Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy

Sorrento, Italy has caught me by surprise. After one of the craziest transits.. I look out the window and see Italy. All memories are washed away. No more rain. I arrive at the seaside town of Sorrento on the Almafi coast. First thing I notice is the amazing showers at this hostel.. of course and I sleep. In the following days I meet great people, go swimming in caves on the Medditeranian, rent scooters and drive up and down the Almafi Coast, and visit the ruins of Pompeii. Everyday I take one to two showers, drink wine, and eat and eat. I can honestly say Sorrento is the best for the soul... and so I extended my stay again and again. Tomorrow I leave for Rome with a smile on my face.

Croatia

I am exhausted on the train and I awake in a sun filled cabin with the ocean out my window. Croatia.. they said it was beautiful and it is. I am finding it harder and harder to locate the correct punctation on the keyboard so bear with me. My current relationship appears to be dissolving and so I do what any girl would do.. go to the Chinese shop and splurge 2 dollars on a manicure kit. Back in the hostel, the Italian woman sharing my room with me finds my singing and happiness amusing. Its the only thing we understand about each other. The next day the Plitvice lakes blow me away.. although a 4 hour busride starting at 5am to get there ..and no I didnt plan it. I make a friend when I get there and we spend all day exploring. I ride back to Zadar and spend the night. The next day a walk around in the rain and decide to leave early for Split. The hostel in Split is a good one and although it's monsoon weather.. I find someone that will trudge around all day with me in it. Even time for an afternoon nap. In the morning I jet out.. 5am again.. to Dubrovnik where I spend a few hours walking the roman wall, going to the maritime museum, and eating pizza. That afternoon I hop the ferry to Bari Italy... and that was my whirlwind tour of Croatia. It was beautiful but I look forward to returning someday with a car in the summer.

Slovenia

Slovenia

In Slovenia I have stepped into an episode of Planet Earth. I go to caves with dazzling crystals, ceilings so high, and me so small. The country is so beautiful. I travel to the sleepy town of Bled. Tourist season is over. It is too cold to swim in the lake so I wander through the country side stopping every few miles to read my book amongst the clang of cowbells. I am looking at the Julian Alps. I walk along a gorge with light blue/turqouise water. I eat sausage and custard cake. I have befriended a Slovanian who lets me wander but comes to Ljubljana to take me to a hockey game and relax like old friends. He reminds me of Mark.

Venice

Im lost.. Im lost.. Im in Venice and the ambulance boat drives by. I can count on 2 things Im always interested in: what the hospital looks like, and the maritime museum. I wander along the canals amazed by the decadence of Venice. Yes, I am walking through throngs of tourists but eating my apple which makes everything better. At night I wander to the local sector for dinner and get turned away. It's like they knew my sweet face wasnt going to order the second course. I get it.. back to the tourist sector to have inedible pasta served by waitors that love yelling to me across the restaurant. I open my book and ignore the attention from other tables. My book is my best friend. In the morning, I spend the day with a woman I met at the hostle- she tells me what it's like to quit your job after 13 yrs, sell your house, and leave to travel indefinately..... and I make her go to the maritime museum..haha. This is where I learn that torpedos orginally were driven by two frogmen and went 2 knots...well worth my money. We go to watch glass blowing demonstrations and ride the Vaparetto up and down the grand canal. I spend my money wisely on a bag of italian cookies, a lemon soda, and 3 apples to get me through my night ride to Ljubljana, Slovenia.

Lake Como

The blog continues with some encouragement.... it is hard with no way to upload pictures and internet costs. So luckily I wrote some things down :)

Lake Como

We arrived in the pouring rain and the weather got better with each day that 3 old friends slipped back in to being 12 yrs old again.

The bus vears through small towns along the lake till we arrive at the hostle. We sit down on the porch located on a hill looking out over the lake with snow capped mountains in the background. We dink carafs of house wine and play SPIT, talking about the years we've missed of each other in between. The sun slides behind the jagged mountain tops and the moon slowly rises surrounded by constellations and galaxies I rarely get to see.

We are laughing loudly and Ashleigh says that ˝if we are going to be loud, we should go in the closet˝ .... and we are in fact 12 yrs old again and nearly crying.

The pasta is amazing, the stories hilarious, the scenery stunning... but there is so much ˝home˝ here that its hard to remember we are far away. I love my old friends and seeing all the wonderful changes in all of us.

Yeah But She Cooks A Mean Paella

A little gazpacho, a little paella, a little creme de catalon (same as creme brulle with milk sans cream)... and Im 50% the girl you want in your Kitchen.

So I write these stupid blogs - maybe I can make it up to you with a little Catalon cooking. Dont write me off yet.. now I'm useful.....ish.

This is a special thanks to Darcy for sneaking me in to class. Infinite friend points.

One Step Closer to God

After an hour of standing on the train, I arrived at the base of Montserrat and took a cable car up to the monastery.



I walked in a sat down to take it in. I enjoy the architecture of cathedrals but something inside always seems to allude to the Spanish Inquisition in my mind. This one was different. It seemed to be filled with goodness and I fell asleep. When I woke up the pews had filled, the cathedral walls were lined with people, and a boys choir shuffled in. It was the sweetest sound.....and I remembered how much I love to sing. ( A little sideways video cause I was layin sideways in the pew - palease).


Later, I escaped the crowds and climbed up to the highest point... (but of course). I ate my lunch and watched the world far below.

Stomping is Seductive

Darcy gone for the weekend, I was invited to a Flamenco show with Sara Baras who is the Prima Dona of Flamenco in Spain:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htMf9sl4jes


A piece from Carmen that they did:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8VO3WqeX9U&feature=related


I spent that night with girls that reminded me of my own welcoming friends. I laughed at jokes I didn't understand and we were all positively inspired like little girls.

Perfecting My Tapas Dissapearing Act.......

Barcelona continues to impress me... This city values creativity, individuality, and art. Here there is something beautiful on every block...

Besides the Ecuadorians, Italians are the main immigrants. I find Darcy's roommates particularly adorable speaking Spanish with thick Italian accents. Everyone is able to speak to me in English which makes me ...... American.

I spend my days eating bread and my nights eating Tapas. There isn't enough walking in the world to take care of the amount of "cafe con leche" I order.

In the picture is the La Sagrada Familia. It was designed by Gaudi and started in his lifetime. Since his death, other architects have worked on it using his same style. It is to be finished in 2015 and is absolutely fantastic. From far away it looks like a cathedral and up close there is creative detail on every inch of the building.