Some photos taken while in Athens....
Shell, Lisa and Al at a seafood ouzerie
"where are we" - on top of the Acropolis, Athens
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
By the Sweet Sorrento Moon
18th August – Rome to Sorrento
An earlish start, check out of our very attentive Rom-antique Hotel and get on a 2 hour train to Naples. Once there, we needed to find our way to Circumvesuvia train line and there we would find our train to Sorrento – easy yes? Well sort of, there is very little signage so we were told to just follow two other tourists who had asked the tourist office the same thing we did, how do we get there. We just hoped they heard the directions correctly or didn’t stop to go to the bathroom or we could look odd waiting for them. Found the train line and the letters above our train info DIR seemed we would get there very soon. However, in Italian I guess DIR means every single stop not direct as one might have thought. So it was 40 stops to Sorrento and we were still smiling as we were on the way to the beach! 20 min into the trip and I feel some very old hands on my arm pulling me to the other side of the train and a very angry old Italian yelling. Seems I was in his path to the door and he suffered from a condition which meant he couldn’t go around me. Al did his best to keep me calm but I still got in a “Ciao asshole” as he left the train.
We arrived in Sorrento safely and without being man handled again. When we got out of the train station though we must have suckers written on our forehead cause we were quoted 20 euros for a 10 min taxi ride to our hotel and we took it! Still can’t believe we said yes.
We stepped into Mami Camillas and the day was looking up. A little family owned hotel just on the edge of Sorrento. First stop was the beach which was a bit of a walk ... down. Sorrento in perched on cliff tops and to get to a beach (no sand really just water but who’s counting chickens) we had to walk through a cool path they had through the cliff face. After a quick swim I had a date with a cucina (Italian for kitchen). I had signed up for the evenings cooking class. Our teacher (Massimo), two other girls and I were going to cook dinner for the staff and Mami’s guests. On the menu was Arancini balls, homemade pasta with tomato and eggplant, pollo with cream and mushroom sauce and lastly Neopolitan chocolate sponge cake. I didn’t stop smiling the whole time I was in that kitchen, it was the most fun I had had all holiday.
That night Al and I ate with the rest of the hotel and enjoyed the meal I had helped cook with some local vino.
An earlish start, check out of our very attentive Rom-antique Hotel and get on a 2 hour train to Naples. Once there, we needed to find our way to Circumvesuvia train line and there we would find our train to Sorrento – easy yes? Well sort of, there is very little signage so we were told to just follow two other tourists who had asked the tourist office the same thing we did, how do we get there. We just hoped they heard the directions correctly or didn’t stop to go to the bathroom or we could look odd waiting for them. Found the train line and the letters above our train info DIR seemed we would get there very soon. However, in Italian I guess DIR means every single stop not direct as one might have thought. So it was 40 stops to Sorrento and we were still smiling as we were on the way to the beach! 20 min into the trip and I feel some very old hands on my arm pulling me to the other side of the train and a very angry old Italian yelling. Seems I was in his path to the door and he suffered from a condition which meant he couldn’t go around me. Al did his best to keep me calm but I still got in a “Ciao asshole” as he left the train.
We arrived in Sorrento safely and without being man handled again. When we got out of the train station though we must have suckers written on our forehead cause we were quoted 20 euros for a 10 min taxi ride to our hotel and we took it! Still can’t believe we said yes.
We stepped into Mami Camillas and the day was looking up. A little family owned hotel just on the edge of Sorrento. First stop was the beach which was a bit of a walk ... down. Sorrento in perched on cliff tops and to get to a beach (no sand really just water but who’s counting chickens) we had to walk through a cool path they had through the cliff face. After a quick swim I had a date with a cucina (Italian for kitchen). I had signed up for the evenings cooking class. Our teacher (Massimo), two other girls and I were going to cook dinner for the staff and Mami’s guests. On the menu was Arancini balls, homemade pasta with tomato and eggplant, pollo with cream and mushroom sauce and lastly Neopolitan chocolate sponge cake. I didn’t stop smiling the whole time I was in that kitchen, it was the most fun I had had all holiday.
That night Al and I ate with the rest of the hotel and enjoyed the meal I had helped cook with some local vino.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Roma
Last night in Rome tonight. Then off to the Amalfi. When we first arrived into Rome, it was quite a difference to the other cities we had visited thus far in Italy.
The number of people trying to scam you (or at least sell things on the streets) seemed to multiply some what. But, all that aside, it was still great to visit all the famous landmarks that it is known for.
A quick rundown of our 3 days here:
Aug 15th - we left Florence at around 11am, with a fairly easy 2 hour train ride. Got into Rome, to feel the humidity sap all the energy straight out of us. The hotel that Lis had found (RomAntica) turned out to be a nice little place, just a short 5 min walk from the main train station; good work hon. We were only 2 metro stations away from the Colosseum, so thats were we headed.
Saw the large lines, then some tour company approached us and asked if we wanted to join. Normally €12 to get in, and they were asking €20 so we thought - deal! After the colosseum, checked out the Forum.
Aug 16th - Headed into the centre of town to visit a few of the other key sights; Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and numerous piazzas (they love their piazzas over here). Lisa mentioned that its becoming very clear why wogs back home love to put concrete all over their backyards!
Aug 17th - From our tour of the Colloseum, we decided to try the same tour company with their tour of the Vatican City. Met at the metro station closest to St Peters at 8.15am. Nice and early start. Downside was the past two days the Vatican had been closed to the public, so every tourist and their proverbial dog were there that morning.
We queued up for 2.5 hours! Suprisingly went quite quickly, although fitty people inside made it quite stuffy and claustrophobic.
Sistine Chapel, and the St Peters Basicalla were as expected, the highlights. And our guide turned out to be quite informative, which always makes the time go quicker.
Anyway, pizza is calling.
The number of people trying to scam you (or at least sell things on the streets) seemed to multiply some what. But, all that aside, it was still great to visit all the famous landmarks that it is known for.
A quick rundown of our 3 days here:
Aug 15th - we left Florence at around 11am, with a fairly easy 2 hour train ride. Got into Rome, to feel the humidity sap all the energy straight out of us. The hotel that Lis had found (RomAntica) turned out to be a nice little place, just a short 5 min walk from the main train station; good work hon. We were only 2 metro stations away from the Colosseum, so thats were we headed.
Saw the large lines, then some tour company approached us and asked if we wanted to join. Normally €12 to get in, and they were asking €20 so we thought - deal! After the colosseum, checked out the Forum.
Aug 16th - Headed into the centre of town to visit a few of the other key sights; Pantheon, the Trevi fountain, and numerous piazzas (they love their piazzas over here). Lisa mentioned that its becoming very clear why wogs back home love to put concrete all over their backyards!
Aug 17th - From our tour of the Colloseum, we decided to try the same tour company with their tour of the Vatican City. Met at the metro station closest to St Peters at 8.15am. Nice and early start. Downside was the past two days the Vatican had been closed to the public, so every tourist and their proverbial dog were there that morning.
We queued up for 2.5 hours! Suprisingly went quite quickly, although fitty people inside made it quite stuffy and claustrophobic.
Sistine Chapel, and the St Peters Basicalla were as expected, the highlights. And our guide turned out to be quite informative, which always makes the time go quicker.
Anyway, pizza is calling.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Milan to Rome
10th August - Milan
We arrive in Milan MXP airport (50 km out of Milan!) and make our way to our hotel. Al is very frustrated as this is the first city we have come across where maps are not free and he is forced to pay 3 euros for one. After that our hotel is located and we head staight for the Duomo and to do a bit of shopping for Donna's birthday.
11h August - Lake Como/Venice
Up at 6:30 to get to (insert name of church here) to see The Last Supper and head off to Lake Como. Then get the 4 o'clock train to Venice! Again Al is frustrated that he is asked to pay for a map ("I remember a time when maps used to be free!") so refuses and asks the information girl to direct him to the hotel. She musn't of liked him because her directions couldn't have been more vague. After wandering the streets and finding a very nice local who phoned the hotel on her mobile to get the right directions we off to a great start in Venice. The saying, bad dress rehersal, good show must be right because Venice turned out to be my favourite city in Europe. Each corner we turned we were amazed at how beautiful everything was.
12th August - Venice
Happy Birthday Donna! I am going to need Al's help to remember what we did this morning because it is alraedy a blur! Earlier that day we had passed an Opera Hall and decided to get some tickets for the Venitian Opera. It turned out to be a great night.
13th August
Checked out of the hotel at 9:30 and head straight for the train station to book our tickets to Florence, lucky we did because the earliest train we could get was at 1.30pm.
We arrive in Milan MXP airport (50 km out of Milan!) and make our way to our hotel. Al is very frustrated as this is the first city we have come across where maps are not free and he is forced to pay 3 euros for one. After that our hotel is located and we head staight for the Duomo and to do a bit of shopping for Donna's birthday.
11h August - Lake Como/Venice
Up at 6:30 to get to (insert name of church here) to see The Last Supper and head off to Lake Como. Then get the 4 o'clock train to Venice! Again Al is frustrated that he is asked to pay for a map ("I remember a time when maps used to be free!") so refuses and asks the information girl to direct him to the hotel. She musn't of liked him because her directions couldn't have been more vague. After wandering the streets and finding a very nice local who phoned the hotel on her mobile to get the right directions we off to a great start in Venice. The saying, bad dress rehersal, good show must be right because Venice turned out to be my favourite city in Europe. Each corner we turned we were amazed at how beautiful everything was.
12th August - Venice
Happy Birthday Donna! I am going to need Al's help to remember what we did this morning because it is alraedy a blur! Earlier that day we had passed an Opera Hall and decided to get some tickets for the Venitian Opera. It turned out to be a great night.
13th August
Checked out of the hotel at 9:30 and head straight for the train station to book our tickets to Florence, lucky we did because the earliest train we could get was at 1.30pm.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Barca
So much to say here, but only 1 min on our internet... will have to edit this later!
7th August - Barcelona
8th August - Barcelona
9th August - Barcelona
Birthday celebrations were at hand, and Lisa did a great job at making the day go so well. Started off with a quick stop at the food markets just off Las Ramblas. Dman, they were good! plenty of fresh fruit to be had, and we managed to even get a fry up.It was then off to one of the city beaches. No waves, but plenty of sun, and the water was remarkebly refreshing, so made several hours of the afternoon go very quickly.Back to the hotel for a quick change before heading off to Park Mojito (to be fixed later), were we enjoyed a nice walk around and some great views of Barca as the sun came down.We did make reservations for Los Caracoles (thanks chico for the recommendation), and this is were we found ourselves at around 9pm. The restaurant was buzzing, and had a good atmosphere to it. Definitely was a great way to finish the day off.
next stop - Milano
Saturday, August 12, 2006
San Sebastian
Lisa with the beautiful San Sebatian beaches in the background
2nd August - San Sebastian
As soon as we arrived in San Sebastian, we new that we would have a great time. The old town was great with a different Tapas bar at every 2nd store. Lisa and Dan were loving all the clothing labels around - I knew this was a good thing, as it meant beach time for me :)
The hostel that we stayed at was Pension Amariur, which was a recommendation from our old flat mate Josie. And it was tops. Apart from being in a porn location, the friendliness of the staff and the cleanliness of the rooms meant our stay was extremely enjoyable.
We hit the tapas bars that night - not really knowing what to expect. Think we got ripped off in 1 or 2 places. Mainly because we decided not to pay straight away and trust that the bar man had a good memory. The other times we gave tapas a go, it turned out a whole lot more successfully.
3rd August - San Sebastian
No breakfast included in the Pension, so we headed out. We tried to rip off a not very smart waiter. But he was faster then us, and we couldnt get away. Hit the beach... well, I did, while Lisa and Dan hit the shops. They soon worked out that Siesta time was in full effect, so their shopping turned to be more wondering around, but still a worthwhile cause.
Not wanting Tapas, we thought Paella was the go. With a recommendation from our hotel staff, we headed out to a place on the other side of the river. Turned out they dont do Paella any more but we still took some awesome sunset photos (see below) and then headed back to the old town for Paella.
Al & Lisa on bridge at sunset
4th August - Biarittz
It was time to head out of town and check out some more of Basque country. Decision was made to head towards Biarittz, and all 3 of us were very happy with the decision, with me getting some much needed beach time, Lisa finding a bikini top, and Dan buying a new t-shirt. Not to mention, having a great lunch (although we weren´t too happy with having to fork out €7.50 for a coke each!), and admiring a bit of Southern France at the same time.
[photo here]
"where are we" in Biartittz
5th August - San Sebastian
The KLB would be reunited today, and Dan and me headed to Bilbao airport to go pick the little filo (Chico) up. He was very excited to see us, and plenty of stories to swing both ways happened throughout the weekend.
We headed up to some place with a good view (wheres chico when you need him to remember the name!) and had a few KLB reunion shots.
It was then back down to check into the hostel - one issue with being in the old town was the lack of parking, so €18/night was the order of play for carparking. We all headed to the beach (even Dan this time), and all enjoyed the sand, water and waves. Oh, and there may have been a few tops missing from some ladies on the beach as well, but I wouldnt know about that.
Finally, the day was topped off with a fine dining experience at Arzak, Spains number one restaurant. Lisa will bring her thoughts to the table at a later time - hopefully with pictures...
Lisa and Dan at a resturant not serving Paella
6th August - Barcelona
With a big night last night, it was time for a bit of a sleep in, and then a plan was decided that we would drive Dan and Chico to Heneye, which is just across the border in France. Mind you, no border police at all to be found... Heneye really didnt seem to have much going for it, so we settled for a little cafeteria and some cheap food.
Really not much to write about, especially with our meal, as I think some of us were still full from last nights meal (think Lisa counted 17 courses in total). We loaded Chico and Dan up (thanks guys once again) with all our Marrakech purchases and said our goodbyes.
It was then a bit of a drive back to Bilbao airport. Only sour note was to be hit by the Eurocar folk for a new scratch on the side of the car. Probably was us that did it, as we did touch a few curbs in 1 or 2 car parks... but what can you do.
We arrived in a fairly humid Barcelona and the info desk at the airport provided all the info we required to get ourselves to our hotel.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
on the way to San Seb
31st July - time to depart Morocco
Even though it was 1st class on the overnight train from Marrakech to Tangier, it still proved difficult to find a way to sleep comfortably throughout the night. It didn´t help that there was several stops with people getting on/off the train every few hours; we managed to arrive 1 hour past the scheduled arrival into Tangier (arriving at 8.30am). Then it was straight off to the ferry port where we saw a ferry about to leave in 30 min.
Cost €40 for the ride, and with 30 min you would have thought no probs to get past passport control. We thought we were cutting it fine, but the ferry was running on Spain time, so it all worked out in the end (Al did manage to get into quite a fuss in the passport queue though).
That night, we stayed in Malaga in a really nice hostel (Picassos corner). Malagas vibe was very cool and it was a shame we only spent one night there. Managed to visit the Castello in the middle of town and get some great photos from there. Somehow managed to find a taxi at 5am to take us to the airport.
1st August - Costa Verde
The flight from Malaga went smoothly and we found our selves in Santiago De Compestella. Picked up the car and drove into town. Checked out a few sights (big ass church that had plasmas within - a sign of the times perhaps). With having no hotel to stay this evening, once at Santiago, this was one of our first priorities. We managed to pick a hotel near Gijon, which should have been about 4 hours drive away from Santiago.
On the open road, some very beautiful scenery, and we did decide to go for a few scenic roads, which meant that our 4 hours, became a bit more like 6. Our main problem was entering into a city, then having no idea how to get out of it! guess it may pay to have (better) maps next time we embark on a driving expedition.
2nd August - Costa Verde
We left Alvires and headed on the road towards Basque country. The drive continued along some very beautfiul seas side and green hills - plenty of bridges, hills, valleys, beaches were passed, and all looked like they would provide a great relaxing getaway. We made it to San Sebastian in the afternoon... we learnt very quickly that fitty one way roads can make navigating the streets there a bit hectic.
Even though it was 1st class on the overnight train from Marrakech to Tangier, it still proved difficult to find a way to sleep comfortably throughout the night. It didn´t help that there was several stops with people getting on/off the train every few hours; we managed to arrive 1 hour past the scheduled arrival into Tangier (arriving at 8.30am). Then it was straight off to the ferry port where we saw a ferry about to leave in 30 min.
Cost €40 for the ride, and with 30 min you would have thought no probs to get past passport control. We thought we were cutting it fine, but the ferry was running on Spain time, so it all worked out in the end (Al did manage to get into quite a fuss in the passport queue though).
That night, we stayed in Malaga in a really nice hostel (Picassos corner). Malagas vibe was very cool and it was a shame we only spent one night there. Managed to visit the Castello in the middle of town and get some great photos from there. Somehow managed to find a taxi at 5am to take us to the airport.
1st August - Costa Verde
The flight from Malaga went smoothly and we found our selves in Santiago De Compestella. Picked up the car and drove into town. Checked out a few sights (big ass church that had plasmas within - a sign of the times perhaps). With having no hotel to stay this evening, once at Santiago, this was one of our first priorities. We managed to pick a hotel near Gijon, which should have been about 4 hours drive away from Santiago.
On the open road, some very beautiful scenery, and we did decide to go for a few scenic roads, which meant that our 4 hours, became a bit more like 6. Our main problem was entering into a city, then having no idea how to get out of it! guess it may pay to have (better) maps next time we embark on a driving expedition.
2nd August - Costa Verde
We left Alvires and headed on the road towards Basque country. The drive continued along some very beautfiul seas side and green hills - plenty of bridges, hills, valleys, beaches were passed, and all looked like they would provide a great relaxing getaway. We made it to San Sebastian in the afternoon... we learnt very quickly that fitty one way roads can make navigating the streets there a bit hectic.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
a hot city!
After almost a year, we finally got to catch up with Dan again. He is currently midway through his 4 weeks around the world. He arrived in London wednesday morning, and Lisa played the host as I was still working that day.
Thursday 27th July
A nice early flight leaving from Gatwick meant we caught our taxi to the airport at 5am. A pretty uneventful flight, with a slight delay meant we got to the heat of Marrakech at about 11.30am. Our host for the Riad that we were staying at was there to greet us at the airport and take us straight to our home for the next 3 nights. We basically drove to the edge of the medina, where a boy then with a wheelbarrow-like-trolley took our suitcases as we swerved amongst the many people in the markets (souks), dodging donkeys, horses, motorbikes, bicycles and plenty of people. Its always a great experience to be greeted with a large glass of orange juice at your hotel. The riads are definitely something special, with each room having its own theme. At the centre of the riad was a table and also a little wading pool that we made heavy use of every day at around 2-4pm (when the day was hottest). And then it was off to do some sightseeing
Friday 28th July
A bit of sponantiety hit me when I dragged Lisa and Dan into a carpet store. He looked like he had a wide selection to choose from. The price that I originally had in my mind turned out to be a far way from what we ended up paying - in the end though, I think Lisa and me were very happy with our purchase (hey, if the store is good enough for Mariah Carey and Hillary Clinton to shop at, then its good enough for us).
Saturday 29th July
It was time to check out a little out of Marrakech - we visited the tourist office and they recommended a tour company that could lend a hand. We paid 900 dirham for the 3 of us to be driven 2 hours to the cascades. Morroco as you would expect is extremely hot and dry - to find these cascades where there are beautiful water falls and lots of greenery was just fantastic. It made for an extremely relaxing day (albeit a bit of walking to/from the cascades), and we were all very glad to have made the journey out there.
Sunday 30th July
Our final day in Marrakech - last minute shopping was the main priority. Having to check out of the riad also meant that we wanted to not make it a big day with no shower in sight for another 36 hours.
Thursday 27th July
A nice early flight leaving from Gatwick meant we caught our taxi to the airport at 5am. A pretty uneventful flight, with a slight delay meant we got to the heat of Marrakech at about 11.30am. Our host for the Riad that we were staying at was there to greet us at the airport and take us straight to our home for the next 3 nights. We basically drove to the edge of the medina, where a boy then with a wheelbarrow-like-trolley took our suitcases as we swerved amongst the many people in the markets (souks), dodging donkeys, horses, motorbikes, bicycles and plenty of people. Its always a great experience to be greeted with a large glass of orange juice at your hotel. The riads are definitely something special, with each room having its own theme. At the centre of the riad was a table and also a little wading pool that we made heavy use of every day at around 2-4pm (when the day was hottest). And then it was off to do some sightseeing
Friday 28th July
A bit of sponantiety hit me when I dragged Lisa and Dan into a carpet store. He looked like he had a wide selection to choose from. The price that I originally had in my mind turned out to be a far way from what we ended up paying - in the end though, I think Lisa and me were very happy with our purchase (hey, if the store is good enough for Mariah Carey and Hillary Clinton to shop at, then its good enough for us).
Saturday 29th July
It was time to check out a little out of Marrakech - we visited the tourist office and they recommended a tour company that could lend a hand. We paid 900 dirham for the 3 of us to be driven 2 hours to the cascades. Morroco as you would expect is extremely hot and dry - to find these cascades where there are beautiful water falls and lots of greenery was just fantastic. It made for an extremely relaxing day (albeit a bit of walking to/from the cascades), and we were all very glad to have made the journey out there.
Sunday 30th July
Our final day in Marrakech - last minute shopping was the main priority. Having to check out of the riad also meant that we wanted to not make it a big day with no shower in sight for another 36 hours.
Marrakech airport...
Our rug man who has brought us plenty of good luck on our trip
checking out the merchandise
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