Whats with the rain???
Trip Start
May 23, 2008
1
36
54
Trip End
Ongoing
San Sebastian,
Spain
Monday, September 8, 2008
My full day in Madrid on Wednesday involved around 14 hours of catching up on my blogs, and not much else! By the end I was exhausted and not even all the way through. I think I got to bed at around 2am Thursday morning, then was up at 6.30am to get the bus the hell out of there! It was weird to be back after a month and a half of some amazing adventures and memories through Spain, Portugal and Morocco. Very weird.
Thursday was a full day on the bus to the coastal resort town of San Sebastian, getting in at about 4pm and checking into the hostel which happened to be right in the heart of the best part, the old town. It had been a freezing cold day which was weird, we had a stopover in a town called Burgos and it poured rain the whole time we were there (my 3rd day of rain in the 3 and a bit months I had been away!!
me and the cathedral at Burgos
! I think it was about time). Luckily I had my jacket in my backpack that I kept on the bus, but I was still cold as I was only in my usual attire of shorts and teeshirts! In fact most of the bus was ill-prepared, as we don't get weather reports and assume that every day is going to be 40 degrees. It wasn't until after we boarded that we were warned about the notorious weather that San Seb often dishes out. Though it was overcast when we got there, it wasn't raining, so after chatting to Liz, the girl on the bunk below me, we decided to go together on the hike up to the top of the hill there called Monte Urgull, which features a massive statue of Jesus and pretty views over the city. We then wandered down the opposite side of the hill, past the surf beach and back through the old town to the hostel. I was starving so I made some dinner, and then still exhausted from my late night of blogging, headed off to bed at around 11pm. Friday was bleary weather and became a day dedicated to doing whatever the hell I felt like, and so I took it easy and wandered the streets of the old and new town checking out the shops and mentally buying about 120 pairs of shoes, dozens of jackets etc and a nice big suitcase to carry it all home in. To be honest was about all I did the whole day. By the end I was starting to feel a cold coming on, my throat was tingling and I was getting lethargic, so I had a powernap and a tuna salad for dinner, then went out for some drinks with Liz and some of the other busabout-ians, but turned into a weakling and bailed out at about midnight, i was so achy and could definitely feel myself getting sick and so took myself off to bed
cathedral
. Im not sure if it was the rapid change in temperature and rain, or the fact that this was the first time in about 2 weeks that I had slowed down and after all the fun of the south, my body just shutdown completely. Probably a mixture of both. Yesterday (Saturday) then turned into a day of sleeping in and then followed by some late afternoon retail therapy where I talked myself into investing in a pair of boots, as with all this cold weather I guessed I would have to wear shoes sooner or later. I found a cute pair in a shop which were only 49 euros (bargain) and then went on to also buy a couple of new clothing items. Its nice to see something new in my pack for once!
Last involved sitting on the floor of the hostel room till very late conversing with the other 5 girls (all aussies of course) in my room about all kinds of random stuff, in particular some very interesting/disgusting nursing stories from Liz. Then it was time to pack Boris and get some sleep before the bus trip in the morning.
San Sebastian was kind of a disappointment to me, it was beautiful yes, but I was expecting it to be gorgeous sunny weather like the rest of Spain had been, my last chance to lie on the beach and work up my tan before heading into the arctic autumn weather of the north, but sadly I did not get to see any of the beach and only witnessed a small break of sunshine on the Friday in between the grey clouds and showers of rain
cathedral
. Not to mention I got sick and didn't have the energy to do any real exploration. Though I did give the old credit card a good lashing. This morning we left the bleary town and I gave a sad (but luckily not teary) farewell to Spain, it felt like ages since I had arrived... and it is, I had gotten into Barcelona on the 10th July and its now the 7th September, but im so glad I decided to spend so much time there as it is a spectacular country and some of my most favourite memories come as a result, although also some of the more unfavourable ones. Though I think that the unpleasant aspects just added to the overall experience and definitely make it a time to remember. I definitely received the full package as far as I am concerned!
The bus took us up into the spectacular French countryside, it was amazing how fast the scenery changed coming over the border, and the weather also put on a bit of a show - going from clear blue skies to bucketing down with rain and then back again. We started passing lush green hillsides and stunning old stone farmhouses and I couldn't help smiling... France is just so pretty! We made a couple of stops, the first in the gorgeous old town of Bordeaux, famous for its chateaus and wine country, and the drive through the town took us along a huge wide river lined with terrace houses and building made from stone and slate. I was meant to stop here on my journey and stay a couple of days but because of my split second decision to go to Ibiza I had to do some re-shuffling and ended up having to cross it and Tours off the list. It was a shame but I still don't regret it as Ibiza was too much fun. I still want to go back!
Anyway, it didn't matter as I was so excited to get into fair old Paris
big square in Burgos
! We did have an incident on the trip there though, at the dropoff in Tours a girl had her handbag stolen off the sidewalk, it was her own stupid fault for just putting it down and walking away from it but I still felt horrible for her as she lost pretty much all the same stuff that I did, passport, wallet, cards, camera, ipod etc etc. Unfortunately though that's what Europe is notorious for! We all also got a little freaked out as on the drive back out to the motorway there was a car accident right in front of us, so we were a little concerned as to what the 3rd bad thing would be. A lot of people (including me) decided to put our seatbelts on after that. Though the rest of the trip was uneventful! We arrived into Paris just as dusk was settling in, and we got our first glance at the Eiffel Tower all lit up... ohhh the drive through the city was so magical and the best feeling came over me, I know Paris is going to be absolutely amazing. We passed by Notre Dame and the Louvre, drove along the Siene river, then headed up away into the dodgy bit of town to the Moulin Rouge and finally to St Christophers, the hostel. The bus ride was an exhausting 13 hours but definitely worth it as I love it here already. OH MY GOD IM IN PARIS!!!!!
So I must be heading off to bed now, as I have a few busy days ahead of me, organising my replacement passport and of course exploring
appartments along riverfront in Burgos
! From the looks of it there is way too much to see. Replies.
Elly - thankyou so much for your kind words im so glad that you enjoy reading my blog! To be honest sometimes I just cant be bothered or are way too busy to do them but knowing there are people reading them makes me feel bad for not updating it and I feel like a naughty kid who hasn't done their homework! But I always feel good after I do a couple as I know that all my memories are written down and when I get back home I will read over them all and no doubt have a good laugh and reminisce! I know that there is already too many things that I have forgotten. And then I see the photos from other people that I have met and go "oh yeah I forgot about that!" its actually really cool. I cant believe how much I have done already.
The beds in Ibiza were not too shabby, though yes im sure I could have slept out in the gutter no worries - by the time we got home we were all absolutely wrecked! I got to share rooms with Georgie and Sean in only 2 places - Alicante and Ibiza, though we stayed in the same hostel in Cordoba and just down the road from each other in Granada
scenery on the way to San Seb
. I had prebooked all my accommodation separately to them though so we weren't together the whole time but still hung out in each others hostels or met up in the common rooms etc. Most hostels have a basic kitchen, which is usually just a fridge and a hot plate, sometimes if your lucky there is a microwave and on rare occasions an oven. Its so cheap to just go to the supermarket and buy a roll and a can of tuna or a bag of salad or pasta and just whip something up. I have also been living off yogurt and muesli, I have discovered the most delicious greek yougurt with some sort of flavouring, I think its honey or something (I cannot translate it) and eat 2 or 3 tubs a day when I have a fridge. Makes up for my lack of milk where necessary! But note this down: Tuna = backpackers best friend. I buy a 3 pack and keep a can in my bag so all you have to do for a quick lunch is buy a breadstick and whip up a tasty sandwich. Though there is definitely not the same variety as there is back home which I miss. But you learn to survive! And there is always gelati available to add some sweetness to the end of a meal :) Glad to hear Melbourne is starting to dish out some nicer weather, its spring there now so not too long till the summer sunshine! Hope it keeps on coming. 3rd day of Autumn here and it was already raining. Silly Europe. I want my endless summer back.
Donna - im glad you got tired out reading about Ibiza, maybe you can get an idea of how I felt by the end of it..
scenery on the way to San Seb
. and I still haven't fully recovered! Boobs do seem to come in handy sometimes I must say, haha sam would be the perfect candidate for smuggling! You would have freaked out by the mess after the foam party, absolutely flipped your lid. Though I recon we should have one in your garage when I get back, then you can run for the shower before anyone sees your hair... hehehe. And when we are done we can just open the roller doors and give the driveway a bit of a soak! At least everything will smell nice and clean by the end. I will be catching up with Georgie when I head to London at Christmas time, and no doubt be seeing Sean either up in Cairns or when they are down to visit people in Melbourne, I don't know if I mentioned but they grew up in Churchill... just down the road in Gippsland. Yet again it's a small world! Take care and send me an email update soon and let me know how Marlie is. Glad she liked the video of Elvis, it was very cool :) xox Tara - Yes the clubs were totally fun and you would have loved them immensely. But what is this about you getting behind in my blogs??? Totally unacceptable, you are a poor sister! I don't know how I come up with the titles, usually they just pop into my head in the middle of writing them. Or it could be just raw talent on my behalf. You take your pick.
Dad - Yes you are correct in remembering the comment I made about not enjoying the place that you are in and rather just getting trashed and then sleeping the whole day, but in all fairness there is absolutely nothing to see in Ibiza except for the nightlife
view of San Sebastian
! And it was way too expensive to buy alcohol, we spent practically all our time there sober. You would be proud to know we were buzzing off the happiness of just being alive, although not everyone followed our lead as there were many drunk/drugged up people around us. And your suggestion of R&R has lead me to becoming sick! Thankyou... hehe. And for your information, I am travelling, not on holiday. Theres a big difference. The latter is a lot easier. I will be in need a holiday by the time I get home! Mum - I am completely blogged out thankyou very much! Being why this entry is yet again late. But as I have said, you have to have the experiences before you can write about them! Im glad that I could relay the amazing time that I had in Ibiza through my blog, though no amount of words or photos could ever really show how amazing it was. It still blows my mind. And I still cant believe that I met Sean and Georgie on a pub crawl! Of all things. Moments like that definitely add a completely different dimension to travelling, and it inspires you to go out and open yourself up for the next big adventure. I hope when I get back I can incorporate it into real life, though I have no doubts that it can be done.
Well thankyou for reading and stay tuned for Paris!
Comments
Chills and ills
You almost look like an eskimo all rugged up in your coat Kate. What a shock to your system to go from 40 degrees to wet and cold, no wonder you got sick. That's the perils of travel. It's a shame you missed part of France but you can always come back (and I'm sure you will). It's interesting to read your comments on our comments. I always think of so many questions to ask you after I have read a new blog and I should write them down but you would have to spend so much time answering them all that you would be up until 4 in the morning instead of 3 like you were doing this one. Thanks again any many hugs and kisses from your Mumxox
That looks like Lorne
Hi Kate,
Some of those pictures looking over the ocean remind me of Lorne for some bizarre reason...just a ransom comment.
It's so strange seeing you with a jacket on, but the question must be asked, were you still wearing thongs?! Ha ha! You'll have to take a photo of the boots you bought, I'm intrigued :) What a shame the weather turned around so quickly. It sounds like Melbourne weather-sunny one minute, rainy the next. I can't wait for your blogs on Paris. I'm super excited!!!!! Au revoir!
We're Cold Too
Hey Kate, well the nice weather turned to shit the last couple of days so now we have our coats on just like you....which looks very different from the singlet tops and shorts....yes I'm with Elly I need to see the boots. Paris eh, now you'll really broaden your taste buds, can't wait for your descriptive details about eating snails and frogs legs. I would've loved to have sat in on the convo with Liz and you girls and heard the nursey stories, you'll have to try and remember some and tell us when you get home (you know how much of a sticky nose I am). Well have a great time in Paris and I'll await the next installment....luv Donna xx