Sleeping

One of the hardest parts about this sort of traveling is adapting to new sleeping arrangements. In the last three days I have slept in a room hotter than the outside air, upon a bench on the deck of a night ferry, and in a bland, but thankfully air conditioned hotel room. It's worth it of course.

I slept in the hot room because I wanted a place close enough to walk to after coming back from the theatre at 2:30 in the morning. (Going to the theatre of Epidarus was one of the greatest experiences I've had this summer.) I slept on the ferry to get to Crete, where I swam in the Sea of Crete (bluest water I have ever seen) and visited the sadly overcrowded Minoan Site of Knossos. Tonight I take another night ferry, but I have another hotel room booked for my last night on the 'continent', before flying back to the UK.

It's been an amazing experience, but will anyone be surprised to hear that I'm ready to be done? To stop hauling Dad's old red backpack around Europe and settle into a stable life? Strange to discover after so many years of believing myself to be an independent, valiant explorer that at heart... I'm a homebody.

Delphi

Last night I spent the evening in the mountains of Delphi. Beautiful, and with a sea breeze that made it much preferable to Athens. This morning I wandered down to visit the ruins of the most spiritual place in the ancient world: the Sanctuary of Apollo (forgive my spelling, the spellcheck's in Greek). I wandered through piles of stone and reconstructed buildings and particially standing columns. What a world it must have been. Will any of our buildings last anywhere near as long? Why have we lost respect for architecture? Is it simply because it's all so easy now?

The Parthenon is covered in scaffolding and someone told me it had been for thirty years because the construction company doesn't want to lose the cushy contract and so they will never finish the job. Pathetic. The Ancient Greeks would never have stood for it. The Spartens would have killed them all. Probably at birth. I'm a bit tired, which hopefully excuses my random ramblings. Tomorrow night I'm going to Epidaurus to see a classic play in a classic theatre. So excited.

Harry Potter in Greece

So after my 16 hour ferry ride I bought a copy of the new Harry Potter book and read it on the way across the country to Athens and finished it lying in bed in my first room with AC. Therefore, I can't actually tell you much about Greece yet.

What the book managed to do however, was take my mind off the burn that was so bad it managed to raise the bubbled skin almost a quarter of an inch above the rest of my shoulder. Disturbing. And probably too much information.

I had been traveling with someone I met in Naples, but we couldn't find accomadation at the same hostel and he was supposed to meet me this morning to buy the book off me since we could only find one copy, but he didn't show up. However, I'm confident I can find someone to sell it to.

Volcanoes and sunburn

So, a word to the wise from the not-so-wise. SPF 15- not good enough for an entire day in the Italian sun. My shoulders look like Mt Vesuvirus erupted on them. It was worth it though, to go up to the top of a volcano and then explore Pompeii. There were so many people there, but it was so large that if you went down the right street, it was like you were alone with the ghosts.

I also met this really lovely English couple on the way to the volcano. They shared their lunch with me and we had a really good conversation. But I am excited to be heading to Greece. I should arrive in Athens by this time... Tuesday. Long trip, but hopefully the scenery will be good.

Tourists

Yesterday I was in the Forum, happily wandering through various ruins. I got there about nine and it was fairly empty. An hour or so later and I realized I no longer had as much space I originally did. Due, of course, to the half dozen tourist groups who had suddenly swarmed in, wearing their earpieces and matching bandannas. But luckily, Rome's big enough for both myself, and the tourist groups.

And the locals too I suppose.

Cats!

Today I took the advice Diane gave me and went to the Largo Argentina ruins, which house a cat sanctuary. The Italians do not take care of their animals. Apparently it's quite common for owners to abandon their cats when they go on holidays and they believe it to be "unnatural" to neuter their animals. So these people are illegal squaters who raise money to feed, neuter, and take care of these cats, many of which have been terribly abused.

So I spent a wonderful hour or so petting cats, some missing a leg, several blind, and all adorable. Later they gave a tour of the ruins, which holds not only cats, but also the assumed position where Julius Caesar was stabbed to death. It was an easier day than yesterday, but all the walking (much of it to no purpose I fear) has made me quite exhausted. Tomorrow- the Forum!

The Eternal City

I had a proper tourist day today. Got up at six in the morning to wait in line for the Sistine chapel. Despite arriving three hours early, there were a number of people ahead of me. But it was cleverly done and I got in without a fuss.

The chapel is... well those of you who have seen it know, but at first it seemed like being trapped in a crayon box. The colors were so vivid that for a moment I couldn't make out what they created. It was like a crayon box in another way too, in that there were so many people in there I couldn't see the floor. Once I planted myself however and looked up, the images came together in an astonishing way. Unbelievable.

From there I saw the rest of the Vatican museum and then moved onto St Peter's. Now, I've seen a lot of churches, but this one shook me out of my architectural stupor. So beautiful, and to see the Pieta, even behind glass, was a wonderful experience. My favorite part of the morning however, besides eating watermelon, was in realizing that while it took 3 hours to get into the museum, it took about 3 minutes to get into the church. Classic.

I honestly did mean to go back after that and take a well-deserved nap (I haven't slept a lot in the last few nights due to the heat), but I kept noticing how very close I was to this piazza, or that fountain and in the end I didn't get back to the hostel until 7pm and by that point it was too late to nap, so I took a shower, went to the Spanish steps, where I was accosted by the rudest rose-seller I've ever had the misfortune to meet, and then came back to make a bit of dinner and wind down the day.

It was good that I ate something solid, for most of my calories lately have been in drinks, fruit, ice cream, along with the gallon or so of water. It's just too hot for me to be hungry until the sun goes down and takes the worst of the heat with it, but all the sugar I'm ingesting is not good for me.

Tomorrow I plan to see the main ruins. I saw the Parthenon today, but it had been turned into a church. Which seems wrong to me somehow...

Art, mosquitoes, and heat

It's very hot here. I really should have thought this going to Italy in the high season thing through a little more carefully, but... in the end, this isn't going to be what I remember. I won't remember the dozens of mosquito bites covering my legs, or the trickle of sweat that constantly runs down the side of my face whenever I'm outside.

What I will remember is the quick peeks of the hills outside the city as I walk by a long street. Or finally seeing an original Artemisia painting seven years after the project I did on her. Or splurging on an audio guide and getting an entire history of Italian painting from the 13th to the 18th century at the Uffizi. I will remember David, who I did decide to see (and only waited for an hour!) and how struck sad he looked, not at all like the pictures. I will remember refilling my water bottle at a pump outside the Duomo. I may remember the constant thirst, but hopefully not...

Florence is lovely, but like Venice, I think I would rather come here at a different time in my life, when I have a little more money and maybe even more understanding of the history. Coming when it's twenty degrees cooler also seems like a clever idea.

From what I've read about Rome however, it seems as if there are lots of things to see and do that you don't pay for. More local colour perhaps. Hopefully not so many tourists, or at least, with a larger city, not so many noticeable tourists. I guess we'll find out tomorrow.

Goodbye Venice, Hello Florence

So I left Venice (and without seeing a single museum or church, bad Jenna). I did see the most amazing sunset while riding a twilight vaporetto around the city. I didn't actually do a lot while I was there, because it was a giant tourist trap. I simply couldn't afford to pay for the museums. I did pay to see the Palacio Ducale, after I walked pasted the 100m line for the basilica and turned the corner. It held both the apartments for the Doge and the council chambers, it was also attached to the dungeons by the bridge of sighs.

I'll have to make it up and go to a museum or to while I'm in Florence. Though I think I'll skip the three hour wait to see the David sculpture. I would like to see the Birth of Venus however.

So far I rather like Florence. I like it, but I don't love it. Perhaps people talked it up to me too much. Or maybe it's just the heat getting to me. It is rather hot, but I should suck it up, because it's only going to get hotter as I head south.

I just came back from the Duomo (saw one church in Florence anyway), which is incredibly beautiful outside, pale pink and dark green marble and quite stark inside. But mostly I've just been doing a lot of walking. I'm a bit burnt out on churches and museums.

Water water everywhere

Let's talk about water, dozens of bridges, water boats and water taxis. Let's talk about narrow empty stone streets that suddenly open up on busy squares. Let's talk about gothic buidlings, glorious churches and bright pink foam alligators mounted above doors (no idea, but they're everywhere). Let's talk about about gelatto on every corner, mocking my lactose intolerance. Let's talk about breath-taking glass creations with jaw-dropping price tags. Let's talk about the quicknes of breath that accompanies the inner monolouge "Is it? I think... yes! San Marco." Let's talk about Venice.

Or better still, let us be silent and simply take it all in.

Switzerland

I'm spending one night in Basel. It's really charming, though it's hard to tell how much of that is based on the fact that I only had 3 hours of sleep last night. (Insomnia and early trains don't mix)

But I took a pda audio walking tour (ain't technology great?) and rode across the river on a cable boat. And I bought a watch. A Swiss watch. But really, other than the different money, it's much the same as a similar-sized German town.

The hostel is quite nice though. Except for the three dozen children running around. There must be some sort of scouting trip or something. But my room looks out over the river and I do so love rivers...

It's going to take 8 hours on the train to get me to Venice tomorrow, so I really hope I can get some sleep tonight.

Return to Rain

Wow, so... Dresden is pretty. I think. It was hard to tell through the pouring rain.

But we´re back in Gottingen, being incredibly well-fed (I can´t get too used to this, I go back to buying my own food soon.)

Tomorrow is Michael´s graduation, hopefully I can stay awake, I find ceremonies dull when they´re in English, German ones... well...

Not much else to say really, it´s been fairly low key lately. Just wait until I go to Italy.

Berlin

I have heard that Berlin is the most happening city in Europe right now. I haven´t quite noticed that yet, but perhaps I am going out during the wrong time of day. Being daytime and not the bright lights and good times of clubbing time.

While the city isn´t quite ALL that I had been led to expect, it is fascinating and chockful of history. Every so often I look around and remember that not so long ago, this city was two cities. That these pieces of concrete decorating parts of the city are reminders of a time when horrible things happened directly after even more horrible things.

My hostess grew up in this city while it was occupied territory. I can´t even imagine.