So far
a quick overview
14.05.2006
9 °C
So just for those of you who dont know what Ive been up at all or maybe just lately heres a quicky to fill you all in.
I have been overseas now for a lil over 2 months! I left home (Canberra Aus) on March 3rd and flew to Ireland where I went to live with my gal pals from back home Han and Jess in Galway on the north coast of Ireland. My original thoughts were that I would head over there and work for the next 5 months and then travel around some of Europe with the girls, then alone, head to Poland to visit the rellies for a bit and then head back to Ireland to work some more until heading home again in March 07' But as most of you will know after a few weeks I decided that I didnt want to work just yet, hell I didnt work my butt off at two jobs so I could fly half way around the world and work another shitty job before seening any of the 30 or so countries around me! So although I had a great 7 weeks in Galway partying with the girls and the towns many 'MINGERS' my head and bank balance were both telling me to go forth into the unknown and see a lil of the fasinating place that is Europe!
So I purchased a cheap airfare and headed to Gay Parii the city of love!..alone. The short of it is I spent 4 days in Paris and visited the four most wonderful things the city has to offer (The Lourve, Eiffel Tower, Arc De Triomphe and Notre Dame)! Other then those four things I really didnt think much of the city or rather the location of my dodgy dodgy hostel and the company surrounding it! (a story all in itself so yoü will have to wait for the low down on paris!)
After my lets call it an experience at the Friends Hostel (make a mental note of the name and never stay there!) I had to get out of the city of love and fast so heading to the nearest train station I booked the first ticket outta France which also happened to be the last ticket for the next days train and being 1st class cost me 100euro! to Roma Italy!
I loved Italy the second I stepped out of the train station and it kept getting better the more time I spent there. I stayed 4 days in an awesome hostel called Yellow (just up from the station) and saw most of the cities amazing sites including the Pope! Roma is also where I had one of those Geez its a small world encounters, bumping into an old school friend from back home at Trevi Fountain one afternoon! The city was also where I had my first taste of the wonderful delicacy of stuffed olives! Amazing and a must if your to Italy! and it was also where I got my first taste of the old hostel Pub Crawl and learnt a very valuable lesson in how not to prepare for one (by not eating anything after 12noon the day in which you decide to go!)
After wasting an entire day paying for the pub crawl experience I managed to visit the Vatican and Sistine Chapel before heading to my next stop of Florence!
I loved this city the most out of all I have been to so far. It was amazing and I regret only staying two nights because due to having to move from the cool hostel I had stupidly only booked for one night it really only gave me one day to explore the city! But I had a great time, I saw the DAVID! up close and personal and the entire town from the lookout atop Piazzale Michelanglo, paid $7 for a glass of coca cola lite! and ate at an amazing restaurant which seems to be one of Floreneces not so best kept secrets as people were literally pushing past the waiter to get through the door!
Next I headed to breathtaking Venezia, a city unlike no other! I only stayed one night but had nearly 2 full days to explore due the late time of my train to Switzerland. When you have all the time in the world walking around Venice without a map is so much fun! But why people would pay 1 euro to feed pigions and let them sit on them! I will never understand! I went via water bus down the grand canal and it was 3 hours before I got back to the train station. So busy but its pretty clear why so many people come here!
After my huge day of exploring Venice, I finally settled into my cabin on the train to Switzerland at 11pm. It would be 9 hours before I would get to Martigny where I was going to stay with my Aunt Hanka and luckily I had the cabin all to myself and quickly tried to get some shut eye.
I arrived 9 hrs later and its where I have been for the last two weeks. I am surrounded by mountains on all four sides, some with snow on the tops since it has only just recently stopped snowing. I have already written about this place in the first entry on my blog but Ill write just a lil to recap on what Ive been doing here.
I have visited the Mountains and been to lake Geneva. I also went to Lausanne where I visited the offical Olympic Museum and Gallery De Brut, I saw an exhibition titled Camille Claudel and Rodin,went to the Zoo!its up in the mountains and is small with lots of mountain goats and bambi's but it also features Bears, Wolves and Wild Pigs!
I have also felt like an outsider as this particular part of Switzerland they speak in french as the french boarder is only 50 ks away (not that I would feel better in the other parts where they speak Italian, German or something taken from Romainian) and I dont know any so I have spend alot of time getting brief explanations on what everyone has been talking about or whats so funny!
And tomorrow I am off to Gdansk or Gydnia, Poland to visit the rellies which I havent seen since I was 10 when I was there the 1st time! Im planning on staying until around the middle of July but am also heading to Prague early July on a short trip with my gal pal Sheezie and then to Krakow. After Poland its back to good ol' Galway town to catch up with Han and Jess before they set off on more travels and take up residence in the house again to work for a couple of months in order to save some pennies for a lil more travelling to Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Greece before I have to head home!
So there it is a QUICK overview! ha who I am I kidding thats a thesis and the book is coming up soon!
Cheers
Majki
Posted by Majki 09:54 Comments (0)
Cheers
12 °C
