Rome wasn't built in a day...

And it sure takes more than one day (or two or three) to see everything the city has to offer! Wow, so much has happened since I last updated I don't know where to start! Well, I guess from where we left off. I'm going to try and keep this one a bit more brief... we'll see how that goes though!
Rome.. we got into Rome after quite the long day of traveling... a night ferry from Greece, and a train ride from hell. Wow, those trains are special! Basically, the air conditioning was broken. we got on and sweat was dripping, but we didn't know if this was normal. We soon found out it wasn't because everyone on the train was feeling the vent to see if air would come out, breaking out anything they could find to fan themselves with and wearing pained, uncomfortable looks on their faces. It would have been absolutely hilarious to watch - I should have taken a video on my cam. They ended up offering people bus rides to Rome, but we stayed on because the train emptied to the point where it was cooler because there were less bodies. Still a six hour train ride w/no heat.. we were not happy travelers!
DAy 1 in Rome - went to see Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, the Colosseum and the Forum. What was soo cool about those places to me wasn't so much what they looked like (which was still incredibly cool), but the visual you get of what it must've been like to be in them back in the day.. Standing in the Colosseum 'stands' looking down to where the floor was, you could picture what it must've been like and how amazing it must've been to see the kinds of fights that took place there and the energy that must've exploded from the crowd. Circus Maximus basically looks like a huge (huge!) field, with nothing on it except maybe a local running around the beaten track. But when you picture the chariot races that took place and people sitting up on the hill to watch the carnage of horses and people and the chariots went barreling around the sharp corner, it is a pretty amazing thing to imagine! Day 2- We went to the VAtican city and had a tour. Don't mistake my lack of description of this as a lack of enthusiasm though! It absolutely blew me away! Especially the Sistine Chapel... beautiful! I learned SO much and Marie and I were so glad that we did the tour. DAy 3- Trevi fountain and shopping! This was a fun day,. Trevi fountain is this giant sculpture on the side of this building that comes out of nowhere in the middle of the city. An impressive sight! What did we do at night?? Not a whole lot. I ate gelato.. oh did I eat gelato! In Rome, Florence and Venice.. everywhere in Italy! It is absolutely delicious! My favorite combo? Rasperry (lampone), Coconut (cocco) and Chocolate chip (stracciatella). DELICIOUS!
Florence was beautiful! I loved the look and feel of the city more than Rome. With the river running through it and many rolling hills surrounding it, it was much more green and pretty than other big cities. Went and saw Michelangelo's David. I had no idea that it would blow me away the way it did! it was unbelievable- every detail is so perfectly sculpted- right down to the veins in his hands and the pupils in his eyes. And what a beautiful man that David is! We had fun partying in Florence too, which was a bit overdue after four chill nights in Rome! We went to a small bar the first night, to just have a drink or two.. until we befriended the owner and he gave us free drinks and shots all night and introduced us to the DJ so we could request any song we wanted to hear! Gotta love it when you meet someone with connections! The third night we were there Marie stayed home, but I went to 'Space Electronic' to meet up with Laura, a friend and my old roommate from UBC back home. She happened to be in Florence that same night so I went and found her at the bar that her Contiki group was going to. Awesome!
Shoot, I'll do Venice now. We were only there for a day but it had great shopping and was really pretty. I forgot it's the home to Venetian glass (duh).. and a whole hell of a lot of pigeons! I fed them after mustering up the courage.. they're pretty disgusting creatures.. but it was a lot of fun. The pics are hilarious!
OH! Before I go, I can't forget to tell you that I have definitely had the full Italy experience,.. not really in a good way though. In Rome Marie and I were out of our hostel at 6:30 am to get to Trevi before anyone was there (it's super touristy during the day). Well, how would I have known that in the early morning when I was barely awake I would have a major ass-grabbing incident! It was absolutely disgusting, I didn't realize how much it would actually bother me - ugh, it was so violating! And it came out of nowhere.. this guy was walking along because us and chatting to us (or trying, he spoke NO english) and just out of nowhere.. and I shoved him away and had to keep doing so because he tried it two more times! Anyway, not to worry, I'm not traveling in Italy anymore, now that i'm on my own!
I'm in Nice now, traveling solo since Marie left me on August 1st. It was an adjustment for sure but the hostel in Nice is awesome and I've met tons of people! I'll write another update tomorrow about Cinque Terre and Nice b/c I know this one is already super long!
Love to everyone at home! Miss you all!
Lauren

Here's Marie and I looking a little tired at 6:30am in front of Trevi fountain

Me on a bridge in fron of Ponte Vecchio in Florence. What a beautiful city!

Marie and I got up and climbed the hundreds of stairs up to the top of the Duomo in Florence for the best view of the city you can get!

This would be me feeding the pigeons as part of the full experience in Venice. However, I might not have been so happy to feed them had I known I would later have one of them shit on my arm... sick! But hilarious..

Marie and I a few hours before our gondola ride that was the main point of our stop-over in Vencie. It was fully worth the 100 Euros!

Forecast: Sunny with sunny periods and a 100% chance of sun!

Hey Everyone!! I updated my facebook pictures with comments so you actually know what they are now. You can see them at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=36635&l=6241b&id=555385111
But anyways, back to Greece. We are in Athens now, we said goodbye to the Greek Islands this morning! What an unbelievable five(six?) days we had over on the islands! I'll pick up where I left off. We we exhausted in Mykonos but loving it! In Mykonos we stayed at a 'campground'. Wow, I can't WAIT to get pictures of this so-called campground up because it is basically a resort! Granted, the 'tent' we stayed in was pretty basic and not the nicest, but all we did was sleep there and in diong so we had full use of the facilities that the rest of the place had to offer. There was an amazing pool up overlooking Paraga beach. The pool had a bar right up next to it and a big dance floor with a DJ playing great songs starting as early as 3 or 4 in the afternoon! There were bean bags, lounge chairs, wicker sofas and cushioned ledges that would all be taken up by groups of people tanning, drinking or snoozing. It was quite the sight! Anyway, during our first night in town were were wandering the streets as described and came up to a crowd of people that were intently staring at something. We got close enough to see that it was a massive bird. It looked similar to a pelican, except it wasn't and it was the size of an eight-year-old child! Crazy. We followd it, trying to get as close as possible for a picture with it and during our pursuits stumbled upon some gorgeous buildings and amazing views of the sunset! We got pictures of it all, and spent the night soaking in the gorgeous views. There are restaurants lining the water that serve fresh, FRESH seafood. IT all looked amazing! We wondered why people weren't sitting on the seats closest to the water - it's because they are so close that when a big wave comes it soaks the whole table! It was love at first sight that first night in Mykonos!
The next day we went back into town for some shopping, and ended up accidentally spending most of the day there! We spent some more time that afternoon at the beach and then napped from 8-11pm to get ready for the big night out! We got up, showerd and caught the 1am bus into Mykonos. Ridiculous, right?! We never do that in good ol' Vancity! Marie and I wandered through the streets that were packed and buzzing with people! We'd follow the sounds of loud bass to find a club hidden down one of the streets. We did this for a while before committing to one. Met some Aussie girls who were staying at our 'campground'. We hung out and had some cheap wine and free shots from the Italian boys sitting next to us. When 4:45 rolled around we headed to the bus station to go to Cavo Paradiso, the apparently famous club in Mykonos where people party up until noon! IT was absolutely stunning! Packed with people, right on a cliff overlooking the ocean, a big dance floor, all different levels of podiums and stages to dance on and a gorgeous pool (that's right!) right in the middle of it all!! We had a great time dancing and partying! It was worth the $40CAD to get in!! Yikes... MArie and I headed home around 7:30 am and lay out on the loungers on the beach to unwind. Went to bed around 8:15.. what a NIGHT (morning?)! The next day we lounged around the pool and got a little sunburned before saying a sad goodbye to Mykonos and boarding the night ferry to Santorini... would the next island live up to expectations?! Hmm..
DEFINITELY! Santorini was absolutely amazing! We got in at around 4am and there were people at the port fighting to try and have us come stay at their hostel/hotel/villa/WHATEVER! We went with a guy who had a place in Perissa, where the black beach is. We got a 'hotel' room all to ourselves with our own bathroom and everythuing for less than the 'campground'. What a treat! Had a great sleep and hit up black beach the next day. It was totally cool to see the black sand - except, not cool at all. IT was burning hot actually! You could barely step on it with your feet, it was so hot! And even lying on the towel, we were sweating like crazy because the heat emanated right through! I spent a lot of time in the ocean. IT was still neat though. That night we headed into Fira, the main town of Santorini with the supposedly picturesque views. It totally lived up to expectations! Endless white and blue buildings and the city goes up and down along the cliffs of the island. We splurged a bit and got a table at a restaurant with a view overlooking the ocean -it's like you're hanging suspended out there because it looks as if there is nothing beneath you. We got some gorgeous pics that night and had delicious food! I had chicken souvlaki.. shoot, I guess I should be more adventurous, but it's my FAVORITE! And it didn't disappoint. We wandered and had an amazing dessert at one of the shops after dinner and then headed home. Gorgeous!
The next day we went to red beach. We got fed up of waiting for the buses (which never EVER come on time) and rented a four-wheeler!! SWEEET! I was so excted and I got to drive to Red Beach. Red beach has all red sand. WHat a creative name, eh? It is absolutely gorgeous! It is carved right out of volcanic rock and the sand is a dark brownish-red and the water is clear, clear turquoise blue. IT is absolutely stunning! We spent a good length of time there and I absolutely loved it. The water was less salty and more calm because it was in a little bay/cove on Santorini. Then we ripped around on the four-wheeler, stopping at the grocery store, a gyros place and then our 'villa'. Fun FUN! We went into Fira again that night and had another good (but this time a lot cheaper) meal. Shopped until I was literally ready to drop and then headed back on the midnight bus. What a full day! Marie and I also spent a good hour before dinner seeking out good photo ops. I think I got some great ones! I can't wait to share them all with you! If only I could read the greek on this page I might be able to attach them to the blog! Grr...
Well, that was the end of our staying in Santorini and this morning we caught a ferry back to Athens. How depressing going back to Athens after being in such breathtaking places. I don't recommend Athens, it's way too hot and not at all pretty. We had BETTER be able to see the Acropolis tomorrow! Okay I need to go before this internet cuts out! Tomorrow we catch a night ferry to Italy! I can't believe we're already going to be in the last country that Marie and I will travel together during this trip! Time flies.... you know what they say!
Love you all!
Lauren

This is 'Red Beach' in Santorini. We hiked up and over a ridge to get there. Totally worth the trek!

At Red Beach

Us on our 4x4, or whatever you call it. SO fun!

One of a hell of a lot of scenic pics from Santorini, Greece.

....And a picture of us at the Acropolis' Parthenon

Sleepless nights- worth it to get to heaven!

I'm sitting here at an internet cafe in Mykonos, the main town on Mykonos Island in Greece. I had a hell of a time even signing on to the computer because all of the links are in Greek! Now I know where the saying "It's all Greek to me" comes from - the lettering looks like the 'Wingdings' font on Microsoft Word! Ha ha.. anyway, update time!
After spending the day at the beach in San Sebastian, Marie and I went for one last tapas meal and then headed for the train station for another joyous night train. Oh, and on our way to the train station I ran after a drullet (dreadlock mullet) to get a picture. Success! Coming soon... along with other pics. I was more prepared for the night train this time, and managed to squeeze my ever-growing backpack under the beds!! That meant I could actually stretch my legs out (though the bed was still too short). Good one. Unfortunately I couldn't manage to sleep much anyway, with the heat and the rattling of our 'unit' door all night. Met some cool girls in our cabin though, two from Ontario (Montreal?) and one from Seattle. Pretty crazy. Arrived on the 13th at 9am in Barcelona and went on probably a two hour journey to find a 'supermarket' where we could buy food to save some money. It was worth it in the end.. got lunch and dinner for that day plus breakfasts for the next three, all for only 11euros total- what we had been spending on one meal (each)! After that we went down to the port and had a picnic - ham and cheese baguette w/mayo. Delicious! Then we headed to the beach where I FINALLY got to go for a swim. That's right, first time in the WHOLE trip! And I'm a water baby, so this was long overdue. It didn't disappoint either, it was gorgeous! Keep in mind that we hadn't showered for almost two days now of traveling.. and still weren't going to be showering for a while! Beautiful, that's why you'll see we don't have a ton of pics of us during our travel days -yikes! Ha ha.
Caught a 11:30am flight from Barcelona to Athens and I was dying to sleep - but still, unsuccessful! I think it's because I was trying so hard because I was so exhausted! Anyway, our flight got in at 4:30, and we slept in a corner on the floor of the airport for two hours before we were told to get up. I could also feel sickness coming on now, I can't say I remember having felt more ridiculously tired and sick.. ugh. But I sucked it up and Marie and I went into Athens, got a great hostel and set out to check out the Acropolis and its surroundings. Well, the surroundings were really sweet. Unfortunately, for some strange reason that we couldn't figure out, there was a strike going on and the Acropolis, Parthenon etc was all closed so we couldn't go up!! Are you KIDDING me!? OH well, turns out we'll have one more day in Athens before we go to Italy. Athens itself really isn't that nice. Hot, busy and not as much character (in my opinion) as all the cities in Spain. But after a long-awaited 8-hour sleep (YES!) we caught a ferry to our first Greek Island - Mykonos. We passed out on the ferry for most of the ride, but couldn't really go outside to see the view seeing as the waves were so high they splashed right up onto the windows and sometimes the decks! Crazy - and I don't know if this is the norm but it's windy as hell- not that I mind because it keeps you cool in the hot weather! Well, Mykonos is GORGEOUS! We are in absolute heaven and it was totally worth the hellish travel nights! We wandered through the narrow streets today. All white buildings with blue shutters and doors, and clear blue skies in the background. Absolutely beautiful. Tomorrow we will shop in the town in the morning, hit up the beach in the afternoon and then go out to the clubs. The famous club that we're going to is called Cava Paradiso. It doesn't even open until 3am and we've been told to not dare go before 5am because it won't be busy until then! NUTS! No wonder I'm sick, these Europeans party so late - when are you supposed to sleep?! Anyway, we have to catch the next bus back to our Resort campground... I know, kind of an oxy moron but it's true! Haha it's beautiful and right on the beach. Hope everyone is having a great summer!
With love,
Lauren

This is me and Marie eating gyros outside of a little shop in Mykonos. They put french fries in their gyros.. delicious!

A picture from the deck of the resort/'camping ground' we stayed at in Mykonos. A tough life, yes!

The best light for pictures is definitely around this time, 8am. We got home from Cavo Paradiso and went on a bit of a picture-taking frenzy on the beach. Gorgeous morning though!

A view of Santorini from the restaurant we sat and watched the sunset on our first night. Unbelievable views!

Me, sitting at our dinner table. God, I can't get over how beautiful it was there! Ahh, love it!

The Dreadlock Mullet - What?!

Okay, so there are a lot more fun exciting things going on here, but I couldn´t forget to share with you the new hairstyle that San Sebastians have come up with. A mullet, with the hair at the front really short (practically shaved) and THEN (this is the twist) the long part is full-on dreadlocks!! Yeah, I know it´s hard to believe. Now that I´ve said this I prob won´t be able to find one to take a pic of, but I swear it´s true. Ridiculous!
Anyway, back to what we´ve been up to... on the night of the 9th we left Barcelona on a night train to head to San Sebastian, a beach town on the northern coast of Spain known for it´s beaches, nightlife and seafood ´tapas´. I know we supposedly have tapas at home (kind of small plates of appetizers for those who haven´t yet experienced them) but they are NOTHING compared to the brilliant concept of tapas they´ve got goin on over here in Spain. We´ll get to that though.. got on the night train, and took one look at our sleeping beds and realized that there would not be much sleeping going on. You can´t sit up because there´s no head room and the pillow is as one of the girls in our ´compartment´described "a handkerchief". I had no where to put my pack so I had to put it at the end of the already short bed and `slept´ with my feet on top of my pack all scrunched up. Marie and I always say though: `ìt´s all part of the experience´. And what an experience that was!
San Sebastian is gorgeous, and we found an AWESOME hostel called `Lola´s Urban House´without too much trouble. It has brightly colored walls and little balconies that open onto the street. Perfect! The day we arrived, after some though, we decided not to go to Portugal during this part of the trip. We really want to get a good length of time in Greece and Italy, and thought it would be too rushed if we tried to fit in Portugal as well. I will go to Portugal after Marie goes home for a while anyway, so both of us are really happy with the way it worked out! Met some awesome girls from California at our hostel (Megan, Erin and Brittany) and we have partied with them here for the last two nights. Everyone here is so friendly and we have met people from all over the world -Sweden, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and a lot from the US (including some guys from Arkansas with some of the strongest southern acccents I have ever heard!).
Yesterday (the 11th) Marie and I went to the running of the bulls in Pamplona, or as it is called in Spain, `San Fermín´. I could never begin to describe to you the sight of it (but you know I´m gonna try)! You will have to see the pics and videos of it to get a feel. We went into the bull ring at 6:30am and got front row seats in the arena to see people running with the bulls. The running didn´t start til 8am, but the arena was packed with people who were drunk out of their minds from the night before and partying, drinking and singing all around us! Everyone was wearing red and white, the colors of San Fermín. The band came in and everyone went crazy. People were doing the wave, yelling chants that go back and forth across the arena, singing the song that everyone knows at the top of their lungs, dancing to the music. We joined in and took in the once-in-a-lifetime kind of experience. Then when 8 got close you could feel the anticipation. Everyone´s waiting and waiting until the first couple of me come sprinting through the arena. Then a few more and then you can see that the people coming through have eyes the size of saucers and are running for their lives. Then suddenly the people parted like the parting of the seas and four bulls came charging right through the arena, with people following behind. It happened twice again until the last bulls had come through and hundred of people high on adrenaline rushes filled the floor of the bull ring. People were pumping their fists in the air and yelling and happy to be alive and uninjured after the run. If that wasn´t enough they then closed the ring and let out a young bull into the arena. He would run around charging at people and sometimes taking them for a ride. If someone grabs the horns of the bull, the locals get angry and whistle and yell because I think it´s considered amateur or an insult to the bull or something cultural like that. One guy got jump-kicked in the head after grabbing the bull´s horns when it was charging him. The locals were almost more dangerous than the bull if you grabbed that bulls horns. Would be nice if someone told tourists not to do that! They let out five bulls in total and then the stadium slowly emptied. We wandered around the people-filled streets, and the Plaça del Castillo where the majority of the people were drinking and eating and `soaking it all in´. We sat and had sangria and listened to countless marching bands going through the small side streets. It´s was an unforgettable experience and I am SO glad that we were able to be there.
Okay, this is getting long and the pictures will show the experience more than I can describe so I will stop here. There is so much to tell and I could never get it all written on here (though God knows I try, hey) - long story short we are having the time of our lives! Today is the 12th and we catch another night train back to Barcelona (oh joy, another `experience´ha ha). Then after spending a day (hopefully on the beach) in Barcelona we catch a flight to Athens at 11:30 at night on the 13th. Can´t wait to experience Greece! I will try to upload some pics tomorrow, I think I might be able to do it!
Glad to hear the weather has improved at home! Keep in touch and I will have many more stories soon!
With love always,
Lauren

The groups of us outside our first tapas (pinxtas) experience in San Sebastian. From left: Erin (cut off), Marie, Brooke, Me, Megan and some random aussie.

Marie, Me, Brooke, Megan and Erin drinking wine straight out of the bottle on the floor of our hostel room. Nothing but class, you know!

In Pamplona, shortly after the running. We are PUMPED!

Me and Megan sporting our Tas Tas Bar hats in, you guessed it, Tas Tas Bar

The main beach in San Sebastian, filled with people as it was the first sunny day since we'd been there!

Experiencias de Barcelona

¡Hola amigos! I am so tempted to write in Spanish with all of the practice I have been getting, but I´ll refrain myself. After ridiculous, tedious train, bus and plane trips we arrive din Barcelona on July 7th. We have spent the last couple of days getting to know the city, and what an amazing city! We arrived at 130 am on a Friday and I have never seen so many people out and about at that time of night! Unbelievable! We spent our first day seeing ´La Sagrada Familia´(church designed but unfinished by Gaudi) and el ¨Parc Guell´, that displays other Gaudi creations. They call it the ´city of Gaudi´ with good reason, his work is everywhere! We must have taken hundreds of picturs on the first day alone because the sights were so amazing. I won´t go into too much detail describing them because pictures will show so much more. What is so amazing is that in the middle of a modernized city, you can walk up the stairs of the metro and turn to discover such an old ´edificio´ (building). After dedicating so much time to these sights, we went for lunch, which is late here, and then had a siests. Actually, we (or I should say I) slept from 6-830pm!! I know, it seems like late, but it´s not here in Barcelona! Adjusting to daylight savings is one thing but there is a whole other schedule to adjust to here in Spain. Typica day - desayuno (breakfast) b/w 8-10am, lunch b/w 1 -4pm, siesta, and dinner at 10pm or later... The clubs get going when clubs normally close in Vancouver - at 2am!! So, I´m not really sure where sleep fits in but we are having a blast! Went to a club close to Él Forum´´yesterday night and it was a bunch of tents on the beach with hundreds of people partying and dancing! It was so much fun! I got to practice my Spanish talking to some people from around Barcelona. One guy (Rico, I know what you´re thinking- what an odd name for a spanish guy! Not at all stereotypical! Ha ha) actually thought I was Catalan (from the region that Barcelona is a part of). He was shocked when I told him I was ´Canadiense´. We had a great time dancing the night away, got home just after 6 am, slept until 9 and got up to go book our train to San Sebastian and see the remaining sights. The train was a bit of a nightmare - long story short we´re staying an extra night in Barcelona (hence the free internet and this posting!). Tomorrow we will take a break from seeing the sights and go shopping and hit the beaches of Barcelona! Then it´s off to San Sebastian and Pamplona for running of the bulls! OH! Almost forgot - we went to a Flamenco show last night and it was unbelievable! They are SO talented! I took vids, to get the full effect. Amazing!! We are soaking up the culture and loving it here! Anyway, it´s about 130am so I am going to either go to bed, or hit up a club for some dancing! Love to you all, o ´besos´ Lauren´

July 4th - So long, farewell!

Okay, I am sitting in front of the computer like a zombie right now, feeling like I need toothpicks to prop open my eyelids I am so tired. However, my soon-to-be travel buddy Marie thankfully reminded me that when we arrive in London (BC time, 9:40pm?) it will be 7:40am and we will NOT be sleeping when we get off that plane. OOhh no, you see this is the kind of dedication we show to making SURE that we have a damn good time while we are off gallavanting around Europe! A nearly sleepless night so that I can have a less-than-adequate sleep on the plane might not sound enticing.. but we are going to beat this thing they call jet lag.. you betta believe it! Ok I think I'm rambling due to exhaustion, but if you're reading this you've found your way to my blog that I will be keeping in touch with throughout the duration of my and Marie's countless European adventures. I can't tell you how much it means to hear from home when one is across the world. Don't think that you have nothing to tell me! Tell me anything! I just like to hear from friends and family back home, you guys mean the world to me! So fire me an e-mail or just post a comment and enjoy living vicariously through our recounted European experiences... GOOD ONE!

Brief somewhat planned travel itinerary...

Fly London to Barcelona

Barcelona (2), Pamplona(2-3), San Sebastian (2)

Portugal (3-4 days down the coast)

Greece: Athens (1), Mykonos (3), Santorini (3)

Italy: Pompei (1), Rome (3-4), Florence (2-3), Venice (2), Cinque Terre(1)

Aug 2nd - Marie flies home (from Milan?)

I continue on (this part is relatively up in the air)...

5 days Southern France

1 week Portugal (??)

5 days Seville and Southern Spain (Andelucia)

3 days Paris (??)

Fly home August 23rd!

Okay, I think that's all for now! Bon Voyage (wait, isn't that what you say?)

With love,

Lauren