Bonjour,
I've finished up Paris and have not had much time recently to drop a line on how my first Parisian experience went, we'll see if I can remember all the craziness and tell you my thoughts.
Well the last time I stepped into France it was in the southern coastal city Nice, for the largest carnivale celebration in Europe. I had a blast during the celebration but I wasn't too fond of the French people I encountered. So I was interested in how my views would vary/differ.
We were only in Paris for 3 nights and I realize now that there is no way to do Paris in 2-4 days. Thank god the metro was so accessible, we used it everywhere we went (shame there's no day passes tho, they could learn a thing or two from other major euro metros). One of my favorite pieces of public art/architecture would have to be the few forms of metro signs across Paris. The art-nouveau green and red, metal, wavy, curly, and somewhat creepy metro signs are so well done and have so much character in both form and typeface choice, they really compliment each other. With these metro stops we hit most of the major stops; Notre Dame, Moulin Rouge, Arc de Triumph, Louvre and my favorite - Sacre Coeur and Montemarte in the north. We also tried to see the catacombs, twice, but first time they were closed and the second they had super long line and we were unable to get in before last tour. We were excited to see the catacombs (2 km walk in an underground crypt), but at least it's another site to see, whenever I make my return. We were unable to climb the Eiffel tower nor notre dame, nor go into the louvre, but like I said, hopefully I find time for those major Parisian activities if I get a chance for a return trip.
Now, the main reason we were really in Paris was for their national holiday on July 14th (in America you hear it called Bastille Day, but to my surprise, no one used the same terms there). This is like an American independence day on steroids. First it starts off with a morning parade down the main drag from the Arc de Triumph. Every group of every branch of police and army are represented. They are accompanied by many, many fly-overs of helicopters and planes, as well as tons of armored vehicles and tanks. Both before and after the parade the crowd gets time to mingle with all the soldiers as well as climb on some tanks. It was a pretty cool sight. The parade went off really well and it was one of the largest gatherings of people Ive ever been a part of. Lots of fun, until the rain. It was sprinkling on and off jus enough to make u run for temporary cover for a few minutes and then comin out again to continue watching, until it really started to fall, but thank god by then all the cool stuff had gone by and just the firetrucks were left. Nothin too big to miss and we headed out. It was a shame it had to rain. I had taken Rob's advice and was planning to picnic all day with bread wine and cheese in front of the Eiffel tower until the fireworks later in the evening.
It didn't clear up till 6 pm but it was enough to have our nice meal on the lawn in front of the tower for dinner. We also were able to cut up plastic bags and put them under our picnic blanket, which helped fend off against the newly moist ground. Dinner was great. Well over enough cheese, sausage, bread, and wine for the three of us. To top it off the sun came out the whole time and made for some great pictures in front of the tower.
Before the fireworks we met another American girl from Philly, named Joli. She was very nice and gave us another player in our never-ending rummy games for a while. She has one of the best setups for traveling I've ever heard. She is actually an art history major and teaches children at a museum in Philadelphia, but she also has a part time job with Delta. Which means she travels for free! All for jus checking people into flights few times a week. So jus for weekends here and there she jus packs up a bag and heads somewhere new. She also has many friends on couchsurfing.com (a website for people to rent out guest-beds or couches to fellow travelers for free), which means she also usually has accommodations for free as well. I suggest anyone to try this lifestyle out if u have the capability to do so. We all got along very well and had a lot of fun waiting for the fireworks.
As it got later, it got darker and colder and Jolie was getting cold, she had a light pink longsleeve button up shirt over a tshirt but it wasn't enough. So Aaron being the gentleman that he is, decided to trade her for his jacket and he wore that beautiful, pink, and very frilly shirt until late in the night, with pride.
The fireworks were some of the largest ive ever seen and very beautifully paired with music. It was a great show, but I was somewhat saddened that they shot them off from behind the tower and not off of the tower like they usually have done in the past. I thought the Eiffel tower exploding with fireworks would have been an unique experience. But still I was entertained and made for a good show. Getting home took quite some time using the metro lines that, of course, every one was using as well. But no harm done and I had a blast on Bastille Day, despite some rain.
Not too much nightlife really, although we did shop down the main drag for an evening and provided a little change of pace. I highly suggest it to whoever goes to Paris, there's some great stores.
We ended up eating very well (steaks as big as our plates) and loads of pastries to boot. The people were also surprisingly friendly and I never had a problem. I would definitely come back again to see all the sights still left to visit and also to return to my favorite part, the Montemarte hilltop towns and their beautiful view over Paris.
Au revoir,
Etienne Diebois
Rummy Scores
S- some points
A- less points
T- much more points
"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.” – St. Augustine
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Friday, July 16, 2010
San Fermin
Hola mis amigos,
First off, let me start by saying, I consider myself to be a logical and decently smart man, but that doesn't mean I can't make some worthwhile, but stupid decisions.
The festival of San Fermin spans a week of never-ending people and parties for the little town of Pamplona. It was like nothing I've seen. It was truly the city that never sleeps. Every day thousands of people, both native and foreign, join in feasts, parades, music, and partying. Then as night rolls around the parties continue into the bars along the streets by the bullfighting ring. As it gets later and later into the night, and even into morning, the parties continue. Mind you, the entire time, every single person in this moderately sized city is wearing the exact same uniform, consisting of white pants and shirts with red sashes and red neckerchiefs. Many of which are embroidered with pictures or words celebrating the San Fermin festival. Now I mean everyone; waiters, toddlers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, store clerks, and sometimes dogs. It is a sea of red and white. When we arrived in our street clothes, we felt very very out of place. It took us all of two hours to purchase all the pieces for our suits.
So after all the white and red festive people have partied all night and stained thousands of white clothes with numerous wine stains, then it is time for the most important event; chiming in at 7:30 am, is The Encierro, or as most know it, the running of the bulls. It is a two kilometer, blocked-off, path through the streets leading to the arena. The drunk crowds still sprawling the streets, from the night before, are pushed off main roads as cleaning crews pick up and wash down the main raceways. A massive crowd slowly makes there way onto the streets, climbing over wooden fence and wall (there to protect the crowd) to gain access to this pursuit. After police prowl the setup for those too drunk to participate or stupid acting foreigners, the crowd gain their spots along the walls and balconies over looking the roads, and the news get their fair share of pre-destruction photography, then it is set to begin.
Many runners are not lucky enough to have hotel rooms, so many people clad in white and red sleep atop backpacks in parks and benches. Teddy, Aaron, and I were lucky enough to find a hotel for the night before. Despite staying up semi-late, partying with the rest of the country of Spain as they won their first World Cup ever the night before we ran, we actually got a decent amount of sleep. And were waiting in our spots at 7:00 am for the race to start. The day before we had gone through the race path looking for the best places to take cover and which section to start at. The goal is usually (no matter where you start) to start at one point, wait for bulls to be in sight and then run probably 20 meters before diving into a doorway or climb onto windows to allow the bulls to pass by (hopefully uneventfully). Some crazies try to see how close they can be or how long to run while touching a bull, but we would not be one of them.
At first they hold all runners within a certain distance of the beginning gate so they can make sure the path is clear, then the policia allow the runners to find their spots. We stood by a kebab shop with a decent, flat, straightaway ahead of it. We start to stretch just to have something to do while we feel the anticipation. An ambitious reporter is walking around the group with a cameraman to get those lawyers shots in. If you watch German news, I'm pretty sure teddy, Aaron, and I are highlighted in stretching before the race. After 10 minutes we hear the bang of a firecracker shot up into the air. The gates are open. About a kilometer back 10 bulls are heading in our direction (six dark, mean, crazy ones and 4 lighter-shaded ones that are trained to lead the way). Everyone is jumping, bobbing up and down to make sure the see the bulls comin down the street as soon as they can. Suddenly down the road every single person flips around at the same time and is sprinting our way. It's time to run. We are all in dead sprints looking for the doorways we planned out earlier I can hear the roar and clatter of the crowd but also the bulls coming up behind me. I jump into a butchershops window well as massive beasts just fly by me, close enough to touch. A few runners are stuck in front of them trying to find a side to jump, one runner is not as lucky as I and has fallen underneath the bulls. He is trampled as he rolls. He drags himself off the path, using his arms, after the bulls pass, as he is unable to stand from his incident.
But there is no time to think. I get one breath and put my heart back into my chest and I start into a sprint once again chasing after the crowd and before them, the bulls. I have no idea where Teddy and Aaron are, but I don't have the time to start looking. I can just hope they're fine and they'll be waiting at our meeting point. I must keep running to stay ahead of the cows comin up the rear (they are the cutoff to who gets into the arena or not). I make into the grand doorway entrance and onto the sandy stage of the Pamplona Bullfighting Arena, as a packed stadiums looks down onto us and cheers. I make my way over to "3 o clock" on the arena floor and Aaron is there waiting for me. We take in the huge arena and all the runners flowing into it's main ring. The bulls from the run have already been guided off the floor and it gives us a chance to take in the atmosphere. They shut the doors and cutoff the rest of the runners who did not make it in in time. Teddy was still no where in sight.
Soon they let out the first of six bulls that we will be allowed to "play with". The bulls will go from youngest to the larger, oldest ones. I was informed of this before and when I was told that the first would be a baby bull, I was not expecting that this "baby bull" would still be much larger than anything I wanted to get close to. So the first round consisted of us running around jus staying clear of the bull on the other side of the arena and when it came by we would jump onto or over the small wall surrounding the ring and when you were gutsy you'd jump back in. This is when we finally found Teddy. Thank god he was fine. We all made it out fine. We look at Aaron and on his pristine white shirt, it looks like he's bleeding! After further inspection, the decent sized blood spatter on the front of his uniform, was not his actually, but from another runner! From the man who got trampled? Or just someone running by with a scraped elbow? We'll never know, but made for a good souvenir.
The other bulls were quite large, so I gave my heart and adrenaline a rest and jus sat on the wall and watched the rest of the remaining idiots get pummeled and flipped by the bulls as they tried crazy maneuvers (as the crowd came to do as well). There were some decent tricks by runners, like hurdling the bull head on, and also some decent hits to keep it entertaining. And even though I was no longer in danger my heart still was racing the whole Tim, being so close to the people doing the dangerous deeds.
So I ran with bulls and survived. And I also stood in the center of the beautiful Pamplona Bullfighting Arena. A worth while experience? Definitely. And who knows, I may even tempt fate again and go for another jog down Pamplona sometime down the road. I encourage anyone to do the same, if you think you can take it; physically... and mentally. As you do something very, very stupid.
Adios,
Esteban Diebiero
Aaron - 850
Steve - 640
Teddy - 625
First off, let me start by saying, I consider myself to be a logical and decently smart man, but that doesn't mean I can't make some worthwhile, but stupid decisions.
The festival of San Fermin spans a week of never-ending people and parties for the little town of Pamplona. It was like nothing I've seen. It was truly the city that never sleeps. Every day thousands of people, both native and foreign, join in feasts, parades, music, and partying. Then as night rolls around the parties continue into the bars along the streets by the bullfighting ring. As it gets later and later into the night, and even into morning, the parties continue. Mind you, the entire time, every single person in this moderately sized city is wearing the exact same uniform, consisting of white pants and shirts with red sashes and red neckerchiefs. Many of which are embroidered with pictures or words celebrating the San Fermin festival. Now I mean everyone; waiters, toddlers, bus drivers, taxi drivers, store clerks, and sometimes dogs. It is a sea of red and white. When we arrived in our street clothes, we felt very very out of place. It took us all of two hours to purchase all the pieces for our suits.
So after all the white and red festive people have partied all night and stained thousands of white clothes with numerous wine stains, then it is time for the most important event; chiming in at 7:30 am, is The Encierro, or as most know it, the running of the bulls. It is a two kilometer, blocked-off, path through the streets leading to the arena. The drunk crowds still sprawling the streets, from the night before, are pushed off main roads as cleaning crews pick up and wash down the main raceways. A massive crowd slowly makes there way onto the streets, climbing over wooden fence and wall (there to protect the crowd) to gain access to this pursuit. After police prowl the setup for those too drunk to participate or stupid acting foreigners, the crowd gain their spots along the walls and balconies over looking the roads, and the news get their fair share of pre-destruction photography, then it is set to begin.
Many runners are not lucky enough to have hotel rooms, so many people clad in white and red sleep atop backpacks in parks and benches. Teddy, Aaron, and I were lucky enough to find a hotel for the night before. Despite staying up semi-late, partying with the rest of the country of Spain as they won their first World Cup ever the night before we ran, we actually got a decent amount of sleep. And were waiting in our spots at 7:00 am for the race to start. The day before we had gone through the race path looking for the best places to take cover and which section to start at. The goal is usually (no matter where you start) to start at one point, wait for bulls to be in sight and then run probably 20 meters before diving into a doorway or climb onto windows to allow the bulls to pass by (hopefully uneventfully). Some crazies try to see how close they can be or how long to run while touching a bull, but we would not be one of them.
At first they hold all runners within a certain distance of the beginning gate so they can make sure the path is clear, then the policia allow the runners to find their spots. We stood by a kebab shop with a decent, flat, straightaway ahead of it. We start to stretch just to have something to do while we feel the anticipation. An ambitious reporter is walking around the group with a cameraman to get those lawyers shots in. If you watch German news, I'm pretty sure teddy, Aaron, and I are highlighted in stretching before the race. After 10 minutes we hear the bang of a firecracker shot up into the air. The gates are open. About a kilometer back 10 bulls are heading in our direction (six dark, mean, crazy ones and 4 lighter-shaded ones that are trained to lead the way). Everyone is jumping, bobbing up and down to make sure the see the bulls comin down the street as soon as they can. Suddenly down the road every single person flips around at the same time and is sprinting our way. It's time to run. We are all in dead sprints looking for the doorways we planned out earlier I can hear the roar and clatter of the crowd but also the bulls coming up behind me. I jump into a butchershops window well as massive beasts just fly by me, close enough to touch. A few runners are stuck in front of them trying to find a side to jump, one runner is not as lucky as I and has fallen underneath the bulls. He is trampled as he rolls. He drags himself off the path, using his arms, after the bulls pass, as he is unable to stand from his incident.
But there is no time to think. I get one breath and put my heart back into my chest and I start into a sprint once again chasing after the crowd and before them, the bulls. I have no idea where Teddy and Aaron are, but I don't have the time to start looking. I can just hope they're fine and they'll be waiting at our meeting point. I must keep running to stay ahead of the cows comin up the rear (they are the cutoff to who gets into the arena or not). I make into the grand doorway entrance and onto the sandy stage of the Pamplona Bullfighting Arena, as a packed stadiums looks down onto us and cheers. I make my way over to "3 o clock" on the arena floor and Aaron is there waiting for me. We take in the huge arena and all the runners flowing into it's main ring. The bulls from the run have already been guided off the floor and it gives us a chance to take in the atmosphere. They shut the doors and cutoff the rest of the runners who did not make it in in time. Teddy was still no where in sight.
Soon they let out the first of six bulls that we will be allowed to "play with". The bulls will go from youngest to the larger, oldest ones. I was informed of this before and when I was told that the first would be a baby bull, I was not expecting that this "baby bull" would still be much larger than anything I wanted to get close to. So the first round consisted of us running around jus staying clear of the bull on the other side of the arena and when it came by we would jump onto or over the small wall surrounding the ring and when you were gutsy you'd jump back in. This is when we finally found Teddy. Thank god he was fine. We all made it out fine. We look at Aaron and on his pristine white shirt, it looks like he's bleeding! After further inspection, the decent sized blood spatter on the front of his uniform, was not his actually, but from another runner! From the man who got trampled? Or just someone running by with a scraped elbow? We'll never know, but made for a good souvenir.
The other bulls were quite large, so I gave my heart and adrenaline a rest and jus sat on the wall and watched the rest of the remaining idiots get pummeled and flipped by the bulls as they tried crazy maneuvers (as the crowd came to do as well). There were some decent tricks by runners, like hurdling the bull head on, and also some decent hits to keep it entertaining. And even though I was no longer in danger my heart still was racing the whole Tim, being so close to the people doing the dangerous deeds.
So I ran with bulls and survived. And I also stood in the center of the beautiful Pamplona Bullfighting Arena. A worth while experience? Definitely. And who knows, I may even tempt fate again and go for another jog down Pamplona sometime down the road. I encourage anyone to do the same, if you think you can take it; physically... and mentally. As you do something very, very stupid.
Adios,
Esteban Diebiero
Aaron - 850
Steve - 640
Teddy - 625
Monday, July 12, 2010
Barcelona
Hola,
I'm presently on a long day of travel from Barcelona to Pamplona, taking a couple buses (any way to save a few euro). Boy did I love Barcelona. We spent 4 nights in this amazing city and could have spent much more.
For me this was a city of beautiful sights. Beautiul beaches, beautiul architecture, and beautiful people. After all my travels I can consider it my expert opinion that Spain has the largest population of beautiful women in the world. Someday I hope to even talk to one :-P. The beaches were great and since this would be our only city with such an attaction, we made a point to spend a good amount of time there while we could. The first day was just a relaxing visit swimming and sunbathing and the second day we played some rummy with cards on our towels. Which we've been playing whenever we have down time and were keeping a running total going and the winner will finally be announced once we land in the US again. And after after the beautiful beaches and women, they have the architecure too.
This is the city of my favorite sight I've ever laid eyes upon. Nothing can compare to the monument that is Sangrada Familia. This is Gaudi's incomplete cathedral. Gaudi's apartments, which we saw first, were cool, different, very flowy and unqiue. But they did not hold a candle to what we saw after. This cathedral is the most unique structure I've seen to date. It reminds me of what we thought the future would be in the 40's-50's. It is the greatest mish mash of modernist art. Much of it planned out by Gaudi originally, is very centered around borrowing many facets from nature in it's architectural forms, as well as mathematical equations and shapes. I will post pictures later because my words can not describe it's beauty and forms, and those are even flawed in expressing it's grandeur. If u ever get to see this go for it. They've been workin on it since 1880's but were disrupted by the Spanish civil war which destroyed many original structures and models, but it's back in full swing and should be finished in 20 years. It's already massive and when it's finished the final structure will dwarf the present height. The highest tower will top out at 178 meters. It'll be the first thing you see when coming from see to Barcelona. I can't wait to see it then. We never got to see the Gaudi park, yet another reason to return. But we did make it to the Plaza Espana for a very large light and music fountain show. I'll post the pics and videos soon. Very unique in it's location and surroundings.
This was not a city of wonderful food for us. I know wonderful food does exist in the city, especially if you get off of the tourist streets, but we were not able to enjoy it this time. We've all recently taken a view at our bank accounts and decided we ate a lil too well in Italy. So we went to a large market and bought bread, meat and spreads to use for the week. Cheap and great for our backpacking needs. When we ate out we mostly had kebabs, which for those not blessed to have had a kebab, are basically the Turkish equivalent to a chipotle burito. They're quick, greasy, cheap, and delicious. Obviously no one in their right mind would have more than one a week, but you gotta do what ya gotta do. We ate at subway thinking it'd be a cheap, filling meal but like every other US fast food import it actually ended up being like 10 euro! So American fast food is not the way to go.
This city, above all, was a city of friends. The hostel we stayed in was called the Alternative Creative Youth Home. And in it's reviews it said it was supposed to be the quite hostel in Barcelona. Us and all our friends decided to challenge such a stereotype. We met some great great people while living there. Majority people living there were Australian (which by the way are always the majority of backpackers). One friend from Denmark, another was German and the others Canadian, and we all had a blast in our nights out. The 14-17 of us would find a bar and make their night with amount of people we'd bring in. It was quite a feat herding that many people around but if you were ever seperated you were to find the Steve Beacon in the distance (me). We usually ended up in the basement of this Irish Pub we all enjoyed. It was a lot of fun bashing nationalities and hearing some really diverse opinions on issues all of us have at this point in our lives. It was a shame to leave em behind but that's how this works in every city. This is definitely a turning point in the trip for me. I hope to reach out much more to the people in the hostels we'll be staying in. It makes for much better nights and better atmosphere.
So now I made it safely out of Barcelona (with a decent tan) and all my belongings (Barcelona is highly known for it's quality of pickpockets and thieves). And we've been traveling by bus since 930 and were supposed to get to Pamplona in 2.5 hrs (19:00). Right in time for the championship of the World Cup. SPAIN vs Holland. We were in Barcelona the night they won the semifinal match against Germany and the place went absolutely nuts. There were lots of people hangin off cars and scooters with horns blazing and flags waving. Very loud fireworks were bein thrown everywhere and people danced in the streets and fountains - all night. And funny thing is that they don't consider Barcelona to be too patriotic as many who live there wish Catalyuna to be a seperate conutry. So I can't wait to see how Pamplona lights up tonight if we're blessed to be here for a Spanish victory (knock on wood).
My Spanish is slowly comin back, although I really have forgotten a lot. But anything helps. Lookin forward to postin more photos and vids soon hopefully.
Ps - this hostel did laundry for 3,50 euro! Woot! Clean clothes again!
Adios
Esteban Diebez
Present Rummy Scores:
Aaron - 335
Steve - 300
Teddy - 345
I'm presently on a long day of travel from Barcelona to Pamplona, taking a couple buses (any way to save a few euro). Boy did I love Barcelona. We spent 4 nights in this amazing city and could have spent much more.
For me this was a city of beautiful sights. Beautiul beaches, beautiul architecture, and beautiful people. After all my travels I can consider it my expert opinion that Spain has the largest population of beautiful women in the world. Someday I hope to even talk to one :-P. The beaches were great and since this would be our only city with such an attaction, we made a point to spend a good amount of time there while we could. The first day was just a relaxing visit swimming and sunbathing and the second day we played some rummy with cards on our towels. Which we've been playing whenever we have down time and were keeping a running total going and the winner will finally be announced once we land in the US again. And after after the beautiful beaches and women, they have the architecure too.
This is the city of my favorite sight I've ever laid eyes upon. Nothing can compare to the monument that is Sangrada Familia. This is Gaudi's incomplete cathedral. Gaudi's apartments, which we saw first, were cool, different, very flowy and unqiue. But they did not hold a candle to what we saw after. This cathedral is the most unique structure I've seen to date. It reminds me of what we thought the future would be in the 40's-50's. It is the greatest mish mash of modernist art. Much of it planned out by Gaudi originally, is very centered around borrowing many facets from nature in it's architectural forms, as well as mathematical equations and shapes. I will post pictures later because my words can not describe it's beauty and forms, and those are even flawed in expressing it's grandeur. If u ever get to see this go for it. They've been workin on it since 1880's but were disrupted by the Spanish civil war which destroyed many original structures and models, but it's back in full swing and should be finished in 20 years. It's already massive and when it's finished the final structure will dwarf the present height. The highest tower will top out at 178 meters. It'll be the first thing you see when coming from see to Barcelona. I can't wait to see it then. We never got to see the Gaudi park, yet another reason to return. But we did make it to the Plaza Espana for a very large light and music fountain show. I'll post the pics and videos soon. Very unique in it's location and surroundings.
This was not a city of wonderful food for us. I know wonderful food does exist in the city, especially if you get off of the tourist streets, but we were not able to enjoy it this time. We've all recently taken a view at our bank accounts and decided we ate a lil too well in Italy. So we went to a large market and bought bread, meat and spreads to use for the week. Cheap and great for our backpacking needs. When we ate out we mostly had kebabs, which for those not blessed to have had a kebab, are basically the Turkish equivalent to a chipotle burito. They're quick, greasy, cheap, and delicious. Obviously no one in their right mind would have more than one a week, but you gotta do what ya gotta do. We ate at subway thinking it'd be a cheap, filling meal but like every other US fast food import it actually ended up being like 10 euro! So American fast food is not the way to go.
This city, above all, was a city of friends. The hostel we stayed in was called the Alternative Creative Youth Home. And in it's reviews it said it was supposed to be the quite hostel in Barcelona. Us and all our friends decided to challenge such a stereotype. We met some great great people while living there. Majority people living there were Australian (which by the way are always the majority of backpackers). One friend from Denmark, another was German and the others Canadian, and we all had a blast in our nights out. The 14-17 of us would find a bar and make their night with amount of people we'd bring in. It was quite a feat herding that many people around but if you were ever seperated you were to find the Steve Beacon in the distance (me). We usually ended up in the basement of this Irish Pub we all enjoyed. It was a lot of fun bashing nationalities and hearing some really diverse opinions on issues all of us have at this point in our lives. It was a shame to leave em behind but that's how this works in every city. This is definitely a turning point in the trip for me. I hope to reach out much more to the people in the hostels we'll be staying in. It makes for much better nights and better atmosphere.
So now I made it safely out of Barcelona (with a decent tan) and all my belongings (Barcelona is highly known for it's quality of pickpockets and thieves). And we've been traveling by bus since 930 and were supposed to get to Pamplona in 2.5 hrs (19:00). Right in time for the championship of the World Cup. SPAIN vs Holland. We were in Barcelona the night they won the semifinal match against Germany and the place went absolutely nuts. There were lots of people hangin off cars and scooters with horns blazing and flags waving. Very loud fireworks were bein thrown everywhere and people danced in the streets and fountains - all night. And funny thing is that they don't consider Barcelona to be too patriotic as many who live there wish Catalyuna to be a seperate conutry. So I can't wait to see how Pamplona lights up tonight if we're blessed to be here for a Spanish victory (knock on wood).
My Spanish is slowly comin back, although I really have forgotten a lot. But anything helps. Lookin forward to postin more photos and vids soon hopefully.
Ps - this hostel did laundry for 3,50 euro! Woot! Clean clothes again!
Adios
Esteban Diebez
Present Rummy Scores:
Aaron - 335
Steve - 300
Teddy - 345
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Venezia
Buon Giorno,
Well we just wrapped up our tour of Italy. Rome, Florence, Cinque
Terre, and we are presently about to leave Venice after a nice 3 night
stay.
And after spending so much time here in Venice I can honestly say I
enjoyed myself, but definitely see how there really is no need to stay
past 2 days here. I'm sure years and years ago this place was much
more diverse and lively but now tourism has taken over. And now each
cafe, shop, and restaurant are jus catering toward the cheap wants of
tourists. Never knew slushies and over-priced bad pizza were Venetian
delicacies but it seems that way now.
That being said, it was an absolutely beautiful experience. The views
were always as unique as a city floating on water. The super tight
streets packed in with unmappable chaos were always an adventure to
traverse. When looking online there was one tip I saw that I can not
emphasize enough about Venice. Once you find the major spots like the
Rialto markets and San Marco Square, just pocket that map and wander.
When you see tourists, go the opposite way and that's when we found
the most interesting little stores, neighborhoods, and craftsmen. We
actually went about Venice this exact way until the last day when we
finally went through the beautifully mosaiced interior of the onion-
topped San Marco Basillica.
So we did lots and lots of wandering. I think Teddy's favorite part
was feeding the pidgeons in the main square as the swarm in from all
sides, pretty hilarious, especially when seeds were cast upon an
unsuspecting girlfriend or mother, and the birds swarm as she shrills.
Haha.
My favorite part was finding all the different craftsmen shops like
the many mask shops, but not the traditional touristy ones; the ones
where they've really turned each mask into art. I also had a blast one
night in the (limited) Venetian night life. There's only really one
square containing all the youthful bars, Campo San Margherita. We were
on our way when we found "the only Venetian disco". It wasn't open
yet, to our dismay, as well of the two australian girls who found it
roughly at the same time. So we all went to Campo Margherita till it
was open. We had a great time comparing the american and australian
cultures. The bar was a great choice, we made friends with the
bartender, Marco, as he gave us a few of his fav shots, all for free.
It was good to finally be in the company of females, which I'm sure
free drinks happen to all the time. Us males are usually not as lucky.
So after the bar we went to the disco, paid to get in; and there was
NO ONE in there except for a couple blatantly makin out on the dance
floor. And an old heavy-set italian woman, who was most likely the
landlord, serving drinks. We got our "free" first drink and left
quickly. It was late so we walked the girls back to their hotel which
took probably 1.5 hours longer than it should have. And then we
wandered home as well. We could have used maps but we decided to jus
see if we could wander home without em. It was a blast going through
very dark, very creepy, and deserted alleys and streets. We had a lot
of fun joking around the whole way home. We finally found the major
bridge across from our hotel just as the sun was starting to break
over the horizon. It was a beautiul photo.
Aarons favorite was probably our celebrity encounter. Every where you
walk there are men in striped shirts and straw hats offering rides on
black and gold decorated gondolas (for a hefty hefty fee). And in one
of these gondolas, while we passed over a bridge, held the prince of
darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon. Aaron reckognized
them jus as they went around the corner away from us. He darts off the
bridge, back thru some alley and we find ourselves on the edge of the
canal as the gondola passes again and this time we got plenty of
photos and waved to them as they did back. Quite a fun lil surprise.
Weather was pretty good, hot as hell, except for some surprise storms
which jus gave us an excuse to break for the night and watch some
movies.
They say Venice is known for having bad food. But we did decently.
Most times we'd just try to find cheap good pizza for our budget.
Although one night we got Chinese, which surprise surprise, wasn't too
great. And another night, where we found a cheap but absolutely
delicious seafood place. Tons of fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and
crawfish, all for good price. Great find away from the touristy part
of the city.
So now to Barcelona and I think I'm ready. Sorry to say but I think
I've had my fill of Italy for now, and so have the others. Lookin
forward to trading my Italian speach skills for Spanish and hopefully
I'll be able to speak pretty well. Lookin forward to the test. Hope
all is well with all of you. I've had a lack of Internet past week or
so but hopefully that'll get better soon and I can skype with everyone.
Ciao,
Stefano Diebriano
Well we just wrapped up our tour of Italy. Rome, Florence, Cinque
Terre, and we are presently about to leave Venice after a nice 3 night
stay.
And after spending so much time here in Venice I can honestly say I
enjoyed myself, but definitely see how there really is no need to stay
past 2 days here. I'm sure years and years ago this place was much
more diverse and lively but now tourism has taken over. And now each
cafe, shop, and restaurant are jus catering toward the cheap wants of
tourists. Never knew slushies and over-priced bad pizza were Venetian
delicacies but it seems that way now.
That being said, it was an absolutely beautiful experience. The views
were always as unique as a city floating on water. The super tight
streets packed in with unmappable chaos were always an adventure to
traverse. When looking online there was one tip I saw that I can not
emphasize enough about Venice. Once you find the major spots like the
Rialto markets and San Marco Square, just pocket that map and wander.
When you see tourists, go the opposite way and that's when we found
the most interesting little stores, neighborhoods, and craftsmen. We
actually went about Venice this exact way until the last day when we
finally went through the beautifully mosaiced interior of the onion-
topped San Marco Basillica.
So we did lots and lots of wandering. I think Teddy's favorite part
was feeding the pidgeons in the main square as the swarm in from all
sides, pretty hilarious, especially when seeds were cast upon an
unsuspecting girlfriend or mother, and the birds swarm as she shrills.
Haha.
My favorite part was finding all the different craftsmen shops like
the many mask shops, but not the traditional touristy ones; the ones
where they've really turned each mask into art. I also had a blast one
night in the (limited) Venetian night life. There's only really one
square containing all the youthful bars, Campo San Margherita. We were
on our way when we found "the only Venetian disco". It wasn't open
yet, to our dismay, as well of the two australian girls who found it
roughly at the same time. So we all went to Campo Margherita till it
was open. We had a great time comparing the american and australian
cultures. The bar was a great choice, we made friends with the
bartender, Marco, as he gave us a few of his fav shots, all for free.
It was good to finally be in the company of females, which I'm sure
free drinks happen to all the time. Us males are usually not as lucky.
So after the bar we went to the disco, paid to get in; and there was
NO ONE in there except for a couple blatantly makin out on the dance
floor. And an old heavy-set italian woman, who was most likely the
landlord, serving drinks. We got our "free" first drink and left
quickly. It was late so we walked the girls back to their hotel which
took probably 1.5 hours longer than it should have. And then we
wandered home as well. We could have used maps but we decided to jus
see if we could wander home without em. It was a blast going through
very dark, very creepy, and deserted alleys and streets. We had a lot
of fun joking around the whole way home. We finally found the major
bridge across from our hotel just as the sun was starting to break
over the horizon. It was a beautiul photo.
Aarons favorite was probably our celebrity encounter. Every where you
walk there are men in striped shirts and straw hats offering rides on
black and gold decorated gondolas (for a hefty hefty fee). And in one
of these gondolas, while we passed over a bridge, held the prince of
darkness himself, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon. Aaron reckognized
them jus as they went around the corner away from us. He darts off the
bridge, back thru some alley and we find ourselves on the edge of the
canal as the gondola passes again and this time we got plenty of
photos and waved to them as they did back. Quite a fun lil surprise.
Weather was pretty good, hot as hell, except for some surprise storms
which jus gave us an excuse to break for the night and watch some
movies.
They say Venice is known for having bad food. But we did decently.
Most times we'd just try to find cheap good pizza for our budget.
Although one night we got Chinese, which surprise surprise, wasn't too
great. And another night, where we found a cheap but absolutely
delicious seafood place. Tons of fish, squid, octopus, shrimp, and
crawfish, all for good price. Great find away from the touristy part
of the city.
So now to Barcelona and I think I'm ready. Sorry to say but I think
I've had my fill of Italy for now, and so have the others. Lookin
forward to trading my Italian speach skills for Spanish and hopefully
I'll be able to speak pretty well. Lookin forward to the test. Hope
all is well with all of you. I've had a lack of Internet past week or
so but hopefully that'll get better soon and I can skype with everyone.
Ciao,
Stefano Diebriano
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