TravelStream™ news feed for member janeyinjapan on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/janeyinjapan en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sun, 18 Jun 2006 14:40:35 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146934620/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146934620/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146934620/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 14:40:35 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Seville, Spain

Leaving Madrid, we bought our train ticket in advance (learning!), but being unable to secure reservations at the few places listed in my book, we took our first big leap of the trip and headed into the city without having a place to stay. It turned out not to be a particularly big problem (those who know me will understand that I was a bit anxious about this), as the old downtown of Seville is packed with hostels, pensions, and hotels of all kinds. Literally, looking down a small sidestreet, there would often be two to three hotels in the first 50 metres. So I tried to stop worrying, especially at Chris' insistence. After wandering around with our bags for a bit, we stopped in a small restaurant for lunch, nestled in an interior courtyard of a quiet building. After we finished eating, we realized that the building above and around us was actually a hotel, so we easily secured a room for the night. On Saturday, we tried to get beds in the hostel Oasis, recommended by a friend in Madrid, but found it full. Nevertheless, it was easy enough to walk a few blocks and find another place, so we ended up at the Hostal Zahira--a nice little spot with a friendly owner who spoke little English but recognized Chris' name as being Polish. Our room there had a little window facing down into the covered courtyard/lobby.Probably my favourite thing about Seville (and also Granada) is the architecture of the buildings, which is of course heavily influenced by Islamic designs. Specifically, the tiled interiors (cool in the day, warm at night), the private courtyard spaces with fountains and gardens, and rooms with windows facing down into the courtyards and filling with combinations of light and shadow throughout the day. It's so easy to have a relaxing nap or quietly read a book in the afternoons.The palace in Seville, Real Alcazar (which includes the current residence of the King and Queen of Spain in Seville--not sure how often they actually use it though!), was particularly impressive, with its mish-mash of styles somehow unified in an elegant display or archways, fountains, and gardens. Despite being inhabited, rebuilt, and renovated by Christian kings, much of the plasterwork is inscribed with Arabic writing, including the oft-used phrase "Only Allah Conquers". It was very cool.Although quite touristy, Seville definitely has a wonderful atmosphere, and the street musicians were probably the most skilled that we've heard since we've been in Europe. We also had the chance to see a Flamenco show (not a fully-professional expensive one; actually a semi-professional free one!), which was really fun.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1147193640/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1147193640/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1147193640/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:10:53 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Granada, Spain

On Sunday, we headed to the train station and caught a train to Granada, arriving here mid-afternoon. We're staying at the aptly-named "Funky Backpackers Hostel", which has turned out to be a great experience. It's a small 4-storey building, hidden on a side-street up some winding stairs on a hillside behind the Alhambra. But it's best feature is its rooftop patio and bar, where the barman makes sangria with a cinnamon twist, his friend plays guitar, and everyone hangs out and chats late into the night.We did visit the Alhambra with our reserved tickets yesterday. While obviously impressive, I found that I actually preferred the palace in Seville. It may have been just because the Alhambra is so extensive that it becomes less personable. It was also swarming with tourists of course, which detracted slightly from its appeal. On the other hand, some of the views from the Nasrid Palaces are amazing, as is much of the tilework throughout the buildings. I took a lot of video, both of the Alhambra and Real Alcazar, so I'll have to do another comparison when I get home :)We're leaving here tomorrow, and have yet to figure out exactly how we will get from the south of Spain to the north of Belgium in less than 48 hours. We're basically planning to head to Madrid during the day tomorrow, catch an overnight train from Madrid to Paris (to arrive Thursday morning), and then hop on a train from Paris to Brussels. But the intricacy of the plan and infrequency of the trains suggests to me already that we'll get snagged somewhere along the way and have to spent another night or so somewhere in Spain. But that's OK.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146674820/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146674820/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146674820/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:09:53 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Madrid, Spain

We left Valencia on Tuesday morning, fat and happy, planning to head to Madrid on one of the express trains. Of course, having little foresight, we again didn´t buy our tickets in advance, and ended up having to take the 6-and-a-half-hour regional train with about 60 stops. It wouldn´t have been so bad, except that the ticket clerk in Valencia told me it would be a 5-hour trip, which meant that Chris and I were sitting tensely looking out the window for the last hour-and-a-half, wondering where Madrid was.So we arrived last night around 8, having spent most of our day on the train, but met some nice people at the hostel and went out for a few drinks before bed. This morning, we went to the museum of modern art, which houses a lot of Picasso and Dali, as well as a wealth of other really interesting stuff. We plan to stay here for 2 more nights, and then possibly head down to Granada, as it has been recommended by almost everyone.Being in Spain has been a bit of an adjustment for me, as I really can´t communicate with anyone, despite my ability to read most things. I feel like a silly english tourist again, whereas in France I could at least retain the semblance of knowing what I was doing. Nevertheless, everyone in this country seems so relaxed that I haven´t worried about it too much. It´s also taken a bit of time to get used to the unusual daily schedule here (stores open in the morning, then close in the afternoon for a few hours, then open again), but I think we´ve got it mostly figured out. I think we could both definitely spend a lot of time here.******Madrid was nice, but I think we both found that we were a little tired out when we got there, especially after the great weekend we had spent in Valencia just before. As a result, most of our time in Madrid was spent relaxing at our hostel, where we met a bunch of great people, and had a lot of great naps. We did go to the Museo de la Reina Sofia (the modern art museum) at my insistence, and I really enjoyed the things we saw there. However, we were generally feeling a little museum-ed and cathedral-ed out, so we opted not to go to the Prado and swarm around in front of Las Meninas like everyone else :)Generally, Madrid was big and loud, although it probably has a lot of character if you get to know it. Overall, Chris and I both tend to prefer the smaller places, so we decided to head down to Granada at others' recommendations. Of course, we had to make plans to see the Alhambra, and it can actually be a bit tough to get tickets, so I bought some on the internet in advance. Not wanting to show up at one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe on a Saturday, I booked the tickets for Monday and we decided to spent the weekend in Seville, having heard some nice things about it.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146243060/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146243060/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146243060/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 12:07:01 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Valencia, Spain

We left Tarragona last Friday and headed to Valencia to meet my friend Monika and her boyfriend Hector, who have been living there for the last couple of months. Hector is from Valencia so we got the grand tour, including being invited to a delicious brunch with his family on Saturday, and going sailing with his uncle on Sunday. It was really nice to just be able to relax and enjoy the city with some people who knew it well, instead of being the wandering tourists that we usually are. Valencia is a great city and the people there were so relaxed and welcoming, and of course everything was cheap. I think we ate more in one weekend than in the duration of the entire trip so far--we were constantly being stuffed with paella, lasagna, pizza, salad, calamari, and so many other good things.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146070380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146070380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146070380/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 11:57:12 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Tarragona, Spain

We only spent two nights in Tarragona, arriving very late on the first evening, and leaving quite early on the last day, so we didn´t spend much time in the city, but it was very cool. The city´s Roman ruins were only recently declared heritage sites, so their restoration is still under way. However, we were able to see substantial parts of the old amphitheatre, as well as the remaining corner of the circus, complete with at least a hundred metres of underground tunnels. Apparently the city of Tarragona used the old tunnels and adjoining chambers as a prison until around the 1950s. It was damp, dark, and cold down there.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148380/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 10:20:37 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Carcassonne, France

After leaving Toulouse, we took the short (less than hour-long) train ride to Carcassonne, which was by far the most impressive place we've been so far. Carcassonne is a small town, whose most impressive feature is the huge medieval fortress which sits atop a neighbouring hill. The fortress is apparently the largest in Europe, and was enhanced between the 11th and 13th centuries atop Roman ruins which had been built a millenia before. In the 19th century, a restoration of the city was undertaken by Viollet-le-Duc, who decided that the turrets ought to be topped by some anachronistic witches-hat roofs. The citadel is lit up amazingly every evening, and contains within it a wealth of shops, restaurants, and a few hotels, including a youth hostel. It also contains a church and a palace, which houses a decent museum, and by taking a paid tour we were actually allowed to walk up along the ramparts and stand inside the turrets. The citadel also has within its walls a few other oddities, including a Museum of Torture (displaying various medieval instruments and their uses), a Museum of Chivalry (where an employee, possibly the owner, demonstrated the proper use of a sword), and a Haunted House (which was in fact quite well done and appropriately freakish). Carcassonne is so impressive, and so well-preserved, that it has been used a number of times as an exterior location for film crews, and actually provided the backdrop for (among other things) much of Nottingham Castle from "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves." We were excited to be able to recognize a number of the locations.We spent two nights in Carcassonne, though we probably could have enjoyed it for much longer, before taking off for Spain, with the first stop being Tarragonna and its extensive Roman ruins, just south of Barcelona, on the Mediterranean coast.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146148200/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:53:38 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Toulouse, France

As a result of our misfortunes with the trains in Aix, we arrived in Toulouse quite late on Saturday night, made it to our hotel, and slept. Not much was lost, however, as the "Pink City" (as they called it) left a lot to be desired. With the exception of the Musee des Beaux Arts, which was housed in a beautiful 14th-15th century monastery, and contained some amazing Romanesque and Gothic sculpture, and two cloisters complete with gargoyles, the city of Toulouse felt a bit ordinary compared with the other places we had visited so far. There was a bustling market on Sunday morning, with people selliing everything from bread and vegetables to watches and bags to underwear and baby clothes, but other than that not much.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1145716140/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1145716140/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1145716140/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:49:39 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Aix-En-Provence, France

After Dijon, we intended to go to Marselle, but finding little accomodation available (we would be arriving close to the weekend) we opted for Aix-En-Provence, where we rented a small apartment-style room, and which proved to be a much better choice. Aix is a quaint town, full of young people (there is a university there), where hundreds of restaurants, squares, and fountains line the narrow, hilly streets. The painter Cezanne spent much of his life there, and to commemorate the 100th anniversary of his death, the city had arranged several special galleries and walking tours for visitors to visit the areas that influenced his work. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much available on the weekend, and the Musee Garnet, which may have been impressive at other times, was under construction and several of the galleries were closed. Nevertheless, we had a great time walking the streets and drinking in the atmosphere, which was enhanced substantially by the sunny, plus-20-degree weather. On Saturday morning, we checked out of the hotel early and headed down to the train station to buy tickets to Toulouse, which we soon discovered were unavailable until the end of the day. Burdened by our bags, we spent of the day moving from cafe to cafe, people watching, and generally bemoaning our lack of foresight and shrugging our shoulders in a "live and learn" sort of way. Since then, we have vowed to make ticket reservations at least a day in advance.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146147840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146147840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1146147840/tpod.html Sun, 18 Jun 2006 09:48:28 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Dijon, France

Our first stop after leaving Paris was the provincial city of Dijon, famous of course for its mustard, but also located in some beautiful countryside in Burgundy, towards Switzerland. Dijon was a wonderful city, with a bit of a German feel (it was invaded by the Swiss at least once), and several bustling squares in the city centre. While there, we stayed at a tiny little hotel with tons of character, which I am convinced was haunted. We also ate some great pizza, at what was apparently a national-award-winning restaurant, operated by a guy named Luigi (actually, yes, that was his name). Although we couldn't quite summon the courage to ask anyone if they had any Grey Poupon, we did buy a couple of varieties of mustard, which have been quite delicious.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1154010120/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1154010120/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/janeyinjapan/thelongwayhome/1154010120/tpod.html Thu, 15 Jun 2006 17:24:29 -0400 Continuing west on the budget European tour.

Jump to the full
entry & travel map

Paris, France

Hello from Paris! After a long (and somewhat harrowing due to turbulence) flight via Shanghai, we arrived in Paris last Friday morning at 6am. We've spent the last five days enjoying the sights and atmosphere of the city, including the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame Cathedral, and the many restaurants, cafes, and bakeries present on virtually every street corner. I think I have eaten more bread in the past four days than I consumed during my entire 2-year stay in Japan. But everything is delicious, and the smells are all-pervasive, so it's hard to pace oneself. As we predicted, the city is almost prohibitively expensive, especially at the tourist hotspots, and although we have been trying to avoid spending too much, we figure it's time to head out to some greener country, and hopefully cheaper digs. This afternoon, we're planning to take the train down to Dijon, where we have reserved a hotel for one night (though we may decide to stay longer). According to the guidebook, the city has quite a few historic buildings, as well as a museum of mustard, which Chris is far less enthusiastic about than I. After that, we'll probably continue south to Lyon, Marseille, and Nice, before deciding whether to head west to Spain, or east to Italy. We're definitely feeling the shock of being out of Japan though, as many proprietors of restaurants and cafes are living up to their reputation of being slightly gruff and rude. Not to mention the fact that the streets are awfully dirty, the cars and native pedestrians almost maniacal, and people constantly bump into you and push past you without a word of apology. But my French is getting us by OK, and it's certainly nice to be able to just pick up the telephone and call a hotel to make some reservations, instead of worrying about internet bookings or travel agencies, or whether or not someone will understand you. Generally, it's just nice to be able to ask whatever questions we might have, to whoever we might run into. So there's a lot less to worry about on the language front. When Chris and I arrived in Shanghai for our layover, we both remarked on how generally useless the Japanese language is once one leaves Japan. After having spent a few days in Paris, though, we've decided that it's actually incredibly useful for covert communications, as virtually no one else can understand us. It's actually quite reassuring :) Of course we miss Japan very much, and can hardly believe that less than a week ago, we were still somewhat installed in our apartment in Nagoya, and going out for Kirin beer and yakitori with our friends. We miss you all, and hope you are all enjoying your new jobs, new schools, new staff, etc. That's about all for now. We hope to return to Paris near the end of our trip (money permitting), because there's of course so much left to see. On my list in particular are the Musee D'Orsay, the Catacombes, the Pantheon, and of course Versailles. We've already taken a million pictures, many of which I will try to post here as I can. I've also taken a lot of video, so compiling finished DVD of our travels will be one of my (many) summer projects. A bientot! Janey ;)
]]>