world famous Oliva!
First arriving on the pebble beach in Nice.overlooking the Med, in the Medieval village of Eze, one of the trip highlights for sure. 
Sunday, June 14, 2009
This is the end . .
OK.
so the flight home was pretty brutal and quite ho-hum. . . I've been home for a few days. Graduated from school, saw a lot of my amazing family, slept, felt sleep-deprived, cried about how I'm a continent away from where I'd like to be, and now am ready to ease back into Canadian life, for now.
Europe, you have not seen the last of me.
I feel like I should have some sorts of words of wisdom. . . .so here are some things I've learned!
-try not to throw up in one of the oldest and most famous buildings in the Western world.
-Mancs can hold their liquor. Even 16 year old ones.
-Politeness is appreciated all around the world.
-Smiling is easy and always understood.
and finally, sometimes it's important to asserts yourself in order to get the things that really matter!
ok, Renblawg, you have served your purpose. I think I'll try and put up a few photos.
peace to all the brothers, from Florida, to NYC, to Marseille, Antigonish, Tamps, Carp, and everywhere in between!
salut!
so the flight home was pretty brutal and quite ho-hum. . . I've been home for a few days. Graduated from school, saw a lot of my amazing family, slept, felt sleep-deprived, cried about how I'm a continent away from where I'd like to be, and now am ready to ease back into Canadian life, for now.
Europe, you have not seen the last of me.
I feel like I should have some sorts of words of wisdom. . . .so here are some things I've learned!
-try not to throw up in one of the oldest and most famous buildings in the Western world.
-Mancs can hold their liquor. Even 16 year old ones.
-Politeness is appreciated all around the world.
-Smiling is easy and always understood.
and finally, sometimes it's important to asserts yourself in order to get the things that really matter!
ok, Renblawg, you have served your purpose. I think I'll try and put up a few photos.
peace to all the brothers, from Florida, to NYC, to Marseille, Antigonish, Tamps, Carp, and everywhere in between!
salut!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
all my bags are packed, but I´m not ready to go
home in a few hours.
sad sad sad. But today was great. Ok the morning was terrible since we went out last night, it being our last real night here.
We decided to head to the beach. SO crowded, but it hit the spot, and gave us time for thinking, lying, being offered every possible thing imaginable.
We then walked to the Catedral, and there was an impromptu vocal performance that was a highlight of the trip for me, for sure. After their performance, all the singers came out into the crowd to kiss (double cheek kiss) and shake hands, and it was amazing and so different from the vocal jazz shows I´ve participated in.
Barcelona, I will miss you muy muy muy.
We also went to say goodbye to Oliva and her husband, who always kissed us and I told her (perfectly, obviously, in Spanish) that I´d be back in two years. And I will!
So, this is one of the last blog posts. If anyone´s still reading at this point, so much has been left out, and I can´t wait to share more stories with anyone and everyone in a few short days!
Call me! I want to avoid the coming back home depression.
European Adventures, we´ve have some ups and downs, izquierda y deretcha (cannot spell in spanish) and so much in between.
I will be back, but Canada still has a big spot in my heart.
This flight is going to suck, 3 transfers, jet lag, and tired from a long day of lying on the beach, drinking a one euro beer, eating haribo candies, and watching the tide rise and fall. Life is hard!
te amo, barcelona, te amo.
adios europa!
sad sad sad. But today was great. Ok the morning was terrible since we went out last night, it being our last real night here.
We decided to head to the beach. SO crowded, but it hit the spot, and gave us time for thinking, lying, being offered every possible thing imaginable.
We then walked to the Catedral, and there was an impromptu vocal performance that was a highlight of the trip for me, for sure. After their performance, all the singers came out into the crowd to kiss (double cheek kiss) and shake hands, and it was amazing and so different from the vocal jazz shows I´ve participated in.
Barcelona, I will miss you muy muy muy.
We also went to say goodbye to Oliva and her husband, who always kissed us and I told her (perfectly, obviously, in Spanish) that I´d be back in two years. And I will!
So, this is one of the last blog posts. If anyone´s still reading at this point, so much has been left out, and I can´t wait to share more stories with anyone and everyone in a few short days!
Call me! I want to avoid the coming back home depression.
European Adventures, we´ve have some ups and downs, izquierda y deretcha (cannot spell in spanish) and so much in between.
I will be back, but Canada still has a big spot in my heart.
This flight is going to suck, 3 transfers, jet lag, and tired from a long day of lying on the beach, drinking a one euro beer, eating haribo candies, and watching the tide rise and fall. Life is hard!
te amo, barcelona, te amo.
adios europa!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Oliva, te amo.
Barcelona keeps on getting better and better, which is why these posts are shorter and shorter!
Although maybe it´s a good thing we end here, because it´s exhausting to be in a city that sleeps. . . . who knows when!
We have discovered many gems in this city, actually, even on the block we´re staying on. Right next door there is a bakery called Oliva, run by the greatest two people ever to live. We don´t really know if her name is Oliva, but she will forever be Oliva to us. She runs the bakery with her husband, and for the past three mornings we have gone over to enjoy delicious chocolate croissants for breakfast. Actually, delicious isn´t strong enough of a word. They are to die for. Literally the best I have ever had, and we just came from Italy and France. . . . and they sure love their croissants there.
Were so sad to leave Oliva´s, and in broken Spanish we told her we´re leaving tomorrow, so we took a picture with her, and told her we´d be back tomorrow for our usual. Oh, it´s great.
the other Barc obsession has been a Thai restaurant right across our street. Pad thai is possibly my favourite food ever, and I eat it a lot, and again I can say with absolute certainty that they have the best pad thai I have ever had, hands down. No competition with any thai place I´ve been to. We´ve been twice. . . we´re skimping on dinner tonight in order to justify going out to the same restaurant twice, especially when we´re supposed to be backpacking, and cooking our own meals. . . . but it really is so good we can´t help it.
So, despite the previous paragraphs, we are doing more in this city than just eating. This morning we went to Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia. . . yep, still being built, and it won´t be completed until about 2030. Going there and seeing it, you can definitely understand why. It´s the most visited site in Spain for a reason, and we waiting in a decently long line to be able to get inside and head down the intense spirally stairs.
Last night wasn´t as eventful as our previous night here, but Thomas who works at the hostel played guitar, and we all hung out here. Danielle and I almost decided to go with these girls to a salsa club. . . but maybe better judgment stopped us. Anyways, Thomas played everything from Sublime to Jack Johnson, to Brasilian songs, to Ben Harper, and it´s amazing to see how universal some songs are when they have messages of peace and love.
He also love Mason Jennings, so obviously we´re bff.
so the night before, about 15 maybe people from our hostel went out to this popular club called Razzmatazz. It was an experience. Mom, if you´re reading this, yes we were safe! But it really is true that you do not go out before 1 am. We got there maybe at 130 and it was empty. But the time we headed back around 530, people were still lining up to come in, and it was packed. Different lifestyle for sure. Also, it was nice to hear Metric and Crystal Castles play. Canadian indie represent.
Anyways, we´re going to do some more Gaudi and other touristy things tonight. The Wailers are apparently playing somewhere on this street, but our hostel is also organized some sort of fun night, except they probably have a cooler name for it than that!
Were home in two days. . . not ready, I wish I had a year here, but Ill be back. . . . mostly to see Oliva, our new bfffffff (for lifeeeeeeeee).
P.s if anyone mentions that 20 lbs I have gained I will kill you fuckers. That is all.
Although maybe it´s a good thing we end here, because it´s exhausting to be in a city that sleeps. . . . who knows when!
We have discovered many gems in this city, actually, even on the block we´re staying on. Right next door there is a bakery called Oliva, run by the greatest two people ever to live. We don´t really know if her name is Oliva, but she will forever be Oliva to us. She runs the bakery with her husband, and for the past three mornings we have gone over to enjoy delicious chocolate croissants for breakfast. Actually, delicious isn´t strong enough of a word. They are to die for. Literally the best I have ever had, and we just came from Italy and France. . . . and they sure love their croissants there.
Were so sad to leave Oliva´s, and in broken Spanish we told her we´re leaving tomorrow, so we took a picture with her, and told her we´d be back tomorrow for our usual. Oh, it´s great.
the other Barc obsession has been a Thai restaurant right across our street. Pad thai is possibly my favourite food ever, and I eat it a lot, and again I can say with absolute certainty that they have the best pad thai I have ever had, hands down. No competition with any thai place I´ve been to. We´ve been twice. . . we´re skimping on dinner tonight in order to justify going out to the same restaurant twice, especially when we´re supposed to be backpacking, and cooking our own meals. . . . but it really is so good we can´t help it.
So, despite the previous paragraphs, we are doing more in this city than just eating. This morning we went to Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia. . . yep, still being built, and it won´t be completed until about 2030. Going there and seeing it, you can definitely understand why. It´s the most visited site in Spain for a reason, and we waiting in a decently long line to be able to get inside and head down the intense spirally stairs.
Last night wasn´t as eventful as our previous night here, but Thomas who works at the hostel played guitar, and we all hung out here. Danielle and I almost decided to go with these girls to a salsa club. . . but maybe better judgment stopped us. Anyways, Thomas played everything from Sublime to Jack Johnson, to Brasilian songs, to Ben Harper, and it´s amazing to see how universal some songs are when they have messages of peace and love.
He also love Mason Jennings, so obviously we´re bff.
so the night before, about 15 maybe people from our hostel went out to this popular club called Razzmatazz. It was an experience. Mom, if you´re reading this, yes we were safe! But it really is true that you do not go out before 1 am. We got there maybe at 130 and it was empty. But the time we headed back around 530, people were still lining up to come in, and it was packed. Different lifestyle for sure. Also, it was nice to hear Metric and Crystal Castles play. Canadian indie represent.
Anyways, we´re going to do some more Gaudi and other touristy things tonight. The Wailers are apparently playing somewhere on this street, but our hostel is also organized some sort of fun night, except they probably have a cooler name for it than that!
Were home in two days. . . not ready, I wish I had a year here, but Ill be back. . . . mostly to see Oliva, our new bfffffff (for lifeeeeeeeee).
P.s if anyone mentions that 20 lbs I have gained I will kill you fuckers. That is all.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
barça = amor
so i won´t write anymore than I already love love love Barçelona, and it hasn´t even been 24 hours. La Rambla. . . words can´t really explain it. And the food is so good!
We´re heading out to a thai restaurant. . . restaurants don´t even open until 8. . . what are we, rockstars?????
barça, te amo
yet again, ben, tu as raison
We´re heading out to a thai restaurant. . . restaurants don´t even open until 8. . . what are we, rockstars?????
barça, te amo
yet again, ben, tu as raison
Friday, June 5, 2009
Benjamin was right. . . .
well, half right.
despite any late night bitching, today was actually a great day in Nice.
Went to the modern art museum, and the Museum of Massena, then Danielle and I layed on the pebble beach for one final time.
Xavier Rudd just came on the speakers, and I can tell this is going to be the start of a great five days.
We wanted to head out to Marseille, but the money factor, and last night we spoke to someone who told us it was worth going to, but not for the amount it would have costed us, and the short visit we would have had there.
Also, if anyone has ever had the "deluxe fries" at Mcdonalds, they are heaven on earth. Heaven. I will miss them!
Goodbye France, je t'aime, mais c'est le temps de partir. Je reviendrai bientot.
p.s for future reference, anyone who knows Benjamin. . . . heed his advice well. He knows best!
despite any late night bitching, today was actually a great day in Nice.
Went to the modern art museum, and the Museum of Massena, then Danielle and I layed on the pebble beach for one final time.
Xavier Rudd just came on the speakers, and I can tell this is going to be the start of a great five days.
We wanted to head out to Marseille, but the money factor, and last night we spoke to someone who told us it was worth going to, but not for the amount it would have costed us, and the short visit we would have had there.
Also, if anyone has ever had the "deluxe fries" at Mcdonalds, they are heaven on earth. Heaven. I will miss them!
Goodbye France, je t'aime, mais c'est le temps de partir. Je reviendrai bientot.
p.s for future reference, anyone who knows Benjamin. . . . heed his advice well. He knows best!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
and catch a plane to barcelona. . .
cos this city's a drag.
so, Nice is not so nice on the 6th day.
It;s still beautiful, and coastal, and the nutella and crepes still taste just as sweet. . . . but on a under 3 week trip, staying in an older person town isn't really the most exciting thing ever.
We've kind of got the blues about it, which is such a bummer. Because of the planes and bus we booked, we were left with way too much time in Nice.
oh well. . . we leave for Barc, oh dear Barc, tomorrow around 11pm. . . and it could not come sooner.
But. . . we still had a great day today. We went to this Medieval mountain top village called Eze. It was breathtaking,and not too touristy so that was nice. We have also been eating possibly the best brownies in the world at our hostel.
Oh, we also made some friends in our last hostel, Baccarat. We shared a room with two girls from NYC and a couple from Sweden, and we spend one night drinking cheap wine, and talking about our respective countries, and mutual love of Friends, the t.v show.
Mmmm what else. .. I guess it's lame that I'm writing this at 1 am our time. We hit the "scene" at our hostel, chatted with a nice guy from Melbourne. We talked about Summer Heights High.
There's a pretty rockin party going on in the common room under me, which used to be a chapel, but I cAN'T be bothered. . . I'm already in my jammies. Plus, obviously I'm saving my big nights out for Barcelona, the city I;ve built up so much in my mind and heart that it cannot possibly live up to the expectations.
Oh,. but it will! Blog world, expect a whole different vibe from Renblawg.
Also, I know how completly princess it sounds to be glum on an amazing europe trip, so I will add that I'm not glum, today was great, but my advice to other travellers is to not book yourself into a corner with flights, because 6 days in one place get feel like eternity when you hear of others doing 5 cities in the time you were in one.
The cote d'azure is lovely. . . but it's a little too upper class for my liking.
Give me the grungy streets of Naples, with its street dogs, two hour lines for pizza, and pedestrian unfriendly streets!
Home on wednesday. I really wish I were staying for a year, only not in Nice.
so, Nice is not so nice on the 6th day.
It;s still beautiful, and coastal, and the nutella and crepes still taste just as sweet. . . . but on a under 3 week trip, staying in an older person town isn't really the most exciting thing ever.
We've kind of got the blues about it, which is such a bummer. Because of the planes and bus we booked, we were left with way too much time in Nice.
oh well. . . we leave for Barc, oh dear Barc, tomorrow around 11pm. . . and it could not come sooner.
But. . . we still had a great day today. We went to this Medieval mountain top village called Eze. It was breathtaking,and not too touristy so that was nice. We have also been eating possibly the best brownies in the world at our hostel.
Oh, we also made some friends in our last hostel, Baccarat. We shared a room with two girls from NYC and a couple from Sweden, and we spend one night drinking cheap wine, and talking about our respective countries, and mutual love of Friends, the t.v show.
Mmmm what else. .. I guess it's lame that I'm writing this at 1 am our time. We hit the "scene" at our hostel, chatted with a nice guy from Melbourne. We talked about Summer Heights High.
There's a pretty rockin party going on in the common room under me, which used to be a chapel, but I cAN'T be bothered. . . I'm already in my jammies. Plus, obviously I'm saving my big nights out for Barcelona, the city I;ve built up so much in my mind and heart that it cannot possibly live up to the expectations.
Oh,. but it will! Blog world, expect a whole different vibe from Renblawg.
Also, I know how completly princess it sounds to be glum on an amazing europe trip, so I will add that I'm not glum, today was great, but my advice to other travellers is to not book yourself into a corner with flights, because 6 days in one place get feel like eternity when you hear of others doing 5 cities in the time you were in one.
The cote d'azure is lovely. . . but it's a little too upper class for my liking.
Give me the grungy streets of Naples, with its street dogs, two hour lines for pizza, and pedestrian unfriendly streets!
Home on wednesday. I really wish I were staying for a year, only not in Nice.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
des crepes avec nutella, et un café, s'il-te-plait
mmmmm le café,
mmmmm les baguettes,
mmmmm le nutella!!
je reviens au Canada au moins 10lbs de plus, et ça ne me donne pas de peine car je mange comme une championne!!!!
Today was so far a shopping and eating day. If you know me at all, you surely know it is not my favourite passtime not by a long shot (EATING IS); . But here the shops are so unique and different, and strip malls are seemingly non-existant, so it's been fun.
So obviously I4M OFF TO shop for dinner.......BAGUETTE here I come.
p.s it has literally taken me 20 mins to write this..... thanks french keyboard
mmmmm les baguettes,
mmmmm le nutella!!
je reviens au Canada au moins 10lbs de plus, et ça ne me donne pas de peine car je mange comme une championne!!!!
Today was so far a shopping and eating day. If you know me at all, you surely know it is not my favourite passtime not by a long shot (EATING IS); . But here the shops are so unique and different, and strip malls are seemingly non-existant, so it's been fun.
So obviously I4M OFF TO shop for dinner.......BAGUETTE here I come.
p.s it has literally taken me 20 mins to write this..... thanks french keyboard
Monday, June 1, 2009
la France, mon amour
so, I love it here. What a relief to understand and be understood..... we got to Nice 2 nights ago at 4am, and these boys escorted us to our hotel..... were pretty sure a man from our bus paid them to, but I think mqybe they were just really 'nice'. ha ha ha
The air in France is reviving Danielle, and weve done quite a bit since we got here. The beach here is pebbles; which is so different. Also, our hostel is def a party hostel, and the girls in our room qre super cool.
This keyboard is so hard to type on, so this will be brief; but we also went to Monaco today, and saw the Oceanography museum .... Brandon if you're reading this, we thought of you.
Also, Renblag might soon be graced by a guest writer, so stay tuned.
The air in France is reviving Danielle, and weve done quite a bit since we got here. The beach here is pebbles; which is so different. Also, our hostel is def a party hostel, and the girls in our room qre super cool.
This keyboard is so hard to type on, so this will be brief; but we also went to Monaco today, and saw the Oceanography museum .... Brandon if you're reading this, we thought of you.
Also, Renblag might soon be graced by a guest writer, so stay tuned.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Ciao Napoli!
Renblawg = official new name thanks to Kayla A.
Napoli (Naples) is insane, and we wre just in Rome, which is a tough act to follow! If anyone evr comes to Naples, Hostel of the Sun is where its at. Best so far by a landslide. Had pizza again today. . . and then a salad with corn, and I dont think I can ever have another without corn.
Im sad were leaving Italy in 2 days. . . .Im starting to get the language a bit more, and today on the street I had a long conversation in Spanish with someone! All my nerdy hours self=teaching myself have paid off!
So Barça won. Oh well, Im definitely not a die=hard fan or anything, and maybe by th time we get to Barcelona they will still be celebrating!
Tomorrow were heading to Capri for the day, and maybe to another island, or the Vesuvius volcano, then I wll probably hunt down the best pizza in the world, although Danielle is really, really sick of pizza, so I might just have to eat a whole pie to myself.
Finally, last night in our room the two other girls were from Kanata! Really! Its a small world after all!
Saturday= France here we come! How many times will my French=Canadian accent be mocked . . .well see.
Heard its raining back home. . .pushing 25 degrees for the fourth day in a row!
peace
Napoli (Naples) is insane, and we wre just in Rome, which is a tough act to follow! If anyone evr comes to Naples, Hostel of the Sun is where its at. Best so far by a landslide. Had pizza again today. . . and then a salad with corn, and I dont think I can ever have another without corn.
Im sad were leaving Italy in 2 days. . . .Im starting to get the language a bit more, and today on the street I had a long conversation in Spanish with someone! All my nerdy hours self=teaching myself have paid off!
So Barça won. Oh well, Im definitely not a die=hard fan or anything, and maybe by th time we get to Barcelona they will still be celebrating!
Tomorrow were heading to Capri for the day, and maybe to another island, or the Vesuvius volcano, then I wll probably hunt down the best pizza in the world, although Danielle is really, really sick of pizza, so I might just have to eat a whole pie to myself.
Finally, last night in our room the two other girls were from Kanata! Really! Its a small world after all!
Saturday= France here we come! How many times will my French=Canadian accent be mocked . . .well see.
Heard its raining back home. . .pushing 25 degrees for the fourth day in a row!
peace
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Who the fuck are Man United?
So as is turns out, we are in Rome for the Champions League Football (soccer) final match.
Kind of a big deal. . . . it really is NUTS, but in the best way possible. Manchester United are playing FC Barcelona. We have met so many Mancs that we cant help but cheer for them tonight. We even spent an hour looking for Man United scarves. . . . but had to settle on half Man half Barcelona.
Last night at a bar, there were probably 30 Man United fans singing and chanting for an hour and a half ! SO loud that everyone has to listen. Not to be outdone, we probably saw over 200 Barcelona fans today at the Vatican. . . equally loud, equally cheery.
OH also, the sale of alcohol is BANNED today in Rome!!! You can get it in pubs, but not in liquor stores, grocery stores, etc because of the match. I have NEVER seen such . . . I dont even know how to put it. Were so lucky to have been here at this time!
Oh, we also went to a little place called St Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Words cannot describe these, so I wont even try. But wow! We saw the Pope give a Mass (Alexis we thought of you, we took pictures) and even though I am the furthest thing from religious, its pretty impressive.
So were leaving Rome tomorrow for Naples, and staying there two nights and three days where we will eat the best pizza in the world.
Danielle is surviving on a diet of only gelato. Its sooo good.
Anyways, thats all for now. . . so much more to say, the rest Ill save for in person!
Ciao (yeah, I say that now)
Kind of a big deal. . . . it really is NUTS, but in the best way possible. Manchester United are playing FC Barcelona. We have met so many Mancs that we cant help but cheer for them tonight. We even spent an hour looking for Man United scarves. . . . but had to settle on half Man half Barcelona.
Last night at a bar, there were probably 30 Man United fans singing and chanting for an hour and a half ! SO loud that everyone has to listen. Not to be outdone, we probably saw over 200 Barcelona fans today at the Vatican. . . equally loud, equally cheery.
OH also, the sale of alcohol is BANNED today in Rome!!! You can get it in pubs, but not in liquor stores, grocery stores, etc because of the match. I have NEVER seen such . . . I dont even know how to put it. Were so lucky to have been here at this time!
Oh, we also went to a little place called St Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Words cannot describe these, so I wont even try. But wow! We saw the Pope give a Mass (Alexis we thought of you, we took pictures) and even though I am the furthest thing from religious, its pretty impressive.
So were leaving Rome tomorrow for Naples, and staying there two nights and three days where we will eat the best pizza in the world.
Danielle is surviving on a diet of only gelato. Its sooo good.
Anyways, thats all for now. . . so much more to say, the rest Ill save for in person!
Ciao (yeah, I say that now)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
ROME!!!!!
Hiiii from Europe!
First of all, excuse my typos. . . different keyboard.
Second, we are leaving our first hostel in 10 minutes, so this will be super super short.
The plane was fine, long, but fine. We watched Bride Wars. . . . do NOT do this.
We had the BEST sandwhiches of LIFE on the flight from Frankfurt to Rome, mmmmm.
After getting over jet lag, we toured Rome for a day yesterday. We went to the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and had dinner at a tiny cafe.
We have met SO many people. especially Canadians, and people from Manchester. . . stayed out till 3 ish last night with some rowdy boys.
anyways, time to head to the next hostel.
all my love and go wings go!
First of all, excuse my typos. . . different keyboard.
Second, we are leaving our first hostel in 10 minutes, so this will be super super short.
The plane was fine, long, but fine. We watched Bride Wars. . . . do NOT do this.
We had the BEST sandwhiches of LIFE on the flight from Frankfurt to Rome, mmmmm.
After getting over jet lag, we toured Rome for a day yesterday. We went to the Colosseum, the Forum, the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and had dinner at a tiny cafe.
We have met SO many people. especially Canadians, and people from Manchester. . . stayed out till 3 ish last night with some rowdy boys.
anyways, time to head to the next hostel.
all my love and go wings go!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Cannes you dig it?
TWO DAYS TWO DAYS TWO DAYS!!!
When the F did this happen?
Well, I found out that a frw of my friends are actually following this mundane attempt at sharing travel plans. . . . *Hi Alexis!* so I'll continue for now.
Anyways, we have slightly changed our schedule. . . and added Nice to the tour! From there, day trips to Cannes (and Monaco) are in the works, for sure.
The hostels we are staying in RULE ( famous last words) and I'm getting pretty pumped.
If anyone reading this wants a postcard. . . send me your address! :)
Happy Birthday Sarah!
When the F did this happen?
Well, I found out that a frw of my friends are actually following this mundane attempt at sharing travel plans. . . . *Hi Alexis!* so I'll continue for now.
Anyways, we have slightly changed our schedule. . . and added Nice to the tour! From there, day trips to Cannes (and Monaco) are in the works, for sure.
The hostels we are staying in RULE ( famous last words) and I'm getting pretty pumped.
If anyone reading this wants a postcard. . . send me your address! :)
Happy Birthday Sarah!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
dear heaven on earth, here we come!
Capri! Thanks to Lou Labrosse, a new destination has been added: the island of Capri.
I'll let the images speak louder than my words, since I haven't (yet) seen all of its beauty.
I'll let the images speak louder than my words, since I haven't (yet) seen all of its beauty.
Monday, May 18, 2009
. . .and catch a plane to Barcelona, 'cos this city's a drag.
oh Adam Duritz. For Kayla, if you read this, I always think of you when I hear this song :). Seems appropriate now, as I'd not listened to it in a long time.
(ummm a few words might have been changed to better suit my life)
Got no place to go but there's a girl waiting for me down in Mexico.
She's got a bottle of tequila, a bottle of gin.
And if I bring a little music I can fit right in.
We've got airplane rides.
We got Ottawa drowning out the window side.
We've got big red cars.
And we've got stories how we slept with . . . no one at all.
I may take a holiday in Spain.
Leave my wings behind me.
Drink my worries down the drain.
And fly away to somewhere new.
Hop on my choo-choo, I'll be your engine driver in a bunny suit.
If you dress me up in pink and white we may be just a little fuzzy 'bout it later tonight. She's my angel, she's a little better than the one that used to be with me. Cause she liked to scream at me Man, it's a miracle that she's (I'm) not living up in a tree.
I may take a holiday in Spain. Leave my wings behind me, drive this little girl insane, and fly away to someone new.
Everybody's gone, they left the television screaming that the radio's on. Someone stole my shoes But there's a couple of bananas and a bottle of booze (pancake mix?).
Oh, well happy Victoria Day, baby. We could probably fix it if we clean it up all day.
Or we could simply pack our bags. And catch a plane to Barcelona 'cause this city's a drag.
I may take a holiday in Spain Leave my wings behind me. Flush my worries down the drain.
And fly away to somewhere new. Take a holiday in Spain. Leave my wings behind me. Drive this little girl insane. Fly away to someone new. Fly away to someone new. Fly away to someone new . .
(ummm a few words might have been changed to better suit my life)
Got no place to go but there's a girl waiting for me down in Mexico.
She's got a bottle of tequila, a bottle of gin.
And if I bring a little music I can fit right in.
We've got airplane rides.
We got Ottawa drowning out the window side.
We've got big red cars.
And we've got stories how we slept with . . . no one at all.
I may take a holiday in Spain.
Leave my wings behind me.
Drink my worries down the drain.
And fly away to somewhere new.
Hop on my choo-choo, I'll be your engine driver in a bunny suit.
If you dress me up in pink and white we may be just a little fuzzy 'bout it later tonight. She's my angel, she's a little better than the one that used to be with me. Cause she liked to scream at me Man, it's a miracle that she's (I'm) not living up in a tree.
I may take a holiday in Spain. Leave my wings behind me, drive this little girl insane, and fly away to someone new.
Everybody's gone, they left the television screaming that the radio's on. Someone stole my shoes But there's a couple of bananas and a bottle of booze (pancake mix?).
Oh, well happy Victoria Day, baby. We could probably fix it if we clean it up all day.
Or we could simply pack our bags. And catch a plane to Barcelona 'cause this city's a drag.
I may take a holiday in Spain Leave my wings behind me. Flush my worries down the drain.
And fly away to somewhere new. Take a holiday in Spain. Leave my wings behind me. Drive this little girl insane. Fly away to someone new. Fly away to someone new. Fly away to someone new . .
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
a few more Naples shots.
Naples <3
wow, wow, wow.
b r e a t h t a k i n g
Immacolatella fountain, Naples.
Naples! Pizza! What Else is There?
Naples, Naples, Naples. It seems so obvious. . . why have these words rarely exited my mouth?Pizza, Pizza, Pizza.As someone who has had more relationships with food items than actual people, obviously, these words leave my mouth every few days. A fourth city has tentatively been added. This city is Naples! On my mom’s suggestion ( and threatening urging, actually) I’m reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Eat, Pray, Love.” So far I’ve only read the “eat” part, in which she recounts her own adventures in Italy. Yesterday I read her about her visit to Naples. She visited the place where they serve the best pizza in the world. . . and I actually kind of believe her.
“I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with this pizza... Thin, doughy, strong, gummy, yummy, chewy, salty pizza paradise. On top, there is a sweet tomato sauce that foams up all bubbly and creamy when it melts the fresh buffalo mozzarella . . .Sofie and I each order another pie- another whole pizza each- and Sofie tries to pull herself together, but really, the pizza is so good we can barely cope.”
“I love my pizza so much, in fact, that I have come to believe in my delirium that my pizza might actually love me, in return. I am having a relationship with this pizza... Thin, doughy, strong, gummy, yummy, chewy, salty pizza paradise. On top, there is a sweet tomato sauce that foams up all bubbly and creamy when it melts the fresh buffalo mozzarella . . .Sofie and I each order another pie- another whole pizza each- and Sofie tries to pull herself together, but really, the pizza is so good we can barely cope.”
After reading that passage, four words entered my mind: "Naples, here I come!"
Monday, May 11, 2009
Google Earth: Helpful, yet not as Good as the Real Thing
One step closer! Something has been booked!!
For our first three nights, we're staying in a campsite just a bit out of Rome. A friend told me he stayed there, and loved it. The price is also reasonable, and it seems fun. Yes, it is a bit odd that two people who live in the country are leaving it and going, well, camping, but I'm sure it's not actually roughing it by any means. So that's a good step!
There are still many decisions to be made, like deciding if we want to visit a fourth city, if we want to book transportation now (probably a good idea). . . well, I guess those are the two last ones that remain. I think the top city contenders seem to be Florence, or perhaps another city in Spain, or even France. It might be nice to visit a smaller town other than huge Metropolitain areas, but who knows. It's hard to focus on just the trip with friends coming home, work popping up everyday and needing to clean my room and organize my next year.
I've been looking up the cities on Google Earth. Oh my god it's fun, which tells me a lot about my ideas of fun.
There isn't much else to update, it's a beautiful day outside in Carp!
For our first three nights, we're staying in a campsite just a bit out of Rome. A friend told me he stayed there, and loved it. The price is also reasonable, and it seems fun. Yes, it is a bit odd that two people who live in the country are leaving it and going, well, camping, but I'm sure it's not actually roughing it by any means. So that's a good step!
There are still many decisions to be made, like deciding if we want to visit a fourth city, if we want to book transportation now (probably a good idea). . . well, I guess those are the two last ones that remain. I think the top city contenders seem to be Florence, or perhaps another city in Spain, or even France. It might be nice to visit a smaller town other than huge Metropolitain areas, but who knows. It's hard to focus on just the trip with friends coming home, work popping up everyday and needing to clean my room and organize my next year.
I've been looking up the cities on Google Earth. Oh my god it's fun, which tells me a lot about my ideas of fun.
There isn't much else to update, it's a beautiful day outside in Carp!
Friday, May 8, 2009
European Adventure T-Minus 16 Days!
O.K! Well, the title says it all! 16 more days until I (we) depart on a European Adventure for a little under three weeks this summer!
My travelling companion is my dear, dear friend Danielle. We have both just finished our undergrad degrees, and it feels like the perfect time to head off on "the trip of a lifetime" (too ambitious?).
So far, the trip will begin in Roma, Italy. After a few days breaking my vegan diet by eating copious amonts of pizza ("When in Rome. . . .") the trip will take us to Marseille, in the South of France. From there, we will end in Barcelona, Spain. The more I look into Barcelona, and speak to people who've been, I get complete mixed feelings. The purse snatching, fake-gypsy scams, etc. etc. obviously bring feelings of apprehension, but at the same time, these grim tales are outmatched by the many, many great things I've heard about Barcelona.
We're trying to book our first few hostels, and roughly think of things to do. I have also received mixed accounts about planning: some swear by having everything planned to the T, while others say a more "go with the flow" attitude makes for a spontaneous and amazing trip. I guess ours will be somewhere in the middle.
There is SO MUCH left to do. I'm trying to work as often as I can in order to have more than enough spending money, but so far tips have been low, as have been the hours I've worked.
We obviously need to finalize a few things before we leave. I plan on doing a bit more "research" into the cities we're visiting, to better appreciate what I'll be experiencing.
Changing money, and a lot more boring stuff I'll save for myself.
I'm off to run to clear my head. . . only 16 more runs in before we leave, because I doubt I'll do much running in Europe.
How does one sign off these things?
Peace for now,
Ren.
My travelling companion is my dear, dear friend Danielle. We have both just finished our undergrad degrees, and it feels like the perfect time to head off on "the trip of a lifetime" (too ambitious?).
So far, the trip will begin in Roma, Italy. After a few days breaking my vegan diet by eating copious amonts of pizza ("When in Rome. . . .") the trip will take us to Marseille, in the South of France. From there, we will end in Barcelona, Spain. The more I look into Barcelona, and speak to people who've been, I get complete mixed feelings. The purse snatching, fake-gypsy scams, etc. etc. obviously bring feelings of apprehension, but at the same time, these grim tales are outmatched by the many, many great things I've heard about Barcelona.
We're trying to book our first few hostels, and roughly think of things to do. I have also received mixed accounts about planning: some swear by having everything planned to the T, while others say a more "go with the flow" attitude makes for a spontaneous and amazing trip. I guess ours will be somewhere in the middle.
There is SO MUCH left to do. I'm trying to work as often as I can in order to have more than enough spending money, but so far tips have been low, as have been the hours I've worked.
We obviously need to finalize a few things before we leave. I plan on doing a bit more "research" into the cities we're visiting, to better appreciate what I'll be experiencing.
Changing money, and a lot more boring stuff I'll save for myself.
I'm off to run to clear my head. . . only 16 more runs in before we leave, because I doubt I'll do much running in Europe.
How does one sign off these things?
Peace for now,
Ren.
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