canaussie's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries

canaussie's TravelStream™ — Recent TravelPod.com entries TravelStream™ news feed for member canaussie on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/canaussie en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:21:46 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com The End of Eastern Europe — Sofia, Bulgaria http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199375040/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199375040/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199375040/tpod.html Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:21:46 -0400 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Sofia, Bulgaria

This is the whirlwind tour of Eastern Europe blog.  Hmm, I haven't been sure how to write this entry.  All our experiences so far have been what a traveler would wish them to be: great weather, delicious food, lovely people, unique culture, adventure, etc.  Occasionally you encounter the odd mini-problem, as expected, but these are largely overshadowed by the other 99.9% of the experiences you have had, and are therefore brushed off and soon forgotten.  They are unremarkable.  That is, until we began travelling down Eastern Europe.  We have had good moments, but there have been so many remarkably bad ones that our spirits began to falter a bit and we began to wish for home.  Things are beginning to look up again though.  I'll just explain.Perhaps Budapest is better in the summer.  I think even when you look at the pictures you will see how bitterly cold it was, making sightseeing a bit of a chore!  That and we made the mistake of being overly frivolous by not planning anything ahead, so we arrived at 6 a.m. by train with no accommodation to go to, and train station staff that are surely trained to go out of their way to not help you and make you feel like annoying crap.  Maybe we just asked all the wrong people.  We did find a place two hours later, and it was warm, clean and the lady at the front desk was incredibly nice, which bolstered us a bit. We planned our two days by staggering what we saw outside with indoor moments.  See something outside, have a coffee, walk to that building, drink a hot chocolate, and so on.  Budapest is divided, simply enough, by the Danube river into Buda and Pest.  Ha! In Buda, the west side of the Danube we braved the winds on Varhegy, aka Castle Hill, where the Royal Palace stands along with museums, expensive and trendy restaurants and Matthias Church which, although meant to be magnificent to see, was closed and the tower was covered in scaffolding!  In Pest, we wandered the streets and buildings, the highlights which were the very colourful Parliament and Heroes' Square which is magnificent and highly impressive even in sub-zero.  Amongst the looming pillars enormous statues of knights and men on chariots dominate the square.  It was constructed to commemorate the 100th anniversary of... I can't remember!  Look it up!  I'll look it up later.As for the food... meh.  Not our thing.  Nice cabbage though.  Also, everywhere we went, save the lovely woman at the hostel, we were treated like a nuisance.  Bad luck?  Maybe.  We hope so, but I can honestly say, in my life I have never been treated so badly when ordering a meal or asking for directions.  A woman that served me in a food court put effort into making me feel like the crap being trampled on the bottom of a shoe by sighing loudly, smacking the counter in exasperation, rolling her eyes, and yelling in a very condescending manner to me in Hungarian.  Probably best I didn't understand.  All I did was order the chicken by pointing to the sign.  I'm not kidding, that's all I did.  I was overwhelmed, she left me pretty devastated.  And I haven't even told you about the bus driver (outside of Hungary though) that was so abusive I ended up crying and about whom I am writing a letter of complaint.  I don't know, Scott and I have traveled and been in the service industry extensively and can therefore forgive a lot, if not everything, so for bad experiences to stand out so clearly is surprising and sad to us.  It's a big lesson also, as it highlights the enormous impact you can have on a visitor to your country.  Huge.  Impact.Onwards we travelled to Romania where we decided to spend our New Year's.  The man in the same train compartment as us, a lovely man that gave us lots of advice on travelling in Romania, was balanced out by the man from hell at the train station that told us he didn't care if we stayed in the station forever as he was angry we had a guesthouse booked already and wouldn't go to his.  Anyway.  We decided to skip Bucharest as other travelers had told us it was ok to do so, and instead we headed to Brasov in Transylvania to spend some time with Dracula.  I said that to get it out of all your systems.  That is not what Transylvania is however.  Yes, it's where Vlad Tepes (the notorious impaler on which the mythical Dracula is based) chilled out, and yes, the landscape does inspire a chilly awe and eeriness, but wow, is Transylvania ever gorgeous! Tree covered hills and mountains, cobbled medieval streets, castles and old fortifications, beautiful old buildings... that is the improved and realistic image of Transylvania.  The town square in Brasov was set up with a stage for the New Year's celebration, and the Christmas tree and decorations were still up in full force.  We're not sure where anyone eats on New Year's Eve, as every single restaurant closed at 5pm.  We found one that was open with tables available, went in, I asked for a table for two, and the waiter yelled at me "NO!", pushed past me and ignored us.  Yes, Happy New Year to you too, you ____! (Fill in your own blank).  What is with the overly angry people?  Our bad luck again?  We hope so.Despite sleeping in, New Year's day we awoke to a ghost town, all the hung-over drunkards were still in bed.  Amazingly, the cable car to the top of Tampa Hill which overlooks Brasov with its flashy Hollywood-style sign was open, so we headed up to take in some spectacular, snow-covered views while eating warm soup and polenta with sour cream which, by the way, is delicious.  And the waiter was super nice.  That brought the tally to a whopping three people that treated us like human beings since departing Prague.  Before descending on the cable car, Scott and I concluded the obligatory winter ritual while "strolling" the snow covered hill, and slipped and fell hard on our asses.  We did this at different moments in time, but both on Tampa Hill, nonetheless.   Back at the bottom, we walked around the old medieval wall and its ancient bastions, climbed as far up the Black tower and White tower (both were closed) to get overviews of gorgeous little Brasov, walked the one minute through Str. Sforii, famed as one of the narrowest streets in Europe, and tried, in vain, to visit the dominating Black Church, as it was closed from the 31st to the 2nd, precisely when we were there.As a must, we took a freezing 40 minute bus ride (the windows were completely frosted over) to tiny Bran, where Bran Castle, aka Dracula's castle juts impressively out of the craggy mountain side.  Market stalls and haunted Dracula houses milking the Vlad Tepes history for all its worth aside, it's a stunning area, and the castle from the outside is magnificent.  I say from the outside because it was closed, even though it was January 2nd and the tourists were crammed at the gates hoping someone would change their mind.  I really wanted to see the inside of the castle, but what can you do?  Everything in Transylvania shuts at 5 pm on the 31st and reopens whenever.  And we were leaving before whenever arrived.  Anyway, Transylvania was awesome, not to be missed in Romania.Our train to Sofia in Bulgaria was physically uncomfortable, but quite fun.  We couldn't get a sleeper cabin, so sat in a compartment with three other guys from Latvia travelling their way to Tibet via the turbulent Middle East.  Oh so amusing they were, dressed the same in army garb (they are not in the army), with the same army boots, army packs and tents and sleeping bags should they go camping in -20 degrees instead of staying in a hostel or guesthouse. But it's ok, they said, the sleeping bags were rated to -30 degrees (although they haven't tested that theory), and they're lugging around a Coleman stove with three aluminum pots to boil water.  THAT, my friends, is roughing it.  Or stupid.  Anyway, when we arrived in Sofia we all ran to book our onward train to Istanbul and only five spaces were left, so we may be sharing strange stories and wine with them again.Ah, Sofia, the biggest and most pleasant surprise of our sprint through Eastern Europe.  Everyone is helpful and friendly, the language barrier is not an inconvenience to them, the food and drinks are well priced and delicious... we had no idea!  To us this was a stopover on the way to Turkey, and it's turned out to be a highlight.  We stayed at Hostel Mostel which is the cleanest, cheapest, friendliest, most inviting place we've stayed.  Breakfast is included and also spaghetti and beer at night!  Fabulous!  And the staff are funny, and helpful.  The people of Sofia are relaxed, and the city is a surprising mix of ancient meets old meets modern.  Easily walked, we ambled around the sunny, snow-covered city, seeing everything from ancient Roman baths situated over hot springs in the middle of the city, to the beautiful and cavernous Aleksander Nevski Church, to the many city parks, gardens (albeit, covered in snow) and streets with monuments, shops and restaurants.  It's a beautiful little city, really a pleasant surprise, and one definitely worth visiting.  Strangely enough, pizza is a thing here, excellent, yummy, giant slices of quality pizza with cool toppings you can just take away and they are cheeeeeeeeeeep.  This afternoon, we are going to a Bulgarian restaurant to eat dinner before jumping on our Turkish train.  We're not sure what Bulgarian food is, but everything in Sofia is a revelation and a positive experience which has put a more than positive end cap on our trek south to Istanbul.Canaussie rating:Brasov, Romania: 5, it's so beautifulBran Castle: 4, if only we could have gone in...Brasov's "Hollywood" style sign: 5, it's way too cool, especially at night, it looks like its hoveringSofia: 5, easy-going, pretty, relaxed... great little cityPolenta with sour cream: 5, strange, but delicious  
]]> Bangkok, Chiang Mai and to the border beyond — Chiang Rai, Thailand http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1194374100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1194374100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1194374100/tpod.html Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:25:21 -0400 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Chiang Rai, Thailand

We arrived alive in Bangkok around 9pm after a bumpy, nail-biting Air Asia flight (mainly the take-off) from Phuket.  Naturally, that morning the sky was blue for the first time we'd been in Thailand, but by evening the looming, ominous clouds had rolled in and the rain kept falling in sheets just in time for our take-off.  I wasn't the only one nervous, as the lady beside me had her legs crossed and her head in her hands, displaying all the body language of a nervous flyer.   Her husband across the isle was also nervous but trying to be tough about the situation.  I sat in the middle seat holding Scott's hand, doing deep breathing and humming "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin in my head.  As for Scott... he didn't give a crap!  Just sat there, and then stated that it really wasn't that bad considering the weather.  Aaaargh!  Irrational thinking aside, it's good though, imagine if we were both anxious wrecks, we'd both have ulcers by now with all the flying we have to do.Bangkok is a bit of a sensory overload, and being in a state of recovery from being ill in Phuket, it made things a bit more difficult to deal with.  Everything is overwhelming, the traffic, the smog, the food stalls, the vendors, the crowds, the noise, the smells... it is definitely a city to be tackled in good health.  I refrained from eating anything but crackers and fruit and only drank water and ginger ale when I could find it, as the thought of or the smell of any food made me nauseous.In the evening we officially begun our tour with Gecko's and met our guide Al (that's the shortened version, his Thai name is very long) and one of the people we were touring with, named Katherine.  All formalities aside, we told Al we wanted to go to some markets to have a wander, maybe get some dinner.  Trying to hail a cab was one of the funniest experiences.  Al, being a local, but surrounded by three tourists would stop a taxi, talk to the driver, shut the door in his face and flip him the bird.  We giggled, wondering why this was happening, and Al responded with, "He's %#@ing crazy".  The taxis, you see, saw us with him and were trying to charge an inflated amount for the trip, without turning on the meter.  By the fourth occurrence, the three of us moved away from Al so he hailed the cab alone, and what do you know?  The driver agreed to use his meter at which point the three of us came running over and piled into the back.  Strategy strategy!At the markets Katherine and I went on a quest to find knee-length shorts which are not offensive in conservative South East Asia, but were slightly turned off when the vendors said to us repeatedly "It's ok, have your size, extra extra large!"  Wow, thanks.  That's incentive to buy, can I buy a new self esteem along with that 'cause it is now extra extra small...  In all seriousness though, compared to the local population we are larger women.  We only wished it was only extra large, not extra extra.   Bruised egos aside we looked for food and were surprised to find an open air hawker's market, where Katherine and I shared the compulsory fruit plate and water while Scott had a Tiger with some satays.  And guess what was on a big screen hovering above the market?  Premier League football, Manchester United versus Arsenal.  Who ever knew the Thai people were such Man United fans?  Oh, the cheers, the screams of horror, the roars, the shouts they made at the big screen!  They gripped their chairs and pounded their fists in the air for their favourite team!  The tension was thick!  Emotion ran high! I can go on with the clichés!  I'll stop!  Thank goodness Man United tied, I can't imagine the ruckus if they had lost.  Our trip back to the hotel was pretty uneventful, and Scott only had to shut two doors in taxi drivers' faces before we got one with a meter (he did shut the doors nicely though and say thanks, and there was no bird flipping, that would make him a very rude tourist).Our next full day in Bangkok we met the other girl on our tour, the very tardy Hannah, and jumped on the local buses to visit the Wat Pho (the Banyan Tree Temple), which has a reclining Buddha which is 46 meters long and 15 meters high.  Just take a moment to imagine the enormity.  Massive!  And covered completely in gold leaf, really stunning.  We also visited the Grand Palace, one the King's residences where also stands the temple of the Emerald Buddha.  Now the Buddha is of emerald colour, but is in fact made of imported jade, AND, there are in fact, three of them for the seasons, summer, winter and rainy, so they are switched accordingly!  Back to the Grand Palace:  the King uses that palace only for ceremonial purposes, during the coronation, or when other heads of state visit.  The Palace is of Victorian design with a Thai design roof, so the Thai people refer to it as the building with western clothes with a Thai hat.Our time in Bangkok was rounded off with some walking and shopping around and with a newfound game invented by Scott and I called "Things You Can Put on a Stick!".  It's lots of fun, you should try it some time!  We saw many unidentifiable foods along the streets, and I did promise myself I would be more open minded with my palate, but... easier said than done, especially when already sick.  There are endless little rolled balls of stuff (meat?  multicoloured?) on sticks, whole fish on sticks, bbq banana on sticks, little eggs that are obviously not from chickens (pigeon or quail?) with shells and all on sticks (one stick fits four), chicken feet on sticks... shall I go on?  We also saw endless amounts of seafood and sea life and various parts of a pig, we think, and the notorious and personally distressing shark fins hanging from windows for the popular shark fin soup.  This is just the tip of all the food we saw, we couldn't even identify or imagine what a lot of it was.  There is definitely no fussiness in the Bangkok palate, essentially anything goes my friends!Two days in we took the overnight train to Chiang Mai.  Music suddenly blared from speakers when at the train station.  We were sitting on the floor with our bags (Al joked that he'd reserved the semi circle painted on the ground just for us).  A video screen lit up with images of the Thai flag waving and the royal family, particularly the King.  It was 6 pm, and all over Thailand it is customary in public places to play the anthem and to stand at attention during this time.  Being a savvy traveler, I already knew this and we behaved accordingly, standing up straight, keeping quiet, hands at our sides.  Thanks Lonely Planet!  If I'd only been savvy about not stepping on money... can't win them all!Our sleeper train was actually pretty excellent, but c-c-cold!  Set up as a bunk, the bottom seats facing each other became a bed, and the top bunk clicked down.  All beds and bunks were efficiently made and organized by a very nice, quiet, but grumpy-dispositioned crew member wearing a mask who is probably sick and tired of dealing with stupid tourists and their bunk beds.  Although the beds were comfortable, the lights in the cabin remain on all night (for safety and for the crew I assumed) and the air con vents are strategically placed to blast out their -30 degree air directly above the beds and onto your numb, cringing face (face, what face?  Is my head still attached, because I can't feel it!), where you lie shivering miserably under your little summer blanket.  Mental note:  warm clothing must be accessible when in South East Asian transport!  Ok, lesson learned.  I think.  Will inform if I remember next time.Chiang Mai was a breath of fresh air compared to Bangkok, and we were quite sad to only have one day there, we would rather have spent three days there instead.  Our time in Chiang Mai was amazing.  The city itself is much more relaxed and fresh, and the daily pace approximates that of a normal human.  We tried a new and exciting form of transportation, the sawngthaew, which is essentially a covered pick-up truck (that's a ute for all you Aussies) with benches down either side.  You can even brave death itself and hang out the back if you wish.  Alas, we were not feeling like extreme sports that day.  Our trusty driver wound our way up to the base of the Wat Phra That Doi Suthep Rajvoravihara (temple) where we then further climbed another 306 steps to reach the temple itself.  Once at top you were rewarded with beautiful buildings, mosaic art and a view of Chiang Mai.  Our guide Al took us in to be blessed by a monk with spring water for a safe journey and then we split into male and female groups, the males to have a white string tied around their writs by the monk, and the females by the apprentice, and fully initiated monks cannot touch women.  We also kneeled in another area to shake a tube with numbered, wooden sticks.  The one that falls out then relates to your fortune which you take with you in paper.  The whole experience was fantastic and like nothing we had ever done before.  Scott and I both kept our fortunes, but ask me where I put it?!?  One backpack and you can still misplace your things.Our next activity was especially exciting and one of our favourite yet:  Thai cooking lessons!  The four of us went with our adorable teacher Pui to the markets where she taught us about different fruits and vegetables we had never seen before.  We diligently followed her around with our little cane baskets, buying ingredients like happy little Vegemites (that's like good, healthy little children for you Canadians).  We then went to the fabulous outdoor cooking school where we learnt how to make Pad Thai (Yummy!), red and massaman curry (Yum Yum!),  chicken and coconut and tom yum soup (Mmmmm!) and sweet sticky rice with mango (Ohmagawd!).  Who knew it was so simple?!?!?  It really is, we thought it was highly involved and complicated, mais non!  We promise to cook you Thai food next we meet, sans food poisoning!Our evening was dominated yet again by night markets where I devoted my time to buying trinkets from people whose photo I actually wanted.  Fair exchange, I say.  Both parties in transaction left satisfied!The next mode of transportation was the local bus, of the fancier, and severely over air-conditioned variety to Chiang Rai where we then switched buses to the no frills, air-conditioning via open doors held by bungee cords variety to Chiang Kong at the Laos border.  Personally, I preferred the latter after we all made a mad dash to the back of the bus where there was leg room.  Now, we're not being fussy "westerners", but we literally could not fit in the other seats, Scott barely squeezed in with his legs stretched out over the two seats.  The back was heaps of fun though I thought, five of us thrashing around over every bump and pothole of the unsealed road, our guide Al bobbing his head up and down excessively with a big grin on his face during the 3 hour journey.  It was hilarious! Particularly with my full bladder!  It's funny how an uncomfortable, bumpy and slightly painful bus ride can become one of those favourite moments, but it really was for me.And the end of Thailand was upon us already... we said goodbye to Al and headed to the customs office to get stamped and board our little boat across the Mekong into Laos, where I will continue our story...Canaussie rating:BBQ banana on a stick: 3 when sick, likely 4 if healthyOur pad thai: 5!Our cooking class massaman/red curry: 5!Cooking class in general: 5+++Smells of Bangkok:  1, for the "interesting" factorMarket shopping: 3Bumpy bus ride: 5 for funnySleeper train to Chiang Mai: 4, just need to be prepared with warm clothes 
]]> Garbage Town and Ancient Town — Naples, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200178620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200178620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200178620/tpod.html Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:55:07 -0400 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Naples, Italy

So I will begin this entry by stating that we have reached the stage in our travels where we are constantly "huffing" it.  We huff it from one city to another, we huff it within cities, we huff it we huff it.  The benefit of always huffing it with backpacks is sore legs and abs, which equals a natural workout to counterbalance all the new food and pastries being eaten.We began our huffing upon leaving Istanbul, and this is the short version of our mad, non-stop, three day journey:  - We took the overnight train from Istanbul to Thessaloniki, wow was it nice, and we had a washbasin!  I know, I know, we're easily pleased now, but a personal washbasin is such a luxury.  Enough about that, you don't care         - Having chosen to no longer visit Greece (better in summer with more funds!) we huffed it through Greece to Patras to catch the ferry to Bari, Italy         - Wow, what a ferry!  Akin to a small cruise ship, we were shocked, we expected crap wood seats, but no, we got beds and restaurants and bars and a "disco" (it is Italy after all) and a reception and all that fluffy stuff.  Included in our Eurail pass, yessssssss!         - Huffed it from Bari to Naples by train!So, four trains, three days, and one ferry later we arrived in Naples, flabbergasted at the scenery that awaited us:  garbage.  Yes, garbage.  Naples, right now (or when we were there a few days ago) is a literal dumping ground; refuse flying around every street, trash dramatically piled a couple of meters high and wide, splashing the birthplace of pizza with unnecessary colour.  Disgusting!  We couldn't believe it, what had happened to Bella Italia??  As we found out, there has been a protest, highly profiled on European news.  In short, the local dump is overfilled, the government has promised to take the garbage elsewhere for disposal, the deadline for the change came and went, and the locals barricaded the dump, making the streets of Naples the official disposal ground.  Another story tells the mafia (yikes!) controls the dumps, and closed them to retaliate against the government that didn't keep its promise.  Oooo, the drama!  Garbage and mafia and strikes, oh my!  I'm drinking sangria in Spain right now so I'm writing a bit cynically.  In all seriousness though, it really is a shame, we don't know the full story, but it must be awful to have to live in that filth, as a tourist it was vile having to walk though it for a couple of days, imagine if that was your city?  It demonstrates how critical the reduction of waste is, don't you think?  Ahhh, my soapbox is calling to me, I'll move on!Having said the above about Napoli, I shall not include many photos of said place, as all I could provide you with was garbage.  I did take some waterfront photos on our last bright, sunny morning there, I hope that's a better representation of what Naples should be.  We also stayed at a great hostel and had two great room-mates from Germany, taking a weekend university break before they got slammed with exams.  I also did mention Naples is the birthplace of pizza, and we must say, that it is the finest pizza ever!  What could it be, we don't know... the selection of ingredients, the mixing of the dough, the quality of the cheese and tomatoes, the specific wood-fired oven... it is phenomenal!  The dough is thin, thin, thin in the middle, and thicker towards the outside, so fabulous.  We went to one of the primo pizza places in the world (nothing fancy, but high quality, and word of mouth is the best form of advertising), and had a true backpacker's experience.  We jammed our way into the chock-a-block restaurant, assertively squeezed our way into a table with our backpacks, and ate Napoli's - maybe the world's - best Margherita pizza and downed it with an Italian beer before we huffed it to the train.  Simple moments like that in travelling are the ones you remember.  Real travelers, doing the real Italian thing!On the outskirts of Naples, as many may know, is the not-so-subtle landmark that has a notorious name:  Mount Vesuvius, destroyer of the Roman city of Pompeii, or, if you look at it the other way, preserver of Pompeii.  We took the 30 minute train ride to the site, and were stunned by the absolute perfection and immensity of the place.  Mount Vesuvius is indeed right there, a beckoning invitation to disaster.  It is no different nowadays; we were surprised with how many buildings are built a fair way up the base of a still-active volcano.  I suppose you could say the same of many places prone to natural disasters.The weather was odd, a mixture of freezing cold with dark clouds mingled with rain, thunder, lightning, sun, wind, and rainbows.  We saw Mount Vesuvius from Pompeii without snow cover, misted in cloud, gleaming in sun, or capped in white all within a few hours.I'm not sure how to describe Pompeii except to state that it is exceptionally perfect.  It is difficult as a visitor to comprehend that what you are seeing dates back approximately two milleniums or more.  Graffiti still lines some walls (according to the audio guide we were listening to, the gladiator's barracks near the amphitheatre has graffiti written by a gladiator stating that NO woman could resist him; well, maybe only a few), mosaic tiled floors display complex, beautiful patterns, wood ovens could arguably still be used, ancient baths retain their perfect shape, the amphitheatre and forum are close to immaculate.  Unlike many archeological and ancient sites, Pompeii does not require the extent of imagination to visualize what it would have looked like.  The city was surprisingly large and complex, the city planning was extensive.  Areas for commerce, areas for relaxation, areas for politics, and areas for living... it was all there.  I was completely blown away.  Scott and I could not believe its size.  Pompeii is perfect, in spite of and because of its catastrophic end.The ultimate in spine-chilling - admittedly I really wanted to see this - were the plaster casts of the preserved victims outlines, created by the archeologist in the late 1800's that discovered the bodies.  The ashes from the eruption preserved everything, including facial expressions, and it is horrific and fascinating to "see" a person from that long ago in their moment of appalling death.  The casts are randomly placed throughout Pompeii, and there was a house, immaculately preserved (you could almost live in it) that held a couple of these.  One cast was in a dark, small room and upon entering it I completely freaked out when I saw the "body" and ran out, I couldn't take it!  I know, chicken, but I'm the type that gets scared at haunted houses and this was like entering a real haunted city.  Somebody else, like Scott, could indulge in the small, dark rooms with plaster casts of dead people.  Not me, thank you.And hence we reach the end of Italy, part one.  How fortunate are we to have seen two ancient civilizations, Troy and Pompeii within a week?  Even if you are not a history buff I dare anyone not to be excited by the thought, or reality, of visiting such places.  Ciao, until next time!Canaussie rating: Pizza at da Michele: 5Patras to Bari ferry: 5Pompeii: 5Naples: 2 .... Sorry, I know it was bad timing with the garbage scandal, but such was our experience, and we felt like we really, really needed to watch our possessions, we have never felt like that before. 
]]> Ta Da! The End - for real this time — Toronto, Ontario, Canada http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1202149800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1202149800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1202149800/tpod.html Fri, 15 Feb 2008 19:49:46 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Ok, after procrastinating on finishing the last blogs, I am now in denial that our travels really are over and will follow through on my promise to write this last entry (the last, last) from Canada, "our true north strong and free".We literally squeezed into Toronto in between snow storms, as they had had a dumping two days before our arrival and then another storm of freezing rain and relentless, continuous days of snowfall to follow.  It's great though!  There really is nothing quite as beautiful as waking up in the morning and seeing every single thing under a perfect blanket of white.  Yes, it's winter, and yes, we did miss it.  However, Scott did not expect to have to shovel a driveway 20 times within a week, and I didn't expect to have to re-learn to drive in deep snow conditions on the other side of the road the day after arrival.  No time like the present though!This is apparently the most snow Toronto has gotten in just under a decade when the then mayor called in the ARMY (!) to dig us out.  We were the laughing stock of the country.  At least this time the high-maintenance Torontonians are toughing it out and the city workers are working around the clock to transport the snow to fields around the city (there is too much snow and there is no longer a place for the plows to pile it onto).Anyway, a few things that make Canada so... well, Canadian that we once again get a kick out of:-          The weather being the top story of the evening news discussing the performance of the snow plows for about 15 minutes, how much more snow is to come and how much cold we have to endure.  Honestly we were laughing so hard a tear rolled out of my eye.  In Australia it's like "Sunny all week, back to you Bob!"-          I bumped into someone by accident at the shopping centre and they said sorry to me-          Tim Horton's coffee and apple fritters-          The hot dog vendors on the street, specially the dude at the corner of Yonge and Dundas that sells the BEST regular and veggie dogs with a million toppings-          A nation completely obsessed with ice hockey even when the home team is performing pathetically the current season-          Caesars!  For those that don't know it's a drink Ahhhhhh!  To all of you in Australia though, we miss you so much... and we miss Australia too.  Both places are equally our home.  Please keep in touch...  Signing out of this blog for good now, yours truly and always, Jenn   &  Scott  
]]> Final Destination — London, United Kingdom http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1204486800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1204486800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1204486800/tpod.html Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:49:04 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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London, United Kingdom

Lazy, tired bums we are, and so here it is, the FINAL entry of this blog! Ok, possibly I lie, there may be another miniscule one about arriving back home in Toronto, but since the theme of our life right now is "lazy bum", I may not get around to it, but I'll really, really try.  But I digress!  Onwards, lassies, with London!  Can you hear the English accent in my writing?I won't even get started about the hell it was to get there.  Ok, maybe I'll go into it a bit, here's the sprint version of the story:  took the train to Calais, arrived in gale-force winds, took the bus to the ferry, were told the ports at Dover and Calais were closed because of the weather, waited for a the bus to figure out plan B, no bus came, called a taxi, went to the Eurostar, bought the last tickets available on the train, almost got blown onto the tracks by the winds, jumped on train, got to London and hour and half later.  By the way the Eurostar was cramped, dirty and severely overpriced (you have to plan to go on it like a year in advance to pay a normal price).  So anyone wanting to experience burrowing under the English Channel in the train don't bother.  As I said, we got stuck and had no choice.  In fairness, with advance planning, it is an insanely fast way to get from France to London.We lived in procrastination nation once in London.  We officially gave up, knowing that three days were left before the travels ended.  We were overcome with a mixture of exhaustion, relief, sadness, apprehension... content to be returning to familiar faces and places and afraid of having to face "reality" again.  Having said that, we chose two places to visit in London and just wandered around the rest of the time.London as everyone knows is notoriously cloudy, miserable and rainy, but since Scott and I were carting the sun around with us throughout all of Western Europe we got four glorious days of blue skies and sunshine!  The clouds didn't even considering gathering, it was fantastic.  With the incredible views we headed to destination number 1, the London Eye.  When we arrived at the base to purchase tickets, there was Pierce Brosnan, 007 himself!  I ran over to him at last (other women also waited in a group to sneak over) and draped myself all over him (he's very, very tall), and Scott was a good sport and took a photo of us... by the way, Pierce was made out of wax.  Ha!  Did I get you?  Anyway, back to the Eye.  Each pod is massive, encased in glass for outstanding views all around and fits around 20 people.  We got clear views for kilometers over the Thames and the surrounding city and caught Big Ben silhouetted in the early afternoon sun.Destination number 2 was the notorious Tower of London!  I've always wanted to go there and it was fabulous.  Amongst it we saw the opulent and excessive crown jewels (I have a crown like in storage back in my aunt's basement), and the armories which included King Henry the VIII's monstrous suit of armour.  The man was MASSIVE.  Dude, a lot of man fit in that suit (mind out of the gutter, that's NOT what I mean), he would have been large in our age.  Our tower visit was guided by a Yeoman Warder, the military men that have guarded the Tower since 1066, and continue to do so.  However, nowadays their function is also to be absolutely fabulous tour guides through the Tower.  He was hilarious, and loud, and loved to intimidate the children in the group (in a funny ha ha sort of way).   Now, I personally love reading history texts and historical fiction, so when we went into the ancient Royal Family's chapel, restored by Queen Victoria, and he told us that there, below the altar, lay Anne Boleyn, Henry the VIII's 2nd wife (beheaded by French sword) and the mother of Queen Elizabeth the First, I flipped!  It's one thing to read about historical figures and their gruesome and unjust endings, but to be one meter from where she lay felt implausible. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!The rest of our time in London we quickly waltzed through trendy Notting Hill and its Portobello Markets (go there hungry, the food being sold looks sumptuous and smells even better), Kensington Avenue/Earl's Court, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus.  In addition we fit in a couple of English Pub experiences, one close to the Tower where we were hoping to catch the Manchester United game (wasn't airing on TV. though, darn), but still enjoyed a veggie burger (finally, after a 7 month veggie burger deficit Jenn is satisfied!), and bangers and mash for Scott.  I drank a cold, crisp cider, and Scott enjoyed a disgustingly warm beer.  Blimey!  We really hoped that was a myth!  Why, wwwhhhyyyyyyyyyy (fists pumping in the air)?!?!  It's wrong, it's wrong I tell you!  The second pub experience celebrated our last official travelling night (sigh) as well as Scott's birthday.  We found a cool place near our hotel with fish and chips and mushy peas, which are actually pretty good.  I once again had a cold cider and Scott learnt his lesson and ordered a Guinness which HAS to be served cold.  Or does it?  Hmm, a question best not answered.And so I end this now, feeling a bit choked up.  We are now back in Canada, happy rejoining family and friends, but to recount our last days is already making me slightly melancholy...  We had the trip of a lifetime, and are grateful for every last experience.  Travelling is a phenomenal life lesson, and we have come away with memories, adventures and an improved perspective on life and the world that will not be forgotten.  I may write again a bit from Canada, but this is, in an official sense, the two words we could not imagine many, many months ago:  THE END.The last EVER Canaussie rating (unbiased as always):London Eye: 5Hanging off Pierce: 3 (he was fake, and too old for me)Tower of London: 5Mushy peas: 3Warm beer: 0!  It's bollocks!English cider: 5 PS:  See you all next blog, sometime, somewhere... South America maybe??  HA!!
]]> Bonjour Paris — Paris, France http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201703760/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201703760/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201703760/tpod.html Wed, 13 Feb 2008 13:20:41 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Paris, France

General guidelines/checklist on how to spend a perfect 24 hours in Paris, in point form: -      Travel to Paris from Madrid on the overnight sleeper train and enjoy dinner onboard.  Retire to your cabin to enjoy a comfortable night's sleep.  Awaken just kilometers from Paris, but first indulge in your included breakfast in the dining cart.-      Upon arrival in Paris, gain orientation and begin using your French to realize that people really do understand you and are very helpful in the train station.-      Arrive on a misty, drizzly morning to your Parisian hotel room walking distance to the Champs Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe and from which you can glimpse the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, as it is completely covered in fog!-      Depart to the Musée du Louvre, arguably the grandest museum in the world. -      Gaze upon the cheeky Mona Lisa (did she wink?), the sensuous Venus de Milo and wander through the opulent and majestic Napoleon III's apartments.  Consider some of Napoleon's decorating tips should you ever become a gazillionaire.-      Walk to cathedral Notre Dame along the river Seine under a clearing, pink twilight sky mottled with grey and yellow clouds.-      Head to the top of La Tour Eiffel, now under perfectly clear skies to glimpse the end of the sunset and the lights of the city as night arrives.  Purchase glow-in-the-dark Eiffel Tower condoms as souvenirs for your friends back home.-      Stroll back towards your boutique-like hotel and stop in a little restaurant with individual table lamps for a late dinner and a glass of wine.  Brag to your partner about your ability to communicate with the waiters in French!-      Jump on the Metro to see the Moulin Rouge from the outside.  Gaze upon its well-known windmill lights and choke when you discover the price of admission.-       Back to the hotel after a long, perfect day.-      It's early morning, 6 a.m.!!  The sun is yet to rise, but the streets begin to bustle-      Take a brisk walk to the Champs Elysees for sunrise and breakfast-      Allow speechlessness to take over.  The Champs Elysees at sunrise near the Arc de Triomphe is one of the most beautiful sights a traveler can experience, and you are there!-      Take pictures, pictures, pictures, pictures!!  Did I say take pictures?!  Impossible to let it all soak in, it's just too beautiful!-      Discover the revelation that is the Parisian café overlooking the Champs Elysees as you feast on the most wonderful breakfast of café au lait, fresh croissants, and warm baguettes with butter and preserves.  Confirm croissants and baguettes really are THE BEST in Paris.-      Brag to your husband again about your wonderful French skills.-      Back to the hotel to pack but ensure to buy some freshly-baked pain au chocolat for the train ride to Calais.-      Realize how lucky you are to have spent the most perfect 24 hours in Paris and begin to plot your return as you wave a sad goodbye to this inherently romantic city and your penultimate stop on your round-the-world journey. Canaussie rating: Everything above is a 10 and a must in Paris!
]]> Granada and the Alhambra — Granada, Spain http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200925800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200925800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200925800/tpod.html Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:18:31 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Granada, Spain

For some really odd reason, or lack of, the only thing I really remember about the first time I visited Barcelona is the post office near the waterfront, and Scott vividly remembers Las Ramblas.  Imagine our surprise then when we finally arrived in this strange and amazing city to really discover it.  First of all, the weather was incredible, sunny skies, warm weather, lovely breezes, etc.  The winter jackets came off, yeah!  And I could talk to people!  Language barriers gone, at last!  However, since my Spanish is limited to that of an eight year old, I quickly discovered I didn't remember ridiculous words like "track" (it's "via" by the way, duh), and change room (I forgot the name already, it was weird, I think it was a Spanish from Spain thing).  Also, I was being thrown off track by words they use to refer to common things like "zumo" for juice (I know it as "jugo"), and bocadillo for sandwich (I know it as, well, "sandwich" ha! And bocadillo to me is a guava sweet from Colombia).  Anyway, it was a good lesson in the Spanish language for me, and I even tried sometimes to mimic the accent, es muy dramatico! Speaking of language lessons, I had NO idea how prominent the Catalan language is in Barcelonan life.  Catalan, from what I understand is a bit of a hybrid of French and Spanish and it is bizarre.  The n's or vowels get dropped at end of words, abbreviations are common and sometimes words appear to be a perfect mix of French and Spanish, for example the word "exit".  In Spanish it's "salida" and in French it's "sorti".  What does it equal in Catalan?  Sortida!  Taa daaa!  It's very cool.Before I go into where we went, I have to introduce you to some people we met known as:  the-couple-that-really-really-really-needs-to-get-their-own-room; the-rumbling-snorer-that-sounds-like-he's-about-to-choke-to- death; the-obnoxious-and-loud-drunk-British -guy-that-wakes-everyone-up-at-4a.m.-and-brags-about-it. They are also known as our roommates in the Barcelona hostel, the absolute worst people we got stuck with.  Without ado, we checked out the next morning and went to a cheap hotel.Anyway.  Hostel aside, Barcelona is incredibly interesting and quirky.  One of Europe's best known streets, Las Ramblas is lined with "human" statues, people dressed up as fairies, pirates, trees, the grim reaper, etc.  Every day they are there for hours on end, it's their work and they look amazing.  We wandered the street and the neighbourhoods of La Ribera and Barri Gotic for hours and helped ourselves to some tapas and paella in a couple of restaurants while people and human statue watching.  We also, unfortunately and fortunately developed a bit of a sangria problem, we pretty much felt compelled to help the Spanish economy by drinking some everyday.  One variety we bought in the supermarket, Don Simon, states on the bottle it's the best in the world.  Please, who are we to argue??Quirky is an understatement when describing Gaudi's influence on Barcelona.  The Sagrada Familia, an insane-looking, exceedingly elaborate cathedral still under construction after 100 years, is a major landmark.  There is also Park Guell, also of Gaudi's design and originally intended as a playground for the rich.  Abstract and psychedelic are the words that come to mind to describe this beautiful park overlooking Barcelona, there really is nothing like it.  It looks like you could eat it, like it's made of gingerbread.After four easy-going days in Barcelona, it was off to Granada on the overnight train.  Now, when I was 13 years old, I read a historical fiction novel from the school library called "Alhambra", the Moorish palace situated in this city.  I never got over the descriptions and the history of this place and decided back then that one day I would see it.  Guess what???  Done!  A tick on life's "to do" list!  It is everything I imagined it to be.  As would be the recurring theme in Spain, we had balmy, sunny weather, and the Alhambra grounds were phenomenally preserved and magnificent to look at.  Water flows through the entire palace, in fountains, down staircases, along canals...  The Generalife which means the "architect's garden" is a work of art with stone mosaic grounds, fountains, hedges, orange trees and flower beds.  The jaw droppers though were the Alcazar which was the original fortress built within the Alhambra walls and the Palacio Nazaries where the Sultans and then the ruthless Spanish royal family lived.  Mosaics cover every wall, mirror pools reflect the grounds, and courtyards splashed with trees and fountains are visible from the rooms.  The Alhambra is a phenomenal place to visit, the ultimate high in beauty and history.  If seeing the inside of the Alhambra is a lifetime treat, seeing it from the Albayzin, the old Moorish quarter on a hill opposite the Alhambra, is the bonus of two lifetimes.  Amongst its many cobbled and mosaic streets, filled with wine and coffee drinkers and flamenco guitar players, you arrive on a courtyard called the Mirador de San Nicolas overlooking the white-washed city of Granada, and in front of you on the opposite hill is the Alhambra.  It is difficult to describe this sight, except to say that I couldn't believe such a thing could be real.  Accompanied by the sound of a guitar player (just playing for his own enjoyment), we sat on a bench of one of the most beautiful courtyards overlooking one of the most stunning sights in the world.  After all that we have seen on this trip and throughout our life, I can easily state that it is one of my favourite places on the planet, and I found it very difficult to leave.Once Scott pried me away from there, we headed down to town for dinner.  We found a self-serve restaurant with a lovely waiter that was more than happy to speak Spanish slowly for Scott so he would understand.  You should have seen Scott go!  He understood everything the waiter described and answered in Spanish too.  I was super impressed, and I must admit, I purposely put Scott in situations where he had to use his little bit of Spanish.  He did know what I was up to obviously!  The end result was fantastic though, he did incredibly well in Spanish, muy muy bueno!Canaussie rating:Alhambra palace: 5Alhambra view from the Albayzin: immeasurable! Don Simon supermarket sangria: 4 baby!Restaurant sangria: 5Tapas: 4 (the really yummy one was a tiny baguette one with fancy cheese and quince paste)Paella: 5, fantastic stuffLa Sagrada Familia cathedral: 5, one of the oddest places you'll ever seePark Guell: 5
]]> Constantinople... — Istanbul, Turkey http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199793600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199793600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1199793600/tpod.html Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:17:00 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Istanbul, Turkey

Well, I think the easiest way to write this journal is to divide our time in Istanbul and our trip to Gallipoli and Troy, even though it wasn't consecutive.  After a few bumps and woes in the emotional road that was Eastern Europe, we can't tell you how relieving it was to arrive in the revelation that is Turkey.Istanbul is a city of beautiful extremes, from the ancient to the modern to the delicious.  In Istanbul it is quite possible to view the Aya Sofia and the Blue Mosque in wonder by day, only to be re-inspired once again when strolling by it at night.  Whether shrouded in mist, being swarmed by thousands of birds, shining in the sun, or softening in the twilight, these two phenomenal buildings manage to make you stand, stare and marvel. The Aya (or Hagia) Sofia was built in 532 AD over an older, much simpler Aya Sofia, and was completed in the warp speed of five years by 1000 skilled and 10,000 unskilled workers.  Originally the Aya Sofia was built to be the greatest cathedral in Christendom, and remained so for a thousand years.  ln the 1400's it was converted into a mosque by the Ottomans.  In the 1930's it became a museum.  In the other corner of the impressive, and highly competitive historical boxing ring, we have the Blue Mosque, built in the 1600's by a Sultan who thought, hmmm, that phenomenal Aya Sofia over there, it's a bit awesome eh, but I can do better! (Italics are not a direct quote, 'twas passed down to me in a multi-generational game of Telephone).  So thanks to the Sultan and his temple envy, the world now also has the sensation that is the Blue Mosque.  These two temples, almost side by side appear as if a canvas was painted and dropped down into Istanbul.  I hope the pictures do them any justice.  Inside they are as remarkable, the Aya Sofia with its mosaic ceilings, walls and floors, divided by pillars, columns, and luckily enough for us, (and as a bonus free of charge), scaffolding covering the entire middle section of it.  Oh well, what to do, ancient wonders need to be restored on a continual basis.  The Blue Mosque, comparatively a baby in age is in use today and is therefore closed three times a day during prayer time.  Ah, a very cool thing to hear in Istanbul is the call to prayer over the speakers from mosques, as one mosque will call, to be answered by the other.   As a tourist, the call to prayer is the final touch wandering down the cobbled Istanbul streets; it's akin to sitting down to romantic dinner with a great glass of wine but then hitting the play button to listen to some fine jazz.  Perfect.Moving on to the Grand Bazaar...  Grand indeed, but highly modern despite its ancient name.  With some (ok, a wee bit more than some) imagination you can conjure images of the way it may have been once, selling textiles and spices, but with our reality glasses firmly on our heads, it is highly geared towards tourists and proportionately priced!  Regardless, it is beautiful inside, an ancient shopping centre, if you will, selling leather goods, jewellery, carpets, ceramics, leather, souvenirs, carpets, did I say leather?  Ha, I have a funny one liner for you from a vendor, easily the best line since Patong Beach in Phuket.  We are wandering along and a vendor (of leather) says to Scott: "Mister, I know what you need!  A gift for your mother-in-law!".  What a crack up!  Push the in-law button, he thinks, it may work.  Scott may also have the words "I love Turkish rugs tattooed on his forehead, there was no end in sight to the carpet salesman trying to invite him in for tea hoping Scott may drop a cool couple of thousand on a rug.  "We don't even have a place to put it in," we'd tell them.  A trip on a ferry along the Bosphorus, towards Analogu Kavagi on the Asian continent rounded off our Istanbul experience (well, the sightseeing highlights, I must mention food, so more to come). The Bosphorus is the river that divides Istanbul into the European and Asian continents and empties into the Black Sea.  The day was chilly and overcast, but nonetheless we were able to gaze upon two continents at one time, a special experience in itself.  We cruised close to the mouth of the Black Sea where we disembarked and walked up and up and up to an abandoned fortress where we sort of saw the Black Sea a bit better, you see, the weather just wasn't conducive to 360 views.  Still, it's exciting when you stop and think about it:  The Black Sea, one of the most prominent bodies of water in ancient, and well, recent civilization.  Look, there it is!Moving onto food and the people, one of the best subjects!  The people in Istanbul, and the small part of Turkey we saw are an example.  They are welcoming, kind, generous, amusing, helpful... enough accolades?  Wonderful people, they go beyond the call of hospitality in helping you feel at home.  We were blown away.  Blown.  Away.  (I must credit the one word sentences to my friend Melanie, she uses them sometimes and I really like their precise impact).  The best example, although there are many, are the two hot Turkish guys at Lapis Restaurant.  Now, I need to remind you all that it's Scott that writes the daily journals that I refer to before I develop this blog, and it is in HIS writing, that I have found the words "two HOT Turkish guys".  So don't blame me for remembering how good looking they were!  We walked past their restaurant, and the guy outside was making Turkish pancakes, like a pita with potato, chilies and spinach.  He invited us in to his cozy restaurant for free pancakes, why, you ask?  Because he liked us!  In we went and sat down, to meet guy number two who had the looks of a pirate, and with his minimal English chatted to us and asked us if we wanted a drink.  We ordered coffees and sat down to our pancakes.  Would they let us pay?  Nooooooo!  It was a gift, they said.  Just being lovely, kind people.  Naturally, we went back a couple of days later and to purchase some meals, but were still showered with free food, i.e. more pancakes, bread, and cheese rolls, don't even get me started on the cheese rolls!  Ok, I will only say that I thought I would explode I was so full, but then out came the free cheese rolls and I gingerly ate them.  Fine, fine, my unknown demon of gluttony emerged and I stuffed them into my mouth and somehow down into my gut (which is the same size still, thank goodness), but they were soooo goooooooood.That leads me perfectly into our Turkish food segment.  AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH! OhmygodhowincredibleisTurkishfood???  We had no idea, it's like the veil of ignorance was lifted and our foodie horizons opened up from our slightly limited we-love-Malaysian-and-Indian-food to we-love-Malaysian-Indian-and-Turkish-food!  What a seriously exciting discovery.  Yes, just as Pad Thai is better in Thailand and pizza is better in Italy (future blog), doner kebabs are better, WAY better in Turkey. Whoa.  Don't bother eating one of them unless in Turkey, the international versions are crap.  But doner kebabs are the tip of the iceberg, you've got goulashes and vegetable stews in clay pots,  and for the meat eaters you've got giant skewers on flat, black iron sticks and an equally impressive range of stews.  There are stuffed peppers, potatoes, perfectly cooked rice, salads, drinks called "salep" (don't know how to spell it), a hot, oatmeal-type drink very similar to "avena" in Colombia, sold from a massive copper contraption, and the sweets... every type of baklava that you can dream of (one day I dreamt of four of them and it became a reality), milk puddings like nothing you've ever tried before, macaroons to die for... I could go on, but I may drool on my keyboard and then how do I finish this blog?  Turkish cuisine will be seriously researched upon return to Canada!  "How international will my kitchen be?" says the woman who hates cooking.  But if the end results are anything like the food we have had while travelling, I may be inspired to give it a go.Excited about Turkey yet?  I hope so.  That is just a taste of Istanbul, the city in general is beautiful, and there is so much we did not see.  And there are so many more wonders in Turkey we did not know existed, it is a country that deserved much more time and planning than we gave it.  However, we did manage one extra excursion in Turkey, to Gallipoli and the ancient archeological ruins of Troy.Our excursions took place from the harbour-side city of Cannakale, on the Asian continent.  As we arrived at twilight, we ran down to the waterfront to see a) the Brad Pitt horse and b) the sunset.  What?  The Brad Pitt horse you say?  Yes, it is affectionately (or not?) called the "Brad Pitt horse" by the locals (which made us guffaw) as it is the Trojan horse used in the film Troy.  It looks like it's made out of wood, but is in fact, made of fiberglass and it is MASSIVE.  Part b, the sunset, did not in any way disappoint, splashing pinks, reds and yellows all over the harbour, it was absolutely beautiful.Our day of history began with Troy, which I was surprised to find out is a factual place.  Now I knew that there was evidence that the legendary walled city of Troy existed in Turkey, but archeologists have in fact called the site Troy and believe it to be the Troy.  As to the legend itself, to that there is no definitive proof, only Homer's descriptions in the Iliad and the Odyssey which served as the clues and markers that led archeologists to that site.  The ruins of that area indicate a city that evolved and changed over hundreds and hundreds of years, therefore, there were many cities of Troy, number I to X, Troy VI being the most likely candidate for the legendary city we have read about or seen in the movies.  The ages of the cities is decided, amongst many things, by the quality of the stone masonry, which is fascinating.  Our guide Mustafa showed us examples of how they even engineered earthquake proof buildings back then.  Anyway, to make a long fictional story into a short, reality-based one, the walls were in fact magnificently and very strategically built, a ten year siege would have been impossible back then as the legend suggests, and there is no proof of a wooden horse, but there are several theories on the purpose of building such a large object if it was, in fact true, i.e. a large battering ram, etc.  Also, the legend is based on Greek mythology, and the war started due to the abduction of Helen, but back then, which is just lovely to know, it was very common to steal and abduct each other's women indicating Menelaus would not have cared he lost his wife, therefore the  exquisite Helen would have been an excuse for the Greeks to gain control of that area, made very rich by the fact that the winds led all ships to Troy before they could sail on because sailors did not know how to tack upwind at the time!  Phew, I'm out of breath.  Everyone understand?  I loved the tour, and our guide Mustafa, an avid historian of Troy and Gallipoli, has written superior guide books on both sites.  He was entertaining beyond measure, bringing what someone could essentially classify as rubble to vivid life, including the field where the infamous battle between Achilles and Hector was theoretically held.  What a fantastic morning!Our afternoon took on a more somber mood.  Scott is taking over now to write this section, this is now him:  We made the one hour drive over to Gallipoli, Australia's most famous battle in war history, if not the deadliest as we found out.  The battle only became necessary after the British and French were unable to sail their big ships up the Dardanelles due to mines and the defenses of the Turkish.  The allied ships were turned around and a few sunk on March 18, 1915.  The Turkish now celebrate this as Turkish Naval Victory Day.  Our first stop on the tour was known as Brighton Beach, where the ANZAC's were meant to land at 4:30 in the morning on April 25, 1915. This was a nice flat beach with a gradual incline up to the ridge where they would be able to advance and take the peninsula giving the allies access to the Dardanelles.  We then went to Anzac Cove, where the troops actually landed.  They were faced with high cliffs and a beach only 600 meters long and about 6 meters wide, with only 106 Turkish troops stationed on top of the cliffs as a welcoming party.  Apparently the Turkish emptied every piece of ammunition they had into the 15000 advancing troops.  The 106 Turkish troops then ran back to the high ground when their commander  Mustafa Kemal (aka Ata Turk) gave an order "I am not ordering you to fight, I am ordering you to die."  They, along with the whole 57th regiment of 628 troops, were killed.  It was enough to help slow the advance and for reinforcements to arrive.  Not much changed over the next 9 months and the troops from either side faced each other in trenches only 8 to 10 meters apart, occasionally swapping cigarettes and clothes with each other.  Our next two stops were very emotional as they were the ANZAC memorial were the Remembrance is held every year, and Ari Burna Cemetery which is at the north end of Anzac Cove and where many of the dead were buried during the fighting.  There is also a really speech engraved in stone written by Ata Turk (see photo) that made us both tear up.  We then went on to Lone Pine, which I'm sure every Australian has heard of.  This was the main area of battle on August 6th which was known as the August offensive to capture the high ground.  Lone Pine is the size of a football field and was the no-man's land between the two sides.  Now it is the main war memorial dedicated solely to Australians.  We found out that the youngest Australian to be killed in Gallipoli was only 14 years old and his name is on one of the many plaques around the memorial.  This was another of those areas where you definitely get a little choked up.  Next stop was the Turkish memorial.  It is always good to get the other side. We learnt that the Turkish lost 86,000 troops in this pointless battle. Australia lost 8,700, the allies lost 44,000, and even 49 Newfoundlanders and some Indians troops were killed.  The last stop was Cunuk Bair, the highest part of the peninsula and what the fight was for.  When you get there you can see why, as it provides clear views to the Dardanelles on one side and the Aegean Sea on the other.  As part of the August offensive the New Zealand troops actually captured this hill for all of two days before the Turkish took it back.  This is now the site of the New Zealand war memorial.As the battle was really going nowhere and was becoming unpopular at home because of the heavy losses, it was decide to withdraw.  They were able to do this in December and January without a single life being lost.Jenn here again.  That rounds of our Turkish experience.  It's an incredible country full of ancient and recent history, beautiful landscapes and wonderful people.  Turkey is a must-visit-thoroughly type of place.Canaussie rating:Baklavas: 5, they have like 100 varieties, it's incredible!Salep: 4Aya Sofia/Blue Mosque: 5Gallipoli/Troy tour: 5Turkish baths: 3, hmm, interesting.  Definitely an experience (I know, I didn't mention them, we'll tell our friends and family in person or this blog will be 10 pages long)Doner kebabs in Turkey: 5  
]]> Madrid — Madrid, Spain http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201469640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201469640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1201469640/tpod.html Thu, 07 Feb 2008 23:33:22 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Madrid, Spain

The trip through beautiful, balmy Spain continued, and was rounded off with visits to Sevilla, Cordoba and the grand finale, Madrid.  Word of caution to any future travelers to Spain:  severely guard your pockets on the Metro, as we had our camera pick-pocketed, and we were incredibly vigilant during our entire trip.  This vigilance didn't mean a thing on the Metro unfortunately.  Put locks on your pants if possible!  Ok, that may be uncomfortable, but you get the idea.Sevilla was the first time since arriving on the European continent where we took a breather by staying in one place for 3 nights!  Whoa, 3 whole nights, just imagine our elation!  By this point in our 4 month trip Scott and I started to get a bit tired, or better yet, lazy.  We just didn't want to HAVE to go out and do something, which is why Sevilla was perfect.  I have no specific sights to report, and no flamenco shows to rave about because we made the conscious decision to just hang out.  Sevilla is a gorgeous city though, lined endlessly with orange trees, shopping to make you weak at the knees, restaurants and cafes, medieval buildings, gardens, cathedrals...  such an incredible Spanish city to visit, even if you are just being lazy, choosing to only hang out.  However, with a bit more energy there is so much to see and do in this traditionally Spanish city, you really can't go wrong.  Time for a sigh:  Ahhhhhhhhhhh........Off to Cordoba!  Officially, after some discussion, Scott and I have decided that this is our favourite place in Spain and where we would live if we were Spanish citizens.  Which we are not.  Cordoba is best and simply described as cozy, medieval and fun!  We could not get enough of the Moorish influence on the city. The intricate mosaic work we saw in the Alhambra was also present throughout many buildings in the city, including our gorgeous guesthouse.  There is something about Cordoba's casual eateries and little streets that make you feel comfortable, like you should linger a little longer and take in the relaxed, historical atmosphere around you.The Mezquita, built in the late 700's is one of the most unique places we saw on the trip.  The inside is cavernous and comprises of two-tier arches made of white and red brick and this continues along the entire place.  However, very oddly in the 1600's a Roman Catholic Cathedral was built inside the Mezquita and so a giant centre section was destroyed to make way for this church inside a Mosque.  A very, very, very strange sight.  The entire Mezquita is fortressed, and within the walls there is a courtyard saturated with orange trees.  Having seen orange trees lining the streets in Granada and Sevilla, Scott and I could resist no more!  Scott jumped up and plucked a couple of oranges (we had spent our time just hoping one would happen to fall conveniently in front of us).  After peeling through the two-inch thick peels we finally reached the juicy orange, took a bite and... spat! Ugh!  Sour, sour, sour, sour, sour!  And not in a good way.  Sour.  That would be why you don't see the locals plucking oranges, maybe we should have taken their cue.As we were wandering the lovely streets and the main centre of Cordoba Scott noticed a little market stand down a small alley.  We made our way there wondering what it was and found a little square with several tables set up selling the BIGGEST cotton candy we'd ever seen, hand-made jewelery and odd crafts.  But wait, how strange, the vendors are dressed like medieval peasants.  We continued to walk, following banners hanging over the streets and discovered a yearly, massive Mercado Medieval, or Medieval Market!  The main square of Cordoba was riddled with stalls selling everything imaginable.  You could barely move there were so many people.  It was ridiculously crowded but too much fun to miss.  Acrobats juggled, beautiful women belly-danced, "court jesters" cracked jokes and purposely wreaked havoc, and knights in armor jousted.  It was mad, it was fun, it was a total accident that we found it, even though it was enormous.  The mulled wine made us a bit weak at the knees as well as the soft loaves of bread being baked in an outdoor stone oven.  The line up to buy the bread was at least 6 people deep by 8 people wide, and understandably so, could bread possibly look more appealing!?!?  We also tried a stiff shot called Aliento de Dragon (Dragon's Breath) which had vodka, scotch, honeyed rum and chili flakes.  You downed it and then breathed in the fumes left in the shot glass, and let us tell you, we did breathe fire and choke a bit.  My eyes began watering it was so strong, what an insane drink.Happy to have discovered a bit of Cordoba (remember, it's our favourite Spanish city!), and sad to leave it so soon we took the lightning fast AVE train to Madrid, the grand capital.  We arrived at our hostel to discover that the centre of Madrid is measured from a statue of a bear at the base of our pedestrian street, Calle del Carmen.  We were literally at km zero in Madrid; it couldn't have gotten more central.  Madrid is a beautiful city; it's clean, open, modern, people friendly and accessible.  More importantly though, it may hold the unique title of being the only city on the planet to house the "Museo de Jamon", or in English the "Ham Museum". Huh?  "The conversation went something like this:Scott: "Um, does that mean Ham Museum?"Jenn: "Huh?  Where?  Oh!  Yes, bizarre.  There's no way it's really a ham museum!Scott: "Ah, of course, ham museum must be a metaphor for something, surely it is not a museum of ham!"Jenn: "Surely not, that would be ludicrous, ha ha ha!"We arrive at the window of the ham museumJenn:  "Ew!  There are pig legs hanging everywhere!"Scott: "Hmm.  It really is a ham museum, ha ha ha!" Essentially the Museo de Jamon is a large deli, specializing in ham if you didn't get that bit yet, and there are pieces of pig hanging from the ceiling, mainly legs.  Mmmm, weird.  But, in fairness to the Museo de Jamon, many restaurants have pig legs hanging from hooks, it is obviously a very Spanish thing.  The Ham Museum, however, just takes it to the next level.Apart from the ham museum which really captured our imagination, we did a self-walking tour of Madrid and saw many of its sights, the highlights being the Palacio Real and another lovely urban park (Spain is very good we notice at creating amazing public spaces) called the Parque del Buen Retiro.  Over a lake where families and couples paddle, successfully and unsuccessfully in rented rowboats as the sun sets is a giant pillared monument where people lounge and sun-bake (yes, even in January, Spain has incredible weather) and picnic.  It's such a beautiful park, we said we'd spend lots of time there if we were Spanish.  Which we're not.The diamond of Madrid however, was the Museo Nacional del Prado which houses a world-renowned art collection.  Visiting it was overwhelming, there was so much to see and how do you discriminate between seeing one masterpiece over another?  The painting that really caught our attention and we have not forgotten is Fusilamento de Torrijos y sus companeros en las playas de Malaga, 1888 by Antonio Gisbert.  You can check it out on the Prado Museum website.  Seeing it on there won't do it complete justice so keep in mind this painting is 3.9 m x 6 m in size, so the reality of that painted moment in time is almost tangible.  You feel like you can read the thoughts of the condemned men. Incredible, incredible painting.  Another fantastic one is El Jardin de las Delicias, h. 1500 by El Bosco.  You can check that one out as well on the Prado Museum website.  AND, last but not least are the more surreal paintings by El Greco.Two anecdotes before signing off Spain:  as we wondered the streets we came across a Colombian coffee shop (I found so many Colombian foods in Spain, Scott sometimes had trouble controlling my excitement) where they were selling pandebono and almojabanas (I don't know if I spelled it right).  I bought four, I was beside myself.  The second anecdote is the adorable little old man that stopped Scott on the street and said to him (I'm translating obviously), "A girl like her (he points at me), you have to hold and carry, like this (he puts his arms up like he's carrying, well, a woman)."  And then he says to me, "If he doesn't do this for you, you hit him!  Give him some sense!"  How funny was that?  Just out of the blue, very random, and very sweet I think.  Sweet for me anyway, not for Scott as I was instructed to hit him if he didn't carry me.  Anyway, it's a nice comment/compliment to take away...So, in short, here is what we feel about Spain.  If we were European and could live there, we'd have lived there yesterday!  It is easily our favourite European country.  If you can't live there and you haven't visited, go!!  And make sure to visit the Mirador de San Nicolas in Granada as mentioned in the last blog, one of the most beautiful spots on earth.Canaussie rating: Museo Nacional del Prado: 5, but you need more than a day to see it allHam legs on hooks: 2, ewShopping, or wishing you could shop in Sevilla: 5Mercado Medieval in Cordoba: 5Mezquita: 5Oranges plucked from the tree: don't bother, they are nicer to look at!  Or make a juice and add 20 cups of sugar.Parque del Buen Retiro: 5
]]> When in Rome... — Rome, Italy http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200346920/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200346920/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/canaussie/roundtheglobe/1200346920/tpod.html Sun, 27 Jan 2008 12:32:11 -0500 The Canaussies: Intrepid adventures through Asia and Europe and who knows where else!

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Rome, Italy

This entire journal entry is an understatement for what we saw, the heights of history, art and romance, one of the zeniths of past civilizations in the world:  Rome.  We had visited individually before, but this is a city well-appreciated when more mature and, well, sober.We whirled our way through Rome's spectacular sights including the Colosseum, the Forum, the phenomenally preserved and still used Pantheon (my favourite), the Palatine, the rich and glorious Vatican (technically another country), the numerous charming and well-known piazzas, and the Spanish Steps where - you need to follow closely on this one - a man obviously trying to con Scott into something (not sure what) simultaneously accused me of accusing him of trying to steal from us because I was grabbing our bag to get to my camera. Huh?  I know, bizarre, we're not sure what he was onto.  Whatever.  Now, imagine a perfect evening in Rome: the weather is breezy and pleasant, and you take a stroll to the Trevi Fountain down cobbled alleyways and glittery streets.  Once there,  you ceremoniously through a coin over your shoulder to ensure a return to Rome, and then buy a genuine Italian gelato to have while sitting at the magnificent fountain as you watch the night take shape and the world go by.  THAT was our first night in Rome.The first time I ever came to Rome, the weather was ghastly; rain was pounding down so heavily you could not see a couple of meters in front of you.  For Scott the weather was sweltering hot, almost unbearable.  This time around it was overcast and occasionally rainy, and so a different experience for both of us.  I was desperate to see the Colosseum in dry weather and my wish barely came true, as it started to rain minutes later.  We did tours of the Colosseum and the Palatine which were led by two men, one an older Italian man that got so deeply involved in describing the barbarity and carnage of the games he would close his eyes when describing them, and the other, a New Zealander earning a Masters in History that was so animated, loud and excited about his topic that spit would sometimes gather around his mouth when talking (interestingly enough, this exact thing also happened to the PhD student that was my excellent T.A. in first year History, maybe it's a physiological reaction to being a happy History major!).  So, here are a couple of incredible facts.  The underground labyrinth of the Colosseum had holding cells for animals and people alike which were winched up onto the main Colosseum stage by elevators.  Incredible!  Also, in the 100 day inauguration of the Colosseum the grounds were flooded to recreate naval battles, clearly to the death.  If a seaman (ha ha, yes, get it out of your system) decided not to fight, jump into the water and swim away, hordes of crocodiles imported from Egypt no less awaited him below.  So, the human enemy, or the croc?  All took their chances with each other, even clambering onto "enemy" ships rather than become croc chow. Wouldn't you?  The barbarity of the other ground battles held there I won't go into, just imagine the most inhumane (for man and beast) and vile clashes you can, and you are probably correct.  As for amazing fact number two, the Palatine, which was the palace on top of Rome's highest point, is acres in size and was completely covered by a roof which at points was 50 meters high, had a mirror fountain room and an indoor sports stadium, or as the spitty guide so amusingly described, the Roman version of a flat screen TV with a recliner for the Emperor.  Needless to say, history in general is such an interesting focus but it's all the better when being described by aficionados. Rome restored our belief in Bella Italia.  We were so shocked by Naples, we thought time had possibly changed things for the worse, but no, Italy is as glorious as ever and Rome couldn't possibly disappoint, it is just too rich in everything sensory. Speaking of richness, I believe we "discovered" a secret.  Quickly, think of Italy's famous cities...  Done?  You named Rome, Venice, Florence and Milan didn't you?  Did you mention Verona?  That is the secret.  Maybe not so mysterious, it is the setting of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, but we did not know of it as a must-see destination.  It MUST be seen.  Verona is inarguably beautiful and quaint with its perfectly preserved historical buildings, immaculate cobbled and tiled streets, mouth-watering bakeries, faultless piazzas and river views to rival those of Rome.  After a two hour wait to get into our guesthouse (long story) we bused it into Verona for the evening and were dumbfounded by how beautiful the city is.  Fair Verona is an understatement, you could spend hours simply walking around its streets taking in the views.  This city is a postcard come to life, and the people seem to have a healthy and relaxed attitude towards living, walking their dogs, riding their bicycles to the cheese shop, sitting at outdoor tables, drinking wine, eating olives...  the drinking at an outdoor table experience was a no-go, as it costs up to four times more to drink or eat while sitting. An example was a coffee we purchased, it cost 1.20 Euro to take away or drink standing up (at the "banca" as they call it) or 4.50 to drink it at the table!  So, take away and standing was the name of the game for us in Italy.  Maybe one day, when we grow up, we'll get to sit!There were two highlights to our Verona visit.  The first was Juliet's balcony and house, who's  gated entrance is an eruption of graffiti from people professing their love for each other.  Now, it's not really Juliet's balcony, but it's the house that has been traced back as belonging to the Capulets of literary fame, and Shakespeare apparently did research into the feuding history of Verona and these two families (names were spelled a bit differently) were bitter enemies.  If there are any literary geniuses reading this, and I've recounted this all wrong, you can correct me in the comments.  Also, a bit on the morbid and strangely appropriate side, the balcony was originally a sarcophagus.  Hmm.  Why not?  I've always been one for recycling, why NOT sarcophagus...es?  Sarcophagi? I think the second one's right.The second highlight, a complete visual delight was the Arena, or old Roman amphitheater in a large piazza which is still used for concerts this day.  It is stunning, amazingly preserved, and to add a modern, glittery touch, a white shooting star is seen to be coming out of it.  At night it is all lit up and gives an enchanted appearance to the plaza.  Gorgeous.  Inside the amphitheatre people had written the countries they had come from in the sand, Australia and Colombia already represented!  Down I went to do my patriotic duty, and in giant letters added "Canada, eh" to the sand list.  One problem:  the jump down to the arena base was quite high and there was no way for me to get up again, it was horrifyingly funny.  Scott came over to try to pull me up, but nope, not possible.  I tried to use my wall climbing skills (if they're called that!) from when in university, but nope.  Big surprise.  Finally, another girl jumped down into the sand, turned out she was also Canadian and wanted to add Quebec below the Canada I'd written in the sand, so her boyfriend and Scott pulled us up one at a time.  Too funny, I was getting ready to camp out in the sand!Oh, I almost forgot, how could I?  No food to report, except a very important one:  it is called a something or other "mela".  Ok, get ready:  it is a whole - peeled and cored though - apple filled with custard, baked and enveloped in thin, soft pastry, sprinkled with icing.  That is a dessert dream come true!  Even Scott snarled like a rabid squirrel (a rabid dog is an overstatement, he didn't look that scary, plus he likes squirrels, which has nothing to do with this) if I even glanced at his and he doesn't love apple pastry-type things as much as I do.And then we were off to Barcelona, Spain.  Pretty uneventful stuff on the train really... we played "Spot the model" during our layover in Milan.  We only spotted 3!  C'mon!  Then Scott kindly reminded me that models don't do trains, they do planes, in first class.  Ahhhhh.  Of course, what was I thinking?  Once on the overnight train we sat behind two older Argentinian ladies that were like little children, couldn't sit still, looking out the window (and taking pictures with a disposable through glass, at night, from a moving train), exclaiming with excitement!  Such talkers they were, and very sweet.  It was really fun being in the same compartment as them, they made us smile.Ciao!Canaussie rating:Colosseum and Palatine tour:  4Gelatto at Trevi Fountain: 5Verona in general!:  5
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