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Archive for the ‘Nicaragua’
Happy 2010!
The trend among bloggers (at least the bloggers on my RSS reader) seems to be a year-in-review kind of post.
But how can I possibly sum up 2009? Put as simply as possible:
4 (maybe 5) continents, 24 countries, 13 states
What an amazing year. There were moments in places all over the world–from biking the wild coast of South Africa to hiking the hills of Scotland–where I stopped, looked around, and marveled at the sheer improbability of it all. I seem to have gotten more than my share of good fortune in this life.
Now, how to top it in 2010? Lots of ideas, lots of plans. First up, Salt Lake City on Saturday, followed by Nevada and Arizona.
Aye, Lassie
Worst. Blogger. Ever. Yes, that’s me.
I’ve spent the past week recovering and catching up on a week of missed work, and I’m grateful to see the weekend!
I have a confession: I’m not a big fan of Ireland. The Irish people are absolutely friendly and lovely, but they’re impossible to find in the hordes of awful tourists (the worst kind). Or, they’re hidden in the awful low-hanging clouds that loom constantly, sitting just at the top of your vision, reminding you that it could rain at any second. Granted, I’m basing this judgment solely on Dublin and Galway; I suspect if I had time to get a car or a bike and head out into the countryside, it’d be different.
Regardless, some photos from Galway:
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Galway?feat=directlink
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| Galway |
Marathons and Flu
Well, I’m finally paying for all of the swine flu jokes. Karma came back to get me, and I’m currently wasting away from the flu, so not much in the way of stories. I’m not officially diagnosed with swine flu (doctors are only testing serious cases) but Ireland’s flu hotline person said the symptoms matched and I should follow a similar course of treatment. Which means I’ve been stuck in bed all week, hydrating and coughing. No work, no exploring, no anything. I have to avoid people, so I’m bored silly. Being sick when traveling stinks.
But, a few pictures from the end of Prague and from Dublin.
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/PragueDublin?feat=directlink
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| Prague-Dublin |
Éirinn go brách
That’s right, I’m in Ireland. Dublin, to be exact, which is a grey city filled with tourists…I’m pretty sure there aren’t any actual Irish people in a 10-mile radius. They’ve all fled the hordes of loud Americans and Aussies and Brits that have descended on the city to have an overpriced pint in Temple Bar.
Dublin is not beautiful, but is nonetheless appealing–I think Ireland can’t help but be charming. Everywhere I travel, the Irish I meet are unfailingly friendly and cheerful, and the few locals I’ve met in Ireland have lived up to the same standard. On the flight from Prague, my seatmate was an older accordion player from Galway who gave me heaps of helpful advice. Within 15 minutes, he’d written down his entire performance schedule and insisted I come to meet the band and hear “real, traditional Irish music, not like the stuff you’ll hear in Dublin.” As Galway is only 3 hours and 10 euros by bus, I think I’ll take him up on that. A girl working at my hostel also said that Galway is the place to be for music lovers, so I’m sold.
No photos yet; I’m having a nice, non-tourist week in Dublin and can’t be bothered to bust out the camera. Soon, though, when the rain stops and I gather the motivation. But for now, I’m going to relax with a cup of tea and a book and hope my health and energy return!
Prague: Czech me out!
The title of this post was stolen from the awful souvenir sweatshirts that are sold around the city. Nothing says authentic Czech Republic like a “Czech me out” shirt. Christmas presents, I think?
I’m still in Prague, and feeling under the weather–meteorologically and physically. I was ever so pleased to wake up to snow this morning, because it’s been inaccurately predicted for days. My excitement dimmed somewhat when, an hour later, I was standing outside in the wet, sleety stuff, waiting to get into the cathedral of St. Vitus. Nothing will ruin a visit to a castle–my first castle!–than freezing outside in half snow/half rain.
This week, I met up with a friend (Luke) of my friend Erica; he’s traveling around Europe for a few months, and it’s been fun to have someone to wander around the city with. (He’s the tall blonde guy in some of my photos.) We did a lot of walking, ate enormous sausages on the street, took creepy pictures with gigantic, creepy baby statues, and wandered around the Prague Castle.
Lots of touristing and lots of work have me absolutely worn out and run down, but rest is on the horizon.
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Prague2?feat=directlink
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| Prague2 |
Piles of pictures
Lots of photos today, from three cities and three countries. First, an album with some sunny-day photos in Sofia, Bulgaria and a few of my day in Thessaloniki, Greece. I took an overnight train from Sofia to Thessaloniki and then spent 12 hours wandering–on no sleep. And when I got to the airport, I found that my shampoo had exploded in my toiletry bag and leaked out into my clothing. But, on the bright side, my backpack was 19.8 kilos, exactly .2 of a kilo under the limit. Good thing I paid for the extra 5 in advance!
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/SofiaThessaloniki?feat=directlink
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| Sofia & Thessaloniki |
My flight landed in Prague last night at midnight…and I didn’t realize that my directions to the hostel were only correct until midnight, when the metro shuts down and tram routes change. So I arrived at the closed metro station, waited an hour in the rain for the only tram, rode with about 30 drunk people, guessed at the stop, walked around for a while…and then gave up and got a taxi. I crawled into bed at 3am, only to be woken at 8 by someone’s obnoxious alarm.
BUT not to worry, because I’m in Prague! If only I could tell you how beautiful the city is, or take a photo to do it for me. Alas, it was rainy and cloudy today, so my photos are less than thrilling. They don’t capture how tall the buildings are, or how ornate, or how colorful, or how gorgeous. The combination of all that architectural beauty in one place is just overwhelming…and add to it the street musicians and the cobblestones and the palpable sense of history, and it’s almost too much to bear. I kid you not, I got teary when I was trying to take it all in in the old town square today. (but then, maybe that was the sheer exhaustion) A few photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/Prague1?feat=directlink
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| Prague1 |
Bulgaria is delightful.
These Bulgarians blow my mind. The women are lovely–sometimes–but the majority here in VT have this alarming Russian-hooker look going on, with the heavy makeup even at noon, cheap heels, teased hair (four inches in every direction), and clothing that’s like Saved by the Bell meets biker chic. I’ve never seen so many pairs of stonewashed jeans and leather jackets. The overall effect is overwhelming, and combined with the characteristic stony expression, rather alarming. Is it the trend here in Eastern Europe, or have the current fashion trends just not reached these hills? Whatever the reason, it makes for fantastic people-watching.
I’m still in Veliko Tarnovo, enjoying the smell of trees and lack of crowds (and the local fashion choices). My Yooper soul can’t bear the city for too long, and it’s lovely to be able to breathe again. I’m reluctantly returning to Sofia tomorrow to take care of some passport details (I’m out of pages), and I’ll be sad to leave. VT sits along a river gorge, and there are countless hills just waiting to be explored…and unlike the hills in Guatemala, it’s actually safe to go alone. Today, I climbed halfway up a set of unexpected hillside stairs before I had to return to town for lunch with some hostel friends, and it’s killing me not to know what’s at the top. (Might just have to run back tomorrow morning before my bus.)
And then–THEN–I’m taking an overnight bus or train to Thessaloniki in Greece on Friday and flying to Prague on Saturday night. !! Hopefully, I’ll have time to fit in Cesky Krumlov (google it to see images) and Krakow before heading to Dublin to see Lucy’s triumphant marathon finish. For now, more photos of VT:
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/VelikoTarnovo2?feat=directlink
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| Veliko Tarnovo2 |
радиатор
The Cyrillic alphabet makes my head spin. The title means “a source of warmth” (at least according to the internet translation).
After a pleasant three hour bus ride through some lovely tree-covered hills, I’ve arrived in beautiful Veliko Tarnovo. When I say beautiful, I don’t mean grand-scale gorgeous, like Florence, but small-scale gorgeous. Buildings here are crumbling and the outskirts of town are downright ugly, but the old quarter is absolutely charming. Rough stone streets, ancient buildings, and twisty hillside roads are all watched over by a hilltop fortress. People smile at me, however reluctantly (Bulgarians are not disposed to giddiness)–I’m delighted by the place, and perhaps they can’t help but smile at the idiotic grinning tourist. I can explore in peace, I’m away from the city, there’s a view of the hills from my room, and the air smells like trees. What more could I ask for?
A few photos to start the day (more coming):
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/VelikoTarnovo?feat=directlink
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| Veliko Tarnovo |
Sofia
Hello from Bulgaria! After a lovely nap and a restorative dinner, I am back to normal. It’s funny–there was a point in my traveling life where I would have stored my luggage after an early bus and set out to explore. Instead, I lounged about in the hostel, caught up on illegal TV shows until my bed was ready and then took a three-hour nap and a long shower. No hurry.
Now, I didn’t plan to be in Eastern Europe (or Turkey, or South Africa, for that matter), so I didn’t (don’t) know what to expect. On this grey, rainy day, Bulgaria looks exactly like it sounds. But upon further exploration of the city, I quite like it. It’s not spectacular, but the streets are wide and there are plenty of open plazas. What’s most striking is the lack of tourist-oriented things. No street vendors selling necklaces made in China. No obnoxious restaurant owners or carpet salesmen trying to lure you in. Just a normal city with people going about their daily lives. It was a glorious thing to wander without harassment. I was even able to pop into a few stores without being hounded by salespeople. Who knew I’d find my much-needed civilization in Bulgaria?
I’ll leave you with some last pictures from Istanbul and some starter photos of Sofia.
http://picasaweb.google.com/eekauppi/CiaoTurkeyHolaBulgaria?feat=directlink
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| Ciao Turkey, Hola Bulgaria |