. It is only an hour and a half ferry ride accross to Helsinki so I decided to go check it out for the day. Getting there and back was torture as my stomach still does not like the water, but it was worth it. This city reminded me of a little London. Very clean with tons of people walking all over the place. The architecture looks similar as well. There is this great market right by the port that has tons of vendors selling food, fruits, veggies, and other produce. I tried a reindeer meatball (which tasted kinda like beef) and also these little fried fish that are the size of french fries and eaten like that. They were not my favorite, but I figured might as well try it while I am here. Then I was off to explore the city for the day. I walked all over the place enjoying the churches there and just wandering around. It was packed as there were several cruise ships that were in port for the day, but by 5pm, most of them were pulling out so there were much less people. The city had the feel of being a big metropolitin area with everyone walking fast, on phones, trying to get to their next destination. I loved it and was so glad that I saw it for the day!
Today, I spent my last day here, just wandering around Tallinn again. I headed over first to the Museum of Occupation as this was also a formally occupied territory of Russia until the early 1990's. After that, I headed off to walk a bit outside the Old City and see what I ran into. I was very glad that I did this as I stummbled accross what is a mainly Russian neighborhood still. As this was Russian territory, the second largest ethnic population here is Russian. There is a neighborhood, I found out today where many still live. The houses there are all old buildings straight from the early 1900's and they look the neighborhood probably has not changed a bit since it was constructed expect that there are cars and satelite dishes scattered throughout. In the midst of this neighboorhood, right behind the old train station, has sprung up a cross between a flea market and farmers market. I was stoked when I ran accross this cause I love being in markets when I am travelling. It is seriously probably one of my favorite cultural experiences. I spotted it and headed straight in. The market sprung up between some old buildings that must be a hundred years old they look so run down. There are some stalls inside various buildings and some outside selling everything from fruit, veggies, produce, to clothes, baked goods, old crystal, tools, toiletries, shoes, records, you name it and I probably could have found it there. It seemed like it was as much a gathering place as well as a place to purchase items. I saw several older, Russian ladies selling their goods and catching up with what seemed like every person who walked by. As I wandered throughout, it was very obvious that tourists do not get to this part of town much. I was clearly out of place as people just watched me walk by giving me that look of "How in the world did you end up in this part of town?" It was great! These are the types of things that I love. I purchased an apple while there for munching purposes and the kind old woman smiled at me, wrote down the price (as she did not speak a word of English) and sent me on my way. I didn't pick up how to say thank you in Russian, so I said it in Estonian instead and she seemed to understand.
After that, I headed back into Old Town where there was a huge craft market set up in the Old Town Square as there were several cruise ships in port today. There was music playing and tons going on in the Town Square. The sun was shining with a bright blue sky and the perfect weather. The city is filled with cobbled streets and medival architecture which is gorgeous. It felt a bit overrun with tourists today, but by 4ish or so they had started to clear out. It was a day of wandering, finishing up some last minute shopping and enjoying a slice of some great cheesecake in a little cafe. This city has a cafe culture that almost rivals that of Paris. There are tons of cafes all over on the main streets and in little back alleys and courtyards. I stumbled accrosss this one that looked so cute and cosy tucked into courtyard with some other shops in there. I ordered one of the best slices of cherry, white chocolate cheesecake with milk chocolate and also some orange jam. It was amazing and so good! I sat there just enjoying the sun, eating my cheesecake, and reading for an hour or two, basking in the relaxation of my last day before I have to return to real life.
I take off tomorrow, bright and early. My first flight leaves here at 6am, then it's off to Helsinki, Finland where I change planes. Next stop is Heathrow, London where I change flights again for the last leg of the journey home. I've only been here a month and it feels like it has flown by. It has just been too short, but I have added a few more places to my list of where I want to travel. It seems like the more places I see, the longer my list gets of places I want to go. I love travelling and can't wait for my next trip. I have now officially been to 30 countries, so hopefully that list can continue to keep growing in the future! Tomorrow starts the trip back home to real life again.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
On to Estonia....
After leaving the fabulous city of Riga in Latvia, I hopped on a bus and headed for the city of Tartu in Estonia. Tartu is a University town, with the 100,000 people consisting of a large number of students. Kinda like San Luis Obispo or Santa Barbara for us. I caught the early bus and arrived around 1pm in the afternoon. I figured I would head straight to my hostel, dump my stuff off, and then head out to explore the town as I only had the one night there before I was off the next morning again.
My plan seemed good in all logic. I headed out the door of the bus station and got my bearings as I had to figure out what streets I was on and such. Once that was accomplished, I was on my way walking to my hostel. Now, I booked one that happened to be in my guidebook and it warned that it can be tricky to find, so either print a map or call if you get lost. Seems easy enough. I found the building that my hostel was in, but could not for the life of me figure out how you are supposed to get into the building. The bottom floors were all lined with shops that were closed as it was Sunday and there was not any type of door that I could find with a bell to ring to enter the apartments on top. I walked entirely around the building 3x checking to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Not a big deal, I told myself. I will just find a pay phone and call, so off I went in search of a pay phone. Now it took me about 15 minutes to walk to my hostel. I went wandering in search of the pay phone and a good 30 minutes later, still had not located one. I thought they were becoming scarce in the US, but this was a bit ridiculous. At this point, my back was ready for a break as I had been carrying my 20lb backpack for a while now without a rest. (I swear, I think I am going to be a hunch back by the time I am 40 from carrying the backpack around). I figured I would head to the tourist office in the off chance that they happened to be opened on a Sunday. Thank goodness they were. I entered and asked the nice woman where the nearest payphone was. She replied that Estonia does not have any pay phones any longer. Seriously? We're not even at that point yet in the US. She informed me that I could make a call from there and gave me the rates for international. When I told her that I only needed to call my hostel, she said she could do that. I dug out the paper I had written the information on and she knew right where the hostel was (which incedentally was litterally a half a block from the tourist office in the main town square). Apparently they moved, but in my haste of booking a hostel for that night at 1am in the morning after being out, I didn't pay attention that there was a different address. Needless to say, I found my hostel, threw my stuff down, and then was off to explore the town.
It was a great city to just walk around in. There was this old town square as all the cities here seem to have with cafes filling it. I walked around the university botanical gardens filled with every type of flower immaginable and sat in them for a while just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. Next stop was the museum of Estonian history regarding all of the history of this country condensed into a nice museum. That was great as it gave me a better understanding of everything. After walking all over town, I ended my day by sitting next to the river that runs along the city, wacthing the ducks swim by as I wrote. This again seemed like a good idea, but I ended up being eaten alive by mosquitos. Ugh! Now I am itchy all over the place.
My friends keep telling me that I need to go shopping more and while I usually don't think that I do....I think that it may be time for some new travel clothes for me. I brought several of the same things that I wore 5 years ago when I was here. My jeans now have 4 holes in them (which I plan to patch when I get home). The soles of my shoes are litterally coming off (I plan to invest in some shoe goo when I get home to remedy that situation). I spent the other night sewing up 2 holes in one of my tops. Another top has a hole, but it can't be sewed as it is not on a seam. My skirt is extremelly faded and is edging closer to dark gray than black. Perhaps it is time for a few new clothes, even though I often don't like to have to shop.
After Tartu, it was on to my last stop, Tallinn, Estonia before heading home. Here will be a few of my final counts on things once I head home:
Countries Visited: 6
Cities Visited: Not sure on that as I have to total them all with Tina and Jessica...we saw so many in England and Ireland I couldn't keep track.
Currencies Used: 4
New Languages I can say Thank You in: 4
Airports I was in this Trip: 7 (which seems ridiculous when I was only gone a month)
Favorite Places: London (most of you know that I love this city) and Riga, Latvia (I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would)
So much fun in so little time. I wish I could stay longer, but unfortunately, it is back to real life for me in a few short days.
My plan seemed good in all logic. I headed out the door of the bus station and got my bearings as I had to figure out what streets I was on and such. Once that was accomplished, I was on my way walking to my hostel. Now, I booked one that happened to be in my guidebook and it warned that it can be tricky to find, so either print a map or call if you get lost. Seems easy enough. I found the building that my hostel was in, but could not for the life of me figure out how you are supposed to get into the building. The bottom floors were all lined with shops that were closed as it was Sunday and there was not any type of door that I could find with a bell to ring to enter the apartments on top. I walked entirely around the building 3x checking to make sure I wasn't missing anything. Not a big deal, I told myself. I will just find a pay phone and call, so off I went in search of a pay phone. Now it took me about 15 minutes to walk to my hostel. I went wandering in search of the pay phone and a good 30 minutes later, still had not located one. I thought they were becoming scarce in the US, but this was a bit ridiculous. At this point, my back was ready for a break as I had been carrying my 20lb backpack for a while now without a rest. (I swear, I think I am going to be a hunch back by the time I am 40 from carrying the backpack around). I figured I would head to the tourist office in the off chance that they happened to be opened on a Sunday. Thank goodness they were. I entered and asked the nice woman where the nearest payphone was. She replied that Estonia does not have any pay phones any longer. Seriously? We're not even at that point yet in the US. She informed me that I could make a call from there and gave me the rates for international. When I told her that I only needed to call my hostel, she said she could do that. I dug out the paper I had written the information on and she knew right where the hostel was (which incedentally was litterally a half a block from the tourist office in the main town square). Apparently they moved, but in my haste of booking a hostel for that night at 1am in the morning after being out, I didn't pay attention that there was a different address. Needless to say, I found my hostel, threw my stuff down, and then was off to explore the town.
It was a great city to just walk around in. There was this old town square as all the cities here seem to have with cafes filling it. I walked around the university botanical gardens filled with every type of flower immaginable and sat in them for a while just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. Next stop was the museum of Estonian history regarding all of the history of this country condensed into a nice museum. That was great as it gave me a better understanding of everything. After walking all over town, I ended my day by sitting next to the river that runs along the city, wacthing the ducks swim by as I wrote. This again seemed like a good idea, but I ended up being eaten alive by mosquitos. Ugh! Now I am itchy all over the place.
My friends keep telling me that I need to go shopping more and while I usually don't think that I do....I think that it may be time for some new travel clothes for me. I brought several of the same things that I wore 5 years ago when I was here. My jeans now have 4 holes in them (which I plan to patch when I get home). The soles of my shoes are litterally coming off (I plan to invest in some shoe goo when I get home to remedy that situation). I spent the other night sewing up 2 holes in one of my tops. Another top has a hole, but it can't be sewed as it is not on a seam. My skirt is extremelly faded and is edging closer to dark gray than black. Perhaps it is time for a few new clothes, even though I often don't like to have to shop.
After Tartu, it was on to my last stop, Tallinn, Estonia before heading home. Here will be a few of my final counts on things once I head home:
Countries Visited: 6
Cities Visited: Not sure on that as I have to total them all with Tina and Jessica...we saw so many in England and Ireland I couldn't keep track.
Currencies Used: 4
New Languages I can say Thank You in: 4
Airports I was in this Trip: 7 (which seems ridiculous when I was only gone a month)
Favorite Places: London (most of you know that I love this city) and Riga, Latvia (I enjoyed this way more than I thought I would)
So much fun in so little time. I wish I could stay longer, but unfortunately, it is back to real life for me in a few short days.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
I Think I'm in Love!
Now don't get worried over there, I have not found someone over here that I have fallen in love with, but a new favorite city. I have spent the past 4 days in Riga, Latvia and this city is just amazing. It is dubbed the "Paris if the North" and I can see why. The entire Old Town is a Unesco World Heritage site and is just oozing with charm and appeal. Everything is pedestrian friendly as cars are not allowed in Old Town and it is all cobbled streets with old buildings, several of which have been redone with the Art Noveau style. There was music playing all the time with cafes spilling onto the streets and town centers. It is very clean and well groomed all around. People are constantly out walking around at all hours of the day and even night. Families will be out strolling until very late as the days are long and lazy. It was truly an amazing city.
I spent the first day just walking around, taking in all the sites and sounds, soaking up all the amazing architecture. There are several grassy parks around town on the outskirts of Old Town, one of which is beautifully landscaped with bushes, flowers, statues, low lying waterfalls. I spent a good chunk of time in this park several times just relaxing, basking in the feel of the city. I also was able to see a Museum regarding the Occupation of Latvia by first the Germans and then the USSR until their independence in the early 1990's. This was fascinating as it chronicals everything that occured and discussed the Holocaust as well.
The next day, I took the bus outside the city for about 30 minutes to see the Latvian Ethnographic Museum. This is an entire area sitting on the edge of a lake that has tons of old buildings from the last several hundred years taken from all over Latvia to this museum. It was fabulous as well. This type of stuff I love. The next day I did a small tour of Rundale Palace about an hour or so outside of the capital. There is no way to get here really other than by tour or by car, which obviously I didn't have here, so I opted for the tour option. It was just me and this other couple from Australia which ended up working out quite well. It was like we had our own personal tour guide for the day. Our tour guide was great and took us not only there, but to another castle and some other beautiful spots along the way to stop. Now, I have to laugh cause at the first castle, I went to pay to get in and she asked "Student?" I replied "No, Adult." She then says, "No, family ticket is better." We tried to tell her that we were seperate, but finally just said that sure a family ticket was fine. The couple and I laughed about it cause they were old enough to be my parents, but here is the great part....to get the "Family Ticket" this is for 2 adults and up to 2 children between the ages of 7-18. I'm still getting people who think that I am in high school. Rundale Palace was like Versailes in Paris, very beautiful, ornate, and has gorgeous gardens that have been done in teh French style.
My final full day, I took a day trip over to the town of Sigulda about an hour away to see some more castles. This town is in a National Park Area called Guaga National Park. It was stunning, trees all over the place with some castle ruins and a partially reconstructed and excavated castle perched high up on the hill looking out over the entire area. There is a river that runs through the valley at the bottom. I decided to try and follow a walk laid out by one of my guidebooks to see everything so I got there and immediately set out. Part of it included a ride in a cable car that is suspended hundreds of feet in the air that takes you from one side of the to the other over all the trees, just breath taking to see. I tried to follow the map as best I could and ended up on these little trails leading me past trees, winding streams, and caves. Many times, it was just me a nature again. As I was making my way up to the main castle, I was getting slightly concerned because some of the trails on the map were truly not well marked in reality and didn't even look like trails as I was walking them. I had that thought that I really shouldn't get lost as it could be a while before anyone found me, but eventually I made my way up top and was rewarded with another great castle.
Latvia is home to a great Opera house which supposedly has some of the best opera shows in the world, so I decided to take in my first official opera show while here. It was really good and I was very impressed. Luckily, I think they get a lot of tourists as there were subtitles up top in the show in both English and another language, of which I am not sure what it was.
The group of people in my hostel this time has really been a lot of fun. One night I went out for drinks with two of the guys in my room and then last night, a group of about 10 of us went out for drinks. We went to this great restaurant that was excavated in the 1970's below the ground level. It is an old wine cellar that is hundreds of years old that they did not know was there until they started digging to try and build something else on top. Once it was found, they restored it and made it a restaurant instead. It is kinda touristy, but it is done well. We all had a good time with each other and were quite the mixed group. I meet me first Americans in this hostel while here and one was even from California, although now he lives in the Ukraine. We were laughing about that as when he arrived and we met, we started talking about where we were from and he says, "I moved to the Ukraine to get away from Americans." I was laughing and said yes, "I really was not expecting to meet other Americans here." Then he switched into Spanish and asks me "Eres Latina?" I was laughing and told him, yes, half. We thought it was funny that not only were we Americans over here where most Americans do not travel, but we are both hispanic and these countries do not have a lot of hispanic travellers here. Go figure.
I have decided that I think I have one of those looks about me that people don't quite know where to place me or where I am from. I have gotten asked 3x while in Lativa if I am a local by a tourist, really? I don't think I look Latvian, but alright. When people speak to me and I just smile and give them a blank stare, they then ask if I speak Russian (as that is the 2nd most common language spoken in this country). I shake my head no, then it's onto Dutch, German, and the last one asked is always English. Maybe it's just that English speaking tourists are not nearly as common here as tourists from other countries. Who knows.
Anyway, this city has been fabulous and I would highly recommend it for a visit. I was thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I love that I can walk everywhere. I can sit in anyone of numerous parks around the city and enjoy the sites and sounds. The sun is up here until 11pm (although winter here I am sure is terrible as there is only like 6 hours of sunlight at that time). It is small enough that you feel as if you know the city after just a few days. I hope that one day I can make it back here again!
I spent the first day just walking around, taking in all the sites and sounds, soaking up all the amazing architecture. There are several grassy parks around town on the outskirts of Old Town, one of which is beautifully landscaped with bushes, flowers, statues, low lying waterfalls. I spent a good chunk of time in this park several times just relaxing, basking in the feel of the city. I also was able to see a Museum regarding the Occupation of Latvia by first the Germans and then the USSR until their independence in the early 1990's. This was fascinating as it chronicals everything that occured and discussed the Holocaust as well.
The next day, I took the bus outside the city for about 30 minutes to see the Latvian Ethnographic Museum. This is an entire area sitting on the edge of a lake that has tons of old buildings from the last several hundred years taken from all over Latvia to this museum. It was fabulous as well. This type of stuff I love. The next day I did a small tour of Rundale Palace about an hour or so outside of the capital. There is no way to get here really other than by tour or by car, which obviously I didn't have here, so I opted for the tour option. It was just me and this other couple from Australia which ended up working out quite well. It was like we had our own personal tour guide for the day. Our tour guide was great and took us not only there, but to another castle and some other beautiful spots along the way to stop. Now, I have to laugh cause at the first castle, I went to pay to get in and she asked "Student?" I replied "No, Adult." She then says, "No, family ticket is better." We tried to tell her that we were seperate, but finally just said that sure a family ticket was fine. The couple and I laughed about it cause they were old enough to be my parents, but here is the great part....to get the "Family Ticket" this is for 2 adults and up to 2 children between the ages of 7-18. I'm still getting people who think that I am in high school. Rundale Palace was like Versailes in Paris, very beautiful, ornate, and has gorgeous gardens that have been done in teh French style.
My final full day, I took a day trip over to the town of Sigulda about an hour away to see some more castles. This town is in a National Park Area called Guaga National Park. It was stunning, trees all over the place with some castle ruins and a partially reconstructed and excavated castle perched high up on the hill looking out over the entire area. There is a river that runs through the valley at the bottom. I decided to try and follow a walk laid out by one of my guidebooks to see everything so I got there and immediately set out. Part of it included a ride in a cable car that is suspended hundreds of feet in the air that takes you from one side of the to the other over all the trees, just breath taking to see. I tried to follow the map as best I could and ended up on these little trails leading me past trees, winding streams, and caves. Many times, it was just me a nature again. As I was making my way up to the main castle, I was getting slightly concerned because some of the trails on the map were truly not well marked in reality and didn't even look like trails as I was walking them. I had that thought that I really shouldn't get lost as it could be a while before anyone found me, but eventually I made my way up top and was rewarded with another great castle.
Latvia is home to a great Opera house which supposedly has some of the best opera shows in the world, so I decided to take in my first official opera show while here. It was really good and I was very impressed. Luckily, I think they get a lot of tourists as there were subtitles up top in the show in both English and another language, of which I am not sure what it was.
The group of people in my hostel this time has really been a lot of fun. One night I went out for drinks with two of the guys in my room and then last night, a group of about 10 of us went out for drinks. We went to this great restaurant that was excavated in the 1970's below the ground level. It is an old wine cellar that is hundreds of years old that they did not know was there until they started digging to try and build something else on top. Once it was found, they restored it and made it a restaurant instead. It is kinda touristy, but it is done well. We all had a good time with each other and were quite the mixed group. I meet me first Americans in this hostel while here and one was even from California, although now he lives in the Ukraine. We were laughing about that as when he arrived and we met, we started talking about where we were from and he says, "I moved to the Ukraine to get away from Americans." I was laughing and said yes, "I really was not expecting to meet other Americans here." Then he switched into Spanish and asks me "Eres Latina?" I was laughing and told him, yes, half. We thought it was funny that not only were we Americans over here where most Americans do not travel, but we are both hispanic and these countries do not have a lot of hispanic travellers here. Go figure.
I have decided that I think I have one of those looks about me that people don't quite know where to place me or where I am from. I have gotten asked 3x while in Lativa if I am a local by a tourist, really? I don't think I look Latvian, but alright. When people speak to me and I just smile and give them a blank stare, they then ask if I speak Russian (as that is the 2nd most common language spoken in this country). I shake my head no, then it's onto Dutch, German, and the last one asked is always English. Maybe it's just that English speaking tourists are not nearly as common here as tourists from other countries. Who knows.
Anyway, this city has been fabulous and I would highly recommend it for a visit. I was thoroughly impressed and pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. I love that I can walk everywhere. I can sit in anyone of numerous parks around the city and enjoy the sites and sounds. The sun is up here until 11pm (although winter here I am sure is terrible as there is only like 6 hours of sunlight at that time). It is small enough that you feel as if you know the city after just a few days. I hope that one day I can make it back here again!
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Aciu
And that is the extent of my Lithuania. It means "Thank you" and is pronounced like when we are faking a sneeze (Achoo). Anyway, my next stop in Lithuania was to the Western Coast in the town of Klaipeda. I arrived there in the afternoon on a Sunday and after throwing my stuff in my hostel, was off to explore the town by foot. Now, every other country in the world seems to recognize that Sunday is a day of rest, I don't understand by we in the US don't. Most shops are closed except for the occassional restaurant or corner store and towns are generally quite. Klaipeda was no exception. I headed into Old Town where I enjoyed a leisurely couple of hour stroll all around the old cobbled streets with mainly families or couples who were out doing the same. The Old Town is very compact so you can walk everywhere and the streets all snake around as they were designed before the advent of cars. The day was a beautiful clear crisp day. The sky was shining bright blue, there was a slight breeze and it was probably in the high 50's. It felt like one of those cool crips autumn days that I liked when I was living in Colorado. Now most of you know that there were not hardly any times that I enjoyed living there other than about 3 weeks in autumn and 3 weeks in spring when the weather was changing. This day felt like one of those autumn days. I love old towns like this where you can just wander around and enjoy them. You really can't get lost because they are so compact. Often you see the old buildings from the 16th or 17th century and just think that if only the walls could talk they would have several stories to tell. As we are so far North here, it stays light out much later than at home. We turned the light out in my hostel room the other night around 11pm and it was still light out. That makes for very nice long days during the summer, but I am sure horribly short winter days. I spent a couple of hours enjoying the sun light by reading a book on a bench next to the main river in town.
Yesterday, I took a ferry from Klaipeda accross the Curonian Lagoon to the Curonian Split. This is a very narrow strip of land that separates Lithuania from the Baltic Sea. It is only a 10 minute ferry ride over there and the whole strip of land is very delicate and is a national park due to it's shifting sands and dunes. It is roughly 60 kilometers long and maybe 3 kilometers wide or so. I haven't converted this to miles so am not sure exactly what that equals in miles. About 3/4 of the split is part of Lithuania, while the remaining 1/4 at the Southern end is part of Kalingrad, which is Russian Territory. Once I arrived, I hoped on the bus and headed to the Southern most town on the Lithuanian side, Nida. It took about an hour by bus and there was just gorgeous scenery on the way down. There is exactly one main road that runs the entire length of the split so that was what we were on. I walked around the tiny town and it truly felt like being on a movie set. There were all of these very cute, wooden clap board type houses with blue trim. Several had old fashioned clothes lines outside strung between trees with clothes drying. It felt just like a lazy seaside small town that has not hardly been touched by time at all. People were out strolling, talking, and everyone you pass gives you a smile. The pace of life seems relaxed, leisurely, and much slower than even in Klaipeda.
From what I read and heard, the best way to explore the split is by bike as there are several well marked bike trails running the length of it, so I decided to take myself on a bike ride from Nida up 30 kilometers to the town of Juodkrante. I rented a bike that was only a one way rental (as I knew there would be no way I would want to bike back). I headed out (and made sure I was going north, not south as I didn't want to accidentally end up in Kalingrad without a visa....I am all for great travel stories, but being detained in Russian territory with no visa is probably not a story I want to tell) and was on my way. The bike ride was absolutely incredible and amazing. The path winds along the beach at some points, through woods and covered areas, along pathes with Queen Anne's Lace growing wild up to waist high, and past sand dunes and a gorgeous beach. For the most part, it was me and nature for the ride with the occassional biker passing me going the opposite direction. The day was another clear, sunny beautiful day so this made for perfect weather for biking in my pants and a tank top. The birds were singing as I went along and made for a lovely melody. The ride took me about 3ish hours or so, give or take. I stopped at several points to take pictures along the way. Now, I haven't ridden a bike in officially about 8 years and I couldn't even tell you the last time I road that distance. Toward the end, my fanny was not happy with me (which you would think wouldn't be a problem considering I have enough cushion down there), but it was definately worth it. Although, I am slightly sore today from the ride.
This morning, I headed out to Riga, Latvia, with a stop off in the town of Siauliai, Lithuania. There is this hill there called the Hill of the Crosses. It is a type of memorial about 12km outside of the city where there must be thousands of crosses there of every shape and size to remember those who have passed away and also to commemorate newlyweds as well. It is truly a site to see. The crosses range in size from probably 30 feet tall down to the size of a charm for the necklace. Intermixed with them all are some status of a sorrowful Jesus and there was one of the Virgin Mary as well. It is an awe inspiring site.
I had just enough time to see that before I needed to be back at the bus station to catch my next bus onto Riga. I was told at information before I left to see the hill that there were 2 more buses for the day to Riga, one at 1:45pm and the next at 4:45pm. I was also told to buy the ticket on the bus for 40 Litas. I was back in time to take the 1:45pm and attempted to do just that. The bus driver asked for my ticket and I said that Information told me to buy it on the bus. He shook his head no, said "Ticket" and pointed inside. I assumed that meant buy ticket inside. I said in English "Buy ticket inside. She told me buy here." He just shook his head no and walked away. Ok, I thought, so inside I went back to information to ask. Information told me the same thing as before, "No, you buy on Microbus." I replied, "Driver of Microbus said to buy in here." She says "No, buy on Microbus." Oye, ok, so back outside I went. The driver said something else to me and then they left. My best guess is that it was full and he had no more tickets to sell as the "Bus" is really a 15 passenger van and it looked very full. Well, I figured at this point I needed to have a back up plan in case this same thing happened on the next bus and I got stuck here for the night. Since I had 3 hours until the next "Microbus" arrived, I walked myself to the train station to see if this would be an option to get to Riga. This was not, as the train system is not as extensive here as in the rest of Europe, so I walked myself back to the bus station where I waited for the next bus and proceeded to find a hostel in my guidebook just in case I was stranded for the night. As soon as I saw the next bus arrive, I got up pretty quick as I did not want to miss it and wanted to make sure I got a seat. Luckily I did without any problems. It was interesting too crossing the boarder into Latvia as there was absolutely no one at the boarder. It was like crossing a state line at home where all you see is a sign that says the new state you are in. Very different from our hypervigilant boarders.
I arrived here in Riga, Latvia safely tonight and luckily was able to withdraw cash to use. What I didn't tell many people is that my bank informed me before I left that Latvia was the only country that they could not guarnatee my ATM card would work here. Fantastic! Their recommendation was to have cash on me just in case. Now, I always carry $100 in American money just in case something happens and I can't access my accounts and I made sure to withdraw 300 Euro in Ireland before I left incase I couldn't get cash out here. I figured between those two stashes of money, I could get by for 5 days without access to cash. If I didn't need the Euros, I wasn't too concerned as Estonia is on the Euro and I will use it there. I stuck my card in the ATM at the bus station, kept my fingers crossed and thank goodness, the cash was dispensed and I was on my way to my hostel where I safely arrived tonight.
Yesterday, I took a ferry from Klaipeda accross the Curonian Lagoon to the Curonian Split. This is a very narrow strip of land that separates Lithuania from the Baltic Sea. It is only a 10 minute ferry ride over there and the whole strip of land is very delicate and is a national park due to it's shifting sands and dunes. It is roughly 60 kilometers long and maybe 3 kilometers wide or so. I haven't converted this to miles so am not sure exactly what that equals in miles. About 3/4 of the split is part of Lithuania, while the remaining 1/4 at the Southern end is part of Kalingrad, which is Russian Territory. Once I arrived, I hoped on the bus and headed to the Southern most town on the Lithuanian side, Nida. It took about an hour by bus and there was just gorgeous scenery on the way down. There is exactly one main road that runs the entire length of the split so that was what we were on. I walked around the tiny town and it truly felt like being on a movie set. There were all of these very cute, wooden clap board type houses with blue trim. Several had old fashioned clothes lines outside strung between trees with clothes drying. It felt just like a lazy seaside small town that has not hardly been touched by time at all. People were out strolling, talking, and everyone you pass gives you a smile. The pace of life seems relaxed, leisurely, and much slower than even in Klaipeda.
From what I read and heard, the best way to explore the split is by bike as there are several well marked bike trails running the length of it, so I decided to take myself on a bike ride from Nida up 30 kilometers to the town of Juodkrante. I rented a bike that was only a one way rental (as I knew there would be no way I would want to bike back). I headed out (and made sure I was going north, not south as I didn't want to accidentally end up in Kalingrad without a visa....I am all for great travel stories, but being detained in Russian territory with no visa is probably not a story I want to tell) and was on my way. The bike ride was absolutely incredible and amazing. The path winds along the beach at some points, through woods and covered areas, along pathes with Queen Anne's Lace growing wild up to waist high, and past sand dunes and a gorgeous beach. For the most part, it was me and nature for the ride with the occassional biker passing me going the opposite direction. The day was another clear, sunny beautiful day so this made for perfect weather for biking in my pants and a tank top. The birds were singing as I went along and made for a lovely melody. The ride took me about 3ish hours or so, give or take. I stopped at several points to take pictures along the way. Now, I haven't ridden a bike in officially about 8 years and I couldn't even tell you the last time I road that distance. Toward the end, my fanny was not happy with me (which you would think wouldn't be a problem considering I have enough cushion down there), but it was definately worth it. Although, I am slightly sore today from the ride.
This morning, I headed out to Riga, Latvia, with a stop off in the town of Siauliai, Lithuania. There is this hill there called the Hill of the Crosses. It is a type of memorial about 12km outside of the city where there must be thousands of crosses there of every shape and size to remember those who have passed away and also to commemorate newlyweds as well. It is truly a site to see. The crosses range in size from probably 30 feet tall down to the size of a charm for the necklace. Intermixed with them all are some status of a sorrowful Jesus and there was one of the Virgin Mary as well. It is an awe inspiring site.
I had just enough time to see that before I needed to be back at the bus station to catch my next bus onto Riga. I was told at information before I left to see the hill that there were 2 more buses for the day to Riga, one at 1:45pm and the next at 4:45pm. I was also told to buy the ticket on the bus for 40 Litas. I was back in time to take the 1:45pm and attempted to do just that. The bus driver asked for my ticket and I said that Information told me to buy it on the bus. He shook his head no, said "Ticket" and pointed inside. I assumed that meant buy ticket inside. I said in English "Buy ticket inside. She told me buy here." He just shook his head no and walked away. Ok, I thought, so inside I went back to information to ask. Information told me the same thing as before, "No, you buy on Microbus." I replied, "Driver of Microbus said to buy in here." She says "No, buy on Microbus." Oye, ok, so back outside I went. The driver said something else to me and then they left. My best guess is that it was full and he had no more tickets to sell as the "Bus" is really a 15 passenger van and it looked very full. Well, I figured at this point I needed to have a back up plan in case this same thing happened on the next bus and I got stuck here for the night. Since I had 3 hours until the next "Microbus" arrived, I walked myself to the train station to see if this would be an option to get to Riga. This was not, as the train system is not as extensive here as in the rest of Europe, so I walked myself back to the bus station where I waited for the next bus and proceeded to find a hostel in my guidebook just in case I was stranded for the night. As soon as I saw the next bus arrive, I got up pretty quick as I did not want to miss it and wanted to make sure I got a seat. Luckily I did without any problems. It was interesting too crossing the boarder into Latvia as there was absolutely no one at the boarder. It was like crossing a state line at home where all you see is a sign that says the new state you are in. Very different from our hypervigilant boarders.
I arrived here in Riga, Latvia safely tonight and luckily was able to withdraw cash to use. What I didn't tell many people is that my bank informed me before I left that Latvia was the only country that they could not guarnatee my ATM card would work here. Fantastic! Their recommendation was to have cash on me just in case. Now, I always carry $100 in American money just in case something happens and I can't access my accounts and I made sure to withdraw 300 Euro in Ireland before I left incase I couldn't get cash out here. I figured between those two stashes of money, I could get by for 5 days without access to cash. If I didn't need the Euros, I wasn't too concerned as Estonia is on the Euro and I will use it there. I stuck my card in the ATM at the bus station, kept my fingers crossed and thank goodness, the cash was dispensed and I was on my way to my hostel where I safely arrived tonight.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
A Baroque Beauty and a Fairytale Castle
I have spent the past two days exploring Lithuania. I am currently staying in the capital, Vilnius, which has a population of about 600,000 give or take. It's a fairly small capital for a European Country as capitals go, but it has lots of character. The entire heart of the capital is Old Town which is filled with old Baroque style architecture buildings that are beautiful. As it was built in the days before cars, the entire city is very walkable without much difficulty. Some of the streets are pedestrian only, while others have cars that manage to snake down the winding, often cobbled streets. It really reminds me of some of the cities I was in when I went through Nicaragua. I set off yesterday to do a tour of the entire city on foot and followed a recommended route by one of my guidebooks. I saw tons of amazing old churches, climbed up to the old castle where I was rewarded with a stunning view looking out over the entire city, checked out the entire Old Town, and then headed down to the farther end of town to check out the Museum of Genocide Victims. The city is built right next to a river as most old cities are, with several hills of green surrounding it. There are parks and trees around here that make it very pretty.
The museum was very interesting as it gives a very good overview of the history of Lithuania, it's occupation by Russia, some of the attrocities that occured during the Holocaust and even continued to happend up until about the 1980's. Lithuania has only been independent of Russia again since the early 1990's with the last Russian troops leaving here in 1993, so we are talking less than 20 years ago. The museum is housed in what was used by the KGB from the 1930's through 1990's as a jail and offices. It really gave me a better understanding of the country and what occured. It also made me think about the fact that while I was living my cozy little life in sunny Southern California, people over here were being displaced, arrested for simple things such as political views, and living without the same freedoms I have. It is easy to forget these things still continue to occur in our world, even today in many places, because in my normal everyday life, I am for the most part so far removed from this. I know this type of thing goes on, but often it is out of sight, out of mind. I don't want that to be the case. I need to make myself more aware of these types of things, do my homework and know what is happening to others out there, if not for the simple fact of knowing how to pray more for those that do not have the same freedoms I enjoy.
I have been struck while here about how faithful this country is. The majority of the country is Catholic and there are beautiful old churches everywhere you turn. I was in several of them yesterday in awe of their glory. I have noticed that anytime a church is passed, most of the people will make the sign of the cross to show respect. As I was in many of the churches, I also noticed that there always seems to be at least a handful of people who have stopped in just to pray and spend some queit time there before moving on. These are people of all ages, who have things to do, are walking through and just stop. Many have their purse, shopping bags, or brief cases. Church here seems to be a part of everyday life. They seem to always be open during the day, welcoming anyone and everyone in. It made me question why it's not like this more at home. I am at church exactly 1x per week, on Sundays for service. I may attend a meeting here or a special event there, but that's it. I have never once in my entire life, just stopped at my home church because I was passing by it in the middle of the day to sit and pray. When I am travelling, I always usually sit for a few minutes and spend a quick time in prayer. If I am with others and don't have that luxury, then I will send up a quick prayer while walking through. Why do I do that here, yet not at home? Now, I realize that I do not need to be in a church to pray, it can be done anywhere, but it challenges me to think about how I spend my time. Am I carving out that time each day to pray or I am making excuses that I am too busy? It is the idea behind what I observe here that I think is truly a good one. I see people taking the time out of their day to pray, to observe their creator, to be with him instead of just bustling around in a burst of business.
Today, I headed out by bus on a small day trip to the nearby town of Trakai. It is this small penninsula of land snuggled between 2 lakes with some islands dotting the lakes. On one of the larger islands it an old castle that was restored over a period of about 50 years and finally finishing in the late 1980's. It looked like something straight out of a movie, set on a small island, green trees surrounding the castle and the land with small fishing boats tied up all by the lake. It was great! I also stopped in to see the remains of another old castle in the town and checked out the Kariamites (I may have spelled that wrong) Ethnographic Museum. The small community of the Kariamites is the smallest ethnic group living in Lithuania with only about 280 people in the country. They are of Turkish decent and speak a very specific dialect. It was facinating to see how this small community continues to survive with so few. I also grabbed a Kapalai for lunch, which is one of their common foods. It was like an empanada, stuffed with some type of pork, onions, and other spices. I am not exactly sure what all was in there, but it was delicious, although I am sure my arteries are not super thrilled with me as I bit into it and grease just poured out. As I was heading back toward the bus stop, I attempted to stop in the main church in town for a look, however upon arriving, it sounded as though perhaps something was going on in there. I decided to walk around the grounds first to try and scope it out before proceeding inside. Good thing that I did as a few minutes later, it appeared as though a wedding party was coming out. Crashing a wedding here, probably isn't the best idea ever. After that, it was back to Old Town Vilnius to explore some more, wander through shops and take in the city before I am heading out tomorrow.
Weather has not been the greatest here. Yesterday, it was sunny when I left, but by about noon, it had started raining. I pressed on throughout the day as I had a city to explore and rain or shine, I wanted to see it. I got a brief reprieve from the rain while in the museum, but by the time I got back last night, I was soaked after spending 5 hours in the rain, wet and cold. Probably not the best thing on my part as I have had a stuffy nose and been coughing for about a week, but what can I do? Today was supposed to have thunder storms and I groaned when I heard that. I woke up to the sun streaming in through my window and immediately jumped up and headed out the door, hoping to arrive at the bus station before the rain. Luckily, I got no rain while I was in Trakai, but it was freezing as the town is situated between two lakes with! I was better prepared today and had on a tank top, long sleeve top, fleece zip up, and my rain jacket, so that helped. My hands were ice cold and I didn't bring gloves with me. I got back to town and the clouds started rolling in. I got a few hours to look around before it started raining. I was able to make it back to my hostel though with only some wetness, not dripping as the day before. Thank goodness for that.
I have been surprised at the number of tourists that I have seen here. There are not a ton, but there were more than I was expecting. Most of them seem to be European, although there have been some tourists from I think China, and very few others. I have seen only a few tourists who speak English as their first language. When I have heard tourists speaking English, it has been because it is the only common language with a store keeper. I was in the store today buying some food and the check out girl rattled off something to me related to the apples I was attempting to purchase. I looked at her and smiled, saying sorry in English, with a clueless look on my face. She smiled back, said "It Ok" and continued ringing me up. I have absoultely no idea what she was trying to ask me or tell me, but I finished my transaction and thanked her at the end. She gave me a big smile as I headed out the door. I love being in places like this where there are really no other people who are from the States. It puts me completely out of my comfort zone and I have to figure things out. Now, I realize that most people don't get travel opportunities like I have had over my life time. When most travel, they want to see the major sites in Europe such as London, Paris, Rome, etc... and I am not saying that people shouldn't see those. Believe me, they are amazing. However, I think that we should try and travel to places like this as well where we are truly the minority. There is so much culture and history here. So many things to see that most are not going to get the opportunity to see, but they are truly amazing.
Tomorrow, I am out of here and off to my next town and I can't wait!
The museum was very interesting as it gives a very good overview of the history of Lithuania, it's occupation by Russia, some of the attrocities that occured during the Holocaust and even continued to happend up until about the 1980's. Lithuania has only been independent of Russia again since the early 1990's with the last Russian troops leaving here in 1993, so we are talking less than 20 years ago. The museum is housed in what was used by the KGB from the 1930's through 1990's as a jail and offices. It really gave me a better understanding of the country and what occured. It also made me think about the fact that while I was living my cozy little life in sunny Southern California, people over here were being displaced, arrested for simple things such as political views, and living without the same freedoms I have. It is easy to forget these things still continue to occur in our world, even today in many places, because in my normal everyday life, I am for the most part so far removed from this. I know this type of thing goes on, but often it is out of sight, out of mind. I don't want that to be the case. I need to make myself more aware of these types of things, do my homework and know what is happening to others out there, if not for the simple fact of knowing how to pray more for those that do not have the same freedoms I enjoy.
I have been struck while here about how faithful this country is. The majority of the country is Catholic and there are beautiful old churches everywhere you turn. I was in several of them yesterday in awe of their glory. I have noticed that anytime a church is passed, most of the people will make the sign of the cross to show respect. As I was in many of the churches, I also noticed that there always seems to be at least a handful of people who have stopped in just to pray and spend some queit time there before moving on. These are people of all ages, who have things to do, are walking through and just stop. Many have their purse, shopping bags, or brief cases. Church here seems to be a part of everyday life. They seem to always be open during the day, welcoming anyone and everyone in. It made me question why it's not like this more at home. I am at church exactly 1x per week, on Sundays for service. I may attend a meeting here or a special event there, but that's it. I have never once in my entire life, just stopped at my home church because I was passing by it in the middle of the day to sit and pray. When I am travelling, I always usually sit for a few minutes and spend a quick time in prayer. If I am with others and don't have that luxury, then I will send up a quick prayer while walking through. Why do I do that here, yet not at home? Now, I realize that I do not need to be in a church to pray, it can be done anywhere, but it challenges me to think about how I spend my time. Am I carving out that time each day to pray or I am making excuses that I am too busy? It is the idea behind what I observe here that I think is truly a good one. I see people taking the time out of their day to pray, to observe their creator, to be with him instead of just bustling around in a burst of business.
Today, I headed out by bus on a small day trip to the nearby town of Trakai. It is this small penninsula of land snuggled between 2 lakes with some islands dotting the lakes. On one of the larger islands it an old castle that was restored over a period of about 50 years and finally finishing in the late 1980's. It looked like something straight out of a movie, set on a small island, green trees surrounding the castle and the land with small fishing boats tied up all by the lake. It was great! I also stopped in to see the remains of another old castle in the town and checked out the Kariamites (I may have spelled that wrong) Ethnographic Museum. The small community of the Kariamites is the smallest ethnic group living in Lithuania with only about 280 people in the country. They are of Turkish decent and speak a very specific dialect. It was facinating to see how this small community continues to survive with so few. I also grabbed a Kapalai for lunch, which is one of their common foods. It was like an empanada, stuffed with some type of pork, onions, and other spices. I am not exactly sure what all was in there, but it was delicious, although I am sure my arteries are not super thrilled with me as I bit into it and grease just poured out. As I was heading back toward the bus stop, I attempted to stop in the main church in town for a look, however upon arriving, it sounded as though perhaps something was going on in there. I decided to walk around the grounds first to try and scope it out before proceeding inside. Good thing that I did as a few minutes later, it appeared as though a wedding party was coming out. Crashing a wedding here, probably isn't the best idea ever. After that, it was back to Old Town Vilnius to explore some more, wander through shops and take in the city before I am heading out tomorrow.
Weather has not been the greatest here. Yesterday, it was sunny when I left, but by about noon, it had started raining. I pressed on throughout the day as I had a city to explore and rain or shine, I wanted to see it. I got a brief reprieve from the rain while in the museum, but by the time I got back last night, I was soaked after spending 5 hours in the rain, wet and cold. Probably not the best thing on my part as I have had a stuffy nose and been coughing for about a week, but what can I do? Today was supposed to have thunder storms and I groaned when I heard that. I woke up to the sun streaming in through my window and immediately jumped up and headed out the door, hoping to arrive at the bus station before the rain. Luckily, I got no rain while I was in Trakai, but it was freezing as the town is situated between two lakes with! I was better prepared today and had on a tank top, long sleeve top, fleece zip up, and my rain jacket, so that helped. My hands were ice cold and I didn't bring gloves with me. I got back to town and the clouds started rolling in. I got a few hours to look around before it started raining. I was able to make it back to my hostel though with only some wetness, not dripping as the day before. Thank goodness for that.
I have been surprised at the number of tourists that I have seen here. There are not a ton, but there were more than I was expecting. Most of them seem to be European, although there have been some tourists from I think China, and very few others. I have seen only a few tourists who speak English as their first language. When I have heard tourists speaking English, it has been because it is the only common language with a store keeper. I was in the store today buying some food and the check out girl rattled off something to me related to the apples I was attempting to purchase. I looked at her and smiled, saying sorry in English, with a clueless look on my face. She smiled back, said "It Ok" and continued ringing me up. I have absoultely no idea what she was trying to ask me or tell me, but I finished my transaction and thanked her at the end. She gave me a big smile as I headed out the door. I love being in places like this where there are really no other people who are from the States. It puts me completely out of my comfort zone and I have to figure things out. Now, I realize that most people don't get travel opportunities like I have had over my life time. When most travel, they want to see the major sites in Europe such as London, Paris, Rome, etc... and I am not saying that people shouldn't see those. Believe me, they are amazing. However, I think that we should try and travel to places like this as well where we are truly the minority. There is so much culture and history here. So many things to see that most are not going to get the opportunity to see, but they are truly amazing.
Tomorrow, I am out of here and off to my next town and I can't wait!
Friday, June 1, 2012
A Final Farewell and Off I Go
My last evening and day with Tina and Jessica was two nights ago. We went out on our last night together to grab a drink and listen to some Irish Music being played in the pubs. I always have to laugh cause one of these days I am going to look my age. Here is how the conversation with the bartender went:
Me: Can I please have the Bulmers Cider?
Bartender (BT): How old are you?
Me: (as I am laughing) I'm 29.
BT: (with a shocked look on his face) Really? You really do not look that old.
Me: (as I am laughing) I get that a lot. What is the drinking age here?
BT: I don't want to tell you. (BT goes to fill my glass for me and comes back)
Me: No, really....what is the drinking age here?
BT: You have to be 18 to order a drink.
Awesome....I officially still look like I am in high school when I am nearly 30! Let me clarify too that neither Tina or Jessica even got questioned about their age. At least this time in the airports I have not gotten asked if I am an unaccompanied minor or where my parents are.
Our final day together we headed over to explore the old jail in the city of Dublin. This was very interesting because it not only tells the story of what the jail was used for, but also much of the political struggle that occured throughout Ireland and with Britian. It gave us a better understanding of Ireland and all that occured with their history as none of us really knew.
Then it was back to the hostel to collect my backpack and for Jessica and Tina to recheck in. Unfortunately for them they had to check out, put their stuff in the luggage storage room, and then recheck in to change rooms as the final night there was only 2 of them and not 3 of us. Now, the one thing that I have failed to mention in any of my posts is that in nearly every hostel we have been in, our rooms have been at least 3 stories up, which really is 4 as the street level is actually the ground floor and the 1st level is what we would consider the 2nd level. We have had to trudge up and down stairs, which was easier for me to do with a back pack slung on my back than for them with suitcases. Our last hostel was no diffierent and was probably the most stairs we had to climb. If hostels have elevators, it is a luxury and definately not the norm. So we had to drag all the stuff down stairs and their room was one floor lower that they were checking into, so luckily it was not as bad as the first time. They walked me to my bus stop, we said our goodbyes and they were off to lunch, while I was off to the airport in Dublin.
I boarded my flight and truly think I was the only American on there. I was sitting next to this young coupule who could not have been older than 25 tops. They were heading home to Lithuania to visit family for 2 weeks as they now live in Dublin. I don't think the wife spoke any English, but the husband did speak some, although it was pretty broken. He seemed very confused as to why I would be going to Lithuania to travel around. We chatted for a while before the landing with pauses as the husband translated to the wife and then we arrived. I followed the crowd to Passport Control where I handed mine over. The Customs Officer who took my passport ran it through the system and gave me a stare down. Didn't crack a smile at all. Once I got what I am assuming was the "OK" sign from the computer, as it beeped, he stamped my passport and slide it back to me. I happily said "Thanks" with a smile and I continued to get the stare down as I proceeded through. I seem to be a hit with all the Customs people on this trip. He did not speak to me once and I am used to at least getting asked in every country where I am staying, why I am visiting, and for how long....nothing this time.
I grabbed my bag and headed off to find an ATM cause I needed some cash to be able to get to my hostel. I jumped time zones there and it was 2 hours later than Ireland time, so by the time I landed it was about 10:30pm at night. I hate landing and arriving new places in the dark, but unfortunately, I had no other option. So I grabbed some cash and headed outside the airport to make my way into town. There is a bus stop, but I was not sure if any would be coming at that time. I did some homework to find out what the average taxi fare should cost me to my hostel from the airport, which really isn't that much (roughly $7-9). I went over to find out about the taxi, the first one quoted me 2 1/2x that amount. I said no, I'd wait for a bus. Another taxi driver who was trying to arrange for the first guy to take me said that he would take me for less, which was still too much. I said no that I would wait for the bus. He kept haggling with me, advising me that I didn't know the city or where I was going. I told him he was absolutely right I didn't know this city, but I had figured it out in other cities and would figure it out here. As I was walking off toward the bus stand, a third taxi driver called me over and asked what I was willing to pay. I said my price (which was on the lower end), he said higher, we met in the middle and I had my ride to my hostel. I made sure he was a legitimate taxi driver before I got in and made sure he had a # and his badge displayed, which he did, for those of you out there who consistently worry about me. It feels like Costa Rica all over again, haggling with taxi drivers for lower prices to make sure that I am not ridiculously over charged as I am clearly not from here. Always a fun time, but all part of the experience of travelling and experiencing new things! Once I arrived and checked in, I flopped into bed as I was exhausted. Planes always seem to make me tired.
Me: Can I please have the Bulmers Cider?
Bartender (BT): How old are you?
Me: (as I am laughing) I'm 29.
BT: (with a shocked look on his face) Really? You really do not look that old.
Me: (as I am laughing) I get that a lot. What is the drinking age here?
BT: I don't want to tell you. (BT goes to fill my glass for me and comes back)
Me: No, really....what is the drinking age here?
BT: You have to be 18 to order a drink.
Awesome....I officially still look like I am in high school when I am nearly 30! Let me clarify too that neither Tina or Jessica even got questioned about their age. At least this time in the airports I have not gotten asked if I am an unaccompanied minor or where my parents are.
Our final day together we headed over to explore the old jail in the city of Dublin. This was very interesting because it not only tells the story of what the jail was used for, but also much of the political struggle that occured throughout Ireland and with Britian. It gave us a better understanding of Ireland and all that occured with their history as none of us really knew.
Then it was back to the hostel to collect my backpack and for Jessica and Tina to recheck in. Unfortunately for them they had to check out, put their stuff in the luggage storage room, and then recheck in to change rooms as the final night there was only 2 of them and not 3 of us. Now, the one thing that I have failed to mention in any of my posts is that in nearly every hostel we have been in, our rooms have been at least 3 stories up, which really is 4 as the street level is actually the ground floor and the 1st level is what we would consider the 2nd level. We have had to trudge up and down stairs, which was easier for me to do with a back pack slung on my back than for them with suitcases. Our last hostel was no diffierent and was probably the most stairs we had to climb. If hostels have elevators, it is a luxury and definately not the norm. So we had to drag all the stuff down stairs and their room was one floor lower that they were checking into, so luckily it was not as bad as the first time. They walked me to my bus stop, we said our goodbyes and they were off to lunch, while I was off to the airport in Dublin.
I boarded my flight and truly think I was the only American on there. I was sitting next to this young coupule who could not have been older than 25 tops. They were heading home to Lithuania to visit family for 2 weeks as they now live in Dublin. I don't think the wife spoke any English, but the husband did speak some, although it was pretty broken. He seemed very confused as to why I would be going to Lithuania to travel around. We chatted for a while before the landing with pauses as the husband translated to the wife and then we arrived. I followed the crowd to Passport Control where I handed mine over. The Customs Officer who took my passport ran it through the system and gave me a stare down. Didn't crack a smile at all. Once I got what I am assuming was the "OK" sign from the computer, as it beeped, he stamped my passport and slide it back to me. I happily said "Thanks" with a smile and I continued to get the stare down as I proceeded through. I seem to be a hit with all the Customs people on this trip. He did not speak to me once and I am used to at least getting asked in every country where I am staying, why I am visiting, and for how long....nothing this time.
I grabbed my bag and headed off to find an ATM cause I needed some cash to be able to get to my hostel. I jumped time zones there and it was 2 hours later than Ireland time, so by the time I landed it was about 10:30pm at night. I hate landing and arriving new places in the dark, but unfortunately, I had no other option. So I grabbed some cash and headed outside the airport to make my way into town. There is a bus stop, but I was not sure if any would be coming at that time. I did some homework to find out what the average taxi fare should cost me to my hostel from the airport, which really isn't that much (roughly $7-9). I went over to find out about the taxi, the first one quoted me 2 1/2x that amount. I said no, I'd wait for a bus. Another taxi driver who was trying to arrange for the first guy to take me said that he would take me for less, which was still too much. I said no that I would wait for the bus. He kept haggling with me, advising me that I didn't know the city or where I was going. I told him he was absolutely right I didn't know this city, but I had figured it out in other cities and would figure it out here. As I was walking off toward the bus stand, a third taxi driver called me over and asked what I was willing to pay. I said my price (which was on the lower end), he said higher, we met in the middle and I had my ride to my hostel. I made sure he was a legitimate taxi driver before I got in and made sure he had a # and his badge displayed, which he did, for those of you out there who consistently worry about me. It feels like Costa Rica all over again, haggling with taxi drivers for lower prices to make sure that I am not ridiculously over charged as I am clearly not from here. Always a fun time, but all part of the experience of travelling and experiencing new things! Once I arrived and checked in, I flopped into bed as I was exhausted. Planes always seem to make me tired.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Driving into Dublin
Well, my friends and I finished up our time in the countryside by spending one last night in the medival city of Kilkenny. We arrived in Kilkenny just in time to tour the castle which is right in the middle of town, before it closed. We then were off to find our hostel and head out in search of food. We had a great dinner in an Irish Pub and enjoyed the atmosphere. Once done, we wandered around, taking in the city and enjoying the ambiance. It was a beautiful city, built long ago with old buildings set next to a river with a few major bridges crossing over. We also found this great old fashioned candy shop that looks like the candy shop in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
The following day, it was onto some small towns for another coastal and scenic drive. We have seen more rolling hills just covered in green grass and trees here than I think I ever have. I was driving us down several small back country roads, so we have also enjoyed many small towns and cities that we would not have had the opportunity to see if we were taking public transportation. We first stopped in this little tiny town called Glendalough, where there is an old monastery that was once a city in ruins. Monastic priests lived there fore several hundred years before it was destroyed and conquered. Unfortunately, we arrived there about the same time as a tour bus so it was not as quiet and sureal as we would have hoped, but it was breath taking. The old city ruins are set back against a back drop of green hills and trees and it is very secluded. There are some old buildings, churches, and several gravestones in the city.
After that, we were on our way to Powerscourt, a huge estate with these beautiful gardens. The house is not open other than the shops, but the gardens are really what make it worth it. We had lunch in the cafe with a gorgeous view of the Wiklow Mountains, greenery, and trees. It was amazing! We then walked around the gardens enjoying the birds singing and the quiet setting before grabbing dessert and heading off to Dublin.
I drove us into Dublin safely and am happy to say that my driving days are over here. We are walking around by foot. Driving was an adventure as usual. We did it all by maps, the old fashioned way. Tina was navigator using the maps and we were able to get around. We kept having a slight mix up though as she would say Right when she really meant Left or the other way around. Driving on the opposite side of the road really screwed with her Left and Right, so Jessica would interpret for us. We ended up on the wrong roads at times, sometimes these little one lane roads where I was having to back up or the other car was to be able to pass, but it ended up well and there were no major problems. More than once, I ended up circling a traffic circle several times while my navigators figured out which way to go. Other cars were looking at us like we were crazy, but it worked and we were on our way!
Yesterday, we arrived in Dublin, which has been in stark contrast to anything else we have seen in Ireland. It is a big bustling city with tons of people, traffic and cars. There is no where else here that we have seen that even compares to what it is like here. As it is summer, the sun shines until 10pm at night and people are out walking around at all hours. We headed out and walked around to get a feel for the city and enjoyed some time relaxing in one of the beautiful parks.
Today, we have been on the go all day. First stop was Trinity College where we did a walking tour to get some history of the city before going to see the Book of Kells, which is housed there. This is one of the oldest manuscripts in Ireland related to Christianity as it is the 4 gospels. Next stop was St. Patricks Cathedral, which is a very impressive church. There has been a church on this site since sometime in the 12th or 13th century. The church itself if beautiful, a very old building and still used to this day for services. Our final stop of the day was the Guiness Storehouse where we did a tour of how they make the beer and brew it. It has been at this sit for going on 250 years and supposedly when it was originally started, a 9,000 year leased was signed which is on display. After the tour, we headed to the very top (7th) floor of the building where you can see our over all of Dublin as far as the eye can see all around. It is a circle room encased in glass so you can see everything. There is a bar up there and everyone who does the tour gets a free pint, so we all did our best to finish ours. Let me just say, I have no idea why people like this stuff as it was aweful! I have tried and am just not a fan of beer.
Tonight, we are heading out to enjoy our last night together before I head off for the next two weeks and my friends head home on Friday. I leave tomorrow at 5pm and need to leave for the airport around 2pm. So tomorrow morning we are going to head over to see one of the old jails here that tells a lot of the history of the city. It sounded interesting and was recommended to us by this family we met today. It has been tons of fun so far and we all realize how blessed we are to have the opportunity to travel as we do. Many other people our age do not have nor do they take these opportunities. We have been truly blessed.
I realized the other day that by the end of this trip, I will have visited a total of 29 countries in my short little life. I am currently 29 years old. I told my friends that I think my goal is going to try and continue to have visited as many countries as my age. My friend pointed out to me that as I am turning 30 in a few months, I will need to visit another country before my next birthday. I realize that and am working on planning my next trip already! I gotta have something to look forward to, right?
The following day, it was onto some small towns for another coastal and scenic drive. We have seen more rolling hills just covered in green grass and trees here than I think I ever have. I was driving us down several small back country roads, so we have also enjoyed many small towns and cities that we would not have had the opportunity to see if we were taking public transportation. We first stopped in this little tiny town called Glendalough, where there is an old monastery that was once a city in ruins. Monastic priests lived there fore several hundred years before it was destroyed and conquered. Unfortunately, we arrived there about the same time as a tour bus so it was not as quiet and sureal as we would have hoped, but it was breath taking. The old city ruins are set back against a back drop of green hills and trees and it is very secluded. There are some old buildings, churches, and several gravestones in the city.
After that, we were on our way to Powerscourt, a huge estate with these beautiful gardens. The house is not open other than the shops, but the gardens are really what make it worth it. We had lunch in the cafe with a gorgeous view of the Wiklow Mountains, greenery, and trees. It was amazing! We then walked around the gardens enjoying the birds singing and the quiet setting before grabbing dessert and heading off to Dublin.
I drove us into Dublin safely and am happy to say that my driving days are over here. We are walking around by foot. Driving was an adventure as usual. We did it all by maps, the old fashioned way. Tina was navigator using the maps and we were able to get around. We kept having a slight mix up though as she would say Right when she really meant Left or the other way around. Driving on the opposite side of the road really screwed with her Left and Right, so Jessica would interpret for us. We ended up on the wrong roads at times, sometimes these little one lane roads where I was having to back up or the other car was to be able to pass, but it ended up well and there were no major problems. More than once, I ended up circling a traffic circle several times while my navigators figured out which way to go. Other cars were looking at us like we were crazy, but it worked and we were on our way!
Yesterday, we arrived in Dublin, which has been in stark contrast to anything else we have seen in Ireland. It is a big bustling city with tons of people, traffic and cars. There is no where else here that we have seen that even compares to what it is like here. As it is summer, the sun shines until 10pm at night and people are out walking around at all hours. We headed out and walked around to get a feel for the city and enjoyed some time relaxing in one of the beautiful parks.
Today, we have been on the go all day. First stop was Trinity College where we did a walking tour to get some history of the city before going to see the Book of Kells, which is housed there. This is one of the oldest manuscripts in Ireland related to Christianity as it is the 4 gospels. Next stop was St. Patricks Cathedral, which is a very impressive church. There has been a church on this site since sometime in the 12th or 13th century. The church itself if beautiful, a very old building and still used to this day for services. Our final stop of the day was the Guiness Storehouse where we did a tour of how they make the beer and brew it. It has been at this sit for going on 250 years and supposedly when it was originally started, a 9,000 year leased was signed which is on display. After the tour, we headed to the very top (7th) floor of the building where you can see our over all of Dublin as far as the eye can see all around. It is a circle room encased in glass so you can see everything. There is a bar up there and everyone who does the tour gets a free pint, so we all did our best to finish ours. Let me just say, I have no idea why people like this stuff as it was aweful! I have tried and am just not a fan of beer.
Tonight, we are heading out to enjoy our last night together before I head off for the next two weeks and my friends head home on Friday. I leave tomorrow at 5pm and need to leave for the airport around 2pm. So tomorrow morning we are going to head over to see one of the old jails here that tells a lot of the history of the city. It sounded interesting and was recommended to us by this family we met today. It has been tons of fun so far and we all realize how blessed we are to have the opportunity to travel as we do. Many other people our age do not have nor do they take these opportunities. We have been truly blessed.
I realized the other day that by the end of this trip, I will have visited a total of 29 countries in my short little life. I am currently 29 years old. I told my friends that I think my goal is going to try and continue to have visited as many countries as my age. My friend pointed out to me that as I am turning 30 in a few months, I will need to visit another country before my next birthday. I realize that and am working on planning my next trip already! I gotta have something to look forward to, right?
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