First: Secretly this is NOT Kaleigh, but Kash. She was just the one logged in.
We are in Florence! It is absolutely beautiful here... perhaps the most beautiful city we've seen so far. Our first impression of it was kind of a mad jumble of heat, noise, crowds, heat, and money- there are hawkers everywhere. At first, we were a bit disillusioned with the city as it seemed to be infuriatingly overrun with tourists (including ourselves, of course!) and the city packs a pretty big punch in terms of sensory overload. However, after a few hours it cooled off a bit, we got gelato (MMMMM) and we started to really appreciate how incredible this place really is.
Yesterday we just took it easy- walked around a bit, visited an old library (I have been relentlessly dragging Hlady into every library I see) and a park, ate gelato, etc... We tried to go to the Uffuzi gallery, but apparently Monady is Italy's slow day. Today we are going to explore the Duomo, which is the biggest cathedral here, and then head out to Fiesole for the afternoon.
Italy is lovely! Although our incredible paleness announes us as tourists six blocks away.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Berlin Recovery
FIRST OFF: the 'z' and 'y' keys are switched on this keyboard. If i mess up, translate accordingly!
We just got into Cologne (which is apparentlz an englishified verson of Koln, which is where we really are) this afternoon. The biggest shock of the trip so far happened when we got off the train... you walk out of the train station and IMMEDIATELY you see the huge, gorgeous, awe-inspiring cathedral. Everyone around us noticed our incredibly blatent staring and started offering their opinions on the best place to see the cathedral ("go around left!" " walk to the front immediately, it is so nice to see it from there!" awww).
Berlin was (perhaps unsuprisingly) a FANTASTIC time. It is a bit grittier than the other cities we've been in (especially coming from Paris), but in a way that made it all the more endearing. We stayed in a brightly coloured hostel in a really excellent part of East Berlin. Vanessa was there, which was endlessly exciting! The weather was really hot, so Kaleigh actually abandoned her one sweater and I switched from my single pair of pants to shorts. AND we did laundrz. Trust me, that is a BIG DEAL. Yesterday, I went to a concentration camp in the morning and met up with DrHlady and Vanessa in the late afternoon. I'm glad I went to the camp, although I certainly wouldn't call it a happy experience.
Today is some kind of holiday in Germany called 'men's day' or something, where the entire point is that boys get drunk and walk around the streets. I am not making this up. All the shops are closed and everything. So last night was pretty much a weekend night in Berlin, and Kaleigh and I found our way into some kind of vaguely hilarious reggae show where the music was great but an overanimated man in a green shirt kept running around the stage occasionally shouting german phrases at the unresponsive crowd. That actually makes less sense the more I think about it! But the place itself was quite exciting, and we made some Berliner friends.
We wandered all over Berlin and saw a bunch of the history-sights as well as some awesome neighborhoods. WAY more than in Paris, we hit the language barrier. I know somewhere around 4 german phrases, two of which are yes and no.
Ok. Now we are going to go walk up the 509 steps of the tower in the cathedral. I am weirdly excited for this!
We just got into Cologne (which is apparentlz an englishified verson of Koln, which is where we really are) this afternoon. The biggest shock of the trip so far happened when we got off the train... you walk out of the train station and IMMEDIATELY you see the huge, gorgeous, awe-inspiring cathedral. Everyone around us noticed our incredibly blatent staring and started offering their opinions on the best place to see the cathedral ("go around left!" " walk to the front immediately, it is so nice to see it from there!" awww).
Berlin was (perhaps unsuprisingly) a FANTASTIC time. It is a bit grittier than the other cities we've been in (especially coming from Paris), but in a way that made it all the more endearing. We stayed in a brightly coloured hostel in a really excellent part of East Berlin. Vanessa was there, which was endlessly exciting! The weather was really hot, so Kaleigh actually abandoned her one sweater and I switched from my single pair of pants to shorts. AND we did laundrz. Trust me, that is a BIG DEAL. Yesterday, I went to a concentration camp in the morning and met up with DrHlady and Vanessa in the late afternoon. I'm glad I went to the camp, although I certainly wouldn't call it a happy experience.
Today is some kind of holiday in Germany called 'men's day' or something, where the entire point is that boys get drunk and walk around the streets. I am not making this up. All the shops are closed and everything. So last night was pretty much a weekend night in Berlin, and Kaleigh and I found our way into some kind of vaguely hilarious reggae show where the music was great but an overanimated man in a green shirt kept running around the stage occasionally shouting german phrases at the unresponsive crowd. That actually makes less sense the more I think about it! But the place itself was quite exciting, and we made some Berliner friends.
We wandered all over Berlin and saw a bunch of the history-sights as well as some awesome neighborhoods. WAY more than in Paris, we hit the language barrier. I know somewhere around 4 german phrases, two of which are yes and no.
Ok. Now we are going to go walk up the 509 steps of the tower in the cathedral. I am weirdly excited for this!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Sudden Bursts of French Excitement
Paris is amazing! We've been going nonstop all day everyday, with not a lot of time to stop and update a blog or write anything down. Instead of a painstaking recap, here are some highlights (from an entire week of highlights):
-We went to the ballet at the Palais Garnier! We had 7€ tickets (our seats reflected this), but the theatre is unreal gorgeous and opulent. Apparently (Hlady tells me) it inspired the 'Phantom of the Opera'! And the ballet itself was really really beautiful. It was pouring on the way there, so we were running through Paris with sensible raingear on over our sort-of fancy dresses. Saskatchewan would have been proud!
-We had thrilling drinks that were served with glowsticks and marshmallows. That was the first thing we drank when we got here... it was a pretty sweet welcome.
-We went to Notre Dame, which was REALLY beautiful and quite intimidating. Just across the island is Sainte-Chapelle, which was equally beautiful but in a much more serene way- the windows were unreal and impossible to describe.
-We went to the ballet at the Palais Garnier! We had 7€ tickets (our seats reflected this), but the theatre is unreal gorgeous and opulent. Apparently (Hlady tells me) it inspired the 'Phantom of the Opera'! And the ballet itself was really really beautiful. It was pouring on the way there, so we were running through Paris with sensible raingear on over our sort-of fancy dresses. Saskatchewan would have been proud!
-We had thrilling drinks that were served with glowsticks and marshmallows. That was the first thing we drank when we got here... it was a pretty sweet welcome.
-We went to Notre Dame, which was REALLY beautiful and quite intimidating. Just across the island is Sainte-Chapelle, which was equally beautiful but in a much more serene way- the windows were unreal and impossible to describe.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Overpriced Internets!
We are in PARIS!! It's quite thrilling and such a beautiful city that I can't stop staring or taking obnoxious pictures of everything. We took a ferry from Wexford in Ireland to Cherbourg in France, whcih was 20 hours long- I read 300 pages of my book and Kaleigh was seasick, sad. Wexford was idyllic and incredibly charming, with tiny streets, a 13th century abbey that we tried our hardest to climb into, and terrifying drivers- I swear the most dangerous thing I've done so far has been to cross the street!
I managed to acquire a sunburn during the HOUR we spent on the beach before the ferry (whaaat), and Kaleigh and I just had Parisian street food and glow in the dark cocktails with marshmallows in them.
Jealous? You should be!!!
I managed to acquire a sunburn during the HOUR we spent on the beach before the ferry (whaaat), and Kaleigh and I just had Parisian street food and glow in the dark cocktails with marshmallows in them.
Jealous? You should be!!!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Bah Humbug
Both Kaleigh AND I tried to post updates, but it rejected all of them. LAME.
Whatever. We continue to be awesome and have an awesome time. And last night we jumped around in a bar to a band that played Galway Girl and Van Morrison covers.
Whatever. We continue to be awesome and have an awesome time. And last night we jumped around in a bar to a band that played Galway Girl and Van Morrison covers.
Monday, May 4, 2009
To Dublin
We made it! Alive, and in one piece, no less. We landed in Manchester where we promptly (well... I promptly. Kaleigh really had no part in this) told the customs lady that I fully intended on taking a train to Dublin from the UK. No boats allowed. Gah.
However, we DID end up taking a boat! First, we took a four-part lengthy train ride to Holyhead, a tiny town on the edge of the UK. There was a lot of scrambling for the next train and then vaguely trailing after a couple who mentioned they were also going to Dublin. The English countryside was the greenest thing I have EVER seen. I didn't even know there were so many kinds of green! Everything looked really saturated in colour. Holyhead was BEAUTIFUL and had cobblestone streets and an awesome castlefort. OR.. .make that a DEADLY castle fort. Kaleigh and I made a few Dubliner friends (we're big deals, we know) tonight and they informed us that NO ONE who wants to retain dignity will use the word awesome here. Whatever. The castle was really awesome AND deadly.
Dublin is really cool! And our hostel is in a pretty nice area, full of gorgeous old buildings and lovely wide streets (although curiously narrow sidewalks). Tomorrow we might go to Trinity College, or Saint Stephen's Green, or to some other amazing thing!
Excuse me. DEADLY thing.
However, we DID end up taking a boat! First, we took a four-part lengthy train ride to Holyhead, a tiny town on the edge of the UK. There was a lot of scrambling for the next train and then vaguely trailing after a couple who mentioned they were also going to Dublin. The English countryside was the greenest thing I have EVER seen. I didn't even know there were so many kinds of green! Everything looked really saturated in colour. Holyhead was BEAUTIFUL and had cobblestone streets and an awesome castlefort. OR.. .make that a DEADLY castle fort. Kaleigh and I made a few Dubliner friends (we're big deals, we know) tonight and they informed us that NO ONE who wants to retain dignity will use the word awesome here. Whatever. The castle was really awesome AND deadly.
Dublin is really cool! And our hostel is in a pretty nice area, full of gorgeous old buildings and lovely wide streets (although curiously narrow sidewalks). Tomorrow we might go to Trinity College, or Saint Stephen's Green, or to some other amazing thing!
Excuse me. DEADLY thing.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Calgary
Hello!
Given that this is a morning post, it should be clear that this is Kaleigh writing (though Katherine says hello!) The drive to Calgary was excellent and we had a delicious dinner in an Ethiopean place in Kensington for Joy's birthday. Our hotel is the Hilton at the C-dot airport. It is exactly the same as the Hilton I worked at, except they give you FREE APPLES. And it is on "Pegasus Road" (no lie). I wonder if every street around the Calgary airport is named for things which can fly. Very excited to catch the airport shuttle in half an hour and make our way to Manchester!!!
Given that this is a morning post, it should be clear that this is Kaleigh writing (though Katherine says hello!) The drive to Calgary was excellent and we had a delicious dinner in an Ethiopean place in Kensington for Joy's birthday. Our hotel is the Hilton at the C-dot airport. It is exactly the same as the Hilton I worked at, except they give you FREE APPLES. And it is on "Pegasus Road" (no lie). I wonder if every street around the Calgary airport is named for things which can fly. Very excited to catch the airport shuttle in half an hour and make our way to Manchester!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS
Well... I guess the countdown has been going on since, you know, December or so. But now we are down to small numbers like (WOAH) TEN DAYS.
I have cheerfully obsessed about this to every single person who mistakenly decides to sit next to me for five minutes at a time. We need to have a group packing session soon! I started sticking stuff I know I will want in my travel journal (which is beeyootiful) last night. I also really want to go to the James Joyce museum in Dublin... humour me and go??
Also, I just realized that we have turned this blog into a convenient way for us to talk to each other. Hah!
AND: You posted at 7AM!?!?!?!?!? SEVEN IN THE MORNING??!! Wtf. I don't believe that time even exists, really.
I have cheerfully obsessed about this to every single person who mistakenly decides to sit next to me for five minutes at a time. We need to have a group packing session soon! I started sticking stuff I know I will want in my travel journal (which is beeyootiful) last night. I also really want to go to the James Joyce museum in Dublin... humour me and go??
Also, I just realized that we have turned this blog into a convenient way for us to talk to each other. Hah!
AND: You posted at 7AM!?!?!?!?!? SEVEN IN THE MORNING??!! Wtf. I don't believe that time even exists, really.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Sunday, April 19, 2009
I made this instead of studying
Hi! Kash, do you like our pretty blog? I think that it is theoretically supposed to be pink.
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