more than
tea and scones
Friday, July 29, 2005
Rome
Jody at 11:18 PM
Even more Photos!
My home for tonight. It's got curtains around it, to make it's own room. (And apparently a paddle. Just in case it floods at night?)
Jody at 10:46 PM
Ok, It's Official
Officially. Love. Berlin.
Wanna know why?
Ok, so technically that photo is from Switzerland, but DUDE!! They have a photo reader!! I'll try and post a few more photos while I have time. Honestly, best hostal ever!
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Location: Berlin, Germany
Wearing: Clothes
Day's Activities: Same as below, only add 'found the hostel, made a KICK ASS dinner, participated in some hostal-chatting, then this, which will be followed by 'Kickass shower' and 'my own little room to sleep in'
Thing you miss: Not much. (Awesome hostel has a stereo system for you to put your own music on, (plus there's only about 4 of us staying here tonight, so I've got the music on loud, for the first time in weeks. Never. Coming. Home.)
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Jody at 10:39 PM
I think I'd Love Berlin...
If only I could find where the hell the hostel is.Seriously people. If you ever get the urge to set up a hostel, GIVE CORRECT DIRECTIONS!!
I've been going up and down this street for 2 hours now. With a heavy pack, I was ready to die. Thank god for internet cafes and mapquest. I think I finally found the place now. Wish me luck!
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Location: SOMEWHERE in Berlin, Germany
Wearing: clothes
Day's Activities: train, train, stomp around the streets of Berlin, watched the fire department do some kind of high-angle thing with an apartment building. That was the cool part.
Thing you miss: Knowing where I'm going
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Jody at 5:30 PM
as if the rosemary gypsies, the quicksand, stinging nettle, giant bees and the panty theif wasnt enough, now we have a giant forest fire to contend with. Seriously, the whole mountain behind us is engulfed in flame...I wonder what tomorrow holds-------------------------------
Location: Granada, Spain...If all works, Im Morocco bound tomorrow (really looking forward to the snake charmers, camels and carpet salesmen)
Wearing: clean clothes
Day's Activities: roll out of bed, say farewell to my Swedish roomates
Thing you miss: NOT falling asleep to the sound of cats in heat
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jenny at 9:45 AM
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Cooler than You
I keep forgetting to write this...Guess who learned how to speak in clicks?!
That's right, me! I can officially say english words with the proper clicks! It's so tempting to walk around asking people for a xylophone, just to scare people.
Thank you, South African girls and Chicago teachers. You were most helpful.
Jody at 4:32 PM
Just call me Ms. International Relations
So I got back to my scary hostel in Prague yesterday, and just as I was getting ready to make myself a nice dinner of baguette, cheese and an apple, a guy and a girl walk in. Turns out they had just been on a walking tour around the city together, so the three of us started chatting.As Jen knows, one of the first things you discuss as a backpacker is where you're all from. The man was from Mexico, and the woman was from the US. Add me from Canada, and we realized that you have the full NAFTA group. (North american free trade agreement, for those who can't remember) Traveling, it's pretty rare to have a group like that.
We all decided to walk down to Charles bridge (a very important famous bridge that has buskers and a lot of people at night) and we had a very plesant evening touring around the crowded tiny streets. There's no way I would have been able to do that at night on my own here. (It can get a little scary at night here) Today we got together with another guy from San Fransisco from our room, and we rode the trains, walked around, had breakfast, the usual. There's a very large jewish history in this city, so we said goodbye to San Fransisco boy, and spent the afternoon touring the famous synagogs and cemetaries. It was a great afternoon.
If my NAFTA buddies read this, then YAY! I did find the bookstore! Very cool, but I totally wouldn't have found it without your directions. Thanks!
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Location: Last day in Prague
Wearing: Jeans, red/blue/white shirt, blue tank
Day's Activities: walked walked walked, got drunk at 2 in the afternoon, talked a lot
Thing you miss: Air Conditioning
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Jody at 4:24 PM
Here I am at Camp Granada!
Jen the explorer discovered QUICKSAND! As it turns out, when you combine a river with some very soft silty sand, you create quicksand. I just about lost my travel partner to the quicksand! You think Im kidding, but Im really not, he was seriously up to his hips in this quicksand before he made this heroic dive to the shore. All the while, I just kind of watched, I mean we are in the middle of nowhere, hours away from the nearest city and Im wearing my last clean skirt and there is no way that I will risk my last skirt! Had he of sunk any further, my plan was to take the plastic waterbottle, burn a hole in the bottom and have him breathe through that, and when he finally requested that I end it all for him, Id pour a bunch of sand into the bottle and become Jen the Murderer.Then came the stinging nettle. It deserves that name.
They have gypsies here, but not the magic carpet chanting gypsies...these gypsies 'sell' rosemary. By sell, I mean that they will chase you screaming and thrash the bundle of rosemary into your hand then accuse you of stealing it if you dont immediately throw it back at them...There is a trick to handeling gypsies, you must convince them that you are crazier than them or give them a gypsie curse.
I went kayaking and discovered silver mud. It really was silver and sparkely, Im serious.
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Location: Granada
Wearing: CLEAN shirt, quicksanded skirt, swimsuit (the dryer is broken so my bra is still quite damp so I had to resort to wearing the swimtop)
Day's Activities: breakfast, discuss lastnight's mishap with the 'nutter' who broke into the hostel and managed to steal some dirty knickers and a cellphone
Thing you miss: clothing
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jenny at 8:32 AM
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Prague Blog?
Hello All!Prague is kinda like Rome, take two, but a little prettier. And a harder language to understand. I thought being this far north, things wouldn't really heat up the way they do in the south. But no, it's just as hot, smoggy and people-filled as the rest. I might be cutting Prague short to go give Berlin/Copenhagen a little extra time. Not sure yet.
I know you all are dying to know how Switzerland was. (Well I'm dying to tell you, at least) In one word, amaising! Other than Munich, I think Gimmelwald and Interlaken are my favorite places to go over here.
After leaving Paris, I managed to make it to Interlaken by 11pm. I wanted to head up to Gimmelwald, but the trams stopped at 6pm, so I decided to just stay there, and head up in the morning. I met up with another guy backpacking who was doing the exact same thing, so we both wandered the streets of Interlaken until we found one of the two hostels there. It was actually a pretty cool place. They were actually out of rooms in the main building, but about 6 blocks away they had a vacant lot with tons of tents in it, and you were allowed a bunk in these big tents, which actually turned out alright. After a quick drink in the 'club' downstairs (backpacker clubs are cool, because you instantly have something to talk to people about.) we were off to spend the night in the tent.
In the morning, we hopped on a train/bus/tram for the long trip up the mountain. The view was gorgeous though, and YES!! I DID spend the night in a barn! 2 to be exact. It was awesome! (I was very glad that I thought to bring Claritin with me, otherwise I probably wouldn't still be breathing) It smelt like a barn (In the winter they actually use it to house their cows or goats or whatever) and right outside our front door was a big chicken pen. (I made friends with the one escapee chicken, and named her Walter. We had a little argument when she tried to peck my toes off, but other than that, it was fine. During the day we would all go out hiking (I made lots of friends, actually, including two kickass teachers from Chicago, and we all spent hours talking till 2am in the other hostel.
Kinda getting sidetracked, sorry. In short, I skipped, I yodeled, I braided my hair. I ate cheese, I was on time, I wore wool. Basically, I was about as swiss as you could get. I just wonder what I can do to fit in in Prague the way I do there.
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Location: Prague, Czech Republic
Wearing: Skirt, shirt
Day's Activities: Train, got hostel, accidentally fell asleep, went to lunch with guy from hostel, went shopping/wandering, got lost repeatedly, actually found my way home. Tonight's activities are to find the english used bookstore, then hang out on Charles Bridge all night. Apparently that'll help me blend in.
Thing you miss: Not sweating as soon as I walk outside. Less people. The smell of clean air.
P.S. Jen, I found a store that sells Sudoku. Did you want me to pick you up a book? It's in Czech, but that shouldn't matter.
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Jody at 3:36 PM
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
Munich, take two
So I'm back in wonderful Munich, for the second time. (On purpose this time) But only temporarily. In half an hour I catch an overnight train to Prague.(I haven't figured out why I'm going yet. Everyone says you have to go, but I don't know why. Guess I'll find out.
Will write all about my adventures in the straw when I get back. I will say that a postcard reading 'Dear mom and dad, Staying in Switzerland, send money' did cross my mind
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Location: My favoritest city Munich!
Wearing: Skirt, Black shirt, Black Jacket, giant backpack
Day's Activities: trams, trains trains trains!
Thing you miss: Stable internet with a real keyboard!
(As a side note, I'm listening to some funky version of the 'Beverly hills cop' theme. Too trippy)
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Jody at 9:27 PM
Monday, July 25, 2005
Pantsless in Granada
So I was in a restaurant the other night and walked briskly past a chair, the thingy on my pants got caught on the chair and now my pants have a very noticable tear in them...like, they are torn all down the seam...unwearableAll this backpack carrying has worn a very large hole in my skirt...however that is safety pinable...
Im down to pajama pants...maple leaf ones...I do not blend in
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Location: Madrid...Bound for granada
Wearing: My shirt as a skirt and the least stinky of the shirts (ooh, crafty jen! I got sick of standing out)
Day's Activities: walk, train trip
Thing you miss: Towels without bird shit on them...Hell, i dont care about dirt, but how am I to clean myself with birdy poop?!
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jenny at 11:08 AM