Benches and balconies

I woke up in the morning with what seemed to be the beginnings of a plan.  I knew that I wanted to get to Verona, but honestly I am not even sure why. I just really wanted to see Verona!! So I hopped on a train with a girl I met at the picnic last night, marni, and we headed east together.  

Now... This is where the story gets a little sketchy... See, I had done my research on Verona only to find that there were no hostels in the city. All I could find were very Vexpensive b&bs, and even those were impossible to get to without a car.  This didn't make any sense at all in my mind. Verona is a big tourist city!! There MUST  be a place for backpackers to go... Right? To be on the safe side I checked out a hostel in the city of bologna that I could take a train to if there was nowhere to stay in Verona. 

So I bravely hopped off the train, and said goodbye to marni and made my way to the old city. On the way, I met a young Ecuadorean girl who was studying in Germany and visiting italy.  Anna and I decided to stick together and see the sights for the day. We eventually found a tourist office, that explained that there are two hostels in the city (yes!)... But the one i needed was about a 30 minute walk away.  No problem!  So we started our hike up to the hostel on the other side of the city.  Of course what we didn't factor in was all of our picture taking, sight seeing time.  So by the time we were actually headed to the hostel, it was quite late. The woman at the tourist center had warned us that one hostel was full already, but she didn't know about the other.  This meant, unfortunately that if this hostel had no rooms left, I would not be able to make the train to bologna, and had no other prospects of a room...

While we were in Latvia, Aunt Silvya and Valerie teased me a little about my lack on planning... And I told them that if worse came to worst I could always sleep on a park bench!! Of course, that notion is much funnier when you aren't actually faced with not knowing where you will be sleeping that night... 

Needless to say, my stress level was high.

To get to the hostel we had to cross the river and practically climb a mountain. Oh, and did I mention that it's hot here?? I went from rainy and cold to melt-you-like-butter heat.  So we were dripping and winded when we finally made it to the hostel.  

I have been blessed with what we call "wiersema luck"... And things usually work out for us! Luckily the hostel had plenty of space, AND it was by far one of the coolest hostels I have stayed in yet.  It used to be a monastery, and it's atop a hill that overlooks the entire city.  There is a beautiful garden with ruins and statues, and even a chapel on the grounds.  I nearly started to cry, from relief of having a bed, and the absolute beauty from out my window.  

That evening I met a wonderful woman from Canada who was probably in her early 70's also staying at the hostel.  Her name was Irene, and I could barely understand her her Russian accent was so thick. (we never got around to finding out how she got to Canada...). But anyway she was feeling a bit lonely so I invited her to switch to our room.  She had so many stories to tell, of where she'd been, and who she'd met... And she told me that she still stays in hostels just because that is the best place to meet people.  Isn't that cool?? Anyway, she was staying in Verona until the opera started (I'll talk about that later) and then also planning on heading to croatia, so we briefly discussed traveling together.  I don't think the timing will work out, but she's a really wonderful woman!  

Although right now she is snoring in the bunk below me...

Anyway, i have fallen in love with Verona!  I am so excited to explore this beautiful city...

Milan madness

So in an epic jump across Europe, I took a plane from Riga Latvia all the way to Milan Italy.  Now, unfortunately, this isn't one that the cheap airlines do, or at least it wasn't any cheaper than a normal airline, so for the first time since coming to Europe, I flew a normal airline.  And it was heaven.  I'd forgotten just how much you give up when you fly cheap... It didn't help that I was given the exit row window seat... It was like a sign from the universe that I was to make the most of every moment of this extraordinarily comfortable flight.  Ah... Bliss!  So I stretched out my legs, and ate my complimentary sandwich and cookie and even had the audacity to ask for a second one.  Yesssss!

When we landed in Milan my first impression was just the noise and smell. I was once again back in a great big city.  I took the metro to my hostel outside the city center, and realized quickly that it was much farther than the advertisements had suggested... But thankfully the Milan public transportation system is reasonably easy to follow, and cheap.  

I made it to the hostel without getting lost even once (seriously this must be a record). The reception area and common room all looked very clean and friendly, which I expected considering the price I payed... Unfortunately all the hostels in Milan were overpriced and not highly rated.  But all seemed fine, until I got upstairs to my bed... I have never seen a mattress so dirty... Iiiick!!  AND the place had the audacity to charge extra for linens! Grr. 

Anyway, I really didn't have any sort of a plan past Milan... So I wasn't sure how long I'd stay there.  I decided to go into the city to check it out, and see how I felt.  So I started with what milan is most famous for, shopping.  Now, since I am incredibly short on space, there's really nothing I can buy.. So this got boring pretty fast.  So I went to where I am a little more passionate... The history stuff.  

Milan's duomo is by far it's most famous structure, and I have no trouble seeing why.  It's built in the center of the city in a huge white stone square.  When you come up out of the metro you are absolutely blinded by the reflection of light off of everything. Whenyour eyes adjust, your breath is taken away by the shear size and majesty of then church in front of you.  Tall, very thin spires each up everywhere, all intricately carved. 

 It's almost so beautiful that you don't notice the fifty or so guys looking for gawking tourists to sell stuff to... Or aka pickpocket. (oh yeah, these guys have us tourists ALL figured out!) 

Anyway, upon entering the church, I had my breathe sucked away from me again!  Now remember... I have been in A LOT of churches on this trip. Most of them gothic and pretty and old... Just like this one.  They get old fast.  However, this one struck me by surprise.  The dome was SO high and huge, that I felt as tiny as an ant.  It seemed like the roof was defying physics itself... Nothing should be able to stand this tall with so little support!  But here it is, hundreds of years later, still standing strong.  I felt so awe struck in this church, I didn't want to leave!  My neck ached from looking up for so long.., but it didn't matter.  It was so worth the vertigo.

After leaving the duomo, i wandered the center of Milan for a while.  Other than some pretty awesome street performers, I realized quickly that this city wasn't where I wanted to stay.  It was much too industrial and fashion centered... So I headed back to the hostel to make a plan.

At the hostel, I started talking to a young woman, and quickly found one of the best friends I have made on this trip. Elisa is a Brazilian living in Portugal, trying to make it as an opera singer.  She was in Milan auditioning for the conservatory there!! We hit it off right away, but as soon as we were able to start talking music, we were two peas in a pod! Elisa is one of the most high spirited people I have ever met. She says what she thinks, and often says it loudly :). 

As we were chatting, we found out that the receptionist was from Spain, and started talking to her as well. Seriously, thank goodness for English!  She invited us along to a picnic that some of her friends were hosting in a local park, so of course we agreed.  This ended up being more of a gigantic park party than a picnic!! Everyone brought tons of food, and more and mor people started showing up.  I don't think I have heard that many languages being spoken in one place anywhere else on my trip.  It was so cool! Plus the park was absolutely gorgeous... Fountains and monuments... A few Roman ruins... No biggy. 

Pretty soon, the guitars came out, and we had an absolute jam fest.  People were singing and dancing, and just having a wonderful time!  When I finally left, I'm pretty sure there was about to be a dance off between a guy from Italy and a girl from Spain. Oh man.

It was a perfect way to end my stay in milan.  I decided to keep moving forward... Although I still didn't really know where... But that's for the next blog!

Latvia: now, and in ten years

We started the day with the MOST fabulous breakfast!  We had these amazingly light Latvian pancakes with maple syrup... Mmm. I absolutely must get that recipe!  They were similar to German palatshinken, but even more tasty.  

Then we got back on the train to Riga!  Of course now that we knew where we were going, it seemed to take no time at all and we were back to our home away from home, the Metropoli hotel.  We took the day to do some last minute souvenir shopping and sight seeing. But when we were all shopped out, we decided to take a cruise of the canal system.  

The boat pickup we found was under a shopping mall in a concrete stairwell that screamed "drug deal gone wrong" to me... And I was feeling a little skeptical.  But after not much time at all, a very jolly looking wooden boat came to pick us up.  There was an informational tour going on in the back, but it was in a language other than English or German... So we were out of luck!  But the boat ride itself was really very entertaining all on its own. We knew enough of the city by then to be able to figure out where we were and what we were seeing.  For much of the ride we were out in a much larger river, which meant much larger waves. The driver seemed very unconcerned as he ate his lunch and drove us through some fairly large swells... All i can say is thank goodness none of us were prone to sea-sickness!!

At the end of the ride, things calmed down and we wound our way through some beautiful parks that surround the canal.  Really, Riga is a phenomenal city.  Aunt Silvya brought up the point that this city really hasn't been out from under occupation for that long... It is really just beginning to recover what it once was and to define itself as an independent city.  I would love to come back in maybe 10 years to see what kind of progress it has made!! I have a feeling that Latvia is going to become one of those destination spots, just like France or Italy.  

So we had one more night together, before heading to the airport the next morning.  We had a very long and silent ride back with a very surly and large Latvian man... But he gave us a smile as we left! So I think we got to him :)

I have to finish by saying thank you to Silvya and Valerie for allowing me to join them on this amazing adventure!! I probably never would have had the opportunity or the guts to go to latvia on my own.  They listened to all of my stories, and allowed me to be a total chatty cathy!! It was so wonderful to spend some quality time with people I love, when I am so far away from home.  What a blessing!!  We had tons of laughs and made wonderful memories... I'll miss them as I continue my trip!! But I am so glad I was able to meet up with them :). 

Jūrmala

Our third day we took a train to Jūrmala, which is a long stretch of beach not too far outside of Riga.  Once there, we found our hotel, which was a small and cozy bed and breakfast sort of place, we dropped off our stuff, and headed straight to the beach!  Now, the Baltic sea was beautiful, but certainly not warm enough for swimming! I can say that I stuck my toes in, but thats about it.  We had a lovey afternoon of relaxing in the sand and sun.  Later we had a nice lunch on the beach of calamari... Yum!!! 

We took some time to walk around the town we were staying in, and guess what?! We saw even more knitted socks, linen, and of course, amber. But it was such a beautiful afternoon that the walk was lovely.  

After the walk we went back to the hotel to check into our room... Mama's hotel was very quaint and cozy, but also a little weird... There was puffy padding all over the walls, mixed with zebra print furniture, and even a fake garden growing upside down out of the bathroom ceiling.  But our actual bedroom was the strangest of all.  Because we were on the top floor we were directly under the roof, which angled down into the floor directly above the bed... That means that everything you tried to get in or out of bed you got a nice WACK to the head!  Also, the same puffy, princess padding was used all over the doors... It made me feel like I was in one of those solitary confinement rooms, but made for a girly girl.  But despite the strange aspects it had a lot of charm, and was certainly unique.  There was even a lovely roof terrace to spend time on, which we all did before dinner.

Dinner was delicious but simple, although it was dampened by the news of the terrible fires back at home... As the evening progressed we heard more and more about the largest fire Colorado has seen in years... And it's been almost impossible to control! Here's to praying that some of this wet weather that has been following me goes in that direction, and that everyone stays safe!!

Rain rain go away, you're ruining our shopping day!

Second day in Riga and we were woken up by the rain!! It seems to be following me everywhere I go... But we are troopers and couldn't let a little water ruin our fun.  So we got up for breakfast...

Breakfast was a little more unusual here than I have been coming across.  Of course they have the typical toast and jam or cheese and meat, musli, and yogurt, but here they also included a variety of pickled herrings and some very runny eggs, which is apparently how they are preferred here.  I personally found it much too early in the morning for pickled fish, and I was hesitant about the eggs. However, there were brownies served as well, which was unusual, but delicious!!

Most of the day was spent trying to get out of the rain by going into shops.  Latvia is famous for a few things, mostly knitted goods, linen, and of course amber. I have never seen so much amber in my life... Every single shop had rows and rows of it.  Everything from necklaces to earrings to decorations, chess boards... All made of amber.  Now, don't get me wrong, I think that amber is a beautiful stone, however there is only so much of it a person can handle... I was getting to the point that if I saw another piece of amber I was just going to go off of my rocker...  I wouldnt be surprised if I dreamed of being eaten alive by some sort of amber monster or something, oy!!

But the upside of these shopping excursions was my renewed passion for knitting and crocheting! It's so amazing all of the wonderful things you can do. Watch out friends, Christmas presents may be my attempts at knitting things... 

Riga

This morning I was woken by a nice sharp kick to the shin by a security guard at about 4am.  Thanks SOOOO much for that, really! I needed to be up anyway.  So I was up and ready to roll and got on my early flight to Latvia to meet aunt Silvya!! 

Have I explained my Ryanair flight process already? Well... I'll explain again. Ryanair is an extremely cheap airline, as long as you follow all their rules. One toe out of line and it's fines out the wazoo. So they charge an extra 15€ to check a bag, but it's free to carry on... If you can fit it into the dreaded measuring box... And well... Mine doesnt. At least, not when it's full. So, I have developed a system. I wear my jeans and sweater... As well as my pajamas, and a few other shirts. Then I stick my toiletries in the pockets of my rain jacket and wear that too. That way, when my pack goes in it fits quite nicely! I may look a little funny... But hey! You don't know me :) And I always get a chuckle or two out of the staff. So anyway, once on board i strip all the extra layers and they go back into the bag. Take that, Ryanair!!

Alright, so I made it to Riga and had no trouble getting into the city. Man am I getting good at bus systems, I'll tell you what! ;) So I got there much earlier than I was expecting to, and had some time to explore the city after I found the hotel. (I just want to note the irony that I went directly from my worst sleeping place to the nicest overnight... You've got to love traveling!). I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting Riga to look like... But it certainly wasn't this! Riga is a beautiful old city that was obviously a real jewel at one point in time.  You can definitely still see some marks of the war and occupation in the city, but they are starting to rebuild and recover, and it's absolutely wonderful!!

A few hours later I met up with aunt Silvya and her sister Valerie at the hotel. Our hotel is the oldest in Riga called the metropoli hotel, and it's beautiful!  It's right in the old city, and a perfect location next to the opera house and the freedom statue.  It was so wonderful to see familiar faces!!! I honestly have loved traveling alone, you meet so many wonderful people, but it sure is nice and refreshing to meet up with people you love.  

Anyways, so first things first, went to an open air museum outside the city center. These three brave souls traveled WAY outside the city on very unfamiliar public transportation... Oh my... But we made it alright!! The museum itself was spectacular. The idea was to show different styles of housing and living in Latvia through history, and it's set in a picture perfect forested park. You can walk through the buildings which are all time period furnished, as well as watch people working and crafting things as they would have.  And of course, for those shopping inclined folks like my two companions, you can buy all of these hand made crafts. 

Aunt Silvya bought one item in particular that has a story I want to remember, which was a little wooden woven Easter egg.  In Latvia, these are given to children as "rabbit eggs" and they are told that if they sit very still and quietly with the egg, that it will hatch a real rabbit! :) I love learning about the little cultural details like that, maybe it's something I'll teach to the children in my life! :)

Planes, Trains, and... Charleroi

So today felt unbelievably eventful... Although now that I think about it I really didn't DO much of anything.  I started the day in Amsterdam, and left a little later than planned... (surprise surprise...) So I missed the train I was planning on taking, and had to grab one an hour later.  Other than that it all went smoothly.  The train conductor kind of took pity on me I think, and actually wrote out directions for getting to the bus station from Brussels to Charleroi airport (yet another itty bitty Ryanair airport to find..)

I wandered around Brussels for a few hours, although I found there wasn't too much to see, although I'd love to explore more of Belgium someday.

My biggest problem, right off the bat, was the language. I took like 5 years of french in high school, so you'd think I would be able to communicate, right? Wrong. German has entirely taken over my brain. And because German was much more helpful to me than English in the Dutch speaking countries, I just felt all sorts of language confused!! It took about 15 minutes of hard thinking for me to stop thinking"Sprechen Sie Englisch?"and switch to "Parlais-vous Anglais?" I almost jumped for joy when I remembered that simple phrase.. Uh oh. 

Eventually I stopped and had some delicious hot chocolate ice cream thing... And a waffle of course, before I headed out to the bus station.  The first bus was jam packed full, so i kinda held back to see if another one would come. As I waited, more people started to show up for the bus. A bunch of taxi drivers started coming up to folks saying "sorry, no bus today, it is broken. Only taxi" and I thought... Well that's strange, I just saw the bus not ten minutes ago! Me being blonde, it took a minute for me to get what was going on and to start warning folks that it was a scam.  Sure enough, when the bus came those guys were no where to be seen!

Eventually I made it out to the airport. Now... This is the part where those of you who are a little nervous about my traveling style might want to stop reading.  See my flight wasn't until early the next morning, so I decided to sleep in the airport rather than book a hostel or hotel in Brussels and get up SUPER early the next morning.  So I got myself comfortable and scoped out the best place for sleeping... Then got reeeeaaal bored. I think I sat in one spot for like 5 hours... Oy. I read, and talked to folks, and people watched. But it was dull.  I did however meet one girl about my age from Lithuania who was also sleeping in the airport. So we found a nice corner together and set up camp for the night... But seriously, no worries!! This is a totally legitimate thing to do... There's a website and everything! 

Beds are overrated.  There's nothing like good ol' concrete and artificial lighting to give you some beauty sleep... I'm sure it'll be an interesting night!