10h
Today:
go to:
Bled, Slovenia? -- don't know how to get there
Bologna, Italy?
Toulouse, France? -- expensive? dull? probably not ..
Vevey, Switz.? -- too close
I don't have any info on any of these places. It's Friday and I don't want to end up in a city where I can't find a place to sleep.
I thin I might go to Bologna.
12h15
Spiez, Switz. looks really pretty - on the western lake of Interlaken's lakes. The towns between Interlaken and Spiez look nice too. Mostly the blue water, the hills, and the mountains look good.
Heading to Milano, then Bologna I think? I was tempted to stay in Spiez but I don't know anything about it... plus I only had 2 minutes to switch trains.
Now headed to Brig, where I'll transfer to Milan. ok. Will arrive there at 15h35 I think. No one checked my rail pass on the Regio train from Interlaken to Spiez.
Should look at that Walks in Croatia book I spent 20 euro on in Paris. Maybe I'll stop back there on my way east. I want to see Prague and some other more obscure cities. Also, Bratislava, and that town - Cesky Krumlov - that Leandro told me about. I like Leandro a lot, it was fun hanging out with him yesterday on our hike (and the break between climbing up & down). He's crazy and fun and uninhibited. I should have gotten his email address -- there were some photos I took of him that he might like; and he took some of me that I might like. oh well. Maybe I'll see him somewhere sometime.
12h40
I scored a David Foster Wallace book - Oblivion - from the hostel in Gimmelwald. I left Of Love and other demons there in exchange. Hopefully no one will have me for taking Oblivion.
Also, left warm patagonia socks and black dickies and purple long-sleeve old navy shirt there. Hopefully nothing else, because that wouldn't have been intentional. I think I left my camera cable in Interlaken, which sucks. A guy in Gimmelwald with a similar camera lent me his cord today, though, so I emptied out my camera into my computer. It was great, though not as great as knowing where my own damn cord is.
13h20
Train from Brig to Milano. I head German, French, Spanish, Italian.. no english right now, actually. wow it's been a long time. Amsterdam, Interlaken, and Gimmelwald were full of English speakers. Americans. etc.
I bought something mysterious from the vending machine in at the station in Brig. The french on the back says biscuits fourrés (stuffed biscuits/cookies, I think). Ingredients include apricots and almonds.
13h40
I don't know where I am, but it's beautiful! steep and green, greener than where I was last, not as high, but steeper, and so green!
just passed a ruined old village! of houses made completely from stone, even the roofs were covered in slate shingles. It was all overgrown and some of the little houses were falling down. It was amazing. There were maybe 10 or 12 little rectangular buildings, clustered together... wow.
I think that was Italy. We're definitely in Italy now. These mountain/hills are amazing! so green, so many contours!
I see what I think are granite quarries, too. wow.
I wonder how much time I'll have in Milano before going to Bologna? (how do Italians pronounce that?) Maybe I'll look.
If I could, maybe I should stay a few minutes to find some info (online) about Bologna. or maybe I should just go straight there. It's always neat to look at a new city though, even if just for a few minutes.
14h25
I wonder what Bologna will be like. If it seems like it's any good, maybe I'll stay several nights. Though I guess my rail pass expires, what, the 18th I think? yeah, I can travel more by then, even staying for almost a week or a while week, even, I suppose. that NY Times guy rented a room from some students. I will look for ads about that.
I will arrive in Milano at 15h35 I think; then trains to Bologna are every hour on the hour, taking 1h45 to arrive.
(IN VERBANIA: 14h25) - next to some beautiful water, with sandy shores...
14h30 - yeah, wow, really beautiful. beaches, green mountains... wow. looks like a lot of resorts/big hotels too, though
14h34
in Stresa
14h40
Belgirate: looks kind of forgotten. but interesting, pretty. Also on the water. what is this? it's on the left.
traveling through: Lesa, Meina, Arona, Dormolletto (?), Sesto Calende, Vergiate, Gallarate (15h05), Busto Arsizo (Arsizio?), Parabiaco, Vanzago-P, Rho
15h20
it is flat out here, and dull. Nothing like how Italy started today.
Buildings are dark green, dark salmon, dark orangey yellow, beigey yellow... I saw one apartment building clad in deep blue ceramic tiles
(INDIGENOUS TO NOW. -aesop rock)
17h50
there's some really great graffiti alongside the tracks, pulling into Bologna (or, starting to pull in..)
23h30
Living it up at the Hotel Paradise in Bologna...... I don't know, maybe it will end up being worth the 55 euro..... will stay in the hotel tomorrow night: it's outside of town, apparently wih an 11:30pm curfew.. must go out tonight and enjoy my time in this expensive city...
02h30 (10 june)
this city is beautiful..... it smells like flowers
8 JUNE 2006
21h35
So Moussa emailed me saying to fly to London and meet him there. And I'll maybe do it, if I don't have to pay - because I'd rather go to Slovenia and Italy (also for free - rail pass). really, I'm not that interested in going to London. It just seems too far from all the other places I want to see.
I am thinking of going back to Slovenia.I'd like to I think I might go to Bled, because there's a pretty cheap hostel that would feed me. That's enough for now. I'd like to be on the ocean - and maybe I can be - but I'm not sure if trains go to Piran, a town on the Mediterranean with a few hostels.
I went on a pretty intense but amazing hike today, to the "Shark's Fin" with Jesse and .. oh man I forget - oh yeah, Josh, and Collin and Leandro. I am exhausted and my body hurts, but I had a huge dinner and some wine and now I feel pretty good. though, yes, exhausted.
oh yeah, I should take a shower. These are the showers I've taken since the beginning of this
month:
-one in amsterdam
-one super quick, freezing cold one in Interlaken where I sort-of washed my hair and the rest of me
that is all. I am filthy! Also, sunburned. oh. Lay in the sun at the end of our hike (after the ascent) for maybe 2 hours. I forgot in the morning that I might need sunblock. Now my body is emanating head; particularly from my forehead, shoulders, and the back left side of my neck. Also, though more mildly, my forearms.
some expenses from Gimmelwald:
(in francs)
69 - 3 nights, Gimmelwald
10 - groceries, Murren
13 - groceries, Murren
3 - bread
1 - shower
7 - 2 Heidi's Hot Chocolates (w. peppermint schnapps)
So Moussa emailed me saying to fly to London and meet him there. And I'll maybe do it, if I don't have to pay - because I'd rather go to Slovenia and Italy (also for free - rail pass). really, I'm not that interested in going to London. It just seems too far from all the other places I want to see.
I am thinking of going back to Slovenia.
I went on a pretty intense but amazing hike today, to the "Shark's Fin" with Jesse and .. oh man I forget - oh yeah, Josh, and Collin and Leandro. I am exhausted and my body hurts, but I had a huge dinner and some wine and now I feel pretty good. though, yes, exhausted.
oh yeah, I should take a shower. These are the showers I've taken since the beginning of this
month:
-one in amsterdam
-one super quick, freezing cold one in Interlaken where I sort-of washed my hair and the rest of me
that is all. I am filthy! Also, sunburned. oh. Lay in the sun at the end of our hike (after the ascent) for maybe 2 hours. I forgot in the morning that I might need sunblock. Now my body is emanating head; particularly from my forehead, shoulders, and the back left side of my neck. Also, though more mildly, my forearms.
some expenses from Gimmelwald:
(in francs)
69 - 3 nights, Gimmelwald
10 - groceries, Murren
13 - groceries, Murren
3 - bread
1 - shower
7 - 2 Heidi's Hot Chocolates (w. peppermint schnapps)
7 JUNE 2006
8h40
had a dream I ws in a train station, and my watch had come apart. I was looking at it, holding it, when a girl ran up to me. I put it away. She started talking really excitedly about how she's a friend of a friend, and asking to use my camera to take a photo of me. I didn't trust her and I left, hurriedly, and she followed, talking and talking and talking. Other people wondered what my deal was, but I knew she shouldn't be trusted.
10h45
I have never been alone anywhere like this before. Well - I've definitely never been anywhere like this with anyone, but the sort-of similar places I've gone, I've always been with someone - Nick, Angela, etc. (In fact - I think they're the people I've done the most hiking with.) Anyway, I'm at a big waterfall labeled Sprutz. I walked down a narrow path with stairs in some places to the bottom of this part, and walked under the falls, and now I have walked up some more little steps to the other side, where I am sitting in the sun. ah, it is so nice.
I forget how the story went. A man and a woman built a house next waterfall. At first, when they moved it, the noise from the waterfall was too loud; they couldn't even think. But then in time they got used to it, and never even noticed the sound. However, whenever they left the house, no one could stand to talk to them because when they did, they shouted.
From Everything is Illuminated, I think?
(do not travel to escape life: travel so that life does not escape you)
recommendations from Leandro (from Brazil):
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Prague
Salzburg
Bratislava - Juraj's hostel. Restaurant: Slovak Pub - order "Bryndzové halušky"
other travel ideas:
Genova (used to be industrial) - HI Ostello per la Gioventu - 15 euro
San Remo, Italy
Rome - San Lorenzo / E of Termini. Hostel des Artistes
Lombardy / Lake Country - Riva del Garda (on lake) - HI Ostello Benacus - 14 euro (book ahead)
Parma: Ostello/Camping Cittadella - 10.50 euro
Piran, Slovenia
- Alibi B14 - Bonifacijeva, 14 - $25/nite - kitchen
- Hostel Val - kitchenette
Bled, Slov. - Jakelj Backpacker's house - on edge of city - food provided - near lake - Lesce-Bled / desenice train , then call for pickup
had a dream I ws in a train station, and my watch had come apart. I was looking at it, holding it, when a girl ran up to me. I put it away. She started talking really excitedly about how she's a friend of a friend, and asking to use my camera to take a photo of me. I didn't trust her and I left, hurriedly, and she followed, talking and talking and talking. Other people wondered what my deal was, but I knew she shouldn't be trusted.
10h45
I have never been alone anywhere like this before. Well - I've definitely never been anywhere like this with anyone, but the sort-of similar places I've gone, I've always been with someone - Nick, Angela, etc. (In fact - I think they're the people I've done the most hiking with.) Anyway, I'm at a big waterfall labeled Sprutz. I walked down a narrow path with stairs in some places to the bottom of this part, and walked under the falls, and now I have walked up some more little steps to the other side, where I am sitting in the sun. ah, it is so nice.
I forget how the story went. A man and a woman built a house next waterfall. At first, when they moved it, the noise from the waterfall was too loud; they couldn't even think. But then in time they got used to it, and never even noticed the sound. However, whenever they left the house, no one could stand to talk to them because when they did, they shouted.
From Everything is Illuminated, I think?
(do not travel to escape life: travel so that life does not escape you)
recommendations from Leandro (from Brazil):
Cesky Krumlov, Czech Republic
Prague
Salzburg
Bratislava - Juraj's hostel. Restaurant: Slovak Pub - order "Bryndzové halušky"
other travel ideas:
Genova (used to be industrial) - HI Ostello per la Gioventu - 15 euro
San Remo, Italy
Lombardy / Lake Country - Riva del Garda (on lake) - HI Ostello Benacus - 14 euro (book ahead)
Parma: Ostello/Camping Cittadella - 10.50 euro
Piran, Slovenia
- Alibi B14 - Bonifacijeva, 14 - $25/nite - kitchen
- Hostel Val - kitchenette
Bled, Slov. - Jakelj Backpacker's house - on edge of city - food provided - near lake - Lesce-Bled / desenice train , then call for pickup
6 JUNE 2006
(TUES)
train at 13h20.
-bank
-grocery store
-pick up crap at hostel
-walk to train
* buy heavy things at the co op there
? or go to the co op at station? would have to go in with all the gear ..
grocery list: (again)
3 nights:
dinner: today, tom., next day
lunch: x3
b'fast: x3
hot dogs - 1 dinner, 1 lunch
sandwiches - 2 lunches
-buy meat for 2?
-have bread
cereal/granola for b'fast
juice
meat: for 2 dinners. one for tonite, one for next/last nite
rice
cheese
9h30
breakfast. collecting bread smeared with jam to make into pb&js for later.
Again thinking about how weird this place is. People come, do something Extreme, then they call their moms, then they leave. I guess I've never really thought about this type of vacation. I am excited & curious & a little nervous about gimmelwald.
23-/night
kitchen
sells beer, wind, groceries, pizza
train
I'l Ost - Lauterbrunnen (make sure to get into car to Lau., not Grindelwald)
bus - walk 50-100 meters to the right, after getting off train
bus stop: only one bus. it goes to Stechelberg. 12 minutes. (or walk. flat, 1 1/2 hours)
gondola - to first stop - 5 min.
(total 55 minutes)
co op: Murren - open til 6, closed 12-1:45
17h05
What and incredibly beautiful place. Gimmelwald is a tiny town. I feel like I'm intruding when I walk down the narrow streets and paths. There are cows up here, and chickens, goats, other goats, and probably other things too. Some places have signs up saying they sell cheese, or eggs, or salami, or milk or butter. I should buy some eggs and maybe cheese (I have some already) and make an awesome breakfast tomorrow. Then I should go for a walk/hike. just start going and see where I end up. Then the next day, do something maybe harder or more ambitious.
The hostel seems cute - I haven't checked in yet, that's at 6. There's free internet (for one person at a time) and a sweet kitchen with a big fridge. It seems like there are a bunch of people staying here. There's food and drinks for sale that aren't obscenely expensive like what they had in Interlaken. I already like it here much better than there. why'd I stay there, anyway?
20h20
"You just step outside... and it's th'Alps, y'all!!"
-girl at Mountain Hostel
made pork chops, potatoes, bread for dinner, drank a can of cheap beer with it. (went to the co op in Murren for groceries) I feel amazing. I love it here.
going outside to stare awe-struck at mountains.
some deserve tall tales... some of them wrote 'em....-aesop rock
??h??
some many of us traveling kids keep journals and records of what we do, see, and feel. what happens to all of them? why do we do it?
there are kids here who came in from Cinque Terre. must find out who they are & what they thought.
there is a hot tub outside with people in it but I don't think I will join. don't want to squish in and be hit on.
21h20
don't know how I feel about les gens qui vont a switzerland. beaucoup d'Américans affluents. en croatie et slovenie je crois qu'ils étaient plus intéressants. Je pense qu'en italie, je verrais des gens comme ceux que je vois ici. je ne sais pas si je veux aller aux grandes villes comme Rome ou.... je ne sais pas où.
22h
night 1: Gimmelwald.
Just talked to Megan, who is staying in the hostel for free in exchange for cleaning the kitchen or something. she says she will be here until the 12th, and then she leaves and then someone else will have to take the job...........................
she also gets free dinner
if ..... oh. I wish I could do that. she also just got a job babysitting and cleaning in a guest house up in Murren for the summer. gets to stay with the rest of the staff at the guesthouse. however......... I want to travel some more first. maybe I will talk to the owner here, maybe I could come back later in the month...? This is an amazing place.
the shelter hostel in Amsterdam was also hiring. Maybe I will get lucky and end up in a hostel in Cracow or something that is hiring.... that would be interesting.
Next stop:
on the beach. quiet, green, hilly. the Italian dream hostel version of the house in old saybrook.
yes..... on the beach...
TOMORROW:
WAKE @ 8
COOK EGGS W/CHEESE, HAM, ROSTI
PACK LUNCH: 2 PBJs, APPLE, GRANOLA BAR
BRING NOTEBOOK, CAMERA, PEN. BOOK?
START WALKING
just realized that my next open night is Friday. should figure out where to go, and get a bed soon, since everyone loves to go away for weekends.
stupid weekends.
hostels I've stayed in:
San Diego - back in the day
Venice - Santa FOsca - 4 bed - 18 euro
Ljubljana - Fluxus - 8 bed - 21 euro
Split - Al's place - 6 bed - about 10 euro
Amsterdam - Shelter Jordan - 24 bed? - 16 euro?
Amsterdam - Meeting Point - booth in bar - 15 euro
Interlaken - Funny Farm - 10 bed - 20 chf
Gimmelwald - Mountain Hostel - 16 bed - 23 chf
overnite things I've slept on:
Paris -> Rome (train) - april
Venice -> Zurich (train) - april
Split -> Zagreb (train) -april
Paris -> Basel (train) - 4 june
Rijeka -> Dubrovnik (ferry) - april
Ljubljana -> Zagreb (train) - april
I wonder what it's like outside with the sun gone...
I will go look.
comia: 06/06/06
b:
2 cups of mate
3 smaller cups of coffee
2 pieces of bread with jam & butter
l:
1 pb&j sandwich
d:
1 can of beer
2 pork chops (bone-in), marinated
1 1/2 slices bread
100 g rosti (potatoes)
1/2 chocolate bar
2 glasses red wine
train at 13h20.
-bank
-grocery store
-pick up crap at hostel
-walk to train
* buy heavy things at the co op there
? or go to the co op at station? would have to go in with all the gear ..
grocery list: (again)
3 nights:
dinner: today, tom., next day
lunch: x3
b'fast: x3
hot dogs - 1 dinner, 1 lunch
sandwiches - 2 lunches
-buy meat for 2?
-have bread
cereal/granola for b'fast
juice
meat: for 2 dinners. one for tonite, one for next/last nite
rice
cheese
9h30
breakfast. collecting bread smeared with jam to make into pb&js for later.
Again thinking about how weird this place is. People come, do something Extreme, then they call their moms, then they leave. I guess I've never really thought about this type of vacation. I am excited & curious & a little nervous about gimmelwald.
23-/night
kitchen
sells beer, wind, groceries, pizza
train
I'l Ost - Lauterbrunnen (make sure to get into car to Lau., not Grindelwald)
bus - walk 50-100 meters to the right, after getting off train
bus stop: only one bus. it goes to Stechelberg. 12 minutes. (or walk. flat, 1 1/2 hours)
gondola - to first stop - 5 min.
(total 55 minutes)
co op: Murren - open til 6, closed 12-1:45
17h05
What and incredibly beautiful place. Gimmelwald is a tiny town. I feel like I'm intruding when I walk down the narrow streets and paths. There are cows up here, and chickens, goats, other goats, and probably other things too. Some places have signs up saying they sell cheese, or eggs, or salami, or milk or butter. I should buy some eggs and maybe cheese (I have some already) and make an awesome breakfast tomorrow. Then I should go for a walk/hike. just start going and see where I end up. Then the next day, do something maybe harder or more ambitious.
The hostel seems cute - I haven't checked in yet, that's at 6. There's free internet (for one person at a time) and a sweet kitchen with a big fridge. It seems like there are a bunch of people staying here. There's food and drinks for sale that aren't obscenely expensive like what they had in Interlaken. I already like it here much better than there. why'd I stay there, anyway?
20h20
"You just step outside... and it's th'Alps, y'all!!"
-girl at Mountain Hostel
made pork chops, potatoes, bread for dinner, drank a can of cheap beer with it. (went to the co op in Murren for groceries) I feel amazing. I love it here.
going outside to stare awe-struck at mountains.
some deserve tall tales... some of them wrote 'em....-aesop rock
??h??
some many of us traveling kids keep journals and records of what we do, see, and feel. what happens to all of them? why do we do it?
there are kids here who came in from Cinque Terre. must find out who they are & what they thought.
there is a hot tub outside with people in it but I don't think I will join. don't want to squish in and be hit on.
21h20
don't know how I feel about les gens qui vont a switzerland. beaucoup d'Américans affluents. en croatie et slovenie je crois qu'ils étaient plus intéressants. Je pense qu'en italie, je verrais des gens comme ceux que je vois ici. je ne sais pas si je veux aller aux grandes villes comme Rome ou.... je ne sais pas où.
22h
night 1: Gimmelwald.
Just talked to Megan, who is staying in the hostel for free in exchange for cleaning the kitchen or something. she says she will be here until the 12th, and then she leaves and then someone else will have to take the job...........................
she also gets free dinner
if ..... oh. I wish I could do that. she also just got a job babysitting and cleaning in a guest house up in Murren for the summer. gets to stay with the rest of the staff at the guesthouse. however......... I want to travel some more first. maybe I will talk to the owner here, maybe I could come back later in the month...? This is an amazing place.
the shelter hostel in Amsterdam was also hiring. Maybe I will get lucky and end up in a hostel in Cracow or something that is hiring.... that would be interesting.
Next stop:
on the beach. quiet, green, hilly. the Italian dream hostel version of the house in old saybrook.
yes..... on the beach...
TOMORROW:
WAKE @ 8
COOK EGGS W/CHEESE, HAM, ROSTI
PACK LUNCH: 2 PBJs, APPLE, GRANOLA BAR
BRING NOTEBOOK, CAMERA, PEN. BOOK?
START WALKING
just realized that my next open night is Friday. should figure out where to go, and get a bed soon, since everyone loves to go away for weekends.
stupid weekends.
hostels I've stayed in:
San Diego - back in the day
Venice - Santa FOsca - 4 bed - 18 euro
Ljubljana - Fluxus - 8 bed - 21 euro
Split - Al's place - 6 bed - about 10 euro
Amsterdam - Shelter Jordan - 24 bed? - 16 euro?
Amsterdam - Meeting Point - booth in bar - 15 euro
Interlaken - Funny Farm - 10 bed - 20 chf
Gimmelwald - Mountain Hostel - 16 bed - 23 chf
overnite things I've slept on:
Paris -> Rome (train) - april
Venice -> Zurich (train) - april
Split -> Zagreb (train) -april
Paris -> Basel (train) - 4 june
Rijeka -> Dubrovnik (ferry) - april
Ljubljana -> Zagreb (train) - april
I wonder what it's like outside with the sun gone...
I will go look.
comia: 06/06/06
b:
2 cups of mate
3 smaller cups of coffee
2 pieces of bread with jam & butter
l:
1 pb&j sandwich
d:
1 can of beer
2 pork chops (bone-in), marinated
1 1/2 slices bread
100 g rosti (potatoes)
1/2 chocolate bar
2 glasses red wine
5 JUNE 2006
MONDAG:
somewhere around 19h
kids are like "yeah we came here for a really extreme vacation!!"
which I guess is what most people are up to here. jumping off of things, etc.
Tomorrow I go to Gimmelwald. I imagine it will be really quiet, with maybe almost no one else? I wonder how many others will be there. I wonder how much it will cost .. !! I should have asked when I made the reservation. I should check out their website and see what the options are. I think I asked for a bed .... oh well. I'll stay the first night, almost regardless.. I think I should leave pretty early in the day. trains to the first place run about every 30 mins - then I need a bus, and a cable car, to get to G'wald. Then the hostel is "right there." I think it's a super-tiny town. no food store or anything.
train to Lauterbrunnen
bus to Stechelberg
cable car to Gimmelwald.
Gimmelwald - Mountain Hostel.
CH-3826 Gimmelwald
23 CHF
kitchen
reserved 3 nights
ENIVREZ-VOUS: Baudelaire.
Il faut être toujours ivre, tout est là ; c'est l'unique question. Pour ne pas sentir l'horrible fardeau du temps qui brise vos épaules et vous penche vers la terre, il faut vous enivrer sans trêve.
Dolomites
Siena, It.? Perugia
Naples? (super dense, intense, crowded)
Amalfi coast:
-Amalfi (15km west) - ostello Beato Solitudo (9.50 euro)
-Brindisi - cheap - hotel Venezia
Eolias Islands
-camping in Salina and Culcano
Avignon
Sarlat-la-caneda
Perigueux
Medoc region
Basque region
21h35
ate salad with tuna for dinner again. so delicious somehow. also, bread. what I have left: 1/2 package salami, 1/3 jar p.b., 3 packets mustard, 4 hot dogs, 1/2 bag mixed greens, 6 slices bread, butter. need: cheese, cans of stuff, meat, granola/oatmeal.
I wonder if there are any restaurants in Gimmelwald? I wonder if the hostel serves dinner or even breakfast?
$1 = 1.10 fr (CHF)
$0.91= 1 fr
1 euro = 1.50 fr
0.67 euro = 1 fr
is this right? the difference between euros and dollars doesn't make sense.
just stick to the euro conversion
somewhere around 19h
kids are like "yeah we came here for a really extreme vacation!!"
which I guess is what most people are up to here. jumping off of things, etc.
Tomorrow I go to Gimmelwald. I imagine it will be really quiet, with maybe almost no one else? I wonder how many others will be there. I wonder how much it will cost .. !! I should have asked when I made the reservation. I should check out their website and see what the options are. I think I asked for a bed .... oh well. I'll stay the first night, almost regardless.. I think I should leave pretty early in the day. trains to the first place run about every 30 mins - then I need a bus, and a cable car, to get to G'wald. Then the hostel is "right there." I think it's a super-tiny town. no food store or anything.
train to Lauterbrunnen
bus to Stechelberg
cable car to Gimmelwald.
Gimmelwald - Mountain Hostel.
CH-3826 Gimmelwald
23 CHF
kitchen
reserved 3 nights
ENIVREZ-VOUS: Baudelaire.
Il faut être toujours ivre, tout est là ; c'est l'unique question. Pour ne pas sentir l'horrible fardeau du temps qui brise vos épaules et vous penche vers la terre, il faut vous enivrer sans trêve.
Mais de quoi? De vin, de poésie, ou de vertu à votre guise, mais enivrez-vous!
Et si quelquefois, sur les marches d'un palais, sur l'herbe verte d'un fossé, vous vous réveillez, l'ivresse déjà diminuée ou disparue, demandez au vent, à la vague, à l'étoile, à l'oiseau, à l'horloge; à tout ce qui fuit, à tout ce qui gémit, à tout ce qui roule, à tout ce qui chante, à tout ce qui parle, demandez quelle heure il est. Et le vent, la vague, l'étoile, l'oiseau, l'horloge, vous répondront, "il est l'heure de s'enivrer ; pour ne pas être les esclaves martyrisés du temps, enivrez-vous, enivrez-vous sans cesse de vin, de poésie, de vertu, à votre guise."
where to go next?Dolomites
Siena, It.? Perugia
Naples? (super dense, intense, crowded)
Amalfi coast:
-Amalfi (15km west) - ostello Beato Solitudo (9.50 euro)
-Brindisi - cheap - hotel Venezia
Eolias Islands
-camping in Salina and Culcano
Avignon
Sarlat-la-caneda
Perigueux
Medoc region
Basque region
21h35
ate salad with tuna for dinner again. so delicious somehow. also, bread. what I have left: 1/2 package salami, 1/3 jar p.b., 3 packets mustard, 4 hot dogs, 1/2 bag mixed greens, 6 slices bread, butter. need: cheese, cans of stuff, meat, granola/oatmeal.
I wonder if there are any restaurants in Gimmelwald? I wonder if the hostel serves dinner or even breakfast?
$1 = 1.10 fr (CHF)
$0.91= 1 fr
1 euro = 1.50 fr
0.67 euro = 1 fr
is this right? the difference between euros and dollars doesn't make sense.
just stick to the euro conversion
4 JUNE 2006
14h45
sunday
Interlaken, Switzerland
sitting at the foot of some big snowy mountains. it's beautiful here. the hostel I'm at is also a hotel, it's big and has a nice side yard, and a pool and an outdoor bar where I'm told I can get free drinks from 2 to 11pm.
need to call the Hostel in gimmelwald and see what the deal is there. This hostel is really crowded, I had no idea so many people would be around. hopefully Gimmelwald is more low key. Here it is a bunch of kids spending hundreds on skydiving and bungee jumping and hanggliding or whatever, and then they go home. weird. If I can get up to G tomorrow and stay in the hostel there and all, I might just leave.. I can always come back here before leaving the country/area
have 20CHF left from the 100 I took out when I arrived:
20 sun night
20 mon night
5 bread, cheez, soda
20 food- bread, salami, potatoes, wine
5 popcorn and chocolate
oh yeah, plus 10 in change in my pocket. yeah, that evens out.
inventory:
6 slices bread
1 package salami
1/3 jar peanut butter
2 packets mustard
today achievements:
stealing towels from the hotel
booking another night in Interlaken
reserving 3 night in Gimmelwald
stealing bread from breakfast and making pb&j sandwiches
stealing butter from breakfast
to do:
what to do in Interlaken
how to get to Gimmelwald
call the hostel in Gimmelwald
what to bring to Gimmelwald
how to get back from x
check weather
eat lunch
snoop around hostel
look at that spanish book on western europe
sunday
Interlaken, Switzerland
sitting at the foot of some big snowy mountains. it's beautiful here. the hostel I'm at is also a hotel, it's big and has a nice side yard, and a pool and an outdoor bar where I'm told I can get free drinks from 2 to 11pm.
need to call the Hostel in gimmelwald and see what the deal is there. This hostel is really crowded, I had no idea so many people would be around. hopefully Gimmelwald is more low key. Here it is a bunch of kids spending hundreds on skydiving and bungee jumping and hanggliding or whatever, and then they go home. weird. If I can get up to G tomorrow and stay in the hostel there and all, I might just leave.. I can always come back here before leaving the country/area
have 20CHF left from the 100 I took out when I arrived:
20 sun night
20 mon night
5 bread, cheez, soda
20 food- bread, salami, potatoes, wine
5 popcorn and chocolate
oh yeah, plus 10 in change in my pocket. yeah, that evens out.
inventory:
6 slices bread
1 package salami
1/3 jar peanut butter
2 packets mustard
today achievements:
stealing towels from the hotel
booking another night in Interlaken
reserving 3 night in Gimmelwald
stealing bread from breakfast and making pb&j sandwiches
stealing butter from breakfast
to do:
what to do in Interlaken
how to get to Gimmelwald
call the hostel in Gimmelwald
what to bring to Gimmelwald
how to get back from x
check weather
eat lunch
snoop around hostel
look at that spanish book on western europe
3 JUNE 2006
2h20
I think it must be June 3rd by now. ....? I paid 15 euro to sleep in a booth next to the bar at the Meeting Point hostel. oh, why not. it would have been 10 euro to rent a locker that they have here; this way I get to store my crap and sleep somewhere warm, too (or somewhere at all, for that matter)
I rented a bike and took a (free!) ferry north from Centraal and looked around a little. it was great. cows and sheep and stuff. but there were highways everywhere. and high-tension wires. it was a little weird. I also saw a huge new windmill thing, whatever they call them now
10h30
Antwerp
driving along. thinking about Amsterdam, Paris, and Switzerland. Antwerp is Belgium, 45 minutes from Brussels, I think. (where I'm sure we'll spend an hour getting from one station to the other, and having a rest stop too)
I think it must be June 3rd by now. ....? I paid 15 euro to sleep in a booth next to the bar at the Meeting Point hostel. oh, why not. it would have been 10 euro to rent a locker that they have here; this way I get to store my crap and sleep somewhere warm, too (or somewhere at all, for that matter)
I rented a bike and took a (free!) ferry north from Centraal and looked around a little. it was great. cows and sheep and stuff. but there were highways everywhere. and high-tension wires. it was a little weird. I also saw a huge new windmill thing, whatever they call them now
10h30
Antwerp
driving along. thinking about Amsterdam, Paris, and Switzerland. Antwerp is Belgium, 45 minutes from Brussels, I think. (where I'm sure we'll spend an hour getting from one station to the other, and having a rest stop too)
1 JUNE 2006
Paris-Amsterdam: 9h-17h (I think)
11h00
Wancourt (?) autoroute A1: rest stop
20 min.
where is my return ticket?
missed yesterday night's bus. took metro back to Paris, called Paul and Lucas, no answer. I didn't know what else to do, so I called Gavin, who lives in the same building as Faisal did. he saved my life by letting me sleep on the floor. it was awesome, I appreciate it so much. I was so upset. I reserved a bed for tonight in one of the christian hostels in amsterdam. why not? If I want to party tonight I will go find one; meet people there. I guess I am wary of the ridiculous party hostel scene.
NOTE: locate storage locker @ bus or centraal station so I don't have to drag my crap around all day demain after I leave the hostel.
13h
suddenly all the text I see outside is completely unintelligible. must be in Belgium.
13h30
Brussels is a very cute city.
there is a very shiny, glass/steel, modern downtown financial/government district. strange architecture, ample greenspace, still very formal; with weird modern sculptures scattered around. off.
Then there's the quaint and picturesque downtown
THEN there's the industrial areas. best are the junkyards (along river/canal?) and the empty, abandoned old brick buildings we passed before getting to the Bruxelles Midi stop.
14h
leaving Brussels, finally. It's raining, still.
now there's the brooklyn part: rundown but still (to me) appealing buildings (apartments) with some shady/discount stores and restaurants. this is just in front of the Laeken Church, for future reference if I ever want to come live here.
seems like things are pretty cheap - - food in the old downtown area at least.
ooh, also, a park. apartments here are probably cheap.
signs in the city are in dutch, english, french.. I like it. maybe I should learn dutch.
now - the park - I think it's Laeken Park? some small cute fancy churchy looking thing in it .. tall and pointy.. (my year in architecture school has taught me nothing)
ok. on the road again, I believe.
3 hrs til Amsterdam......
15h30: Netherlands:
my first windmill! also, my first weird, compact, modern, minimalistic housing development, right across the street.
oh my god all of these buildings are so weird! also, a crazy sculpture, of a huge red person laying on his back on a hill with an orange funnel in his mouth... WEIRD
rockin tunes on the radio -- "you sexy thing" followed by "summer of '69"
and furthermore, the sky is blue up ahead! and there are forests on either side!
16h
a beautiful country. flat and green, for some reason very charming and appealing.
I will only have the rest of today, and all of tomorrow here. should I stay longer? maybe I will hang around the city today & tonight, and rent a bike and leave the city demain, and return to drink coffee and hang out.
also: my first non-stationary windmill!
20h
I am nervous about tomorrow night! I want to call Nick but I don't want to tell him that I don't have a place to stay because he will freak out. etc. um. I have to go up to the Centraal station and see: 1) if there are lockers, and 1a) how much they cost, and 2) what the hours are that I could access it. I am in a coffee shop. There are 2 other people up here also, on the 2nd floor, and they are making out like crazy, and there is a guy downstairs SHOUTING in some other language. dutch? I think he might be on the phone, but he's loud and sounds crazy. but not in a scary way.
Anyway I'm leaving, going to figure out where I am so I can head to the station. will probably eat along the way. okay.
Also, look for a post office.
01h10 (friday)
what an exhausting day (though much of it was spent sitting down, on a bus)
walked all over the place. learned that there are lockers at the station (Centraal) but they're only accessible from 7h to 22h or something. and 7 is cutting it a little close, as my bus leaves at 7h30.....
I wanted to stay up later but I think I might fall asleep.. I can take a nap in the sun tomorrow............
11h00
Wancourt (?) autoroute A1: rest stop
20 min.
where is my return ticket?
missed yesterday night's bus. took metro back to Paris, called Paul and Lucas, no answer. I didn't know what else to do, so I called Gavin, who lives in the same building as Faisal did. he saved my life by letting me sleep on the floor. it was awesome, I appreciate it so much. I was so upset. I reserved a bed for tonight in one of the christian hostels in amsterdam. why not? If I want to party tonight I will go find one; meet people there. I guess I am wary of the ridiculous party hostel scene.
NOTE: locate storage locker @ bus or centraal station so I don't have to drag my crap around all day demain after I leave the hostel.
13h
suddenly all the text I see outside is completely unintelligible. must be in Belgium.
13h30
Brussels is a very cute city.
there is a very shiny, glass/steel, modern downtown financial/government district. strange architecture, ample greenspace, still very formal; with weird modern sculptures scattered around. off.
Then there's the quaint and picturesque downtown
THEN there's the industrial areas. best are the junkyards (along river/canal?) and the empty, abandoned old brick buildings we passed before getting to the Bruxelles Midi stop.
14h
leaving Brussels, finally. It's raining, still.
now there's the brooklyn part: rundown but still (to me) appealing buildings (apartments) with some shady/discount stores and restaurants. this is just in front of the Laeken Church, for future reference if I ever want to come live here.
seems like things are pretty cheap - - food in the old downtown area at least.
ooh, also, a park. apartments here are probably cheap.
signs in the city are in dutch, english, french.. I like it. maybe I should learn dutch.
now - the park - I think it's Laeken Park? some small cute fancy churchy looking thing in it .. tall and pointy.. (my year in architecture school has taught me nothing)
ok. on the road again, I believe.
3 hrs til Amsterdam......
15h30: Netherlands:
my first windmill! also, my first weird, compact, modern, minimalistic housing development, right across the street.
oh my god all of these buildings are so weird! also, a crazy sculpture, of a huge red person laying on his back on a hill with an orange funnel in his mouth... WEIRD
rockin tunes on the radio -- "you sexy thing" followed by "summer of '69"
and furthermore, the sky is blue up ahead! and there are forests on either side!
16h
a beautiful country. flat and green, for some reason very charming and appealing.
I will only have the rest of today, and all of tomorrow here. should I stay longer? maybe I will hang around the city today & tonight, and rent a bike and leave the city demain, and return to drink coffee and hang out.
also: my first non-stationary windmill!
20h
I am nervous about tomorrow night! I want to call Nick but I don't want to tell him that I don't have a place to stay because he will freak out. etc. um. I have to go up to the Centraal station and see: 1) if there are lockers, and 1a) how much they cost, and 2) what the hours are that I could access it. I am in a coffee shop. There are 2 other people up here also, on the 2nd floor, and they are making out like crazy, and there is a guy downstairs SHOUTING in some other language. dutch? I think he might be on the phone, but he's loud and sounds crazy. but not in a scary way.
Anyway I'm leaving, going to figure out where I am so I can head to the station. will probably eat along the way. okay.
Also, look for a post office.
01h10 (friday)
what an exhausting day (though much of it was spent sitting down, on a bus)
walked all over the place. learned that there are lockers at the station (Centraal) but they're only accessible from 7h to 22h or something. and 7 is cutting it a little close, as my bus leaves at 7h30.....
I wanted to stay up later but I think I might fall asleep.. I can take a nap in the sun tomorrow............
PART II: SUMMER
buses:
Paris-Amsterdam
31/05 23h00: Paris Gallendi to Amsterdam
Amsterdam-Paris
01/06 06h30 (Thurs)
02/06 22h00 (arrive Paris 6h00) FULL
03/06 7h30
03/06 15h15
next:
SATURDAY 3 JUNE
PARIS-INTERLAKEN
sat. 22h43 Paris Est -> sun. 4h50 Basel SBB
sun. 7h00 Basel SBB -> 8h58 Interlaken West (or 9h03, Interlaken Ost)
arrive probably around noon at the hostel in gimmelwald. Relax. Sleep. wake up. do what? stay another night?
yes!
stay many.
eurolines office - 9h-18h
55 rue st-Jacques 75005
(up St-Michel, R on St-Germain, R on St-J)
PARIS GALLIENI to A'DAM: 23h 31/05
AMSTERDAM to P-G: 7h30 3/06
66 euro
to hostel:
from centraal:
tram 13/17 to 4th stop, Marnixstraat
before bridge, turn R into Lijnbaansgracht
R into Bloemstraat. #179.
Paris-Amsterdam
31/05 23h00: Paris Gallendi to Amsterdam
Amsterdam-Paris
01/06 06h30 (Thurs)
03/06 7h30
03/06 15h15
next:
SATURDAY 3 JUNE
PARIS-INTERLAKEN
sat. 22h43 Paris Est -> sun. 4h50 Basel SBB
sun. 7h00 Basel SBB -> 8h58 Interlaken West (or 9h03, Interlaken Ost)
arrive probably around noon at the hostel in gimmelwald. Relax. Sleep. wake up. do what? stay another night?
yes!
stay many.
eurolines office - 9h-18h
55 rue st-Jacques 75005
(up St-Michel, R on St-Germain, R on St-J)
PARIS GALLIENI to A'DAM: 23h 31/05
AMSTERDAM to P-G: 7h30 3/06
66 euro
to hostel:
from centraal:
tram 13/17 to 4th stop, Marnixstraat
before bridge, turn R into Lijnbaansgracht
R into Bloemstraat. #179.
MONDAY 1 may 2006 (MAYDAY)
08h00 SWITZERLAND IS GORGEOUS
I wish this was a regular train so I could sit up and look out the window and all around.
breakfast - 2 croissants and OJ
some mountains are green and covered with trees, some are unbelievably huge and rocky and snowy up top.
Zurich - free bike rentals @ platform 18 @ the train station! (w/deposit) (later) - only in summer....
looking around - cross river, turn right. or stay on this side, walk south to St Peterskirche, then cross and explore
09h35 Zurich
so far I love it. I don't want to leave. maybe I won't.
The are getting ready for some sort of parade or demonstration here alond the river. maybe it's the Euromayday celebration I saw advertised in Venice?
I bet this is a fun day in Berlin.
Anyway, here, loud music, flags, and banners,
AND FINALLY THE SUN IS OUT
I wish there were more mountains around!!
ZURICH -> PARIS
11h34-15h16
12h02-18h46
13h32-20h21
14h04-20h57
14h32-21h31
15h02-21h41
15h06-21h41
and many more I'm sure.
some oi playing, some rap playing, this is very strange.
plus, my book says trains at
16h18-22h11
17h02-23h42
(23h06-06h47 - overnight - bad idée)
11h55
Lake Zurich
looking southish towards some small mountains - behind them bigger mountains -- behind those, enormous, snowy mountains.
I should probably definitely be back in Paris by now. I don't want to go back / but I do, as previously discussed.
I want to stay ere, or anywhere, or keep moving around.
(yeah, and everything is in German, and swiss francs, so I can't really talk to anyone, or buy anything - the latter of which is for sure probably for the better)
I don't have any idea of the conversion of SFR -> Euros or USD, so I have no cncept of how much things cost here, which I am always curious about. pretty expensive, I imagine.
Zurich 13h34 -> Basel SBB 14h38 (Inter-regio)
Basel SBB 14h45 -> Mulhouse-Ville 15h22 (Regio-express)
Mulhouse-Ville 16h03 -> Paris Est (TGV)
total: 7h6m
13h24
On the train: Zurich - Basel
I wonder how far I'll get before I realize that I can't make it back to paris tonight for some reason?
it will be a relief to not have to carry this dumb backpack with me everywhere
I don't know which side of the train will be prettier - right or left (northish or southish)
I'm on the right, for now.
13h55
Lenzburg
switched to the other side. The sun shines in this way, anyway.
14h47
on the train from Basel to Mulhouse. so far, so good
note to self: learn about Basel
it's hot on this train
looks like Basel has a zoo
some cool graffiti
some interesting urban decay?
I am the only on in this train car.
...what's happening? supposed to get off? end of the line? ...hm. not what I had anticipated based on ------
??h??
BACK IN FRANCE!
only 7 1/2 more hours until Paris....
It's flat here, mostly kind of ugly, but in a charming kind of way. (Sierentz)
turned on my phone and I had a message from F -- he was in class, wondering where I was ....
I thought that class was canceled! Damn. Damn.
Well I couldn't have made it anyway, that train from Benice was my last chance to make it to Paris on time.
16h20
this is amazing in a whole new way. farms on the left, gently hilly terrain; small villages to the right, with not-too-high mountains
Tiny old chapel, stout and solid.
Old post-and-beam buildings falling apart.
Cows, tractors, a million shades of green
ugly houses, beautiful ones, small ponds, a canal
This -- the train!
I wonder what kind of vitesse we're traveling at, and if it's grand or not. it's a Corail train. Probably not. In fact, I'm almost sure. Almost. added later: Yeah, now I'm sure
Dirt roads, people on bikes, fishing..
curvy, narrow 2-lane paved country roads
20h
Are we there yet? I have been uncomfortable the whole time.
40 minutes - can't wait
21h
weird to be back in Paris. it feels so distant but so familiar. the sounds and smells of the metro, the way everything works.. weird. I got so used to it here. now I've gotten used to being places that are totally new to me.
SUNDAY
09h15 : is it sunday now?
train thru Slovenia - heading to Ljubljana ( <3 ) - stopped at Zidani Most. moving now.
Slovenia is an incredibly beautiful country.
11h05
train from Ljubljana to Venezia. I almost missed it - it started to pull away but then stopped for me after I ran along behind / next to it for a minute, waving my arms like a fool (to the best of my ability -- with the weight of all the crap i am carrying)
Rudy and Guillaume didn't even make it off the train in Ljub! they were pulling their stuff together and putting on shoes etc - Andre and I could see Guillaume thru the window as the train pulled away and we stood on the platform.......
12h35
SLOVENIA IS SO BEAUTIFUL
and their border police are so diligent with their passport stamps! I now have 3 Slovenia stamps!
-Italy
-Croatia
-Switzerland ..............
we are now in Italy, though. also beautiful, but not so much as Slovenia.
I am here with Andre who is now sleeping. He has Spanish/French citizenship. we don't know where the other 2 ended up. They have a flight from Venice -> Paris at 20h40 tonight.
I wonder if they'll be able to make it, and where they were able to get off their train and all. Andre thought they'd probably try to hitchhike but it's still pretty miserable outside, and they have a lot of stuff...
14h10
gearing up for six more hours in venice.......... (boooo)
(walked around with Andre, at pizza, it was coo, he left at 17h30)
19h
I am unhappy about the train to Paris being full (couldn't get on it), I am unhappy because I don't want to be in Venice and I hate Venice and it's filled with so much ugly, I am unappy because I wanted to go 'home,' I expected to be there in the morning, and I am even more unhappy to the things I am looking forwards to because I am uncomfortable with some of them and I don't want to go back to Paris, I just want to keep traveling around, spend more time in Slovenia, but I am attached to school and I want to get my work done and done well, and I hate that that implies I have to go back to everything else, I like being out here because its away from real life and the things I usually have to deal with...
I am unhappy about money and I am unhappy about how expensive this vacation must have been (and still is, I hate you Venice) and how I could have done it cheaper and how I shouldn't have spent so much damn time in Venice.
Also, I have to pee, and that's annoying, because I'll have to pay.. I wonder how far from McDonalds I am and if I could go there?
22h52 Venezia S. Lucia -> 08h51 Zuerich HB
25 euro
23h15
(heading to Zurich)
in a 6-bed compartment, potentially stuck in the dark all night? I don't know if my little light works..
potentially unpleasant.
potentially troublesome, as I will be traveling through a country that my rail pass doesn't cover and I wasn't able to do anything about it because I realized too late. wanted to switch to a train to Nice, then to Paris. o well. more fees probably. fines. German. ah.
train thru Slovenia - heading to Ljubljana ( <3 ) - stopped at Zidani Most. moving now.
Slovenia is an incredibly beautiful country.
11h05
train from Ljubljana to Venezia. I almost missed it - it started to pull away but then stopped for me after I ran along behind / next to it for a minute, waving my arms like a fool (to the best of my ability -- with the weight of all the crap i am carrying)
Rudy and Guillaume didn't even make it off the train in Ljub! they were pulling their stuff together and putting on shoes etc - Andre and I could see Guillaume thru the window as the train pulled away and we stood on the platform.......
12h35
SLOVENIA IS SO BEAUTIFUL
and their border police are so diligent with their passport stamps! I now have 3 Slovenia stamps!
-Italy
-Croatia
-Switzerland ..............
we are now in Italy, though. also beautiful, but not so much as Slovenia.
I am here with Andre who is now sleeping. He has Spanish/French citizenship. we don't know where the other 2 ended up. They have a flight from Venice -> Paris at 20h40 tonight.
I wonder if they'll be able to make it, and where they were able to get off their train and all. Andre thought they'd probably try to hitchhike but it's still pretty miserable outside, and they have a lot of stuff...
14h10
gearing up for six more hours in venice.......... (boooo)
(walked around with Andre, at pizza, it was coo, he left at 17h30)
19h
I am unhappy about the train to Paris being full (couldn't get on it), I am unhappy because I don't want to be in Venice and I hate Venice and it's filled with so much ugly, I am unappy because I wanted to go 'home,' I expected to be there in the morning, and I am even more unhappy to the things I am looking forwards to because I am uncomfortable with some of them and I don't want to go back to Paris, I just want to keep traveling around, spend more time in Slovenia, but I am attached to school and I want to get my work done and done well, and I hate that that implies I have to go back to everything else, I like being out here because its away from real life and the things I usually have to deal with...
I am unhappy about money and I am unhappy about how expensive this vacation must have been (and still is, I hate you Venice) and how I could have done it cheaper and how I shouldn't have spent so much damn time in Venice.
Also, I have to pee, and that's annoying, because I'll have to pay.. I wonder how far from McDonalds I am and if I could go there?
22h52 Venezia S. Lucia -> 08h51 Zuerich HB
25 euro
23h15
(heading to Zurich)
in a 6-bed compartment, potentially stuck in the dark all night? I don't know if my little light works..
potentially unpleasant.
potentially troublesome, as I will be traveling through a country that my rail pass doesn't cover and I wasn't able to do anything about it because I realized too late. wanted to switch to a train to Nice, then to Paris. o well. more fees probably. fines. German. ah.
SATURDAY
8h30
hello, now I think it’s saturday, the day I start to head home. 35 hours in transit, Split to Zagreb to Trieste to Venice to Paris.
everyone else went out last night but I didn’t really feel compelled to do so – not to be judgemental but none of those people really caught my attention.
3 girls, california
2 boys, australia
Al, from the hotel, and his friend, who’s probably British or something.
WHERE’S MY STUPID BLACK PEN?
there is no reason for this page to be all red, and stand out from the others.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
(didn’t pay for last night yet and I secretly really hope I don’t have to...)
I COULD WRITE VOLUMES...
9h
Train leaves at 15h22
I have 6 hours to
pack
get reservations
--look on internet
--go to train station
eat
--cheaply!
get food to bring
--fruit from market
--bread
--cheez or s’thing?
also, enjoy the city more before heading back to STUPID reality.
10h10
will be on train from 15h22 - 20h47
--bring snacks?
eat dinnerstuff in Zagreb (2 1/2 hours)
be on train overnite - 23h22 (zagreb) - 5h03 (trieste)
--bring snacks
--try to charge the cost of this on card
be in Trieste 1 1/2 h - maybe have a small b'fast
THIS WILL BE ROUGH. Venice -> Paris 10hrs
have @ least 30 kn upon arrival in Zagreb.
21h30 SATURDAY
GOING HOME (BACK TO PARIS)
ITIN:
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
22h20 Split- Knin Gospil - 6h30 Zagreb
SUNDAY
7h50 Zagreb - 10h06 Ljubljana
10h28 Ljubljana - 14h21 Venezia
20h11 Venezia - 8h23 Paris (xxxx expensive xxxx boooo)
at the train station in Split. not going to miss this one.
did I mention that I missed the planned departure to Zagreb? that totally sucked, but ... I should have been more observant.
And looked at my ticket, at least.
..ah well.
ate dinner with Bryan and Pete, australians both traveling alone (until they ran into eachother in whatever city they were in last)
Pete is (was?) in the Australian army or whatever, Bryan is a lawyer (weird) and we hung out all day I think.
Dinner was excellent (54 kn) - gnocci with tomato sauce and mozeralla, baked, and some tasty focaccia (also, red wine)
sucks to be leaving croatia/vacation.
TERRIFIED OF REALITY.
Also met Cara, from California/been living in Melbourne, Australia. She has very long hair, and is traveling alone also. She was in that national park, Plid....whatever it's called, there are lakes there and stuff.
(shouldn'a gone to Dubrovnik?)
we hung out for a while today, it was cool, I hung around and watched as she bought vegetables from the market - lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, a zucchini, other things.. then picked up 2 oranges, a strawberry, chives.. off the ground. I took a picture of her.
going to look for bathroom @ bus station.
by the way, never paid for second night at the hostel. I feel bad, but it makes things a lot easier. i.e., dinner. have something like 90 kuna. also got some $ (kn) back from ticket refund, since I missed the bus to my train and all (minus 10 1/2)
CURRENCY (CASH)
50 kn + 5.95 kn (coins)
510 SIT
25 euro
22h55
on the train - 3 kids from Paris (Rudy Andre and Guillaume), 1 from Turkey, one from Poland, one from Lisbon, Portugal. they seem nice, the girls are kind of crazy and excited, it is fun to speak french to the ones that know it (the Parisians)
well......headed towards Paris....
00h30
yup. train. moved to my own compartment to be more comfortable. it is great to have the window open, though some rain comes in and so does some exhaust (the latter of which is significantly unpleasant)
I love the sensations of movement - acceleration, uphill/downhill, turning right or left..
hello, now I think it’s saturday, the day I start to head home. 35 hours in transit, Split to Zagreb to Trieste to Venice to Paris.
everyone else went out last night but I didn’t really feel compelled to do so – not to be judgemental but none of those people really caught my attention.
3 girls, california
2 boys, australia
Al, from the hotel, and his friend, who’s probably British or something.
WHERE’S MY STUPID BLACK PEN?
there is no reason for this page to be all red, and stand out from the others.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
(didn’t pay for last night yet and I secretly really hope I don’t have to...)
I COULD WRITE VOLUMES...
9h
Train leaves at 15h22
I have 6 hours to
pack
get reservations
--look on internet
--go to train station
eat
--cheaply!
get food to bring
--fruit from market
--bread
--cheez or s’thing?
also, enjoy the city more before heading back to STUPID reality.
10h10
will be on train from 15h22 - 20h47
--bring snacks?
eat dinnerstuff in Zagreb (2 1/2 hours)
be on train overnite - 23h22 (zagreb) - 5h03 (trieste)
--bring snacks
--try to charge the cost of this on card
be in Trieste 1 1/2 h - maybe have a small b'fast
THIS WILL BE ROUGH. Venice -> Paris 10hrs
have @ least 30 kn upon arrival in Zagreb.
21h30 SATURDAY
GOING HOME (BACK TO PARIS)
ITIN:
SATURDAY-SUNDAY
22h20 Split- Knin Gospil - 6h30 Zagreb
SUNDAY
7h50 Zagreb - 10h06 Ljubljana
10h28 Ljubljana - 14h21 Venezia
20h11 Venezia - 8h23 Paris (xxxx expensive xxxx boooo)
at the train station in Split. not going to miss this one.
did I mention that I missed the planned departure to Zagreb? that totally sucked, but ... I should have been more observant.
And looked at my ticket, at least.
..ah well.
ate dinner with Bryan and Pete, australians both traveling alone (until they ran into eachother in whatever city they were in last)
Pete is (was?) in the Australian army or whatever, Bryan is a lawyer (weird) and we hung out all day I think.
Dinner was excellent (54 kn) - gnocci with tomato sauce and mozeralla, baked, and some tasty focaccia (also, red wine)
sucks to be leaving croatia/vacation.
TERRIFIED OF REALITY.
Also met Cara, from California/been living in Melbourne, Australia. She has very long hair, and is traveling alone also. She was in that national park, Plid....whatever it's called, there are lakes there and stuff.
(shouldn'a gone to Dubrovnik?)
we hung out for a while today, it was cool, I hung around and watched as she bought vegetables from the market - lettuce, mushrooms, carrots, a zucchini, other things.. then picked up 2 oranges, a strawberry, chives.. off the ground. I took a picture of her.
going to look for bathroom @ bus station.
by the way, never paid for second night at the hostel. I feel bad, but it makes things a lot easier. i.e., dinner. have something like 90 kuna. also got some $ (kn) back from ticket refund, since I missed the bus to my train and all (minus 10 1/2)
CURRENCY (CASH)
50 kn + 5.95 kn (coins)
510 SIT
25 euro
22h55
on the train - 3 kids from Paris (Rudy Andre and Guillaume), 1 from Turkey, one from Poland, one from Lisbon, Portugal. they seem nice, the girls are kind of crazy and excited, it is fun to speak french to the ones that know it (the Parisians)
well......headed towards Paris....
00h30
yup. train. moved to my own compartment to be more comfortable. it is great to have the window open, though some rain comes in and so does some exhaust (the latter of which is significantly unpleasant)
I love the sensations of movement - acceleration, uphill/downhill, turning right or left..
FRIDAY: 28 april 06 (????)
8h
met some kidsin from Mississippi here at the hostel (Al's Place) in Split. They're on a 6-week trip around europe, with tents and sleeping bags and all.
Horton and Joe are their names - they've left by now for an 8h30 ferry to Hvar.
We went out last night, they were looking to buy some pot and I was curious about what it was like to do that here.
Anyway they found someone right away but it was a little to shady so we left and sat down on the waterfront with out legs dangling over the sea.. sat, talked, then came back to the hostel - they didn't want to be out late bc of their early start and ambitious plans for today (mucho hiking, with packs and all)
They're good people. Also, cute. Joe is a hilariously casual and fun-seeming kind of guy with a fabulous midwestern accent. Horton was funny, kind of awkward, but not at the same time.
anyway, it was cool. Then I left the hostel and wandered around until I could eat (14 kn deliciously awful burger with mayo & pickles) then eventually made my way back here.
MISSION TONITE: COOK CHICKEN. EAT IT WITH THE RICE I BROUGHT.
now: make yerba mate. drink quick. go eat breakfast (=bread)
then go hiking in the park, regardless of weather.
11h10
just got run over by a car. not a big deal; but maybe I should be more careful or something.
It takes a certain kind of person to walk under a car, bump against it, and have its rear wheel run over your foot.
crabs are so weird, and sneaky!!
(LOW TIDE - SPLIT HARBOR)
just now, I can see 11 of them!
crabbing along, sneakily.
o here comes a big one!
(big = 2-3 inches)
nešto - something
malo - some, (a) little
samo - only (sam - alone)
?dobro = good?
isto - same
obro - again
molim - plz
MESO (MEAT)
piletina - pollo
govedina - beef
svinjetina - pork
meso od pirasy - poultry
kobasica = sausage
odrezak = steak (beef)
??h
I love things that most people don't see, or don't even know about. I like being involved with things people don't know about. I like to feel like I'm discovering or putting together or arranging something new or different. I like to look inside of things. I like interior spaces. I like very small spaces, as well as very large spaces - ones that are so large that you forget you're even in that particular space. (Then there are spaces that are just large enough that you forget that there is anything else larger than where you happen to be).
met some kids
Horton and Joe are their names - they've left by now for an 8h30 ferry to Hvar.
We went out last night, they were looking to buy some pot and I was curious about what it was like to do that here.
Anyway they found someone right away but it was a little to shady so we left and sat down on the waterfront with out legs dangling over the sea.. sat, talked, then came back to the hostel - they didn't want to be out late bc of their early start and ambitious plans for today (mucho hiking, with packs and all)
They're good people. Also, cute. Joe is a hilariously casual and fun-seeming kind of guy with a fabulous midwestern accent. Horton was funny, kind of awkward, but not at the same time.
anyway, it was cool. Then I left the hostel and wandered around until I could eat (14 kn deliciously awful burger with mayo & pickles) then eventually made my way back here.
MISSION TONITE: COOK CHICKEN. EAT IT WITH THE RICE I BROUGHT.
now: make yerba mate. drink quick. go eat breakfast (=bread)
then go hiking in the park, regardless of weather.
11h10
just got run over by a car. not a big deal; but maybe I should be more careful or something.
It takes a certain kind of person to walk under a car, bump against it, and have its rear wheel run over your foot.
crabs are so weird, and sneaky!!
(LOW TIDE - SPLIT HARBOR)
just now, I can see 11 of them!
crabbing along, sneakily.
o here comes a big one!
(big = 2-3 inches)
nešto - something
malo - some, (a) little
samo - only (sam - alone)
?dobro = good?
isto - same
obro - again
molim - plz
MESO (MEAT)
piletina - pollo
govedina - beef
svinjetina - pork
meso od pirasy - poultry
kobasica = sausage
odrezak = steak (beef)
??h
I love things that most people don't see, or don't even know about. I like being involved with things people don't know about. I like to feel like I'm discovering or putting together or arranging something new or different. I like to look inside of things. I like interior spaces. I like very small spaces, as well as very large spaces - ones that are so large that you forget you're even in that particular space. (Then there are spaces that are just large enough that you forget that there is anything else larger than where you happen to be).
FRIDAY: 28 april 06 (????)
I hate this pen!
8h53
a new day. (thurs? the 27th?)
slept like woah. fell asleep at 11 and woke up just now.
oh no, it's raining....
I think it's time to head to Split.
get up, pack, shower real quick, hopefully leave my stuff here & head out to an internet cafe, check the bus schedules, come back for my stuff, leave when appropriate/possible?
I still might like to check out walking along the city walls, even in the rain. it's not too bad now, though kind of maybe a little chilly.
TODAY:
15h: get on bus - head over to bus station where intercity buses leave. find out what's up with the 16h30 bus.
PLAN: BUS: 15h30 to "about 8 o'clock" TO SPLIT
AUTOTRANS RIJEKA departs from thing #5.
122 kn
(it is weird to me to hear the strokes playing on the sound system at the Dubrovnik bus station. inside & outside.)
on raileurope.com, look at price quotes for these two trips (below)
get MSF's address. also, JCM.
"home"
Sat: SPLIT -> ZAGREB 22h57 -> 6h54 (sleep)
Sun: ZAGREB -> VENEZIA 7h50 -> 14h21
S/M: VENEZIA -> PARIS 19h59 -> 8h23 (sleep -- reserve)
(34 hours)
SPLIT -> ZAGREB
ZAGREB -> LJUB
LJUB -> VENICE
VENICE -> PARIS
As long as I am in Zagreb by 7h50 on Sunday morning, I can make it back to Paris without missing any school.
Otherwise, I can do it saturday morning, and have sunday to pull myself together before going back to school. blah. not necessary.
Thurs p.m. - Split
Fri p.m. - Split
Sat p.m. - ?? bus/train/Zagreb?
Sat: SPLIT -> ZAGREB 15h22 - 20h47
S/S: ZAG -> TRIESTE 23h22 - 5h03
SUN: TRIESTE -> VENEZ 6h44-9h09
SUN: VEN -> PARIS 12h52 - 22h51
?cheaper?
this is more appealing
(31 hours)
note: (added later:) I MISSED THIS ONE
withdrawal - 4/27?
300 kn - Split
200 kn - Dubrovnik
-122 (bus)
-90 (sleep
friday - manana -
220 kn
-90 kn (sleep tonite)
=130 kn for today and demain
-8 kn (apple and hot dog) - fri
-5 kn (internet) - thu
-23 (chicken and garlic) - fri
-7 (pizza) - fri
-4 (bread and pastry) - fri
-10 (vodka)
dear money, I hate you. from, Dana
15h30 on the bus
the only reason I can stand to be heading away from a landscape like this right now is that what I see on the horizon is incredibly beautiful.
can't write must look
209 km to Split!
just look away from outside and then looked out and looked down... Dowm...
my whole body tensed up, my eyes widened, it was terrifying,awesome, awe-inspiring
I am almost crying it is so beautiful
15h41
THIS IS WHERE I NEED TO BE
15h42
just passed a place with a sign for rooms/apartments for rent
could totally hike there from bus station someday
16h05
179 km to split
16h49
2 passport checks so far. interesting.
um. what did I want to write down.
oh yeah
red volvo 240 (245?) wagon parked on ledge (roof of old building?)
should be mine
I should be here
so many different shades of green,
and gray
17h05
118 km to Spit
I see a train track!
17h34
108 km (15 minute break some______) trails off to squiggle
BADMUSICPLAYING
landscape gorgeous but impoverished
19h
these mountains.. I have never been next to anything so physically Big.
(IAMJEALOUSIMNOTREALLYLIKETHISIDONTACTUALLYFEELTHISWAY)
19h38
I don't know that I have ever seen anything as beautiful than this sunset tonight, over the Adriatic sea.
23h45
alone in another ancient city
(what you trying to prove?)
see also: "hungry"
I want to be alone but I don't... at all
..but I need to be away
I LOVE THIS PART OF THE WORLD
00h10 (technically tomorrow)
I have no idea where I am. I walked until I could get food (hamburger), then I just walked until I could sit down. I will find my way back. in due time.
8h53
a new day. (thurs? the 27th?)
slept like woah. fell asleep at 11 and woke up just now.
oh no, it's raining....
I think it's time to head to Split.
get up, pack, shower real quick, hopefully leave my stuff here & head out to an internet cafe, check the bus schedules, come back for my stuff, leave when appropriate/possible?
I still might like to check out walking along the city walls, even in the rain. it's not too bad now, though kind of maybe a little chilly.
TODAY:
15h: get on bus - head over to bus station where intercity buses leave. find out what's up with the 16h30 bus.
PLAN: BUS: 15h30 to "about 8 o'clock" TO SPLIT
AUTOTRANS RIJEKA departs from thing #5.
122 kn
(it is weird to me to hear the strokes playing on the sound system at the Dubrovnik bus station. inside & outside.)
on raileurope.com, look at price quotes for these two trips (below)
get MSF's address. also, JCM.
"home"
Sat: SPLIT -> ZAGREB 22h57 -> 6h54 (sleep)
Sun: ZAGREB -> VENEZIA 7h50 -> 14h21
S/M: VENEZIA -> PARIS 19h59 -> 8h23 (sleep -- reserve)
(34 hours)
SPLIT -> ZAGREB
ZAGREB -> LJUB
LJUB -> VENICE
VENICE -> PARIS
As long as I am in Zagreb by 7h50 on Sunday morning, I can make it back to Paris without missing any school.
Otherwise, I can do it saturday morning, and have sunday to pull myself together before going back to school. blah. not necessary.
Thurs p.m. - Split
Fri p.m. - Split
Sat p.m. - ?? bus/train/Zagreb?
Sat: SPLIT -> ZAGREB 15h22 - 20h47
S/S: ZAG -> TRIESTE 23h22 - 5h03
SUN: TRIESTE -> VENEZ 6h44-9h09
SUN: VEN -> PARIS 12h52 - 22h51
?cheaper?
this is more appealing
(31 hours)
note: (added later:) I MISSED THIS ONE
withdrawal - 4/27?
300 kn - Split
200 kn - Dubrovnik
-122 (bus)
-90 (sleep
friday - manana -
220 kn
-90 kn (sleep tonite)
=130 kn for today and demain
-8 kn (apple and hot dog) - fri
-5 kn (internet) - thu
-23 (chicken and garlic) - fri
-7 (pizza) - fri
-4 (bread and pastry) - fri
-10 (vodka)
dear money, I hate you. from, Dana
15h30 on the bus
the only reason I can stand to be heading away from a landscape like this right now is that what I see on the horizon is incredibly beautiful.
can't write must look
209 km to Split!
just look away from outside and then looked out and looked down... Dowm...
my whole body tensed up, my eyes widened, it was terrifying,
I am almost crying it is so beautiful
15h41
THIS IS WHERE I NEED TO BE
15h42
just passed a place with a sign for rooms/apartments for rent
could totally hike there from bus station someday
16h05
179 km to split
16h49
2 passport checks so far. interesting.
um. what did I want to write down.
oh yeah
red volvo 240 (245?) wagon parked on ledge (roof of old building?)
should be mine
I should be here
so many different shades of green,
and gray
17h05
118 km to Spit
I see a train track!
17h34
108 km (15 minute break some______) trails off to squiggle
BADMUSICPLAYING
landscape gorgeous but impoverished
19h
these mountains.. I have never been next to anything so physically Big.
(IAMJEALOUSIMNOTREALLYLIKETHISIDONTACTUALLYFEELTHISWAY)
19h38
I don't know that I have ever seen anything as beautiful than this sunset tonight, over the Adriatic sea.
23h45
alone in another ancient city
(what you trying to prove?)
see also: "hungry"
I want to be alone but I don't... at all
..but I need to be away
I LOVE THIS PART OF THE WORLD
00h10 (technically tomorrow)
I have no idea where I am. I walked until I could get food (hamburger), then I just walked until I could sit down. I will find my way back. in due time.
THURSDAY: 27 april 06
There is so much music in this city! cadenzas and crescendos, piano, cello, french horn.. symphonies drift out of windows into ears..
12h15
no money left in the bank. hope I didn't withdraw too much
FOOD is my weakness. hot , delicious, meaty food..
I love to eat. but must start doing it cheaper.
16kn - burek
??h
internet cafe. 3 girls speaking Croatian but also English -- they must go to that American college nearby. Flawlessly switching, English croatian english croatian -
mostly Croatian-
english w/a slight accent.
??h
TODAY IS THURSDAY
I AM IN DUBROVNIK
I WILL TRAVEL TO SPLIT TONIGHT
I WILL SLEEP THERE
WHEN I WAKE UP, IT WILL BE FRIDAY
I WILL STAY IN SPLIT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, & THEN GO STRAIGHT TO PARIS, AS FAST & CHEAP AS POSSIBLE.
I need a train schedule for split -> zagreb
and split to other if possible? rijeka? ljubljana?
Kn:
I have 20
will need at least 100-150 to sleep tonight
plus some for the bus
plus at least 100 to eat today / tonite
plus 100 for tom.?
400kn=
12h15
no money left in the bank. hope I didn't withdraw too much
FOOD is my weakness. hot , delicious, meaty food..
I love to eat. but must start doing it cheaper.
16kn - burek
??h
internet cafe. 3 girls speaking Croatian but also English -- they must go to that American college nearby. Flawlessly switching, English croatian english croatian -
mostly Croatian-
english w/a slight accent.
??h
TODAY IS THURSDAY
I AM IN DUBROVNIK
I WILL TRAVEL TO SPLIT TONIGHT
I WILL SLEEP THERE
WHEN I WAKE UP, IT WILL BE FRIDAY
I WILL STAY IN SPLIT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, & THEN GO STRAIGHT TO PARIS, AS FAST & CHEAP AS POSSIBLE.
I need a train schedule for split -> zagreb
and split to other if possible? rijeka? ljubljana?
Kn:
I have 20
will need at least 100-150 to sleep tonight
plus some for the bus
plus at least 100 to eat today / tonite
plus 100 for tom.?
400kn=
WEDNESDAY: 26 april 2006
7h30, the next day,
last night - ate ice cream, tried to call nick.. I forget what else. wandered around. Then got tired & went to seep.
Kind of wish I was at a hostel so I could meet people, and also pay a lot less.
When I leave here today I'm supposed to pay for tonight. I'd like to leave here, look for somewhere else to do, and then pay for tonight if I can't find somewhere else.
OH accept it. explore around - find out about excursions and day trips - mountain bike rental, kayak rental?? different boats & buses to different places & islands..
I didn't take (stomach) medicine yesterday -- didn't feel sick.
9h45
In Ljubljana J & M talked about a Croatian island they visited. The most beautiful island they had ever been to! more beautiful than anywhere in Croatia! an no one else goes there - and the people who do only go there for a short time. Those people don't understand why J & M liked it so much & stayed so long - there's nothing to do!
Oh, by the way, it is infested with huge tarantulas! Also, it is hot & dry & sandy and hardly anything grows. It is like a desert! And oh, so beautiful.
That kind of sums up the two of them for me. They see a different kind of beauty.
observations
Cat hunched over small bloody fish on staircase
Complimentary apple
fingers dyed ripe-strawberry-red
oh my god, I am in Croatia
ancient city walls
unspeakably ancient sun
a new kind of fresh bread, a familiar cheese, a bottle of tap water
and ant superhighway along wire along old wall
A lizard! way down there, from way up here! another, now!
francophones
musicians climbing an enticing staircase, through a heavy door
a green heinekin bottle floating vertically in the clear water, over a bed of smooth pale stones & deep green seaweed - almost picturesque.
I stopped and stared.
The label floats, sinks, tumbles, floats in the gentle waves several meters away. Somehow not quite as picturesque.
SEA KAYAKS
places only accessible in small boats
secluded beaches
sitting ..... living .....
??h
On the wall of a staircase climbing up above a small harbor - younger kid below me rolling a joint, 4 older ones smoking one above me
People also smoking on the ferry. Twice I saw it.
Interesting, ..... vaguely.
I ate mussel risotto for dinner! wow, it was awful. half-way through I thought about mussels, on rocks, in the ocean and all.. they kind of lost their appeal. All they taste like is the ocean and that turned me off for some reaeson. (though I am presently considering oysters - raw) maybe it is because they were hot, and chewy, I don't know, but I just couldn't eat any more mussels. I are most of the risotto, which was really just rice, and also not cooked all the way. oh well. it was huge, cheap.
I hate the color of the lights they use to illuminate the city at night. it's so harsh and ugly.
There are 2 churces in the old town with clocks that strike the hour. one is 5 minutes behind the other. why?
The clock on the orthodox church strikes for noon. In a square nearby, at an outdoor cafe, next to a fresh produce market, next to a statue of someone Important. Suddenly, reflexively, 200 pigeons take flight, circling panickedly over the square. The wind picks up. A little brown-haired girl in a dress shrieks and runs towards the pigeons as they take off. A woman screams.
Things settle a bit, the woman rushes to safety, the girl dances about in delight, everyone looks up.
A man throws a basketful of grain on the ground amongst the pigeons there. Another man, a tourist, takes photographs.
I sit as the cafe with an espresso and full stomach, studying a Croatian phrasebook.
my accent shifts like high-speed clouds.......
17h
SEA KAYAKING <3 <3 <3
made the risky decision to see what it's like to take out a sea kayak alone in an unfamiliar place with effectively no experience in this type of endeavor.
left Dubrovnik around 15h, now it's 2 hours later and I am sitting on top of a white rock, full of cracks, holes (small ones, like bubbles), and premium places to get easily cut without even noticing.
The sun is shining through the haze
I feel good , like this is what I came on vacation for.
I am a little big cold but this is so fantastico. or , as I can say in probably very poor Croatian, "ja volim!" ("I LIKE!")
19h45
fantastically exhausted
figure out what to do next! where did I write down the bus sched. to Split?
21h30
put on dry clothes. bought phone card. called nick. made list of things to do.
last night - ate ice cream, tried to call nick.. I forget what else. wandered around. Then got tired & went to seep.
Kind of wish I was at a hostel so I could meet people, and also pay a lot less.
When I leave here today I'm supposed to pay for tonight. I'd like to leave here, look for somewhere else to do, and then pay for tonight if I can't find somewhere else.
OH accept it. explore around - find out about excursions and day trips - mountain bike rental, kayak rental?? different boats & buses to different places & islands..
I didn't take (stomach) medicine yesterday -- didn't feel sick.
9h45
In Ljubljana J & M talked about a Croatian island they visited. The most beautiful island they had ever been to! more beautiful than anywhere in Croatia! an no one else goes there - and the people who do only go there for a short time. Those people don't understand why J & M liked it so much & stayed so long - there's nothing to do!
Oh, by the way, it is infested with huge tarantulas! Also, it is hot & dry & sandy and hardly anything grows. It is like a desert! And oh, so beautiful.
That kind of sums up the two of them for me. They see a different kind of beauty.
observations
Cat hunched over small bloody fish on staircase
Complimentary apple
fingers dyed ripe-strawberry-red
oh my god, I am in Croatia
ancient city walls
unspeakably ancient sun
a new kind of fresh bread, a familiar cheese, a bottle of tap water
and ant superhighway along wire along old wall
A lizard! way down there, from way up here! another, now!
francophones
musicians climbing an enticing staircase, through a heavy door
a green heinekin bottle floating vertically in the clear water, over a bed of smooth pale stones & deep green seaweed - almost picturesque.
I stopped and stared.
The label floats, sinks, tumbles, floats in the gentle waves several meters away. Somehow not quite as picturesque.
SEA KAYAKS
places only accessible in small boats
secluded beaches
sitting ..... living .....
??h
On the wall of a staircase climbing up above a small harbor - younger kid below me rolling a joint, 4 older ones smoking one above me
People also smoking on the ferry. Twice I saw it.
Interesting, ..... vaguely.
I ate mussel risotto for dinner! wow, it was awful. half-way through I thought about mussels, on rocks, in the ocean and all.. they kind of lost their appeal. All they taste like is the ocean and that turned me off for some reaeson. (though I am presently considering oysters - raw) maybe it is because they were hot, and chewy, I don't know, but I just couldn't eat any more mussels. I are most of the risotto, which was really just rice, and also not cooked all the way. oh well. it was huge, cheap.
I hate the color of the lights they use to illuminate the city at night. it's so harsh and ugly.
There are 2 churces in the old town with clocks that strike the hour. one is 5 minutes behind the other. why?
The clock on the orthodox church strikes for noon. In a square nearby, at an outdoor cafe, next to a fresh produce market, next to a statue of someone Important. Suddenly, reflexively, 200 pigeons take flight, circling panickedly over the square. The wind picks up. A little brown-haired girl in a dress shrieks and runs towards the pigeons as they take off. A woman screams.
Things settle a bit, the woman rushes to safety, the girl dances about in delight, everyone looks up.
A man throws a basketful of grain on the ground amongst the pigeons there. Another man, a tourist, takes photographs.
I sit as the cafe with an espresso and full stomach, studying a Croatian phrasebook.
my accent shifts like high-speed clouds.......
17h
SEA KAYAKING <3 <3 <3
made the risky decision to see what it's like to take out a sea kayak alone in an unfamiliar place with effectively no experience in this type of endeavor.
left Dubrovnik around 15h, now it's 2 hours later and I am sitting on top of a white rock, full of cracks, holes (small ones, like bubbles), and premium places to get easily cut without even noticing.
The sun is shining through the haze
I feel good , like this is what I came on vacation for.
I am a little big cold but this is so fantastico. or , as I can say in probably very poor Croatian, "ja volim!" ("I LIKE!")
19h45
fantastically exhausted
figure out what to do next! where did I write down the bus sched. to Split?
21h30
put on dry clothes. bought phone card. called nick. made list of things to do.
TUESDAY: 25 april 2006
08h21
mmm.. much needed sleep. another kid infomed me, as I woke up from a catnap on the deck, that there's a room on the ship (inside) where a lot of people were hanging out and sleeping, and that he and some others were heading there. it's a 24 hour bar, actually, but wit ha section et aside from people to sit / eat in, with tables and all. I installed myself on the floor and fell asleep around 11 (23h)
woke up to see the sun rising over the mountains and islands. fucking uber gorgeous - but the went back to sleep. think I'll get out of this room (now full of people chatting and drinking voffee) and check out the weather and the scene on the deck.
8h50: I cannot believe where I am.
(kind of wish I 'd been able to make it to Split and check out the scene there)
I can see Stari Grad (Hvar island) coming up!
9h24: moving away from Hvar now. I can smell breakfast cooking and I am super jealous. I think I'm right outside the kitchen of the restaurant here. I might move. ....
13h15 Korčula is gorgeous. A little old town squeezed into a little bay / valley, surrounded with green hills / mountains. now I can count 8 small islands ahead, and there's a big one on either side of the ship. one is Korčula, I'd have to look at the map to i.d. the other... it's just south. one of the islands has one building on it, in the enter, stone I think. I wonder what it is. I've seen a couple of ismilar setups. awesome.
15h45 - croatia friend - Veky - probably won't ever see him again but he was very nice. wants to be a ship's captain. has cute freckles.
16h08 ok- saw him magain - he came out on his way back to his cabin to say he hopes I enjoy my stay in Croatia. What a nice guy. and I'm not just saying that because he was super cute.
he has been smiling at me ever since yesterday. he should have said something to me sooner. I never know if I can talk to others or not - if they know english. Anyway, I always feel a little weird when people smile at me like that.
17h40 was met at the harbor (port) in Dubrov. by several women holding up signs, advertising rooms to rent. I shouldn't have a problem finding a place to stay, I'd like to call the YHA hostel, since I know where it is, kind of - it's in the guidebook.
I left the ship (boat, ferry, what's the best word to use? though, yeah, I guess it's certainly a ship.. though for cars, so also a ferry, I guess). Anyway, I left with Veky (he has another name but I can't remember it - nor can I say it - it has a funny sound in it, plus a really fancy rolling R that he deos in a delightful way but that I probably shouldn't even try. I love languages but can be so self-conscious about vocalizing things) -- oh, right, we we went to a cafe/bar (where I am now) and had some coffee. then he went for dinner, and I guess I am waiting around here (harbor) until he's done with dinner (which is on the ship) and we'll go into town together, I'll drop my crap off somewhere (hopefully @ a hostel or other place to sleep) and then we'll hang out.
He is with his school, and leaving at 11 (23h) and is with a bunch of Croatian classmates (they're all boys)
17h55 - he asked earlier if the books that I was reading was a sci-fi book - I asked why he thought that, and he said because I was traveling and everything, and doing it alone, too!
he is interested in america - seems to have the whole Horatio Alger thing in mind. Says that in Croatia, most people can't afford vacations across the ocean like maericans do so often, and that's it's not so easy to get gainful employment, etc.
I like to meet other people, hear what they think, get an idea of their perspective on things..
19h40: he helped me get a room somewhere and then took off. weird. or maybe that's just how people are in Hrvatska.
Just had the weirdest déjà vu while getting ready to go out after a shower.. like I've done this all before, but maybe in a dream..
??h
I think it's Tuesday. Maybe the 25th of April, or at least somewhere around there. The year of our lord 2006.
Dubrovnik, Croatia. Counting my losses. I'm going outside. I should eat dinner, and have a drink.
21h10
This city is full of cats. Some have bells, some are skinny, some are kittens, some friendly, some scared, some are black, others are orangey.
I am doing what I said I didn't want! city-to-city! Today alone I was in 3 cities -- no that's not true, I forgot, I took an overnight ferry. Last night I slept on the floor of a lounge on a ship. The night before, on 2 different trains. Tonight I have 2 beds, in a room in Dubrovnik. Unnecessary, yes. A little more expensive than I had hoped (twice as expensive, as it were), but a million times easier, and also conveniently located. For someone who wants to be in the city, that is. A not-very-happening city, too, as far as nightlife & non traditional tourism seem to go.
fire on the mountain:
the image of the wanderer.
I CHING
23h
Time to explore new city. feel full ... sick...
I love it
notes / logistics
Croatian
HR'vatska (Hrvatska) - Croatia
HW'ala (hvala) - thanks
MO'leem (molim) - book says "please" , veky says you say it for "you're welcome"
PI'vo (pivo) - beer
KA'va (kava) - coffee
Kruškovac - some liquor that Veky says girls like
VI'no (vino) - wine
VOda - water
money:
Dubrovnik
wine - 14 kuna
water - 14kn
Rijeka
pizza, 2 slices - ? kn (greasy, ew)
bread - 10kn (not like in france, but kept well, and was good)
Burek - 15kn (whatever it was, I liked it)
phone card - 50kn (hi nick)
useless stamps - (oh well)
McDs - ~30kn (ew!)
notebook/lighter - 9kn (ill)
pivo/chips - 21kn (ok)
cheez/sunblock - 20kn (excellent choice on the cheese)
ferry - 195kn (wee!)
Dubrovnik
dinner (lasagna, bruscetta, wine) - 120kn (pretty good, even!)
room - 150 kn (sure)
mmm.. much needed sleep. another kid infomed me, as I woke up from a catnap on the deck, that there's a room on the ship (inside) where a lot of people were hanging out and sleeping, and that he and some others were heading there. it's a 24 hour bar, actually, but wit ha section et aside from people to sit / eat in, with tables and all. I installed myself on the floor and fell asleep around 11 (23h)
woke up to see the sun rising over the mountains and islands. fucking uber gorgeous - but the went back to sleep. think I'll get out of this room (now full of people chatting and drinking voffee) and check out the weather and the scene on the deck.
8h50: I cannot believe where I am.
(kind of wish I 'd been able to make it to Split and check out the scene there)
I can see Stari Grad (Hvar island) coming up!
9h24: moving away from Hvar now. I can smell breakfast cooking and I am super jealous. I think I'm right outside the kitchen of the restaurant here. I might move. ....
13h15 Korčula is gorgeous. A little old town squeezed into a little bay / valley, surrounded with green hills / mountains. now I can count 8 small islands ahead, and there's a big one on either side of the ship. one is Korčula, I'd have to look at the map to i.d. the other... it's just south. one of the islands has one building on it, in the enter, stone I think. I wonder what it is. I've seen a couple of ismilar setups. awesome.
15h45 - croatia friend - Veky - probably won't ever see him again but he was very nice. wants to be a ship's captain. has cute freckles.
16h08 ok- saw him magain - he came out on his way back to his cabin to say he hopes I enjoy my stay in Croatia. What a nice guy. and I'm not just saying that because he was super cute.
he has been smiling at me ever since yesterday. he should have said something to me sooner. I never know if I can talk to others or not - if they know english. Anyway, I always feel a little weird when people smile at me like that.
17h40 was met at the harbor (port) in Dubrov. by several women holding up signs, advertising rooms to rent. I shouldn't have a problem finding a place to stay, I'd like to call the YHA hostel, since I know where it is, kind of - it's in the guidebook.
I left the ship (boat, ferry, what's the best word to use? though, yeah, I guess it's certainly a ship.. though for cars, so also a ferry, I guess). Anyway, I left with Veky (he has another name but I can't remember it - nor can I say it - it has a funny sound in it, plus a really fancy rolling R that he deos in a delightful way but that I probably shouldn't even try. I love languages but can be so self-conscious about vocalizing things) -- oh, right, we we went to a cafe/bar (where I am now) and had some coffee. then he went for dinner, and I guess I am waiting around here (harbor) until he's done with dinner (which is on the ship) and we'll go into town together, I'll drop my crap off somewhere (hopefully @ a hostel or other place to sleep) and then we'll hang out.
He is with his school, and leaving at 11 (23h) and is with a bunch of Croatian classmates (they're all boys)
17h55 - he asked earlier if the books that I was reading was a sci-fi book - I asked why he thought that, and he said because I was traveling and everything, and doing it alone, too!
he is interested in america - seems to have the whole Horatio Alger thing in mind. Says that in Croatia, most people can't afford vacations across the ocean like maericans do so often, and that's it's not so easy to get gainful employment, etc.
I like to meet other people, hear what they think, get an idea of their perspective on things..
19h40: he helped me get a room somewhere and then took off. weird. or maybe that's just how people are in Hrvatska.
Just had the weirdest déjà vu while getting ready to go out after a shower.. like I've done this all before, but maybe in a dream..
??h
I think it's Tuesday. Maybe the 25th of April, or at least somewhere around there. The year of our lord 2006.
Dubrovnik, Croatia. Counting my losses. I'm going outside. I should eat dinner, and have a drink.
21h10
This city is full of cats. Some have bells, some are skinny, some are kittens, some friendly, some scared, some are black, others are orangey.
I am doing what I said I didn't want! city-to-city! Today alone I was in 3 cities -- no that's not true, I forgot, I took an overnight ferry. Last night I slept on the floor of a lounge on a ship. The night before, on 2 different trains. Tonight I have 2 beds, in a room in Dubrovnik. Unnecessary, yes. A little more expensive than I had hoped (twice as expensive, as it were), but a million times easier, and also conveniently located. For someone who wants to be in the city, that is. A not-very-happening city, too, as far as nightlife & non traditional tourism seem to go.
fire on the mountain:
the image of the wanderer.
I CHING
23h
Time to explore new city. feel full ... sick...
I love it
notes / logistics
Croatian
HR'vatska (Hrvatska) - Croatia
HW'ala (hvala) - thanks
MO'leem (molim) - book says "please" , veky says you say it for "you're welcome"
PI'vo (pivo) - beer
KA'va (kava) - coffee
Kruškovac - some liquor that Veky says girls like
VI'no (vino) - wine
VOda - water
money:
Dubrovnik
wine - 14 kuna
water - 14kn
Rijeka
pizza, 2 slices - ? kn (greasy, ew)
bread - 10kn (not like in france, but kept well, and was good)
Burek - 15kn (whatever it was, I liked it)
phone card - 50kn (hi nick)
useless stamps - (oh well)
McDs - ~30kn (ew!)
notebook/lighter - 9kn (ill)
pivo/chips - 21kn (ok)
cheez/sunblock - 20kn (excellent choice on the cheese)
ferry - 195kn (wee!)
Dubrovnik
dinner (lasagna, bruscetta, wine) - 120kn (pretty good, even!)
room - 150 kn (sure)
MONDAY 24 april 06
00h00
just remembered a dream... jill was talking to me about her basquiat tattoo - explaining that it used to be expressive of her, that's what it was supposed to be - but it got so regulated and changed that it wasn't her anymore, it didn't really signify anything.
01h25 .... I miss him. I wonder what it will be like when we see eachother again. oh wow I want to sleep next to him. I am suddenly compelled to email him: "I miss you, darling, love, dana"
should probably hang back at least until I figure out what I want.. what to do...
2h40: in an 80 degree F train car, luckily the one where the ticket-checkers are hanging out with all the lights on. o shit, I forgot to spend the rest of my slovenian money -- don't even have any water to drink.
well, they turned off the lights, but it is still 200 degrees and smells like feet. I guess I will get used to it, and contribute to the smell. good-bye, boots.
so-Ljubljana. checked into super nice hoste, then wandered - through the old town, way up a hill to their castle, through a place called Metalikova - used to be army barracks, then a squat, now a legal public place covered in graffiti and swarming with punk rock kids, european-style, with dreadlocks and mohawks, speaking their crazy language. then falafel, hostel, out with Matina, Jason, Kostas, Therese -- we just wandered around, I got drunk first. we didn't try to go to any bars until 1h, which happens to be when the bars in our area close. I ate a hot dog and went to sleep.
Today (yesterday) I woke up, hung around thining about what to do next... ended up packing, leaving bag @ hostel, and going out with the same kids from the hoste. We went for coffee/breakfast where we met up with several others: jernej (Slovenia), Marine (French), 2 austrain boys, several others. Anyway, talked etc. Then went to Rog with Therese, Jernej, Marine. fascinating. J&M are crazy, interesting people who run a graphic design company. currently working on creating designs for & selling chocolates.
Then met up w/others (greeks, austrians).. walked thru Tivoli park to a restaurant (a surprise, to me) and had an incredible feast. It was Serbian food. Fresh cheese, bread, baked beans, red peppers, pork chops, sausages, smoked pork, pork kabobs, burger-like ground flavored (seasoned) beef, other sausages, beer... it was indescribably intense and delicious - esp. because I had just eated nanother falafel. In the end it cost the equivalent of just over 13 euro. indescribable. mmm. just fantastic grilled meat. Then hung out in the park - Jason played guitar, we sang and banged on things, smoked a couple of those awful european joints that are mostly tobacco, relaxed... then ran some errands (I was told no reservation needed for train). Then we went to Marine and J's house, met their friend Chaz / jazz / whatever, hung out, drank wine, drew pictures.... now I'm on the 2h53 train to Zagreb, where I will spend 2 hours trying not to fall asleep and miss my train to split.
4h27 - passport / ticket check. croatia!
6h40 - arrived in Zagreb. one more hour (or so) until train to Split. got currence - 800 kn (kuna) something over $100 - but I'm not sure of the exchange rate. wander, breakfast, train, sleep.
6h55 - couldn't figure out how to reserve a seat on the train to Split. first gave up and then, 2 minutes before it left, I turned and got on a train to Rijeka. hmmm., I wonder what that's like? I think it's on the water. I hope so. I hope I can find a place to stay and all...! also, somewhere to go after.
I think the ferry to Dubrovnik leaves from there actually.
damn, these mountains are beautiful.
7h just realized how close to Ljubljana Rijeka is. damn. what a ridiculous journey I am making today!! oh well.. 3 hours to go til I'm somewhere new, who cares abut the circuit-ness of my route.
9h355 I am not on a bus - I just saw a sign , 38km to Rijeka. I wonder why I am on this bus. everyone on the train switched to it. The train guy said I should too.
what a confusing and exhausting morning!
11h: so... Rijeka! fascinating so far, though I havevn't seen anything that looks liek a hostel or hotel or room for rent. o well, it's a beautiful say and it's stil learly. (sucks: lockers in train station broken.)
13h07: bought a ticket for the ferry to Dubrovnik. 195kn - about 26 euro. Boarding is tonight at 18h, we leave at 20h, arrive in Dubrovnik around 16h I think (on Tuesday) Rijeka seems cool and really beautiful, but this is my only chance to get the boat down along the coast. 20 hours on a boat!! This will be a new experience. I hope I'm not too cold. I bet I will be -- no blanket or anything. But J in Ljub said it was a lot of fun up on the deck where I'll be - just a bunch of kids ( and others.)
Everyone is much too attractive and well-dressed anyway.
Must find post office.
16h10 - should eat some fruit or something so I don't get scurvy.
If the traveler cannot find
Master or friend to go with him
Let him travel on alone...
-Dhammapada
20h04: Rijeka: ferry: we're moving! the sunset is great. it's 19 C here, whatever that means. well, only 20 more hours on the boat...
20h57: watched the sun set in Rijeka on the way out. previous sunrise in Zagreb. Previous sunset in Ljubljana. I have been moving around a lot, seeing different times and places. I wonder if I'll be up tomorrow to see the s'rise? I'm sitting on the ground, on the deck of the Marko Polo, outside... it's a nice night.
notes / logistics
Rijeka: before boarding ferry:
procure stamps, phone card, food for 6am monday - 4pm tuesday
get more food: bring dinner (pizza?) on the ferry
1. look at map of city
2. walk towards something cool
3. get more food
4. etc
FERRY: RIJEKA --> DUBROVNIK
via Split, Stari Grad (Hvar), Korčula, (on to Bari)
MONDAY: 24 APRIL
18h - boarding: Rijeka
20h - blast off
TUESDAY: 25 APRIL
6h30 - arrive split
7h - leave split
8h40 - stop @ Stari Grad
9h - depart
12h40 - arrive Korčula
13h - move along
16h15 - ARRIVE DUBROVNIK
- find place to stay
-call nick
-etc
CROATIAN
sounds
c = ts
ć = tch
č = ch
đ = dy
dž = just
š = sh
ž = pleasure
hello - Zdravo
bye - doviđenja
yes / no - da / ne
please - molim (also - you're welcome; no problem ?)
thanks - Hvala
scuse me - Oprostite
sorry - pardon
english - Engleski
how much? - koliko košta
boat - brod
intercity bus - autobus međvgradski
city bus - autobusgradski
train - vlac
ticket - kartu
left - Lijevo
Right - desno
Bank - banku
embassy - ambasadu
post office - poštu
phone - telefonsku
guesthouse - privatno prenoćište
hostel - omladinso prenoćište
room - sobe
today - danas
tomorrow - sutre
yesterday - jučer
a.m. - ujutro
p.m. - popodne
enter - ulaz
exit - izlaz
open - otvoreno
closed - zatvoreno
interdit - zabranjeno
toilettes - zahodi
1 - 10: jedan, dva, tre, četiri, pet, šest, sedam, osam, devet, deset.
100: sto
m-sun: ponedeljak, utorak, srijeda, četvertak, petak, subota, nedjelja
DUBROVNIK: where to sleep
1. hostel
2. room (private)
3. hotel
hostels:
Dubronik youth service
Setaliste Kralja Zvonimira 10, Dubrovnik
+385 (0) 98652870
20€/nite?
they say to make reservations and then they pick you up - no directions given. in old town.
HI Dubrovnik
(20) 423241
10€
Bana Jelačića 15-17 (or maybe Vinka Sagrestana 3)
YHA
423241
"up vinka sagrestina from
Bana Josipa Jelačića 17
SE of bus stop, nw of old town
esperanza
just remembered a dream... jill was talking to me about her basquiat tattoo - explaining that it used to be expressive of her, that's what it was supposed to be - but it got so regulated and changed that it wasn't her anymore, it didn't really signify anything.
01h25 .... I miss him. I wonder what it will be like when we see eachother again. oh wow I want to sleep next to him. I am suddenly compelled to email him: "I miss you, darling, love, dana"
should probably hang back at least until I figure out what I want.. what to do...
2h40: in an 80 degree F train car, luckily the one where the ticket-checkers are hanging out with all the lights on. o shit, I forgot to spend the rest of my slovenian money -- don't even have any water to drink.
well, they turned off the lights, but it is still 200 degrees and smells like feet. I guess I will get used to it, and contribute to the smell. good-bye, boots.
so-Ljubljana. checked into super nice hoste, then wandered - through the old town, way up a hill to their castle, through a place called Metalikova - used to be army barracks, then a squat, now a legal public place covered in graffiti and swarming with punk rock kids, european-style, with dreadlocks and mohawks, speaking their crazy language. then falafel, hostel, out with Matina, Jason, Kostas, Therese -- we just wandered around, I got drunk first. we didn't try to go to any bars until 1h, which happens to be when the bars in our area close. I ate a hot dog and went to sleep.
Today (yesterday) I woke up, hung around thining about what to do next... ended up packing, leaving bag @ hostel, and going out with the same kids from the hoste. We went for coffee/breakfast where we met up with several others: jernej (Slovenia), Marine (French), 2 austrain boys, several others. Anyway, talked etc. Then went to Rog with Therese, Jernej, Marine. fascinating. J&M are crazy, interesting people who run a graphic design company. currently working on creating designs for & selling chocolates.
Then met up w/others (greeks, austrians).. walked thru Tivoli park to a restaurant (a surprise, to me) and had an incredible feast. It was Serbian food. Fresh cheese, bread, baked beans, red peppers, pork chops, sausages, smoked pork, pork kabobs, burger-like ground flavored (seasoned) beef, other sausages, beer... it was indescribably intense and delicious - esp. because I had just eated nanother falafel. In the end it cost the equivalent of just over 13 euro. indescribable. mmm. just fantastic grilled meat. Then hung out in the park - Jason played guitar, we sang and banged on things, smoked a couple of those awful european joints that are mostly tobacco, relaxed... then ran some errands (I was told no reservation needed for train). Then we went to Marine and J's house, met their friend Chaz / jazz / whatever, hung out, drank wine, drew pictures.... now I'm on the 2h53 train to Zagreb, where I will spend 2 hours trying not to fall asleep and miss my train to split.
4h27 - passport / ticket check. croatia!
6h40 - arrived in Zagreb. one more hour (or so) until train to Split. got currence - 800 kn (kuna) something over $100 - but I'm not sure of the exchange rate. wander, breakfast, train, sleep.
6h55 - couldn't figure out how to reserve a seat on the train to Split. first gave up and then, 2 minutes before it left, I turned and got on a train to Rijeka. hmmm., I wonder what that's like? I think it's on the water. I hope so. I hope I can find a place to stay and all...! also, somewhere to go after.
I think the ferry to Dubrovnik leaves from there actually.
damn, these mountains are beautiful.
7h just realized how close to Ljubljana Rijeka is. damn. what a ridiculous journey I am making today!! oh well.. 3 hours to go til I'm somewhere new, who cares abut the circuit-ness of my route.
9h355 I am not on a bus - I just saw a sign , 38km to Rijeka. I wonder why I am on this bus. everyone on the train switched to it. The train guy said I should too.
what a confusing and exhausting morning!
11h: so... Rijeka! fascinating so far, though I havevn't seen anything that looks liek a hostel or hotel or room for rent. o well, it's a beautiful say and it's stil learly. (sucks: lockers in train station broken.)
13h07: bought a ticket for the ferry to Dubrovnik. 195kn - about 26 euro. Boarding is tonight at 18h, we leave at 20h, arrive in Dubrovnik around 16h I think (on Tuesday) Rijeka seems cool and really beautiful, but this is my only chance to get the boat down along the coast. 20 hours on a boat!! This will be a new experience. I hope I'm not too cold. I bet I will be -- no blanket or anything. But J in Ljub said it was a lot of fun up on the deck where I'll be - just a bunch of kids ( and others.)
Everyone is much too attractive and well-dressed anyway.
Must find post office.
16h10 - should eat some fruit or something so I don't get scurvy.
If the traveler cannot find
Master or friend to go with him
Let him travel on alone...
-Dhammapada
20h04: Rijeka: ferry: we're moving! the sunset is great. it's 19 C here, whatever that means. well, only 20 more hours on the boat...
20h57: watched the sun set in Rijeka on the way out. previous sunrise in Zagreb. Previous sunset in Ljubljana. I have been moving around a lot, seeing different times and places. I wonder if I'll be up tomorrow to see the s'rise? I'm sitting on the ground, on the deck of the Marko Polo, outside... it's a nice night.
notes / logistics
Rijeka: before boarding ferry:
procure stamps, phone card, food for 6am monday - 4pm tuesday
get more food: bring dinner (pizza?) on the ferry
1. look at map of city
2. walk towards something cool
3. get more food
4. etc
FERRY: RIJEKA --> DUBROVNIK
via Split, Stari Grad (Hvar), Korčula, (on to Bari)
MONDAY: 24 APRIL
18h - boarding: Rijeka
20h - blast off
TUESDAY: 25 APRIL
6h30 - arrive split
7h - leave split
8h40 - stop @ Stari Grad
9h - depart
12h40 - arrive Korčula
13h - move along
16h15 - ARRIVE DUBROVNIK
- find place to stay
-call nick
-etc
CROATIAN
sounds
c = ts
ć = tch
č = ch
đ = dy
dž = just
š = sh
ž = pleasure
hello - Zdravo
bye - doviđenja
yes / no - da / ne
please - molim (also - you're welcome; no problem ?)
thanks - Hvala
scuse me - Oprostite
sorry - pardon
english - Engleski
how much? - koliko košta
boat - brod
intercity bus - autobus međvgradski
city bus - autobusgradski
train - vlac
ticket - kartu
left - Lijevo
Right - desno
Bank - banku
embassy - ambasadu
post office - poštu
phone - telefonsku
guesthouse - privatno prenoćište
hostel - omladinso prenoćište
room - sobe
today - danas
tomorrow - sutre
yesterday - jučer
a.m. - ujutro
p.m. - popodne
enter - ulaz
exit - izlaz
open - otvoreno
closed - zatvoreno
interdit - zabranjeno
toilettes - zahodi
1 - 10: jedan, dva, tre, četiri, pet, šest, sedam, osam, devet, deset.
100: sto
m-sun: ponedeljak, utorak, srijeda, četvertak, petak, subota, nedjelja
DUBROVNIK: where to sleep
1. hostel
2. room (private)
3. hotel
hostels:
Dubronik youth service
Setaliste Kralja Zvonimira 10, Dubrovnik
+385 (0) 98652870
20€/nite?
they say to make reservations and then they pick you up - no directions given. in old town.
HI Dubrovnik
(20) 423241
10€
Bana Jelačića 15-17 (or maybe Vinka Sagrestana 3)
YHA
423241
"up vinka sagrestina from
Bana Josipa Jelačića 17
SE of bus stop, nw of old town
esperanza
SUNDAY: 23 april 2006
LJUBLJANA
1h25: hope I don't sleep late tomorrow. maybe I'll turn on my phone, plug it in, and set the alarm.
spilled soda in my purse and all over my stuff, lost a couple of things.
all in all, though, I've had worse nights. I think I may leave this town tomorrow, though...
10h35: hostel in Ljub - watching anime (in english, Slovenian s'titles) on the tv... feel like I'm in some crazy world / life. ....
16h05 Tivoli Park - Ljubljana - just went to an ill squat / artist commune - ROG I think. don't know if I'll leave Slovenia on the 02h35 train of the 08h35 train - I have to make a reservation before 10pm (20h) (don't forget!) I am having a nice time w/Greeks, French, Austrian, Australian, Slovenians. can't think well, don't know why
notes / logistics
BAHN.DE
(Koper) -> LJUB (20H) -> ZAGREB (22H27) -- 2,700 SIT
ZAGREB (23H) -> SPLIT (4H30) -- 4,180 SIT
= 6,880 SIT (~25€)
AP-LJUBLJANASI.com?
-------------------------
SUNDAY
17h45: Ljub ---> 20h03: Zagreb Gl. Kol.
22h57: Zagreb --> 6h54: Split
***make sure this train actually exists
2h35: Ljub --> 4h56: Zagreb Gl. (sleeper/couchette)
6h50: Zagreb --> 12h12: Split (r)
MOND
8h35: Lj --> 10h52: Za
11h05 Za --> 16h33: Sp (*short)
3181 SIT - feast (13.25€)
SPLIT
Al's Place *PRINT OUT MAP/DIR!
Kruziceva 10, Split region (?)
00385 98 9182923 (in croatia: 098 918923)
13-15€
11-noon; 17-20h
www.hostelsplit.com
split --> dub JADROLINIJA
Tues 06h30 - 16h15 // sat 6h30 - 13h
1h25: hope I don't sleep late tomorrow. maybe I'll turn on my phone, plug it in, and set the alarm.
spilled soda in my purse and all over my stuff, lost a couple of things.
all in all, though, I've had worse nights. I think I may leave this town tomorrow, though...
10h35: hostel in Ljub - watching anime (in english, Slovenian s'titles) on the tv... feel like I'm in some crazy world / life. ....
16h05 Tivoli Park - Ljubljana - just went to an ill squat / artist commune - ROG I think. don't know if I'll leave Slovenia on the 02h35 train of the 08h35 train - I have to make a reservation before 10pm (20h) (don't forget!) I am having a nice time w/Greeks, French, Austrian, Australian, Slovenians. can't think well, don't know why
notes / logistics
BAHN.DE
(Koper) -> LJUB (20H) -> ZAGREB (22H27) -- 2,700 SIT
ZAGREB (23H) -> SPLIT (4H30) -- 4,180 SIT
= 6,880 SIT (~25€)
AP-LJUBLJANASI.com?
-------------------------
SUNDAY
17h45: Ljub ---> 20h03: Zagreb Gl. Kol.
22h57: Zagreb --> 6h54: Split
***make sure this train actually exists
2h35: Ljub --> 4h56: Zagreb Gl. (sleeper/couchette)
MOND
8h35: Lj --> 10h52: Za
11h05 Za --> 16h33: Sp (*short)
3181 SIT - feast (13.25€)
SPLIT
Al's Place *PRINT OUT MAP/DIR!
Kruziceva 10, Split region (?)
00385 98 9182923 (in croatia: 098 918923)
13-15€
11-noon; 17-20h
www.hostelsplit.com
split --> dub JADROLINIJA
Tues 06h30 - 16h15 // sat 6h30 - 13h
SATURDAY: 22 april 2006
Venice/Ljubljana
5h41: whoops, fell asleep (for a 'nap') last night around 7, just woke up now because 2 of the girls in my room are packing up and leaving.
so, uh, yeah, train to ljubljana at 9h: I should to a little planning. Also, call Nick, and send postcards before leaving italy.
6h25 sunrise in Venice, from the Orto vaporetto stop. At first it was a brilliant/dull orange disk; now I can't look at it without squinting. soon it will be something else - no longer orange, no longer so low in the sky (it rises at I sit and watch)
DON'T GET DISTRACTED AND MISS THE TRAIN!
I don't really want to spend another day here.
6h45: moving along. as soon as the boat moves and I can scramble off this dock I really shouldn't be sitting on.. hope I don't fall as they pull away...
ok. safe.
8h50 on a train that's headed for Budapest, stopping in Monfalcone, Villa Opicina, Sezana, Ljubljana. hopefully I'm doing this right -- no ticket / restervation, just my rail pass.. not by any means a full train. mostly empty, actually.
9h20 - fork sticking out ot stump next to train track. should i have made a reservation? (of course) everyone has assigned seats but me - keep needing to move / change compartments... sorry everyone.
11h06 : Villa Opicina, border stop between Italy and Slovenia. we've stopped, I wonder what does on, how long we'll be here? I've been asleep. Sometimes I look outside and it's beautiful. mountainy, hilly, green, rough...
11h25: andiamo! (btw, they checked my p'port, but no stamp or nothin, still)
11h37 - passport check inside Slovenia. wee! a stamp!
12h: tiny villages - stone & stucco, red roofs.. stone walls.. small gardening plots, white, purple, yellow flowers..
-had to pay an 8.50 euro reservation fee (fine?) - geuss I should'a done that in Venezia, but then I probably wouldn't have made in onto this train in the first place.
oh my god I am surrounded by mountains. not sharp, icy, green, but smoother, sandier... covered in trees, most still bare...
many tunnels!
15h: Ljub! Fluxus Hostel. 21 euro. What would the world of budget accomodation look like if it weren't for Ikea?
15h50: start learning an eastern european language. master it. in the meantime, learn to say "photographer" (or "I am a ___") in as many languages as possible.
16h40: I think things look prettier if you see them from somewhere you're not supposed to go.
18h45: woah. this language is wild. I'm at a falafel place, looked at the menu to see what the different choices were & realized the only word I recognized was "falafel."
trying to remember what I've bought since arrival.. found a receipt for 540 SIT, but don't know what that wouldn't been...
balance: 6810 SIT, 25 euro
no, it all adds up, provided that I actually spent 540 on something.
oh. that was my ice cream. 180 for each scoop - I had 3.
23h: going out soon with some greek kids from the hostel - Jason, Matina, and another guy - I forget his nombre. (added later - Kostas). They are passionate, fascinating people. (also - Therese - australian girl)
I even talked to faisal online. how werid, kind of. he's gread. not going back to saudi arabia next week. probably no going anywhere at all, though he said he was again thinking of going to croatia.
you know, he's the reason I cam out here in the first place .. !
notes / logistics
PLAN: go to fluxus hostel. see what's up. ask where to go next if it's full.
hitchhiking - legal
purchases - 22/4
.90€ - chocolate croissant - venice (mmm)
3€ - pizza - venice (pretty bad)
1.10€ - water, 2 postcards
4€ - 5 stamps
8.50€ - train to Ljubljana
20€ - night at hostel
2€ - doner kebab
490 SIT - tower in castle
1030 SIT - falafel, soda, other thing
540 SIT - ice cream
Slovene
sounds
c = ts
č = ch
ê = a(pple)
e = a(go)
é = day
j = y
ó = more
ò = soft
š = sh
u = good
ž = treasure
l/v = w, before vowels, end of syllables
hello - pozdravljeni (polite)
zdravo (informal) - also in croatian
good day - dober dan
bye - nasvidenje
yes - da / ja (inf)
no - ne
thanks - hvala
your welcome - prosim
excuse me - oprostite
room - sabo
poceni - cheap
eno noč - one night
vhod - entrance
izhod - exit
odprto - open
zaprto - closed
prepovadano - prohibited
stranišče - toilets
danes - today / nocoj - tonight / jutri - tomorrow
sobota, nedelja, ponedeljek (saturday, sunday, monday)
1 - 10: ena, dve, tri, štiri, pet, šest, sedem, osem, devet, deset
štruklji - chz dumplings
zelenjavna - veggies
gobova - mushrooms
juha - soup
paprikaš - beef or chicken stew
njoki, rižota - gnocchi, risotto
dunajski zrezek - wienerschnitzel
klobasa - sausage
currency:
SIT - EURO
50 - .21
100 - .42
300 - 1.25
400 - 1.67
500 - 2.10
1000 - 4.20
22/4: withdrew 9000 SIT
(hope that's not too much)
5h41: whoops, fell asleep (for a 'nap') last night around 7, just woke up now because 2 of the girls in my room are packing up and leaving.
so, uh, yeah, train to ljubljana at 9h: I should to a little planning. Also, call Nick, and send postcards before leaving italy.
6h25 sunrise in Venice, from the Orto vaporetto stop. At first it was a brilliant/dull orange disk; now I can't look at it without squinting. soon it will be something else - no longer orange, no longer so low in the sky (it rises at I sit and watch)
DON'T GET DISTRACTED AND MISS THE TRAIN!
I don't really want to spend another day here.
6h45: moving along. as soon as the boat moves and I can scramble off this dock I really shouldn't be sitting on.. hope I don't fall as they pull away...
ok. safe.
8h50 on a train that's headed for Budapest, stopping in Monfalcone, Villa Opicina, Sezana, Ljubljana. hopefully I'm doing this right -- no ticket / restervation, just my rail pass.. not by any means a full train. mostly empty, actually.
9h20 - fork sticking out ot stump next to train track. should i have made a reservation? (of course) everyone has assigned seats but me - keep needing to move / change compartments... sorry everyone.
11h06 : Villa Opicina, border stop between Italy and Slovenia. we've stopped, I wonder what does on, how long we'll be here? I've been asleep. Sometimes I look outside and it's beautiful. mountainy, hilly, green, rough...
11h25: andiamo! (btw, they checked my p'port, but no stamp or nothin, still)
11h37 - passport check inside Slovenia. wee! a stamp!
12h: tiny villages - stone & stucco, red roofs.. stone walls.. small gardening plots, white, purple, yellow flowers..
-had to pay an 8.50 euro reservation fee (fine?) - geuss I should'a done that in Venezia, but then I probably wouldn't have made in onto this train in the first place.
oh my god I am surrounded by mountains. not sharp, icy, green, but smoother, sandier... covered in trees, most still bare...
many tunnels!
15h: Ljub! Fluxus Hostel. 21 euro. What would the world of budget accomodation look like if it weren't for Ikea?
15h50: start learning an eastern european language. master it. in the meantime, learn to say "photographer" (or "I am a ___") in as many languages as possible.
16h40: I think things look prettier if you see them from somewhere you're not supposed to go.
18h45: woah. this language is wild. I'm at a falafel place, looked at the menu to see what the different choices were & realized the only word I recognized was "falafel."
trying to remember what I've bought since arrival.. found a receipt for 540 SIT, but don't know what that wouldn't been...
balance: 6810 SIT, 25 euro
no, it all adds up, provided that I actually spent 540 on something.
oh. that was my ice cream. 180 for each scoop - I had 3.
23h: going out soon with some greek kids from the hostel - Jason, Matina, and another guy - I forget his nombre. (added later - Kostas). They are passionate, fascinating people. (also - Therese - australian girl)
I even talked to faisal online. how werid, kind of. he's gread. not going back to saudi arabia next week. probably no going anywhere at all, though he said he was again thinking of going to croatia.
you know, he's the reason I cam out here in the first place .. !
notes / logistics
PLAN: go to fluxus hostel. see what's up. ask where to go next if it's full.
hitchhiking - legal
purchases - 22/4
.90€ - chocolate croissant - venice (mmm)
3€ - pizza - venice (pretty bad)
1.10€ - water, 2 postcards
4€ - 5 stamps
8.50€ - train to Ljubljana
20€ - night at hostel
2€ - doner kebab
490 SIT - tower in castle
1030 SIT - falafel, soda, other thing
540 SIT - ice cream
Slovene
sounds
c = ts
č = ch
ê = a(pple)
e = a(go)
é = day
j = y
ó = more
ò = soft
š = sh
u = good
ž = treasure
l/v = w, before vowels, end of syllables
hello - pozdravljeni (polite)
zdravo (informal) - also in croatian
good day - dober dan
bye - nasvidenje
yes - da / ja (inf)
no - ne
thanks - hvala
your welcome - prosim
excuse me - oprostite
room - sabo
poceni - cheap
eno noč - one night
vhod - entrance
izhod - exit
odprto - open
zaprto - closed
prepovadano - prohibited
stranišče - toilets
danes - today / nocoj - tonight / jutri - tomorrow
sobota, nedelja, ponedeljek (saturday, sunday, monday)
1 - 10: ena, dve, tri, štiri, pet, šest, sedem, osem, devet, deset
štruklji - chz dumplings
zelenjavna - veggies
gobova - mushrooms
juha - soup
paprikaš - beef or chicken stew
njoki, rižota - gnocchi, risotto
dunajski zrezek - wienerschnitzel
klobasa - sausage
currency:
SIT - EURO
50 - .21
100 - .42
300 - 1.25
400 - 1.67
500 - 2.10
1000 - 4.20
22/4: withdrew 9000 SIT
(hope that's not too much)
FRIDAY: 21 april 2006
VENICE
8h25
wandered around the city last night with John, in from Abu Dhabi for the night a nice guy, not entirely unpleasant, super kind (to me) and also totally jacked to I felt safe walking around the dark alley with him. Got back the hostel around 3h.... going to try to nap in the sun for a while.
"existence is sorrow"
10h: on the vaporetto going from venice to Burano, the island with the name I forget, and then maybe Murano too, we'll see. I want to sit and relax for a while... didn't get enough sleep. I feel ok now but I'll for sure be real tired later.
11h30 found a sweet little corner on the water in Burano. mmm.. rest time (also, tanning!)
13h55 rested but didn't nap heading over to Murano now, to see some more tourists
19h15 still no nap. I'll probably be up til I got to sleep for the nite, then. that should be ok. I wonder what I should to tonite. I didn't make it out to that jazz club last nite - kind of wish I'd headed over there. I walked by @ dinnertime though and it was all set up like a restaurant, not a club or performance space. maybe I'll cruise by tonight, or maybe meet some people? we'll see. drinkign some wine, returning to venice from murano... my feet hurt.
ps. did I mention I've had some super bad food? .... oh well. also some great pizza through. ps. I maybe got a little sunburned today? The weather is fabulous.
"existence is illusion" -dhammapada
17h40 yes, I am kind of sunburned, but, ah! le soleil
did I mention that it feels really weird to speak only in english? I want to say ca va, bueno, no sé, c'est pas grave, etc. feel like I can't really say what I want in this language. quand j'entends le francais, mon coeur saut: c'est quelquechose familiare dans un endroit inconnu... anglais, à l'autre côté, me dérange sans cesse.
notes / logistics:
things I forgot / should have brought:
bathing suit
towel
where does the earliest train on saturday go?
artists - Tobia Rava, Steven Marshall.
author - Dubravka Ugresic
purchases - 21/4:
2€ - water, bread, pizza things - Burano (good)
1€ - pizzette - Venice (AWESOME)
5€ - pizza topped w/hot dog slices, fries - Burano (pretty bad)
1.25€ - box of wine - Murano - (not bad)
2.50€ - aroncini, focaccia, candy - murano - (BAD)
5€ - maté and flavored tea sugar
on LOGDING in LJUBLJANA
Fluxus Hostel
(I don't have phone number)
"voted one of top 10.."
discount prices 'til 27/4?
check in @ 3
5-10 minute walk from train/bus:
R from station to SLOVENSKA CESTA
L towards/past Zara, Nama, Benetton stores
R - after that: first house, right, on TOMSICEVA VLICA
#4, 2nd floor (~$26/nite)
or bus No9 to Trnovo, get off @ 3rd stop, Konzorcij, hostel is "10 steps away"
5000 SIT = 21€
Alibi K5 Hostel
(Old town, overlooking river)
from train: head S towards downtown on Miklo_ieeva street .. etc - see sheet
added later - greeks and 2 finnish girls stayed here one night then left for Fluxus, where we met .. had a bad experience @ Alibi
8h25
wandered around the city last night with John, in from Abu Dhabi for the night a nice guy, not entirely unpleasant, super kind (to me) and also totally jacked to I felt safe walking around the dark alley with him. Got back the hostel around 3h.... going to try to nap in the sun for a while.
"existence is sorrow"
10h: on the vaporetto going from venice to Burano, the island with the name I forget, and then maybe Murano too, we'll see. I want to sit and relax for a while... didn't get enough sleep. I feel ok now but I'll for sure be real tired later.
11h30 found a sweet little corner on the water in Burano. mmm.. rest time (also, tanning!)
13h55 rested but didn't nap heading over to Murano now, to see some more tourists
19h15 still no nap. I'll probably be up til I got to sleep for the nite, then. that should be ok. I wonder what I should to tonite. I didn't make it out to that jazz club last nite - kind of wish I'd headed over there. I walked by @ dinnertime though and it was all set up like a restaurant, not a club or performance space. maybe I'll cruise by tonight, or maybe meet some people? we'll see. drinkign some wine, returning to venice from murano... my feet hurt.
ps. did I mention I've had some super bad food? .... oh well. also some great pizza through. ps. I maybe got a little sunburned today? The weather is fabulous.
"existence is illusion" -dhammapada
17h40 yes, I am kind of sunburned, but, ah! le soleil
did I mention that it feels really weird to speak only in english? I want to say ca va, bueno, no sé, c'est pas grave, etc. feel like I can't really say what I want in this language. quand j'entends le francais, mon coeur saut: c'est quelquechose familiare dans un endroit inconnu... anglais, à l'autre côté, me dérange sans cesse.
notes / logistics:
things I forgot / should have brought:
bathing suit
towel
artists - Tobia Rava, Steven Marshall.
author - Dubravka Ugresic
purchases - 21/4:
2€ - water, bread, pizza things - Burano (good)
1€ - pizzette - Venice (AWESOME)
5€ - pizza topped w/hot dog slices, fries - Burano (pretty bad)
1.25€ - box of wine - Murano - (not bad)
2.50€ - aroncini, focaccia, candy - murano - (BAD)
5€ - maté and flavored tea sugar
on LOGDING in LJUBLJANA
Fluxus Hostel
(I don't have phone number)
"voted one of top 10.."
discount prices 'til 27/4?
check in @ 3
5-10 minute walk from train/bus:
R from station to SLOVENSKA CESTA
L towards/past Zara, Nama, Benetton stores
R - after that: first house, right, on TOMSICEVA VLICA
#4, 2nd floor (~$26/nite)
or bus No9 to Trnovo, get off @ 3rd stop, Konzorcij, hostel is "10 steps away"
5000 SIT = 21€
Alibi K5 Hostel
(Old town, overlooking river)
from train: head S towards downtown on Miklo_ieeva street .. etc - see sheet
added later - greeks and 2 finnish girls stayed here one night then left for Fluxus, where we met .. had a bad experience @ Alibi
THURSDAY: 20 april 2006
06h15: VENICE
breakfast on the train. the night wasn't to bad. it cooled down. she snored like crazy but o well. a little espresso and some sort of pastry. 1 hours to venice . I will try and learn some Italitan real quick.
9h30 - Venice is filthy, run down, full of tourists, and fucking gorgeous. warm, sunny, fresh air (ok, it smells sometimes, but ..) <3 <3 <3
called nick but no answer. dropped off pack at hostel.
9h50 - Acoustic jazz - 'gypsykings' or something at Paradiso Perdudo neare the hostel tonight. awesome. it opens at 7 (19h) but I imagin they'll go on later?
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams
or dreaming if not interpreting our wake? -JSF p36
10h17: I almost feel like my life is too fucked up to enjoy this. I am so sorry.
12h53: fist coca cola black since gare de lyon in paris... was that yesterday? (yes) riding the vaporetto no. 1 along the canal,south-ish to the Adacemia stop no, past there, to Salute. Will walk west, then cross the pont accademia, then head north-ish.
14h33: constantly walking down little streets that end suddenly at the water's edge. have seen some picturesquely dismal places too, fascinating. I love taking photos.
16h40: just sat in a puddle of something really, really awful-smelling. oh no. otherwise enjoying venice, but wondering what I'll to tomorrow? I kind of with I hadn't booked the 2nd night (tomorrow) @ this hostel, like I told myself to do originally. maybe a day trip somewhere.
19h: sitting in one of the courtyards at the hostel (there are several!) there's no direct sunlight in any of them, but the weather is still warm & beautiful. birds are signing, I can hear a harmonica somewhere, occasionally children yell and laugh. lizards scramble around, with neat little red & black bus. spoke to nick about an hour ago.
now church bells are ringing. I can hear people singing. how amazing.
there are currently 2 other people set up in my room - an older Italian woman, and someone I haven't met yet. there is a chill looking girl about my age that I saw (she's sitting where I wanted to be!)
Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that does. JSF p82
21h20 - at some dumb touristy restaurant. I got a carafe of merlot - it's chilled , and sparking... weird. also, no tap water, only bottled. What's up with that? I'll just get drunk, thank you.
logistics and notes:
VENICE-
Ostello Santa Fosca (19 euro/night)
Cannaregio 2372 Santa Maria dei Servi
0039 041 715775
lockout 9h30-12h
reception 8h-12h, 17h-20h
oggi - today
domani - tomorrow
lunedi, martedi, mercoledi, giovedi, venerdi, sabato, domenica
stazione - train station
biglietto - ticket
TO DO upon arrival in Venice:
find hostel. drop off bags / check in
find phone card. call nick.
find internet? email mom, dad, jill, margo
eat italian food
buy 'rolling venice' card
TO DO also:
figure out next leg of trip
buy stamps
visit murano and other islands
visit lido
money spent: (in euro)
4 - rolling venice card (good)
15 - vaporetto pass (good)
34 - hostel, 2 nights (good)
5 - pizza, water (excellent)
1 - bread (stale, bad)
2 - gelato (good)
1.85 - bad wine (bad)
1 - popcorn (standard)
21 - dinner (pretty bad)
breakfast on the train. the night wasn't to bad. it cooled down. she snored like crazy but o well. a little espresso and some sort of pastry. 1 hours to venice . I will try and learn some Italitan real quick.
9h30 - Venice is filthy, run down, full of tourists, and fucking gorgeous. warm, sunny, fresh air (ok, it smells sometimes, but ..) <3 <3 <3
called nick but no answer. dropped off pack at hostel.
9h50 - Acoustic jazz - 'gypsykings' or something at Paradiso Perdudo neare the hostel tonight. awesome. it opens at 7 (19h) but I imagin they'll go on later?
What is being awake if not interpreting our dreams
or dreaming if not interpreting our wake? -JSF p36
10h17: I almost feel like my life is too fucked up to enjoy this. I am so sorry.
12h53: fist coca cola black since gare de lyon in paris... was that yesterday? (yes) riding the vaporetto no. 1 along the canal,
14h33: constantly walking down little streets that end suddenly at the water's edge. have seen some picturesquely dismal places too, fascinating. I love taking photos.
16h40: just sat in a puddle of something really, really awful-smelling. oh no. otherwise enjoying venice, but wondering what I'll to tomorrow? I kind of with I hadn't booked the 2nd night (tomorrow) @ this hostel, like I told myself to do originally. maybe a day trip somewhere.
19h: sitting in one of the courtyards at the hostel (there are several!) there's no direct sunlight in any of them, but the weather is still warm & beautiful. birds are signing, I can hear a harmonica somewhere, occasionally children yell and laugh. lizards scramble around, with neat little red & black bus. spoke to nick about an hour ago.
now church bells are ringing. I can hear people singing. how amazing.
there are currently 2 other people set up in my room - an older Italian woman, and someone I haven't met yet. there is a chill looking girl about my age that I saw (she's sitting where I wanted to be!)
Love me, because love doesn't exist, and I have tried everything that does. JSF p82
21h20 - at some dumb touristy restaurant. I got a carafe of merlot - it's chilled , and sparking... weird. also, no tap water, only bottled. What's up with that? I'll just get drunk, thank you.
logistics and notes:
VENICE-
Ostello Santa Fosca (19 euro/night)
Cannaregio 2372 Santa Maria dei Servi
0039 041 715775
lockout 9h30-12h
reception 8h-12h, 17h-20h
oggi - today
domani - tomorrow
lunedi, martedi, mercoledi, giovedi, venerdi, sabato, domenica
stazione - train station
biglietto - ticket
TO DO upon arrival in Venice:
find hostel. drop off bags / check in
find phone card. call nick.
find internet? email mom, dad, jill, margo
eat italian food
buy 'rolling venice' card
TO DO also:
figure out next leg of trip
buy stamps
visit murano and other islands
visit lido
money spent: (in euro)
4 - rolling venice card (good)
15 - vaporetto pass (good)
34 - hostel, 2 nights (good)
5 - pizza, water (excellent)
1 - bread (stale, bad)
2 - gelato (good)
1.85 - bad wine (bad)
1 - popcorn (standard)
21 - dinner (pretty bad)
WEDNESDAY 19 april 2006
BUON VIAGGIO.
Paris
14h45: finally going. bought a ticket: Paris, Lausanne, Venezia. leaves at 18h05, arrives in venice 7h30 the next day. the man at the ticket booth was incredible friendly and helpful. had to pay 50 euro bc I'm taking an overnite train (in a bed!!) expensive but exciting. dropped my wallet a minute ago and didn't notice. someone picked it up and gave it back to me. things aren't as horrible as I sometimesfear think.
16h20 - to do: call venice hostel. cancel for tonite. don't add another night. worry about that upon arrival.
look @ train schedules from venice
relax. eat french fries. buy bread. buy water. ps. the promenade plantée does right by the gare de lyon. i'm there now. it's beautiful. all the flowers are blooming. parts of it are like walking through a tunnel of green old french ladies walk along gossiping couples, tourists, families, teenagers. etc. beautiful. everyone is freinds. "ah, vous prenez des photos!" "la route.... elle est longue..." (?) crazy old femmes.
WE PRAY BY NOT PRAYING.
WE FULFULL THE LAW BY TRANSGRESSING IT.
-JS FOER EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED
19h15 - somewher ein the french countryside. some of these towns are so beautiful I want to cry. I have never been anywhere like this before. so quiet, comfortable, rustic, filled with character... and it's so green!
20h20 beautiful sunset. rolling hills.
but the sun: neon red-pink, half hidden in haze, not at all painful to look at , except in its beauty
20h40: we're higher up now. looking down on tiny villages., lights beginning to flicker on, steeply pitched deep red roofs... pink glow in the sky to my right..
(now: a tunnel!)
are these mountains? Alps??!?
how beautiful...
21h: in Switzerland. brushing faisal hair off my affairs... (21 Apr - in venice - doing the same)
22h: about to pull into Lausanne (for20 80 min) - I wonder what language things will be in? what will it look like any good photo ops? safe?
23h35: on a train on my way to venice in a miniscule compartment with a squat old woman who grunts when shoe moves. the compartment is hot and she got the iwndow seat. I should start drinking, but I don't know wher the bathroom is... I am so excited through!! in the mañana I will be in venice! Italy! wee!
I just hope she doesn't die in the night. old Italian woman, she says there's no toilet, and if I have to "faire pipi" in the night, that she has a little container to use, and then to dump it in our little sink here. hmm. I imagine there must be bathrooms out on the train somewhere...
logistics and notes:
phone numbers that I brought:
calling card #
Ariela, Faisal, Simon (to get in touch w. F), my cell, Roopali, our aparment, Paul
rough plan:
leave paris wednesday april 19. be back in paris monday, may 1 in time for class.
eurail use summary, week 1:
19 april
Paris-Lausanne: 18h04-21h58 (5 euro)
Lausanne-Venezia: 23h20-07h36 (45 euro)
22 april
Venezia-Ljubljana: 09h-13h14 (8.50 euro)
24 april
Ljubljana-Zagreb: 02h35-04h56
Zagreb-Rijeka: 06h50-10h21
Paris
14h45: finally going. bought a ticket: Paris, Lausanne, Venezia. leaves at 18h05, arrives in venice 7h30 the next day. the man at the ticket booth was incredible friendly and helpful. had to pay 50 euro bc I'm taking an overnite train (in a bed!!) expensive but exciting. dropped my wallet a minute ago and didn't notice. someone picked it up and gave it back to me. things aren't as horrible as I sometimes
16h20 - to do: call venice hostel. cancel for tonite. don't add another night. worry about that upon arrival.
look @ train schedules from venice
relax. eat french fries. buy bread. buy water. ps. the promenade plantée does right by the gare de lyon. i'm there now. it's beautiful. all the flowers are blooming. parts of it are like walking through a tunnel of green old french ladies walk along gossiping couples, tourists, families, teenagers. etc. beautiful. everyone is freinds. "ah, vous prenez des photos!" "la route.... elle est longue..." (?) crazy old femmes.
WE PRAY BY NOT PRAYING.
WE FULFULL THE LAW BY TRANSGRESSING IT.
-JS FOER EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED
19h15 - somewher ein the french countryside. some of these towns are so beautiful I want to cry. I have never been anywhere like this before. so quiet, comfortable, rustic, filled with character... and it's so green!
20h20 beautiful sunset. rolling hills.
but the sun: neon red-pink, half hidden in haze, not at all painful to look at , except in its beauty
20h40: we're higher up now. looking down on tiny villages., lights beginning to flicker on, steeply pitched deep red roofs... pink glow in the sky to my right..
(now: a tunnel!)
are these mountains? Alps??!?
how beautiful...
21h: in Switzerland. brushing faisal hair off my affairs... (21 Apr - in venice - doing the same)
22h: about to pull into Lausanne (for
23h35: on a train on my way to venice in a miniscule compartment with a squat old woman who grunts when shoe moves. the compartment is hot and she got the iwndow seat. I should start drinking, but I don't know wher the bathroom is... I am so excited through!! in the mañana I will be in venice! Italy! wee!
I just hope she doesn't die in the night. old Italian woman, she says there's no toilet, and if I have to "faire pipi" in the night, that she has a little container to use, and then to dump it in our little sink here. hmm. I imagine there must be bathrooms out on the train somewhere...
logistics and notes:
phone numbers that I brought:
calling card #
Ariela, Faisal, Simon (to get in touch w. F), my cell, Roopali, our aparment, Paul
rough plan:
leave paris wednesday april 19. be back in paris monday, may 1 in time for class.
eurail use summary, week 1:
19 april
Paris-Lausanne: 18h04-21h58 (5 euro)
Lausanne-Venezia: 23h20-07h36 (45 euro)
22 april
Venezia-Ljubljana: 09h-13h14 (8.50 euro)
24 april
Ljubljana-Zagreb: 02h35-04h56
Zagreb-Rijeka: 06h50-10h21
AMSTERDAM
Moving out of my apartment tomorrow.
( something I should probably take care of is that the entry code for the door will be changed tomorrow. I imagine Marie-Gaelle didn't tell me the new code to force me to call her and discuss the moving-out inspection. it is hard for me to imagine moving out, since everything I own is still spread all over the apartment, and half of the dishes are dirty (that is , the ones that aren't broken.) )
ALSO TOMORROW: 23h, getting on a BUS to Amsterdam from Paris-Gallieni. Will arrive in Amsterdam at something like 6h30. According to Paul, who made the same trip I believe, public transport won't be running at that hour. not a big deal. I will walk, or wait. I guess it's something like 5km to the city.
I will be there until 7h30 on Saturday June 3. Then I get a bus back to Paris, where I will get a train to .... somewhere else. Tentatively to Interlaken (via Basel), where I will tentatively get another train up to Gimmelwald or something, up in the Alps. it will be cold, but beautiful. We'll see.
( something I should probably take care of is that the entry code for the door will be changed tomorrow. I imagine Marie-Gaelle didn't tell me the new code to force me to call her and discuss the moving-out inspection. it is hard for me to imagine moving out, since everything I own is still spread all over the apartment, and half of the dishes are dirty (that is , the ones that aren't broken.) )
ALSO TOMORROW: 23h, getting on a BUS to Amsterdam from Paris-Gallieni. Will arrive in Amsterdam at something like 6h30. According to Paul, who made the same trip I believe, public transport won't be running at that hour. not a big deal. I will walk, or wait. I guess it's something like 5km to the city.
I will be there until 7h30 on Saturday June 3. Then I get a bus back to Paris, where I will get a train to .... somewhere else. Tentatively to Interlaken (via Basel), where I will tentatively get another train up to Gimmelwald or something, up in the Alps. it will be cold, but beautiful. We'll see.
A VERY INCOMPLETE CHRONICLE OF MY LAST VACATION
note that, interestingly enough, these 4 photos appear in reverse chronological order.
Burano
um, hi Venice
Thursday, 5 a.m.: breakfast on the train, in my bed / shelf. Almost to Venice ...
first stop (1 1/2 hours), Lausanne, Switzerland.. around midnight, Wednesday, before boarding overnight train to Venice.
Burano
um, hi Venice
Thursday, 5 a.m.: breakfast on the train, in my bed / shelf. Almost to Venice ...
first stop (1 1/2 hours), Lausanne, Switzerland.. around midnight, Wednesday, before boarding overnight train to Venice.
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