Day 118 - Museum

In keeping with our trend of always having bad roommates, we had bad roommates. Loud party girls. Chad was thrilled.

The first thing we had planned post breakfast was a walking tour. The meeting point is only a short way from our hostel, in front of city hall.
We waited there, and we waited, and waited. No one came for us!!!
Not entirely sure what happened but it only took us about a minute to come up with a new plan. The national museum is right across the street.

It is a big 3 story building with a courtyard at its centre. Here we found tons of great exhibits. Danish prehistory, Danish Middle Ages and renaissance, Stories of Denmark , People's of the earth, Ethnographical treasures, The princes palace and history of the museum, Royal numismatic collection, Near eastern and classical antiquities, Children's museum and toys. Similarly to other museums, there is also a temporary exhibit. "Powwow"

Some favorites for me were prehistory, people's of the earth and the princes palace. Stories of Denmark was pretty good too.

Prehistory offered a look into what life could have been like. What was eaten, how people hunted, where they lived, etc.. It also offered a great many skeletons. Because they are ancient and because the way they are buried and with what tells such a story, I was tickled pink.
*weirdo*

People's of the earth displayed room after room of costumes, art, ceremonial objects, replicas of homes, statues, etc. from all corners. Oceania, all over Asia, South America, Micronesia, Greenland, Africa, and more.

In the princes palace we found preserved interiors from a mid-1700's palace. Hence the name. The best of these rooms was a great hall. Upon entering I felt the urge to curtesy and do an intricate dance....

Enough about that though. After 5.5 hours in the museum we decided to leave. And by decided, I mean we had to because it was closing. And we had very sore feet. Again.
We made a short stop at the hostel before going back out for supper and a bit of shopping. I was determined to find a little mermaid souvenir.
Supper was the same as yesterday (because it was so good) and was followed by a game of darts at the hostel bar. I kicked Chad's ass.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Copenhagen and will likely be a very long day since its New Year's Eve.
Party hard and be safe!
xoxo






Dec 30, 2012

Day 117 - Copenhagen!

We made it! Copenhagen is only 2.5 hours from Kolding by train, but it seems a bit longer when you've woken up late, rushed through breakfast, got on the train an hour later than planned and because we neglected to make a seat reservation it was the hallway for us.
It's all part of the adventure.

Another thing we neglected to do was make a reservation for somewhere to sleep. This is nothing new though. We got off the train, walked in a random direction with no luck, pulled out the guide book and followed it to a hostel. Thankfully when we got there it was open and had space for us. We didn't really consider how busy and full everywhere would be because of New Years.

Once checked in, we claimed beds and put our bags down before going right back out. The plan was to walk for a bit as find food, but we get distracted easily and didn't find that food until much later. We stopped in 4 museums to check prices and hours so we could go back to them before we leave, we looked at buildings and canals and then we found ourselves on the pedestrian shopping streets. We took a quick look here or there before seeing a lego store and rushing excitedly to it!
I'm a little boy at heart. Sometimes.
We spent over an hour in there "oooo"ing and "ahhh"ing over this or that and also making our own Lego men. Or women in my case. We had tons of fun with that and came out feeling giddy.

Finally, time for food! Having already tried Danish food yesterday (we are trying to get typical food from each country) we thought it would be ok to eat in an Irish pub today.
That was an excellent decision. As far as I'm concerned, pub fare is always good. We walked out buzzing and full and very satisfied. And also even more excited for Ireland!

The rest of the evening was spent wandering all over and seeing what there was to see, as well as stopping in every single hotel or hostel we came across checking if they had space for New Year's Eve. The hostel we are currently in only had 2 nights for us.
We did eventually find one.

Some more walking led to sore feet and eventually back to the hostel to crash!
xoxo

Day 116 - Visiting

Today was a very relaxed day. After our breakfast we got ready for the day and walked to the house of family friends.
We spent about 3 hours with them, chatting about everything and also eating. (I ate caviar)

Later on after leaving we went out for a walk following yet another sign that we assumed meant downtown. "Centrum"
We were right. But we took the longest possible way to get there. We didn't see much because it was dark by this time and everything was closed down, so we picked up sushi and went back to the room.

And that was about all. Slow paced. Didn't do a whole lot. Next we go to Copenhagen!
xoxo

Day 115 - Kolding, Denmark

So, remember when I said that we were sleeping on a train again but opted for seats this time? Well, let m tell you, that was a mistake. A large one.

We were in a six seat cabin. No empty seats. It was very got an terribly uncomfortable. I spent part of the night awake, another part on the floor between the seats and another sleeping sitting up and therefore doing the head bob. No fun, but we made it through. One of the ladies in with us even slept through her stop. Poor confused lady.

When we finally got off the train it was, of course, pouring rain. And only 7:30 am and therefore to early to check in and go for a nap. Instead we sat around for a while, then stored our luggage and went to see what there was to see.

We walked around a little lake, where oddly enough even though most of it is frozen, there are still ducks and swans on it. After the lake we chose a random direction and walked some more. We walked through a tree'd area and in the mud, down a seemingly never ending road following a sign that said "storcenter" assuming that meant mall. Eventually we were rewarded with warmth and shelter from the rain. It did turn out to be a mall, a big one.
Mostly we just walked around enjoying the warmth, but also searching for an ATM and food. Denmark doesn't use Euros ad so it was another currency and exchange for us to figure out. I can't say I'm enjoying it much. It really throws me off seeing a pair of socks for 60.00kronor and a sandwich meal for 80-100.00kr. Of course this is equal to about 8 and 10-13 euros. It works out but the large number is scary anyway.

It took us about an hour each way to the mall so by the time we got back and checked into our room we passed right out.
2 hours later I forced Chad to get up and we went back out, only for a few minutes though. Then we decided to check out the leisure center that is very near to where we are staying.

It was an awesome facility. Gym, spa and swimming. The swimming area has 6 different pools, a hot tub, water slide, saunas, cold pool, diving boards AND , a giant floating hamster wheel!!!! It was awesome!!!!! You hop inside and run around on top of the water, or try. It was thrilling.
It was certainly different from home in some ways. You are expected to shower and wash thoroughly before going into the pool area. Kind of strange. But also good, I suppose.

Sleep time now!
xoxo

Day 114

After check out this morning Chad and I put our bags in lock-up and went for a walk to no where in particular. We eventually ended up in Starbucks.
We found it quite strange that almost nothing at all is opened today, but tons of places were on Christmas and Christmas Eve. Very strange. The equivalent of Boxing Day in Germany starts tomorrow (27).

We had all day to kill before our train at 8pm and we spent it walking and then sitting around. Eating too.
The train first takes us to Frankfurt for a quick change over and then up to Denmark! We won't arrive there until 7:30am tomorrow though. 11.5 hours on the train. Ick. And we decided not to spend the extra money on a couchette this time because it was cold and uncomfortable last time. Therefore it is sleep in a chair.

See you in Kolding!
xoxo

Day 113 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My very first ever Christmas away from home, but it went well. Chad and I had a good day.
I miss all my family and friends and I wish you all the merriest Christmas! I hope Santa was good to you!!

All my love,
xoxo

Day 112 - Christmas eve!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone!

Being that it is Christmas Eve and that we are away from home, nothing much exciting happened for us today.
We did get out for a bit. Got lost. Found our way back only to realize we had just gone in a circle and were right next to where we wanted to be. Sent some postcards, went to the market for the last time before it closed for the year. Had a nap.
Exciting stuff, I know.

Tomorrow will be my first ever Christmas away from home and I'm so glad I get to spend it with Chad. I will be missing all my family and friends at home.
Have a Merry Christmas! Be safe and happy wherever you are, whoever you are with.
xoxo

Day 111 - Castle

At 3am we got woken up by a new roommate coming in. And then he had a shower... At 3am!
I blame him for my not being able to get up this morning.

Once we finally got up we had a bit of breakfast and planned to do a walking tour of Nazi history in Nuremburg, but we didn't make it to the meeting point on time. Instead we walked around the old city and up to the castle.

You can walk around the castle ground for free, but if you want to go inside you need to do a tour. Unfortunately the tour is done in German language. We opted to do it anyway because we wanted to go inside. The guide was also nice enough to give a very short English version in between rooms as well.
2 things that really stuck out for me were the double chapel and the deep well.
The double chapel has 2 levels, hence "double". The top floor was for royalty and people of importance, while the bottom was for everyone else. The people on both levels could listen to the same service because of the acoustics and because there is a rather large opening in the center of the upper level.
The deep well is just that. A deep well. 44 meters deep to be specific. When water is poured in from the top it takes a goo long while before you hear it hit the bottom.

Also on our walk around the old city we stopped in a huge gothic church. Around the room we found posters that told about how so much of the church was destroyed in WWII and that people wanted to rebuild it even though it likely should have been ripped down. On different areas of the walls it was easy to see what was original and what was rebuilt. Some areas are still black from fires or explosions.

As is the trend lately, when we finished our walk around we ended up back at the market and tasted more new drinks and food. I'm not proud of it, but I ate a 1/2 meter wurst. It was extremely spicy which I wasn't expecting, but good otherwise.

Our night is over now and tomorrow is Christmas Eve!!
xoxo

Day 110 - Nuremburg, Germany

Now that we are in Germany it is time to relax a bit. This will likely be the longest we spend in one place, because of Christmas. We don't plan to leave until the 26th or 27th.

The first (and basically the only) place we went today was the Christkindel market. It is the whole reason I wanted to come after all. Besides having a few other things to do and being tired, the main reason we only went there was because it is HUGE! It has an entire area for kids including a merry-go-round and mini train ride, there is a farmers market area, and then the main part is a jumble of sausage, drinks, sweets, toys, ornaments and thousands and thousands of people. Pushy people. Drunk people. And the most English speaking people I have encountered in a long time.
As always, we did lots of walking, some shopping and to much eating.

Tomorrow should be a more adventurous day. This city has a lot more to offer!
xoxo

Day 109 - The hills are alive with the sound of music

Today was a wonderful day! With the exception of waking up early, tired, and not getting enough breakfast, my day started off in a great way!

A great day that involved snow finally being on the ground and me finally going in the sound of music tour! Unfortunately it rained all day long instead of continuing to snow. However, since most of the tour is in a bus, I could just be happy about the snow and pretend it wasn't raining.

For the tour we got picked up at our hostel along with 2 Kiwi girls that were also doing the tour. Once on the bus our first site was the Mirabell gardens. This is where Maria and the children sing part of do-re-mi. Next we saw the Nonnberg Abbey where real life Maria was going to be a nun and where the convent scenes were filmed for the movie. We only saw the abbey in passing though because they don't allow people in anyway. Moving along, we saw both palaces that were used as the Von Trapp home. The first palace was only used for its grounds and the actually building is never seen. The grounds include the pink lemonade terrace, the capsized boat in the lake and all other 'backyard' scenes. The second palace is what we see of the outside of the home as well as the front wall and gate where Maria first enters singing the confidence song. When filming "inside" the home, the rooms are actually rebuilt on sound stages in Hollywood because they weren't allows to film inside the actual palaces. Up next was what I was most excited for! The gazebo! I was hoping I could prance around inside singing "16 going on 17" but it seems that an 80-something year old woman did that already a few years ago and broke something. That something being a bone. Don't worry, the gazebo is fine, it's just kept locked now. After pictures there we moved back into the bus and headed for the 'lakes and hills region', all the while listening (and singing to) the movie soundtrack. It was a beautiful area. Perfect little alpine towns around beautiful lakes and surround by hills and mountains. After a while we made our final stop in a town to see the church used for the wedding. In the movie it appears Maria and Georg get married in the Abbey. Obviously this isn't the case. Either way, it was yet another big, beautiful and ornate church. We were also given time to be free in the town. Chad and I and the Kiwi's went out for warm apple strudel. Just like in the song!!

Back in Salzburg, still raining, Chad an I walked around the city some more. We planned to walk up to the Abbey to see it from outside but it's up on a hill and we couldn't find the way up.
Maybe the nuns have a helicopter like the pope has a pope-mobile?

Having given up the search we decided it was dinner time. We found a good looking pup/restaurant and got schnitzel with potatoes and beef goulash. Both excellent, even better though when the schnitzel has a bath in the goulash. Yum!

Some more wandering and we were back at the market, again. It market provided warm drinks and some covered areas to escape the rain.
Within our time in Salzburg we tried 8 different drinks at the market.
-Gluhwein
-Cherry, Apricot, Orange and Berry Punsch (separate)
-Mozart-Punsch
-Mozart-Punsch (2 different kinds)
-Hot chocolate

If you have never tried a Gluhwein or Punsch, you should. However, prepare yourself. You will not be driving home. And if you walk, it may be more of a stumble.

Something else you may consider trying is a Kaiskrainer. Sausage with cheese inside, but somehow not like most cheese filled sausage.. Utterly delicious and sinful. Lets be honest, European vacations are no place for eating healthy.

Once warm and full we had to go back to the hostel to collect our bags and head or the train.
Chuga, chuga, choo-choo!

3 crowded hours on the train and BAM! Nuremburg, Germany.
I'll tell you all about it tomorrow!
xoxo

Day 108 - Fortress

We had another great day in Salzburg today. As with everyday, we did a lot of walking and spent most of our time outside.

Along the way we saw where Mozart lived, where a scene from the sound of music was shot and spent some more time at the Christmas market.
The main thing we did though was visit the Hohensalzburg Fortress.
The fortress is on top of a hill overlooking the city. At one point in our visit we did an audio tour that took us to a viewing platform on top of the castle and gave us an incredibly 360 degree view over all of Salzburg and to the mountains. We also saw state rooms, a torture chamber, a marionette museum and a chapel, among other things. Also, if you go at the right time of day/year there is another Christmas market in the fortress. Unfortunately it wasn't open for us. In general the whole place was great to see.

When we got back to the hostel in the evening we watched The Sound of Music (it plays here every night) so Chad would understand what we are seeing when we do the official tour tomorrow morning. Of course now that I have watched it I can't stop singing all the songs to myself. And occasionally out loud...
*how do you solve a problem like Maria, how do you catch a cloud and pin it down?* *I am 16 going on 17 (pretend to prance around a gazebo)* *Edelweiss, Edelweiss *
Oh come on, you know you love those songs too!!

Before we go on the tour we have to check out and lock out bags up, and then after the tour finishes we have a little more time to kill before getting on our train.

Until then,
xoxo

Day 107 - Market

So, it seems Chad and I have the worst luck when it comes to roommates. They never seen to be well suited to us and always snore. Loudly.
It's all part of the adventure.

Breakfast was average and didn't offer anything new, but it was €3.5 and that works for me.

As most do, this hostel provides a free city map that shows routes to follow and highlights points of interests, good restaurants, museums, etc.. We chose to set out on a self-guided walking "tour" based off the map because it offers a direction to start. From there you can always choose to stray way when something catches your fancy.

It didn't take long to realize that we weren't where we thought, and for the life of me I couldn't figure out where we were. So, obviously being the adult that I am I did the mature thing and threw the map on the ground and stomped on it.
It felt good.
And NO, of course I didn't leave it there. That would be littering.

Having laughed off my tantrum we picked a direction and started walking. As always this worked out well and we saw plenty. A fortress, an amazing view of the city, a bit of nature and eventually the Christmas market!

As expected the market was wonderful. Full of delicious smelling food. Sausage, mulled wine and sweets. Plenty of ornaments and decorations, toys, fur goods, clothing, lace. The list goes on. People get bundled up and walk around for ages, shopping and sampling food. Some even stumbling around.
Who new mulled wine was so strong?!

Sausage, wine, pancakes, pretzel, hot chocolate and sweets, lot of shopping around, making sure to stop at every booth. We had a very good time. By the time we left it was getting dark so we shopped and looked around other areas on the way back to the hostel, but planned to hit the market again later for dinner. And we did. More sausage and cherry and apricot punsch.

We decided to extend our stay an extra day as well. We should be leaving here sometime on Friday and then going to Germany.

Until tomorrow,
xoxo

A few photos from Rome

Day 106 - Switzerland to Austria

Breakfast, repack, checkout and then out for a short walk.

The main thing we still wanted to see was the lion monument. A giant lion carved into the side of a rock face.
We also walked by a few churches and over to see a hotel with a giant advent calendar on the front of the building. The shutters on the windows had the numbers and when opened there is a Christmas related picture behind it.
While out we also stopped to pick up sandwiches for the train and some roasted chestnuts. We think they are chestnuts anyway... Soft, meaty, a bit strange and seriously needing salt.

After our short walk around we had to go collect our luggage and get on a train. First to Zurich and then to Austria, Salzburg to be specific!
Sound of music tour, here I come!!!

A long train ride, but absolutely beautiful. Such stunning scenery in the mountains between Switzerland and Austria, especially the snowy little towns.

Once we arrived it was only a short walk from the train station to our hostel, got a room no problem and feeling excited for my time here!
We got our beds set up, laundry in and spent some time on our phones catching up. It was to late to go out and do anything and we were both tired.

Laundry finished and we have sleeping roommates so I guess that means bedtime for me as well.
See you then!

xoxo

Day 105 - Lucerne, Switzerland

First things first. BREAKFAST! One of my favorite parts of the day! It was a great breakfast. Croissants, bacon, cereal, tea.. Yum!

After breakfast we packed up so we could move to a different room and then went out to explore our area. We are staying right next to the train station, overlooking the lake and across the bridge from the old medieval city.

Everything here is so picturesque and charming. The snow capped alps play a majestic back drop to the city, the swans on the lake and the covered bridges add a bit of romance, the lights and the crisp air leave a feeling of Christmas, and for me, home.

We walked through the old town and along the old wall, shopped, stopped to here and there to take pictures, playing the snap happy tourists we are. We had a map to give us a basic guideline of what to see but didn't really follow it. After a few hours we decided to find food.
Major downside. Extremely expensive city. Especially regarding food. And because we had to pay in Swiss Francs instead of Euro, it was yet another exchange rate to consider.
We eventually found a somewhat reasonably priced restaurant and had bratwurst and potatoes with salad. And bought Swiss chocolate too!

Having finished supper we walked a bit more before going back to our room. We planned to go to a bar for a drink but with the prices the way they are we decided not to. Instead we had a drink in our room and the went out again to look at Christmas lights. Trees and bridges and buildings were lit up, especially around the lake.

Now it is bed time!
xoxo

Day 104 - On the road again

Another morning that came to soon. Or I stayed up to late again..
Chad came in to wake me up (which NEVER happens) and scared me half to death. Apparently I rolled away scared and then hit him..

After breakfast we packed up again, planning to go walk around for a while before going to the train station, but the hostel owner decided we had to leave at 10 instead of 10:30 like he told us yesterday. Not nice.

So we grabbed our bags and headed for the train. 2.5 hours to Milan, a short station "layover" and 4 more train hours up to Switzerland.

During our train rides we read, played a game, snacked, napped and looked at the gorgeous scenery around us. As the train went on and on I could see distinctly that we were somewhere new. How exciting!

In Lucerne it is crisp and cool and quite lovely. Christmas feeling!
Off our train we walked to the hostel we planned to stay at only to find it closed for the winter. We have decided its really time we start planning ahead a bit..
Walked back to the train station hoping to find somewhere to sit and figure stuff out. No seats were found, so we went walking again and checked into the first hotel we came across. The room has a bed, bathroom and included breakfast. That's about all we were hoping for and are therefore happy.

A short while after getting into our room we ventured out for a short walk and food before coming back to get ready for bed.
Tomorrow we will explore!
xoxo

Day 103 - Venice

Ok, there was nothing awesome about sleeping in a train.
-my bag shared the bed
-the sheets are useless
-it's so cold
-and we had people getting into the beds above us at 1:30am

On the bright side, we got really good juice boxes in the morning... AND, I found the snow!! It suddenly seems much closer to Christmas.

After a quick train switch in Milan, we went chugging through the snow for 2 more hours before arriving in Venice! The wrong train station in Venice if course. And so, another switch and then a short chug between some canals, canals that looked like never ending seas because of the fog and rain.

Getting to the final train station meant it was time to search out another hostel. In the rain again.

And they mean what they say about Venice being easy to get lost in. All the walkways are small and similar and street signs are hard to find. However, after a good long while we were able to find our hostel and check in.

We were told only 2 beds were free, 1 in a girls dorm and one in a mixed dorm. Being in separate rooms isn't really a big deal since we are mostly only in the rooms to sleep.

After a while we went out to wander and explore. It's a beautiful old city. Confusing. Flooded. Charming.
We did plenty if window shopping. Had some lunch. Drank hot chocolate, which is extremely thick over here. You could eat it with a spoon as easily as you could drink it.
Because of the cold weather and rain we didn't stay out overly long. Back at the hostel we re-arranged our bags yet again, then put on warmer clothes and set back out again.

More window shopping, some pictures and then dinner. Pizza (hotdog, artichoke, olive, Mozza, pepperoni, mushroom and egg) for Chad and gnocchi with cheese sauce for me. As bizarre as the pizza sounds, it was surprisingly good.

After dinner and picking up a few gifts and souvenirs we went back to the hostel again.
When we got back we found all the other beds in Chads dorm were full, and my room was totally empty. It makes it a bit silly that he couldn't be in the room with me.. Oh well.

Chad went off to bed and I worked on some spare time projects for a while. Now it's bed for me too.
Tomorrow it's off to Lucerne, Switzerland!
xoxo

Day 102 - Pompeii

We had another very long tiring day today, starting with an early 7:30am start so we could get on a train to Naples.

Fortunately Rome to Naples is a short trip. We had planned to get a hostel, leave our bags, and then head right out to Pompeii, but that didn't end up working out. After walking around for a while we didn't find any hostels close to the train station so we decided to lock our bags up at the station for the day while we went out and then take an overnight train to Venice instead of going during the day tomorrow.

The train to Pompeii is actually more of a metro than a distance train and only took about 20-30 minutes.

I must admit, I found myself surprised by a lot today. First of all, in my mind, Pompeii is an ancient city destroyed by a volcano. True, except the ancient city is connected to a modern Pompeii. Next, I always imagined it to be a small village type of place.
Boy, was I wrong.
Even in its ruined state and thousands of years later it is easy to see how extravagant it was. Not to mention huge. In the 3.5 hours we had in the site we probably only covered about half. If that.

At first when we were looking around it was all plain stone walls, simple buildings and here and there something that would stand out. A large stadium, detailed tombs and the occasional pot or urn, but as you get deeper into the city it changes. Suddenly you appear to be looking into lush villas. In some areas the walls allowed us to see what it was really like. Brightly colored. Decorated with paintings. Some buildings even have "toilets" with multi-colored marble tops. We saw courtyards with columns, a bathhouse, vineyards and public areas. Best of all, we got to see the body casts of the victims. So so incredible and so lifelike still. On some of them we could even see the facial expressions.
Nothing about this place feels similar to anywhere we could go in modern times, and that is a very cool feeling.

Eventually we had to leave because of closing time. Closing time is a sad time. We would have happily stayed in there for many more hours. Even with sore feet and in the pouring rain. Also unfortunate about leaving was that we had a checked bag at the entrance we came in, but we finished at a different entrance. We weren't able to walk back through the site so we had a 15 minute speed walk and a short sprint along the outside to get it. We barely made it. And of course we were soaked when we got there.

Back on the train for Naples. Listening for the announcement of when to get off.
"(Italian, Italian, Italian,) Napoli Centrale, (Italian, Italian)"
Ok, this must be where we get off.
Look around the platform.
Nope, this is most certainly NOT Napoli Centrale station.

A half hour of laughing like lunatics and then another train showed up to take us the rest of the way. We almost didn't get off at the right stop a second time... That would just be pathetic. And pretty funny. It's all part of the adventure.

Finally back at the right station we collected our other bags, had some dinner and went to wait for our train to Venice. We were planning to take a train to Venice from 8:00pm-5:30am, but like the rest of our day it didn't go quite how we planned. Instead we have a 9:30pm-6:55am train to Milan where we move to another train for 7:35-9:58 to Venice. It actually worked better this was though because we get beds!
How foreign! Sleeping in trains!!!
One last thing to not work out, our 9:30 departure turned into an 11 o'clock departure.

And we are on the road again!!
I'll meet you in Venice!

Day 101 - Vatican city

After getting up and ready this morning we had to move to a new room in the hostel, and then set out for breakfast. Yummy apricot jam filled croissants and juice!

When we bought our Eurail train passes we were given a free city bus tour and we chose to use it here. Its the same double decker bus tour I took in Athens. We were given headphones for an audio tour along the way. Most things we saw we had already visited yesterday and so we mostly just took advantage of the free ride to Vatican City.

Going into St. Peter's Square I really didn't know what to expect. As with most things over here my whole idea of them is based off of movies or pictures I have seen. Of course, with movies especially, the scale is changed and feeling isn't there. The square is beautiful and quite large, while all the while being so much smaller than expected.

From the square we went through a scanner and into St Peter's Basilica. It was definitely a "wow" moment. Everything is so beautiful and ornate. The walls, ceiling, floors. Arches, sculptures and paintings. Everywhere you turn there is something beautiful to see. While inside we also went downstairs to where the popes are buried and to where St Peter's body is. Up some stairs we came to the entrance to the dome on top of the basilica.

"Caution: After the elevator there are still 325 stairs to the top"

We didn't take the elevator so it was 544 steps. Ouch. And the higher you go the more narrow the stairways get and the walls start to slant. We were walking inside a dome after all. Finally at the top we got an amazing 360 degree view of the whole city.

Back down the stairs, and a walk outside to the Vatican museum.
We couldn't leave without seeing the Sistine chapel. Most of the museum leading up to the chapel was all "'ooo' and 'ahhh' and 'wow'". So many beautiful, intricate pieces or art, sculpture, furniture, etc..

When we finally made it into the Chapel it was so much more than I expected. So incredibly beautiful. Thinking of one man doing all of that is mind blowing. Every bit of the walls and ceiling are painted. The arches, the "drapes", everything. Everything apparently, except the white of Adam's eye which is left natural. Or so I overheard.

Moving out of the Chapel we looked through many more halls of the museum before leaving, but only leaving because it was closing. My favorite of the other halls was obviously Egypt. Just like in the Greek museum. This time I saw an actual mummy UNWRAPPED!!!! How amazing is that! I obviously squealed like a child on Christmas and took lots of pictures, which technically wasn't allowed. But I did that in the chapel too... Rebel, right here!

By the time we got out of the museum and back to St Peters Square it was dark out so we took a few more pictures, left to walk across the river Tiber and took more pictures and then finally got dinner! Pasta night! And of course it was delicious pasta.

More walking, some window shopping and a few stops for gifts or souvenirs, a stop at the Trevi fountain and Spanish steps again, continue walking and finally back at the hostel.

Now that we have finished repacking again it's bed time! You can expect pictures to come quite soon. Hopefully.
Tomorrow we are off to Napoli and Pompeii!!

Day 100 - Roma!!!

100 days?!?! I have already seen some amazing places and had some great experiences but I am so excited to start this part of the adventure.

It was a long few days getting here but I am absolutely thrilled to be in Rome! It is a great place to start out.

Chad and I had planned to see quite a bit today, but we saw even more and covered a lot of ground. The owner of the hostel gave us a map and circled the places to see and marked the best routes to each place for us. We started out following it but mostly we just walked until we found something worth stopping to explore or just take photos of... there was something on pretty much every street.

The most significant use of our time today was given to a tour of the Coliseum, Palatine hill and the Roman forum.

First was the Coliseum. We got to go underneath where the gladiators would have entered, we stood on the stage, climbed the steps, looked at the arena from the Emporers seat, saw an ancient toilet and a great many other things. Our guide was great at painting a picture of what it would have really looked like in its day. Not much at all like we see it now. It would have been covered by a canopy and therefore shaded, 2/3 of the outer walls are missing in one area, and the floors and seats were made of or covered in beautiful marble. Inside the stone walls are iron rods to keep the structure standing during earthquakes, there are 80 entrace gates, tickets to see events were made of clay and free, shows had "commercials".. These are just a few things we learned from him.

Next was Palatine hill and the forum. These areas leave a lot to the imagination because most of the buildings haven't stood the test of time like the coliseum. Several pictures later, some more info and it was time to go because the site was closing for the day.

It was a very pleasant tour and made even better by a good guide and a small group. And by small I mean beside me, Chad and the guide, it was a brother and sister and a 'guide in training'. If you ever get to Rome I highly recommend taking a tour of these places. It is well worth it.

Next was the pantheon. Huge. And awesome! The first dome ceiling, huge columns, beautiful sculptures, paintings and marble. The dome has a hole in the centre and therefore the floor is concave with a drain at the bottom for when it rains. Something I would love to see.

Pizza dinner was next.

More walking and the Trevi fountain after. Of course that means more pictures and obviously tossing a coin. We didn't stay very long because it is quite a busy area.

Moving along we got to the Spanish steps. Different than I expected but still good. At the top there was a giant Christmas tree! Pictures, pictures, pictures.

More walking to another area to see another fountain but it was covered and being restored so we decided it was time to head back to the hostel.

All-in-all an amazing first day in Rome!
See you for more tomorrow!

Day 99 - Travel day 2

When we got up in the morning for breakfast it was a good feeling knowing that we were almost there and would soon be free from our watery hell. Jokes on us. The port control decided to close the port due to strong winds. Honestly, hell.

5 hours later it was open again. and an hour later we finally got off the ship, into a crazy taxi for a short ride to the train station and another 2 hours of waiting.

When we got on the train it took a few minutes for us to get into our seats and just as quickly got shifted out of them. Why? Because our ticket was for the next day?!?!!!! Damnit!

Get all our stuff, get off the train and go talk to someone on the platform because we thought we had bought a ticket for this day. He said that because we had rail passes he would allow us to stay on the train for today anyway. Yay! Thanks train man!!!

Another 6 hours later (11pm - ish) we arrive in ROME!!! Short walk around looking for our hostel, found it, chatted with the owner for a bit then up to the room and pass out.

Day 98 - Travel day 1

Firstly, I'm sorry this post is getting up so late. Chad and I have been extremely busy. We spent all of this day just traveling. As soon as we were up and ready it was on to a 15 minute taxi ride over to a bus station, on to a bus for 3 long hot hours. The bus took us from Athens to Patras where we had another 3 hours to wait before hoping on our ferry to Italy. The ferry was scheduled to be 15.5 hours long and would arrive in Bari, Italy around 8:30 am.

While on the ferry we did a lot of sleeping, made conversation with a pleasant English trucker and stumbled around like we were drunk. Felt like it too... The water was very choppy and didn't make for pleasant feeling tummies.

Some dinner, more sleeping and being bored all before passing out in some rather uncomfortable seats. At least I got a whole row...

Day 97 - Final day in Greece!

I dropped my breakfast on the floor!! Wah!!!!!! So sad. That was one less piece of french toast for me. But, on a brighter note, I finally got to take a shower without holding the shower head. I could just stand under the running water. Lovely.

When Chad and I were all ready and fed we headed out and up to the Acropolis. Just like last time I was there it started pouring on us. Fortunately its not a very big place so we weren't stuck in the rain for to long before we went down to the museum. The Acropolis museum used to be up on the hill with the Parthenon but that got to small and a much larger more modern museum was built. It has glass floors in some areas that look down on open excavations. It's very cool.

After the museum we went off to do some last bits of souvenir shopping and for lunch. Gyros and Pita! I figured it was important Chad tried it before leaving Greece. And then I decided we needed frozen yogurt too.... Less necessary but equally delicious.

Our yogurt came along on a walk with us to see a few more sights (and a stop in which 7 cats all flocked to me! Thrilling!!!) and then we decided to come back to the hostel and get planning for tomorrow. We need to leave Greece (because my 3 months are up) and get on to Italy! I'm so excited!

Our planning turned into several hours of re-packing, online plan making and then an 11:30 run for food!

Ready now, and off to bed!
See you there!!

Day 96 - Rain

So, Chad stole all the blankets last night and I froze my ass off. Good times! And then he kept turning my alarms off before they woke me. Damn you, sleep ruiner!!! I guess he made it up to me by taking me for an amazingly delicious lunch later in the day. More on that later though.

First thing we did was go for breakfast in the hostel. Yogurt, eggs and French toast. After that we had to pack up the disaster we made in our room and move it all to a different room. We decided on a private room with bathroom for our first night and so Chad could adjust and then dorms after that. The room we moved to has 8 bunk beds, all full.

When we had claimed our beds and set everything down we headed on a long walk to the Archaeological museum. It was only a long walk because we got slightly lost.. I'd love to blame Chad, but I can't really... Or can I? The walk ended up getting us nowhere so we hopped on a metro to get us in the right place.

We eventually got there and spent a good few hours wandering the halls, taking pictures and reading (The reading part was mostly only Chad). When we were done we got back on the metro and went to the previously mentioned lunch at the mall.

Gourmet Burger Kitchen. A restaurant I have been eyeing up for a good long while now but never went in. It was absolutely amazing. Avocado bacon burger. Yes. It was delicious. And fresh and fast and generally fantastic. The kind of fantastic that makes you want to sit in your booth until its ok to order dinner. And then go back the next day...

Lunch was followed by a quick trip to see the Olympic stadium, then it started raining so we got back on the metro once again and headed for the hostel. By the time we got there my previously straight hair was curly and wet.

A bit of sitting around, a change of shoes, grab the umbrella and then out for a hot chocolate.

Back at the hostel now and sitting under a huge umbrella in the garden writing this while Chad sleeps. Or tries.
See you tomorrow for our last day in Greece!

Day 95 - HE'S HERE!

Today started out looking like it would be a long day.
7:30am I had to get up to Skype my mama and finish packing and arranging things. By 10:30 I was waiting for the bus. That bus didn't come until 11:30. I could be much more okay with that if I didn't have all my luggage with me. The bus was followed by a metro, followed by another metro and then a walk to the hostel. 2.5 hours is way to long just to get downtown, especially since I was starving! And as if that didn't already suck, I had to sit around for another 45 minutes because the person who stayed in the room last night wouldn't get out. CHECKOUT WAS AT 11!! Get out of my room!
Finally I got checked in, set my bags down and headed right back out for a quick bit of food and then another hour long trip on the metro to the airport.
Once at the airport I saw that Chad's flight was expected to be 40 minutes late and so I found myself a comfy chair outside Victorias Secret and watched the fashion show on their t.v. until I had to go back down to arrivals. Chad finally came out after AGES! It was great!
Another hour on the metro, a long walk back to the hostel, a short venture out for food and back in for sleep. We both had a very long day.

See you tomorrow!

Day 94 - Finished!

The day has finally arrived! 3 months living and working in Athens is over.
I had a very busy day packing and making sure everything is ready to go so I can leave in the morning, as well as having my last lessons with the kids. They told me they won't miss me. Gee, Thanks. Oh well, I am off to bed and then starting a new adventure that I have been waiting on for years now!

I will see you all tomorrow, but I will be with Chad!!! Yay!

Day 93 - Pressure band

I got out today to buy a few things I need for when I head out on Friday and stopped for some lunch along the way. I also got smart today and wore my pressure bands on the bus so I didn't feel sick.

When I got back it was my same old routine.

And that is all I have to say, except, 1 more day until FREEDOM!!! I'm planning to write all about my overall experience over here as an Au pair when I get time to, so you can look forward to that and to much more exciting posts very soon!!

Day 92 - Kinder egg

Everything that I can live without for the next 2 days is now packed up and ready to go. I'm finding it somehow more difficult to pack this time. You'd think it would be easier since EVERYTHING has to be packed and that leaves no decision making... I guess I shopped a bit..

With that all under control I went up for lunch and lessons. The boys have now taken to putting signs on their doors for me to see. Alex writes "No Dani's allowed in here" and Aris writes "If you want to come in here you have to give me a kinder egg."
Charming, aren't they?
I just walk in anyway. Take that, tiny people!!

After sobbing over Grey's Anatomy again it's now bed time.
Until tomorrow,

Day 91 - Shipping and glitter glue

I finally got my package sent off, but it was a painful experience. After taking ages to find the tape and finding where to ship the package from, I finally got to the actual sending part. I had to walk to the post office which is about 20-25 minutes from where I live. Fortunately the package is a bag with handles and not a box, unfortunately it weighed 23 pounds. And even more unfortunate, it cost me 84 Euro.
Ouch.

By the time I got back from the post office all I had time for was lunch and then lessons. It was 1 hour with Aris, 1 hour with Alex and then another 2 hours with Aris. A good chunk of my time with Aris was spent coloring with markers and playing with glitter glue so it was time well spent!

I have only 3 days left now and so there is laundry and packing and last minute things to get done.
See you tomorrow.

Day 90 - Graffiti

I managed to wake up with my alarms today. Right at 7:30. And then breakfast and then back to bed until 10:30 (accidentally) and then rushing to get ready so I could leave by 11.

First thing I did was meet up with Ieva and go for lunch. We went to a pita restaurant and got a mixed tray of gyros, souvlaki skewers, pita, potatoes, onion and tzatziki to share. It was delicious! Lunch was followed by tea and a treat.

Some of the archaeological sites and museums are free on Sundays so we took advantage and went to a site neither of us had been to yet. Took lots of pictures and then got locked in.. Apparently they don't announce anything or make it known that they are closing for the day, and they don't look for left over people. Fortunately there was a man by the gate that let us out. Though, how bad could it really be if we got locked in until tomorrow?

After that we went for a walk towards nowhere and ended up somewhere else I hadn't been before. A "Chinatown" area, a scary area where people are doing drugs in the corner and sleeping on the ground and a busy artsy area covered in graffiti. Honestly, the whole city is covered in graffiti (which I'm not really a fan of), but this particular area is different. It's more art and less "gang tag" which makes it slightly more appealing.

Some more walking around and we were back at the metro and saying good-bye.

Back to the house and the usual.
Expect pictures soon!

Day 89 - Post and hostel

After sleeping through 12 alarms this morning I decided the zoo wouldn't be happening and so I took my time getting ready for the day, eating and organizing my room. As my finishing day grows ever nearer, I've been making sure everything is ready and clean and getting rid of anything that I won't need after leaving Greece. Since I found packing tape I've also packed and taped the bag I need to send home, and now I just have to find somewhere that will send it to Canada.

It was such a beautiful day. December 1st and I wore a short sleeved t-shirt without being at all cold. The sun was bright and warm!

My first stop, as always, was to buy bus tickets. The man at the newspaper stand that sells them to me always knows what I want now without me asking. He doesn't speak English so I can't make polite conversation with him so I just smile big and say thank you. He now says thank you back to me. I'm going to pretend I taught it to him and feel good about myself.

My first destination was the mall because that is where one post office is and also bank machines, which I had to use for the first time since leaving home. Little did I know, the post office was closing just as I got there so I'll have to go back on Monday.

After grabbing a drink it was back to the metro (which smelled like dead fish) and off to Plaka to find and reserve the hostel for when Chad arrives.

Of course it took me ages to find the hostel, not because its hidden somewhere you wouldn't expect, but because I have a short attention span and because the names of streets can be hard to find and are in Greek sometimes and in a split sign with a Greek name and and English name other times. And the name on the map don't necessarily match the spelling of the name on the sign. All that being said, I did eventually find and book the hostel.

Back to the metro (which mostly smelled like chocolate this time) and then to my bus, and then my short walk and then back at the house.

See you tomorrow!

Day 88 - Banana pancakes!

Its always bizarre when I wake up from a dream and think back on it only to realize that someone totally random or "irrelevant" in my life took the starring role. Today it was my sixth grade teacher. Weird.

It took a lot of motivation but I got out for a little while today. Mostly just to walk around. I strolled through the "farmers" market and stopped in a few shops before coming back to the house for lunch.

With Aris I did a poster project of Africa like I did with Alex last week. And then with Alex we made paper snowflakes.

When they went off to swimming I made myself some delicious banana pancakes and toast for supper and then headed off to my room for the usual. Shows on my laptop.

Tomorrow is undecided but I'm considering the zoo if I'm up early enough.
See you then!
xoxo

Day 87

6 more days!!
And that is all I have to say.

xoxo

Day 86

I found tape!! And a great many other things.. Remember that store I told you about at the beginning of my time here? Huge. Kids stuff. Crazy. Well, I went back. By myself this time which made it much more enjoyable. It's massive!!! And thrilling. Big rolls of packing tape are now mine. .75¢ each. Score!

When I got back to the house I managed to get everything I need to mail home all shoved into my bag and the bag is half taped now. I hope mailing a bag across the world works out ok... I couldn't find a box.

After getting all that sorted out it was off to war lessons. All the usual stuff. Then dinner, more taping and sobbing like a baby because they killed off one of my favorite characters on Grey's anatomy. Damn them!!
And now it's bed time. 1 week to go!

xoxo

Day 85 - Packing again

So, the time has come. Packing again. I have just over 1 week left until Chad arrives and we start our adventure together!
It turns out that packing is harder now even though I know exactly what to pack. Everything. Except I still need to live with everything until I leave.. Except the things I need to send home, but can't, because I still have no tape..

Tomorrow I should hopefully head out and continue my search for the tape.
Wish me luck!
xoxo

Day 84 - Tape

Monday has come again. And, it was very.. Mondayish..
I've really come to realize lately just how much I miss shopping at home. And not because the stores are different or better or anything like that, but simply because when I need to buy something I know which store to go to. Here on the other hand, I just have to guess. I've spent the last 2 weeks stopping in any store I can think of just trying to find packing tape. And I have had no luck at all. I'm thinking maybe a hardware store maybe, except I don't know where one is or the name of one to look up.. I MISS YOU WAL-MART!!!

That being said, I went out today in pursuit of toothpaste and tape. I did find toothpaste. And then got home and realized I also needed more floss. Except I like to wait until the last possible moment to buy it because the price tag on floss in this country hurts me. €4.50 for a pack of 20 floss picks. OUCH. That is highway robbery.

Moving along. Shopping, lunch and then lessons. Sort of. First half of lesson 1 was a success. Lesson 2 was a complete fail and horribly frustrating. (Think screaming, crying, throwing things, throwing tantrums and not doing any work.) And back to part 2 of lesson 1 which was also a success.

Dinner, t.v., and checking out Cyber Monday sales online. Sales I don't get to enjoy. Or maybe just a bit.

xoxo

Day 83 - Finally photos

I had big plans going into today, but I didn't stick to them at all. In fact I literally didn't do anything at all. The zoo will be happening next weekend instead. 

And now here are some much needed photos, now that I've figured out how to get them on here without it crashing!

Helmets - National Archaeological museum

Sarcophagus - (NAM)

Open sarcophagus with mummy - (NAM)

Statue - (NAM)

Aphrodite - (NAM)

Giant bronze statue from a shipwreck - (NAM)

Ancient Agora

Emperor Hadrien - Ancient Agora 

Temple of Hephaistos - Ancient Agora

View from the temple - Ancient Agora

Ancient Agora

Stoa of Attalos - Ancient Agora

Athens Olympic stadium

Olympic stadium

Day 82 - Ancient Agora

Less than 2 months left in this journey now! And chad will be here and I'll be done work in less than 2 weeks!!!

Today started off as it always does. Breakfast and taking my time getting out the door and to my bus. Normally I complain to myself that the bus stops are to close together and there are to many stops to begin with, but today while watching a girl struggle to not get sick on the bus, the next stop couldn't come soon enough. This did not leave me feeling very well. Thanx a lot, random girl!!

Anyway, after that incident and a stop at the mall I went downtown and to the Ancient Agora. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the whole thing though because it closes early at this time of year. It was exciting to see what I did see though. It's huge. And I'll be back again to see the rest with Chad anyway so it was okay.

Afterwards was some walking around, a bit of shopping and more bus time heading to the house.
It was a short day out but a good one. If all goes well I am planning to see the zoo tomorrow!!

xoxo

Day 80

I have no idea what happened with this day. All the usual things. Food. Children. T.v. Shows. Shower. Nothing exciting. Except that it is nearly the weekend. That is always. Exciting!

Day 81 - Out again

I woke up today with energy and feeling like I wanted to go out again. Because this never happens I figured I would go.

Back to the mall just because and I even found a few stores with Black Friday sales! I didn't get much time to shop at the mall though because I left home later than I usually do. I fit in some lunch though. Of course. I do like to eat.

Back at the house just in time to make tea before lessons. Then reading books I've already read, some work pages and then Lego and playmobile.

Dinner comes next followed by nothing.
Good night!
xoxo

Day 79 - Starbucks for the rain

For some ridiculous reason my body decided that after spending the last week waking up between 10:00-12:00 that today it would be fun to get up at 7:20. Well, it was not fun. But I accepted it and took my time getting ready to head out.

Of course it was pouring rain and not warm at all, but nice to be out anyway. I like the rain when I'm prepared for it.

After a quick stop near where I live I went over to the mall. Mostly because I wanted Starbucks. Partly because it was cold and partly because I was falling asleep on the bus. And I am not ok with bus sleepers. I don't want to be one. It's weird.
Because I finally figured out what a praline is, I got a mocha praline drink. It was pretty good. And warm. And cozy. It's to bad though that the holiday drinks here are different than what I have at home.

After shopping for a while I went back out into the rain to go back to the house for lunch and lessons.

I was left alone with the kids again today. This doesn't happen often, I must admit I'm glad it doesn't. Boys are boys, and that makes for lots of yelling and hitting and generally being ..boys.

By the time I was relieved from them I was dying of starvation. Ok, ok. I'm being dramatic. But I was hungry. So I ate. Shocking, I know.

And that's all folks!
xoxo

Day 78 - Painting

So, I was right. Today was just like yesterday. Are we surprised?

It was another cold rainy day so I stayed in and did nothing productive until 3.
Alex and I did a giant painting of Africa to go with the reading I did. No complaints here. I do love to paint. I made a giraffe and an elephant!

Afterwards, family swam, I ate and ran a little bit and then went back to not being productive. I have such a thrilling life..

xoxo

Day 77 - Rank 14million

Today it was back to my usual weekday stuff. Nothing much. Really that's fine with me though. I've adjusted. And my current Grey's Anatomy addiction is keeping me occupied and happy.

With Aris I did his work with him and then he insisted on jumping off the bed onto me again. It's all fun and games until I get knee'd in the ribs, and that doesn't affect him so it continues to be fun and games. 15 minutes of it.
With Alex we read about Africa and then he ranked his au pairs.
1. Swedish girl
2. British girl
3. German girl
4. Tie for all Canadian and American girls
14,000,000. Me

Thanx for that..

Anyway, that was my day. I expect it will be just like this again tomorrow, but there is always the chance of me doing something..
xoxo

Day 76 - Mummy!

Today was a very busy day and I finally got places! And at a reasonable time! Go me!

My first stop was another new metro station and then a bit of a walk around trying to find the National Archaeological Museum. It took a little bit but I got there.
It was awesome! It is huge and seemed to never end. Room after room of antiquities. Life size (or often much larger) statues of marble and bronze, gold jewelry and death masks, weapons and pottery. Everything had so much beautiful detail. From the folds in the gown of a stone goddess to the intricate images on pots, nothing is flat or dull.

My favorite of all that I saw was the Ancient Egypt rooms! I have always had a fascination with Egypt and getting to see real artifacts close enough to touch had me pretty thrilled. Most exciting of all was that there are sarcophagus' and 1 of them still has its mummy inside. How cool is that!?!! I could only see the bottom of the feet because it was still bound and covered but it was amazing anyway. What Egyptian artifacts have that most Greeks don't is color. Beautiful bright colors. On statues, jewelry, sarcophagus', burial boxes, etc..

As well as the permanent exhibits I also got to see the temporary showing. An ancient shipwreck. Plenty has been brought up from the depths even though the ship itself is practically gone. A massive bronze statue was a significant find as well as the "Antikythera mechanism." This mechanism was a series of gears closed in a wooden box attached to dials. Of course it doesn't look like that now, but it has been recreated many times. Someone referred to it as the "first computer". All the connecting gears moved everything in a way that it showed the date, the moon, sun and planets, when and where the next Olympics would be, zodiacs and many other things. Very cool. Look it up.

After 3 hours I finally made it through the whole museum. I got lost several times trying to find my way out but eventually did. From there it was a long walk to Syntagma square and then into the National Gardens. Again, huge and maze like. Inside the garden I found a museum (which was closed), a "zoo", playground, roman ruins, kids library and several fountains. Big place. I'm sure it would be much nicer in the summer though.

More walking, some food and the my long ride back to the house.
Exhausted now and sore feet. See you tomorrow!