luggage tags

So I returned to the states safe and soundly July 16 and had the surprise company of a high school friend on the flight home. In the two weeks since then I have been vacationing with my family at Deep Creek Lake.

My Eurotrip ended in Prague, or Praha, where B. and I stayed with her friend O. and his grandmother – who spoiled us with fabulous Czech cooking. We got a first rate tour of the city, which is nicknamed “the city of 100 spires.” We also got to meet several of O.’s high school classmates as they had a mini-reunion at one of the pubs. That was very cool. By the time B. and I got to Prague initially, we were exhausted. I had been backpacking for six and a half weeks and was overstimulated and at my physical limit. Fortunately Prague was one of the cities I most wanted to see, and though at times bleary eyed, it did not disappoint.

To close: this is likely to be my last blog post. Maybe ever. It turns out that I much prefer to keep my personal journal rather than blogging. I really appreciate all of you who read about my journey, prayed for me along the way, and left comments to let me know someone was actually reading this.

Where to now? I am moving to Comer, Georgia this fall to volunteer with Jubilee Partners (www.jubileepartners.org) for four months. After that, I hope to move to Athens, GA and eventually attend UGA for their marketing research graduate program. (I am applying now, so nothing’s certain.)

Ciao.

MC

So final thoughts on Croatia: its beauty is its redemption. As I mentioned Split, Dubrovnik, and Zagreb were all a visual feast and so lovely. However the people continued to be anything but friendly - making the week more stressful and significantly less enjoyable.

It was a relief to be reunited with S. in Zagreb. We found a nice hostel on the outskirts of the city a few blocks from the last tram stop and had a short nights sleep before catching a morning train to Budapest. The train ride lasted 7 hours or so and we shared our compartment with a British girl and two Hungarians for a bit. My favorite part of the train ride was going past huge fields of sunflowers once we were in Hungary.

Once in Budapest we took a walk to Parliament and then returned to the hotel to meet B. and her cousin J. She also had brought along P., a Hungarian friend she had class with this last semester. He joined us for dinner and a subsequent walking tour. Dinner was at an Indian restaurant per my request (sometime mid train ride I was struck by a craving for Indian food leading us to find and eat at perhaps the only Indian restaurant in Budapest) and was wonderful. Afterwards we went on a walk to the Danube river and St. Stephens Basillica and the Buda Palace. The Danube divides the Buda and Pest parts of the city. Buda is the more mountainous area. Once we climbed the stairs to the palace we were pleasantly surprised by a fireworks display over the river.

Side note: when we first arrived in Hungary I felt more keenly than at other times during this trip that I was in a foreign country. In western Europe I had the advantage of at least being able to read the signage and ask basic questions, etc. I know no Hungarian. Just the feel of the country is markedly different and unique from the other places I have traveled so far. Also, Budapest has sweet buildings on practically everz street, reminiscent of New York or Philly.

The following morning we went to the House of Terror museum, which archives the history of Hungary under Nazi and Communist leadership. The museum was fabulous in that it was well designed, very informative, and artistically delivered. Bits of it were creepy and a great deal more probably would have been if I could read or understand Hungarian. There were info sheets in English in each room that we picked up as our guide.

After lunch we caught a train to Szeged where B. studied abroad this last semester. There we visited the second largest synagogue in Hungary. Tragically many of the Jews who worshipped there were murdered during the second World War. We were also able to meet several of her friends and roommates and take a tour of her college town. Apparently festivals are frequently held and this week Szeged is hosting a witch festival. Not even kidding.

Other fun fact: it is approximatelz 15Ö Hungarian Forints to 1 USD. So as my trip has continue I increasingly feel like I am spending monopoly money. Pass go and at the next ATM collect 1Ó,ÓÓÓ forints.

This morning B. and I went to the local farmers market which is held every morning. The vegetables were just beautiful and so were the tables of fresh cut flowers. Right now we are in the process of preparing lunch, which may or may not be pizza.

Only 4 days left.

MC

So the title of this post has nothing to do with anything except that there is a poster in the internet cafe that says “Respect Your Mom” and I couldn’t think of a better title.

More relevant – There have been a few surprises since I wrote last. I caught the bus to Dubrovnik and after some confusion and about 100 stairs (maybe more) my suitcase and I finally found the apartment I was staying in. S. and B. were supposed to meet me there later that evening, but missed their flight from England to Croatia. So I will traveling alone until tomorrow, total of 5 days. I’m a bit proud of myself for getting from point A to point B on my own. Admittedly I have to ask for directions once or twice between points, but I think its pretty impressive that I haven’t had to sleep on a park bench or on a beach yet. I’ve also found that longer I travel alone the more I begin to narrate my life as a substitute for conversation. Example: “After two cappuccinos a happier and more alert Michelle made her way to the city center.” I’m not sure how many days away from crazy that puts me. At least I’m not talking aloud to myself yet (count your blessings). Also related to the cappuccinos – I had a very American moment when I realized I had to order two because there were no tall versus grande options. I was suddenly thankful that Starbucks had realized that, regarding coffee, one size does not fit all.

Back to Dubrovnik. The apartment I stayed in was lovely. It had a kitchen so I was able to go to the supermarket on the corner and then cook dinner for myself. The best part (aside from the air conditioning) was the view of the city. From the balcony I could see the beaches and the old city walls and fort and cathedral bell towers. Dubrovnik is definitely more beautiful than Split and I can see why everyone raves about it. (People are calling Croatia the “new French Riviera”). It only took an afternoon to explore virtually all of the old city and I spent the morning and the evening on the beach. The water is wonderful – I just can’t describe the shade of blue. The beach was pebbled. I actually found I enjoyed this. Pebbles don’t end up stuck in your hair and shoes for weeks the way sand does.

I took an overnight bus from Dubrovnik to Zagreb, the capital and largest city of Croatia. I found my hostel easily (they gave great directions) but can’t check in until later today. So I went out to explore the city and found, to my surprise, that people are not friendly in Zagreb. Virtually every person I’ve spoken to or interacted with (except for the super helpful receptionist at the hostel) has been rude or mean – even the people who work at the tourist information centers. Maybe I’ve just had bad luck. Anyway, Zagreb looks nothing like the coastal cities I visited. As the bus drove to Zagreb the type of mountains changed and the landscape looked uncannily like southern West Virginia – as you drive towards Charleston. The buildings are also different. More concrete and less brick or stone with red tiled roofs. In the center of the city things are prettier, but in a different way. It looks more like Western Europe. Also, Croatia is not part of the EU yet, so their currency is Kuna. It is about 4.5 Kuna to 1 USD. I think Zagreb may be the least expensive place I’ve been in Croatia so far.

S. is to meet me here tomorrow and then we head to Budapest together to meet up with B.

MC

I’m leaving Split sometime today (I haven’t bought the bus ticket yet, but I have to check out of my hostel in an hour) to go to Dubrovnik, which is a bit further south. Split really grew on me. At first glance I wasn’t in love, but after wandering around a bit more I’ve found a lot to enjoy.

Yesterday I woke up early to enjoy the cool of the morning a bit and went to one of the beaches. The water was wonderful to swim in – warm, clear. Some of the beaches are sandy, but many of the Croatians just lay out on blankets or towels on the concrete area. Like in Greece, all they need is water – not acres of sand to lay out on. I bought fruit for lunch at the organic market afterwards and walked around the inside of the old palace until I ran into a free folk concert. There was a young choir dressed in traditional garb singing (in Croatian of course) and dancing the traditional folk dances. It was fun and had a good sized crowd.

I got back to my hostel to sleep during the hottest part of the day and met more of the folks staying there. We got along pretty well and hung out most of the night together, Australians, Americans, Brits, and French.

I also got to climb this walkway called Marjan (or the area was called that, not sure) that eventually led you up to a fabulous view to overlook the city. As we got to the top we realized a wedding was about to take place, so we didn’t stick around long. We saw the groom later being escorted by friends through the streets waving a flag and singing. So fun.

Need to go.

MC

The heat I mean. Greece and now Croatia have both been enormously hot. (I know I keep talking about sunburn, and the weather, but I haven’t seen rain in 34 days.) We finished up our cruise of Greece by visiting Olympia in Katakolon and Corfu. Fun fact: ports smell. Every place the ship docked my first thought when disembarking was related to holding my breath until I could get away from the water. Also interesting, Katakolon relies so heavily on tourism that the shops in the main part of town do not even open if a cruise boat is not in the harbor.

I enjoyed Olympia mainly because of its connection with the present. The idea that games were held as an antidote to war, as a time for the world to rest from violence and come together, is poetic – strikingly so when it is a reality. To be perfectly honest, there isn’t much to look at there. Everything is just ruins and rubble and dust clouds. Of course there are olive trees everywhere. And we did see where the flame for the Olympic torch is rekindled for the games. It looks like 3 or 4 rocks and some grass. They called it an alter.

Corfu was beautiful because of its coast and turquoise colored water. It is supposedly the most vegetated area in Greece. We visited a monastery and saw some monks and a cathedral and a few cats. Parts of Corfu look very Venetian and were fun to shop in. I don’t know much about the Italian-Greek historical relationships, so that’s something to look up when I find a minute.

And today we arrived in Split, Croatia. After a morning tour with the family, I disembarked from the ship and am staying in the old city of Split in a hostal. My Aussie roommate and I are headed out for dinner in a bit at “the cheapest restaurant in town.” I feel like I can’t tell you much about Split yet other than red coral and lavender are popular sale items. Also, Croatia is where men’s ties originated.

MC

Basically every day since I’ve turned 22 has been wonderful. Arriving in Toulouse in time for the music festival was such a stroke of luck. The music lasted until 7am (we didn’t though), and it was just so great to see a city throb with life and energy. The following day F. took us on a walking tour of Toulouse. We visited several cathedrals and city hall and a few parks. It was lovely, but very hot. As a gross generalization, I feel as though the French have a sensitivity to beauty that runs deeper than in other cultures. Beauty is experienced and expressed with all of the senses. I love it.

I should also say that we had a French breakfast – with croissants, a baget, and the newspaper. In the evening after our walking tour we took a break at a cafe and then F. took us to spend the night at his family’s home in the countryside. I just adore this house. It’s everything you want a house in the French countryside to be, complete with flower boxes on the window sills, crazy old movie posters, and a beautiful garden. We met his friends there again and they cooked us dinner. B. and I stayed in the guesthouse. We just had a really great time. We’re going on a bit of a day trip now to a nearby town, and tomorrow – Paris.

Simply stated: I’m just really happy to be where I am.

MC

Today began rather roughly. There was lot of waiting involved. I checked out of my hostel and had to wait for bus. After like 20 minutes and no bus showing, I caved and caught a cab to the train station. At the station I waited again for about an hour for the next train. I took the train to Madrid and then the metro to the airport, where I waited. I checked in, but the waiting wasn’t over – B. was running late and I was supposed to meet her at the check-in counter. So I waited for her. Then, you guessed it, we waited again. Our flight to Toulouse was delayed two hours.

Fortunately our first night in Toulouse has more than made up for testing of my patience. F. met us at the airport and took us to join two of his friends for dinner. The food was great, fillet and salad and french fries (yes, I did get excited about eaiting french fries in France). Following dinner we walked around the city. Apparently, ever year on June 21 there is a music party in the city to celebrate summer. Basically it was the most killer block party you’ve ever seen. There were thousands of people who came out to party, dance in the streets, and enjoy the night. There was a different band on each street – from techno to dance to African.

Now, sleep.

MC