Snippets From a Dream Ago...

The following appear in no particular order:

Above: Corniglia, our humble homebase for three nights in Cinque Terre.

A hot and sweaty evening in Florence. (Above.) +40C + Crowds = Grossness

Ciao, Roma! Your gelato is beyond human descriptions of deliciousness.

Been there, seen that. Y'know?! :P

Above: Au depart. Ma famille!! Andre, Genevieve, moi, Francis et Gigi.

Below: Lucille "Mazur", being the big suck that she is. xo

Free French Toilettes... if you can find ones that are operational!

Does the picture above REALLY need to be captioned?!

Cinque Terre Below (Vernazza, I believe?)

14km of walking from Corniglia to Monterosso and back, anyway. (Ooof!)

We're in Canada!

Dear Blog Faithful,

So. We've made it backto Canada in one piece; Dani home to the K-Dub, and I... well, I'm at my uncle's in Toronto, spending one more night feasting on family foods and living out of my increasingly disgusting-yet-loveable backpack.

Feeling as though a few more stories need to be told, and a few more pics need to be shared, I'm sure that we'll post at least a few more things on this blog. For that matter, I'm also actually thinking of taking the leap towards a 365 day quest of blogging the life and random thoughts of me... so you might get more pics and stories there too. haha - well, if anybody wanted to read it. Just not until after I've started work and have officially made myself too busy for things like walking and healthy eating though. 'Cause that's how this Cinque Terre conquering chubster rolls.

The end of the trip has been bittersweet. Like, were we really in Paris this morning? Did Gigi really make our underwear sparkle and smell like a delicious whif of God breath? Did we really NOT buy any pastries at a parisienne patisserie?!!! ...check back when it's not 4am Paris time, and, like I said, we promise to eventually describe a bit more.
Pout maintenant, je vous souhaite une bonne nuit, le Canada! C'est bon d'etre de retour.
xoxo
-a.

ALIVE!

We`re still alive! ...and STUFFED full of french food after THE greatest stay up in the french countryside/the cutest little northern french village with my cousins in Neuf-Mesnil/Maubeuge, which sadly ended this afternoon . It was a fish-a-palooza event for Dani, as my family was boggled by her vegetarian ways (but charmed none the less) , and an all-around love-fest and perfect little mini-holiday from our holiday. After 14km days of hiking in Cinaque Terre (google that business. we almost died. (in the best way possible.)) and being exhausted by the busy pace of Nice and Monaco, I can`t even begin to describe how lovely the past two and a half days of non-stop eating have been. Muscles, salads, kabobs, pasteries, chocolate, CHEESE, belgian fruit sauces...
I drool all over again.
Oh, & did I mention our private back-yard accordian concert alongside Lucille 1 & 2?!!

Anyway. More later. & we pictures. We promise.

xoxo from PARIS!!
-a&d

The Other Side of Italy

So. Today (like, in an hour) we leave our most AMAZING hotel (yes, that's "hostel" without the "s" for those of you following along.) that we got to stay in compliments of one smarty pants D. Stock, B.A. Hon, M.A. and her most wonderful parents who felt that her M.A. deserved something nice. I agree, and couldn't be more lucky to be tagging along. THANK YOU FOR THE HOTEL!!!!

We've been enjoying our time in Firenze ("Florence", to the English. Why can't places just be called by their mother-tongue names the world over?!), but as we find the crowds of tourists suffocating, are quite looking forward to our time in Cinque Terre. I mean, I'm sure that there'll be crowds there too, but I'm hoping that I at least have the option of shoving the annoying ones over one of the hiking trail cliffs.
I am mostly kidding. ish.

While in Firenze, we've done a LOT of wandering through street markets. It is here that I thus give a shout out to our friend Eryn (who you can view in a few of our Scotland pics!), as I have purchased this ridiculously wonderful Italian leather suitcase-bag that makes my heart flutter with delight, and which Eryn, Queen of the Shops, could appreciate. It also cost more than I make in a day of work. Maybe if I didn't get paid in pesos this wouldn't be such an issue, but dear LORD is my bag ever pretty!!!! I just want to hug it. (& have. In fact, I've danced with it.) But yes, to get back to my original point, there has been some wandering and some shopping and Florence, crowds aside, has been great. SO great, in fact, that we've even gotten free cappuccinos from the Italian army, and a free desert at our local diner! Just for being amazing! & charming, and cute , and Canadian... or something... :P Anyway, true stories none the less.

Both of us are well, and can't believe that we'll be coming back to our motherland in 2 weeks. Ummm, weren't we just 2 weeks into our trip, contemplating how long of a trip it was?! Whatever though. 2 months is wonderful, but an awfully long time to be away from our beds, our dogs (read: Dani's true love, Cooper), and of course, our families. Enjoy your silence while you can; we'll be back soon!

Ciao, bellas!
xoxo
-a. & d.

Dear Mother...

Okay. So these stupid pictures won't place themselves on the page like I want them to, and 3 of them just deleted on me... but here are some shots so that my mother can quit telling me that I "never" update the blog.

Happy? :P

*

We start in Budapest, where we took this heartfelt shot of grandeur. (Please note my slight sarcasm upon that last word & my love of sidewalk chalk.)

A parting shot of Budapest...

*

...annnnd, onto Roma!!

There were actually (literally) hundreds of people around us here. Asian flash mobs and the whole lot! Luckily our photographer had an eye for the scene.

Anyway, we debated staying here, but opted for our hostel instead. Didn't want to seem pretentious. You know how it is.

Is it me, or is Dani awkwardly distance-pinching that statue!? ;) TREVI!

Is the line at the Coliseum REALLY worth it? (We're still debating...)

Dani @ St. Pete's - a FANTASTIC building that sucks up money faster than you can say "Bless you!" :) (Seriously though, a wonderful day well spent.)

10 hours later (that'd be today), we're all gelato'ed up and Vatican'ed out! :)

Why (Some) Girls Make Terrible Girlfriends

Ciao!
Yesterday, we arrived in Rrrrroma. (It's hard not to roll your "r"s in Rome.) Anyway, our plane touched down at just after 10pm, which, after baggage and the shuttle into the downtown, left us getting to our hostel at about midnight. Being the ol' pros that we are (knock on wood), this did not phase us the slightest, as carrying 50lbs on our backs just seems like natural torture at this point. (SICK TORTURE... but "natural".) We checked in, our beds were made for us, and all was well with the world. Well, mostly.

Anyway, come the light of day, all IS still well, but it's a bit different around the edges. Which leads me to my real point, which is about the joys of some women in our women only hostel, and some of the stark realities that the light of day has brought to me.
Read:What follows is my testament as to why I'm starting to think that (some) girls make terrible girlfriends.

**
Our hostel is a bit like one shmoozy, kind of clingy girlfriend. Y'know - the kind you swore you'd never be? Sure, it's all cute and quaint from the outside. Clean hallways, comfortable pillows and mattresses, a bidet in one of the bathrooms, huge private lockers; it's all glitz and glam and new and exciting. The relationship is fresh. She looks good, you look good... it's all good! At least, you thought is was. What happens when you wake up in the morning though, and you realize (as you wait in line for one of three shower-toilet combo bathrooms) is that really, maybe there's just a little something off about this girl?!

It's not that I don't like our hostel. I do! The location is great, and all is well. What I'm underwhelmed about is those wonderful qualities that make some girls terrible girlfriends. They're the girls who you suddenly wake up to find have taken over. Y'know, garbage on your kitchen and end tables, blow dryers at every plug in, hair all over the floor - okay. I'm guilty of that too, but whatever - a thousand tiny little bottles of shampoo and conditioner and creams and crap you've never even heard of or imagined littering showers and counters and surface area of floor that's covered with pools of water from your shower that just should not be. There's the neatly stacked plates, covered in yesterday's food that somebody left next to the moldy sponge in the sink, which prompts my step-dad's line of "Who was your servant before I came along!?", and which goes along with thoughts of, "Is it THAT hard to throw moldy food out of the mini-fridge?!"

Oh, but that girlfriend - she is sly! Catch her without her make up on, and she's surrounded by a posse of friends saying that she's never looked better! "Isn't this THE best hostel!? I LOVE that it's all women!" arise cries from newbs who clearly haven't spent 5 weeks on the road, staying at places like Goat Hostel in Budapest, or Rossio in Lisbon. Tell me then - why is there an oven, which tricks you into buying 3 days worth of dinner groceries, when it doesn't work, and the only person who is around to answer your questions are the people who run the hotel across the street because, hey! "24 hour reception" apparently means "we don't ever have anybody here to look after the place or answer your questions", which, in bad girlfriend code translates into, "OMG! So sorry. My cell phone died and I totally didn't get your msg! Were we supposed to meet up!!??" It's like you left toothpaste all over the counter, used the last square of t.p., and then ran out before your boyfriend woke up, hoping he didn't notice. (Please note. I am not a boy. & I have noticed the 24 hrs. of toothpaste spit on the counter, & the now obsolete toilet paper in bathroom #1. It's gross & inconvenient in that order.)

It's just so... wrong! What's next, a love fern!? A guilt trip because you're insecure and don't want me hanging out at my other hostels, judging you based on them?! I can't help it if my past relationships were better than this one! I mean, not "better"... Those relationships just weren't the same! Oh hostel, I DO like your friends... I just don't know that I can commit!! You understand, don't you!?! IT'S NOT YOU, IT'S ME!!!!!!!

**
Anyway, like I said (or at least, meant to say), I actually quite like our hostel. It's in a great location, only a close walk away from the Trevi Fountain (which we saw today!) and the Coliseum, and a zillion other "little" things that make Rome Rome, and the beds ARE super comfy. It's just... I don't know... "different", is all!
:P
That said, GOD I love Rome.

xoxo from the land of Christiano Rinaldo billboards the size of the CN Tower!
-a. (& d.)
(Though I take full responsibility for the cattiness of this blog. :P)

Snapshots of Wien

Ange outside of Shonbrunn palace.

Shonbrunn palace and its spectacular gardens.

Ange uses the Info box outside of the National Library!

The Austrian history museum in Museumsquarter

Props to Empress Maria Theresia.


Stephensdom with its crazy cool mosaic roof.

Graben street.


Another pretty Vienna street.

Immature, I know, but... HA! It's just too easy sometimes...

Buda-buda-buda-pest!

Hello world (or the miniscule fraction of you who are reading this blog)! It's day 34 and we've just spent our first night in Budapest after 2 glorious evenings in Vienna. The contrast is rather stark, it seems, though we have yet to go exploring Budapest. As I look out the window of our lovely little hostel "The Goat", the streets are sundrenched and illuminating rows of nostalgically filthy, but beautifully ornate building facades. Today is our designated "day of rest" (it IS Sunday after all, and Ange went to church in Krakow on Thursday, so we've earned it (yes, "we" :P)). We're planning to lounge around at a cafe, perhaps read and write some postcards, then head to the Roman thermal baths in the city park. At the moment, I am just SO overjoyed that the sun is shining. We had a solid week or so of cold, dreary rain in Poland and Austria. (I think our excitement is well-evidenced by the fact that we both joyously threw on sundresses this morning. Ange finally gets to wear the beautiful white dress that she bought in Olhao, and she, of course, looks stunning :D!)

We both loved Vienna and wish we could've stayed longer (though, financially, it was probably a good choice not to). We spent our one full day of sightseeing zipping through Shonbrunn Palace (disgustingly beautiful seat of the Hapsburgs), Hofburg Palace (another stunning Hapsburg residence), the Stephensdom (reminded me of an Austrian version of the Sagria Familia in Barcelona), and the wonderful, winding streets of Vienna. Yesterday before catching our trian we caught the Upper Belvedere museum, where we saw a bunch of Austrian masterpieces, including Gustav Klimt's "The Kiss" -- very cool (aside from the museum security being really anal about wearing backpacks on one's back...? ugh). We could've spent days wandering, taking in the architecture and greenery, and, of course, sitting in cafes contemplating life and all of its complexities... But, Budapest beckoned, and so we will enjoy a full 3 days here before catching a flight to Rome.

More on Budapest to follow... stay tuned!

Much love,
d & a

A Pleasant View of Poland

...annnnnd because I don't want to leave you with just depressing black and white images of Auschwitz, I (we) present you with a few snippets of images from our stay in Poland thus far!

We've got: Agata & Dani about to leave Warsaw; Dani and I in the creepy head, a few steps away from our hostel in the old town's main square; me LOVING deep fried ruskie perogies; Dani and I sharing our love with the mascot at our delicious perogie hole-in-the-wall heaven.

Poland is great, from my perspective. I mean, it's sometimes frustrating to not understand menus and such (Thank YOU, Agata.), but it's neat. Auschwitz, in case you were wondering, was also... um... "amazing", but in a deeply thought-provoking sort of way. I'm still at a loss for words, which is why I haven't specifically posted any with the pictures.

Two more sleeps 'til we say goodbye to Agata, & head to Wien!

(Dear Austria, Why don't you just call it "Vienna"?!)

xo

Warsaw above! (Duh.) Krakow below! (Less obvi.)

auschwitz

auschwitz & auschwitz-birkenau.

Polska

Dear Blog Faithful,
(You ARE still out there, right!? lol)

I write to you today from Hostel Helvetia in Warsawa, Polska. Land of polish (the language. not the gunk for your shoes) and anger. (Have "we" (as Poles) mentioned that we got trampled during the war? If not, please keep reading.)

Anyway, we got in to our hostel yesterday, and promptly walked by every bank on the face of the planet with the exception of the one that we needed to be exempt from abroad ATM fees. Eventually getting our money though, we figured that we should make like the locals, so we went to the grocery store and bought 6 beer for less than 5$ CDN. (2 were for Dani's friend Agata who is now with us as in an official capacity as translator and all around general bearer of awesomeness.) The hostel's great though, so we had a good evening getting to know Jowen from Vancouver, Ansel from Wisconsin, Denis from Berlin, and this really awesome Brit sis and bro whose names just seemed so much typical of their locale. (& which I've subsequently forgotten.)

Today, we went and explored the "MUZEUM POWSTANIA WARSZAWSKIEGO", which is a museum all about the Warsaw Uprising. The highlight was probably the caption for one pic of Stalin, which, I didn't get a picture of, but which read, "Evil in human form - Stalin", or something to that very close extent. Anyway, it was amazing. (Remember how I mentioned anger? Poland does NOT do well with getting chosen last to be trampled upon during conflict.)

So. That's about that for now. We haven't all stuffed our faces with perogies or been married off to strange foreigners, so I'd say that it's been partially a success thus far!
I'll just leave it to you to figure out which end of that was less successful....
;)

Krakow tomorrow!
xo
-a. & d.

For your viewing pleasure...

A few photos of Germany thus far:

View of Dresden from our paddle steamboat tour!

The faithful vessel, herself.


All aboard! 'Twas a chilly but picturesque ride.


Another view of pretty Dresden.

Angebot catches up on some journal-writing (read: lies, slander, and hearsay) on the train from Dresden to Berlin.


Becoming one with Berlin culture...


Ange rides her trusty goat to victory over language barriers.

More to come shortly in the Berlin department! (Translation: we have done more than pose with statues, I swear!)

xo

- d. & a.

Flashback: Olhao!

Free Internet time in Berlin means... you get to see the crappy video we made from the rooftop terrace of our hostel in Olhao. Please excuse the terrible quality... and poor, poor commentating. At least the views are decent :).

Enjoy!

- d. & a.



If this didn't work for you, try watching here.

Hurly Burly Lynn

Berlin.
City of ear grunters.

No, seriously. I was taking a picture when this otherwise respectable, middle-aged man who was with his wife came up past me, stuck his face out, and grunted in my ear. Seeing as how I was practically in a bush in order to get this shot and didn't see how I was harming anybodz, I startledly cried out "Ummm... what the hell?!", and yet somehow only received a grin back from him, along with a weird "Maybe you're the one with a problem..." look back from his wife.

Just sayin'. Ear grunters. Weird lot.

Anyway, apart from that and these darn keyboards that have switched up the "Z" and "Y" kezs (see?! "kezs" instead of "keys". I can't tzpe. SHOOT! "TYPE"!), Berlin has been grand thus far. (We arrived this morning. So we're not at all quick to judge.) Everything is clean though, and the streets and metro seem to be easy to navigate, knock on wood. Tomorrow... a walking tour, perhaps? Or maybe a musical, seeing as how we didn't end up seeing Evita! :P

(Ugh. Evita. I mean, I love the A.L.Webber and all, but we ended up going on a steam paddle boat ship ride instead (it seemed like a nice, Elbe River/local thing to do!), and have we mentioned that they do NOT have any english in Dresden?! Because they don't. No printed signs, no nothing. Just grunting. (Thankfully though, not in your ear!) So that's how THAT went. No Evita, just incoherence on a boat from 1929, past some grape vinyards and houses that looked like a 3 yr. old'd built them.)

In sum, speaking of grunting, I need to go to bed. Seems I'm disgruntled.
Love from Berlin, east and west!
xo
-a.
(d., who was much more coherent, says "HI!", but without the rambling that I have done.) :P

Sprechen sie Englisch?

Hey there. We´re in Dresden at the moment and LOVING every minute. Our experience has been made all the more wonderful by the gracious contributions of Angie´s dad, Mr. Shura, who so awesomely donated to two hostel-weary travellers an all-paid 3-nights´stay in Dresden´s rather lovely Holiday Inn. Complete with our own extra-comfy, over-sized twin beds, beautiful bathroom (with tub), TELEVISION, closet space, and AIR CONDITIONING, this room is exactly what we needed at the one-third mark of our jounrney. And therefore, a very well-rested Ange and Dani send our many, many, MANY thanks!

We spent today exploring Dresden´s new and old towns. The new town offered charming streets of shops and restaurants. The vibe was very chill compared to the rather busy and touristy old town we found when we crossed the River Elbe--not to say that we didn´t enjoy the old town. There´s a reason it´s busy. It´s chock-full of stunning architecture and beautiful views. Most of the city was reconstructed after being completely destroyed in the bombings of February 1945. The reconstructions are all quite impressive... the before and after photos really gave us a sense of the extent to which the city was levelled. Extremely devastating, but it´s amazing to see how the city has recovered.

Tomorrow we´re going to attempt to get tickets to see Evita (no, there were no German operas playing at the Dresden Opera House... drat! :P). Other than that, I imagine we´ll partake of some German pastries (has become protocol for each city), stroll along the river and perhaps.. more pastry (justified by ALL THE WALKING... right?).

OK, that´s all for now. Gute nacht! Miss you all! xo
- d. & a.

Ola from Olhao!

Hello from Olhao, land of white sandy beaches, fish smells, winding streets and sunburns. We've only got 30min. of free internet at the local municipal internet cafe, so this'll have to be quick. We just wanted to let you know that we're still alive!

Leaving Lisbon was heartbreaking, as Rossio Hostel was very much a cozy home away from home for us. It was RIGHT in the heart of the city, and from the lady who made us fresh crepes or eggs in the morning, right down to the lady who folded our underwear when she did our laundry for us, it had everything that two travelling girls could ask for. We did a lot in Lisbon (read: we slept in and wandered about) and even got to spend a day in Sintra, admiring the views and overpriced castles. How quickly a european trip can become Castle Tour '10 is a little startling...

Anyway, we leave for Frankfurt tomorrow, but not without a glorious Atlantic beach "sun hang-over" from a day spent frolicking in the clear blue waves and reading on the white sand beaches of Armona island.
So. Much. Sun.

Well, so much for being "brief", eh?! :P
xo
-a. & d.

It really is cheaper than water...

Reason #433 why I love Portugal.

:)

Love from Lisbon

In no particular order, a few shots with PEOPLE in them. ;)

Atop of Arthur´s Seat in Edinburgh. I am way too excited.
(In my defence, Hannah said "Everybody raise their arms in victory!" I was just the only one to do it. THANKS, GUYS.)

Literally getting blown away by the Coral Beaches in the Scottish Highlands.

HI! ...from the HIGHlands!

Loch Ness, minus Nessie.

Dani & Hannah at the Tower Bridge

Ecstatically departing The Walrus Hostel in London.
This picture does the joys of leaving behind the custodial closet toilet no justice.

We friggin´ LOVE Lisbon!!!!! (A view from atop the Castle of São Jorge.)

Anyway, it's just a few of the 400+ pictures that I alone have already taken, but we figured that it'd at least give you an idea of what we've been up to in a way that's a touch more descriptive than a tired paragraph of gibberish.

Sending you all our love from Lisbon,
-a. (& d., as always)

Primark is Amazing

Please note the title of this entry for the general thought of the day. :)

Portugal tomorrow!
xo
-a.

Cheerio, from the land of tea and crumpets.

Though we have yet to partake in a high tea with the queen mum (she's pencilled in for Thursday), we have been taking in all of the lovely sights (and smells -- ah, the gaseous sewers) of London, including but not limited to St. James' Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Trafalgar Square, and och aye, the London Eye! Our hostel could use a scrub-down and a wee spot of paint, and its rather close proximity to the train tracks makes for a bit of noise (thank goodness for ear plugs) but the beds are decent and we're about a 5 minute walk from the Eye/southbank stuff, so we really can't complain!

Anyhoo, Internet cafe time is a-ticking and we have some hostels to book, so I should run! Hannah and Ange are off to enjoy the changing of the guard in a few... I'll be strolling through the National Gallery (yay for free entry!), and then we'll head to the Tower Bridge and St. Paul's. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping and the sewers are wafting and we're all having a grand old time :). Wish us luck and lots of free WC's!

d.

Me, You, an' a Heeland Coo

Och aye - have yeh seen any heeland coo late'ly?!

Ah yes. The great and fantastic "heeland coo"... aka - the highland cow. Basically, a strange and hairy beast with a fringe of hair across its bangs that would put an emo hipster to shame. These "coo" were but a mini highlight of our trip across the highlands of Scotland.

Our first day had us joining up with a group of "Jimmies" (4 Aussies who wore the tartan red hats with red "hair" peaking out the ENTIRE WEEKEND (these hats are referred to as "Jimmy Hats")), an obnoxious Polish-Canadian student from Ottawa U (Ew. Sound familiar?! I am disgraced by this boy who was NOT me, despite some basic similarities...), and a few other smatterings of your token Japanese, American, and New Zealanders. We wound through the roads out of Edinburgh, up to our stay for two nights, a gorgeous hostel in Stromeferry (right up north, by the Isle of Skye), at break neck speeds, stopping here and there to admire historical points & pee. (30 pence for a pee being the low point of one of our pee breaks...) (I should clarify that we did not actually pee ON the historical point. It kind of reads that way, don't it.)

Day 2 was much of the same, but with higher cliffs and even more breathtaking scenery on the Isle of Skye, and today/Day 3 came to a close with a broken door on our mini-tour bus, with a fantastic last ditch attempt by our driver/guide, Ewan, to get one poor girl onto a train on time after our door delay in Inverness. (They didn't make it, but MAN did it make for a FANTASTIC bit of driving and gazelle-like dashing across Edinburgh!)

In the end, we didn't see Nessie, but we did have a great visit with Heidi and Eryn, and are already contemplating how much more luggage we might need by the end of this grand adventure. (Just me? Ugh...) A perfect Scottish adventure, even if my pure malt scotch whisky (Whisky Experience Tour, what?!) DID taste a bit like pears and death.

HA. At least I didn't spew like the hung over Canadian boy on our highlands tour did though...

Ah, but that's another story. ;)

Much love to all from here; London TOMORROW!

(Weeeeeee!)

Love,

Ange & the Canuck Crew

Nessie??

Only Fake Nessie.

**These photos compliments of one most wonderful Heidi St. Hill.