Nick and Isabelle Euro-Tour 2005-2006

Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse....

2007-03-15T23:52:00.000+02:00

The Papal Palace and Avignon Bridge

Alex et Vanou

2007-03-15T23:49:00.000+02:00

Perigueux and the Lascaux Cave's Prehistoric Paintings

2007-03-15T23:32:00.000+02:00

Perigueux is a wonderful town, especially if like me you enjoy French culture's pate and foie gras. This town is renowned for the quality of its products. The best part of our stop in the area was for me our visit of some prehistoric caves that are so numerous in this part of the world. Lascaux II cave is a reproduction of the original Lascaux cave that had to be closed to public due to the slow decay of the beautiful and unique man-made paintings on the walls. The reproductions are so real you can't differentiate them from the real ones. Even the cave has been reconstructed to look like the original one only 200m away. Artists used the same instruments (wood, animal hair, etc) and pigments (red and yellow ocres mainly, charcoal, etc) to paint the figures. Other caves also showed original engravings and paintings, we even saw some pochoir of human hands!! I felt very special and lucky to finally be able to witness something our ancestors did thousands of years ago. Isabelle

Carcassonne, France

2006-08-29T10:34:00.000+03:00

Venice, Italy

2006-08-10T22:28:00.000+03:00

Welcome back! I know we have been terrible at this blog-writing in the past month, but believe me, it has become quite hard to find internet cafe that would let us use their USB port for me to plug my camera in. Hence the lack of posts published. Lots have happened since last time we actually "wrote" something, I believe it was in Albania at the time. Since then, we managed to visit Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia and Italy!! I guess that makes it look even worse, doesn't it? Well, at least I was able to post some pictures of all these places individually (so no one gets confused about where we went) in the past couple weeks. Budva in Montenegro was mainly a beach resort town, which was just perfect for us at that point. So we lazied on the pebbled beaches for a couple days before moving to Dubrovnik in Croatia, a beautiful fortified town. Tourist-o-plenty although. We got out the day after, wondering if we should have stayed longer but unable to bare the wave of people and the heat. Piece of advice for anyone who wishes to visit: Don't climb the fortress' walls at 2pm under a bright sunny sky, unless you maybe want to commit suicide by spontaneous combustion. On the itinirary that we had made up at that point, it was easier to leave Croatia now to go to Bosnia and plan to return later to see the Croatian islands. So that's just what we did. We stopped in Mostar for 2.5 days and were amazed at the place. Charged with history, we learned about the city's tumultuous past, especially during the Bosnian war. Mostar was the most bombed town of all Bosnia, causing nearly 90% destruction, including their beautiful 500 years old bridge (which was hit by the Serbs to prove a point). They had to rebuilt the entire town but left quite a few buildings standing up I don't know how so we don't forget. We had the best supper at a little place named "Hindin Han" where Nick had a mixed grill platter that was so big it was coming out of his ears (and that was the "half size"!?!) and I had 2 wonderfully barbecued fresh-water trout....Yum, I'm drooling just thinking about it!! So we left Mostar with a nice impression, especially after Dubrovnik... On we went to Sarajevo without knowing what to expect and I know that I left without feeling that I got into the grove of that city...The city is almost separated in 2, one part being the old muslim quarter with markets (mainly carpets, copper works and souvenirs) and then the modern city beside it. We had a tour of the tunnel that was gowing under the airport during the siege of the city (which lasted 4 years by the way) in the war. It served to bring food and ammunitions in Sarajevo. Without it, everyone would have died of hunger as the city was totally surrounded by the Serbs. Anyway, learned a lot about the war and the story of Sebrenitsa where 8000 people were murdered within a very short period of time. Makes you think about how good we have it back home....

After Bosnia, we decided to go to Korcula Island and Hvar Island in Croatia, somewhat to lift up our spirits from the heaviness of Bosnia. These islands' main town are very similar to each other in term of architecture, which matches the venitien period. Just beautiful. We basically relaxed for 4 days, went to the beach, strolled down the main streets, had good culinary experiences, etc... and then I had to decide what to do next...

Since I learned at the last moment that I was going home for my buddy Aaron's wedding (Good Luck Aaron on your wedding tomorrow, wish you all the best) for 1 week, I knew that this week would interfere with the time I had to see Italy, one of the places I was looking forward to the most. So it was decided that since Nick had already seen Rome, Florence and Venice, he would stay in the Balkans to explore more as I would go to Italy for 7 days to visit these cities. Well, I don't regret it at all....Italy is just so beautiful, and I've only seen some of the main cities!!! I just can't imagine what the country side is going to look like when we return later this summer. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I will let them speak. Just know that I enjoyed it very well and that no, I didn't get harassed by your stereotypical Italian male trying to get an easy one! I had a wonderful time, met some great people and gave me a new perspective of travelling as I did it on my own. Met up with Nick back in Venice yesterday for a few hours before my plane left to London. He is now in Seville, Spain.

Will post back later when new adventures are lived!
Until then, Ciao!
Isabelle

View of a small canal from another little bridge

Part of the Grand Canal

Another small side canal

Gondolas!!

Popular Murano Glass

San Marco's Basilica

View of the Grand Canal

Nick and I on the Ponte Rialto

Pisa, Italy

2006-08-10T22:25:00.000+03:00

Florence, Italy

2006-08-10T22:13:00.000+03:00

Ponte Vecchio, where all jewellers used to and still are

Ponte Vecchio at night

Do this guy need an introduction? The David, by Michelangelo

Gelato, anyone?

The Duomo, a beautiful cathedral

View of Florence from the Dome (hence Duomo) of the cathedral (next 2)

Rome, Italy

2006-08-10T21:18:00.000+03:00

Trevi Fountain

Last 2 pics: View of Rome from the "Castel San Angelo"

For all asterix fans out there. A cool pub sign!

The Pope's Swiss guards

Michelangelo's first masterpiece: La Pieta

Inside St-Peter's Basilica

Vatican square

John Paul II's tomb inside St-Peter's Basilica

St-Peter's actual bones inside a stone casket

Sistine Chapel masterpiece by Michelangelo "The Birth of Adam"

Roman legionnaires (well, not real ones of course...)

The Colloseum

See how vast the Roman Empire was? Incredible!!

Korcula and Hvar Island, Croatia

2006-08-10T21:06:00.000+03:00

Korcula fortified town. Very beautiful when viewed from the ferry and also viewed from the inside.

Hvar island, Stari Grad town. Man selling his "stuffed" fish mounted on a frame and behind, Nick's favorite little square.

Vorbroska town in Hvar Island, just a very nice place to walk around and spend couple hours contemplating the architecture and the fish (loads!) in the water.

Last two are from Hvar town in Hvar Island, BEAUTIFUL!!! That's all I've got to say. Oh yeah, and awesome food as well.

Mostar and Sarajevo, Bosnia

2006-08-07T21:03:00.000+03:00

"A sarajevo rose", mark left by a shell that exploded on the pavement in that area. They are everywhere in sarajevo and some are filled with red paint to remember those who lost their lives.

Last 3 pictures where taken on the old muslim quarter in Sarajevo.

Natinal library that was burned by the Serbs just for the fun of destroying something beautiful. So many books were lost.

Last three pictures are from Mostar, Bosnia, which suffered the most destruction during the Bosnian war. Note that some of the buildings still have bullet holes in them and are practically falling apart. It is dangerous and therefore not recommended to go explore theses buildings as some mines haven't been found yet...food for thought...

Dubrovnik in Croatia

2006-08-04T21:36:00.000+03:00

Budva and Kotor in Montenegro

2006-08-04T20:07:00.000+03:00

Picture 1. Nick rock jumping in Budva
Picture 2. Budva
Picture 3. Sveti Stefan fortress (By the way, it is NOT Nick in the picture :)
Picture 4. Kotor

first impressions...

2006-07-16T14:30:00.000+03:00

July 12, 9am. We have successfully made the ferry crossing from Corfu to Sarranda, Albania. We got through customs with no problems, save for the 10 Euro "entrance fee" (is this some sort of theme park?). So, having been drained of cash at the border, we go into "downtown" Sarranda in search of an ATM and a bus to Himare, up the coast. We couldn't find either anywhere, and the bus did not leave until 2pm (5 hours away!) Our only choice was a taxi as we didn't want to hang around very long. By the way, coming from Corfu, Sarranda was a bit of a shock, let's say. Like going from a Caddy to a K-car. The streets are not paved, derelict, no tourist/souvenir shops. I knew I was going to like this place!! After refusing to pay 30 Euro for a cab to Himare, we found a big, round, friendly guy who would do it for 25 Euro. So, ok, we don't want to hang out in this place for long so we hop into the cab after agreeing on a price (memories of being hustled by a Ukranian cab driver still fresh in my memory).
We are in the cab for about 5 minutes and through animated cherade-like conversation, the cabbie, "Jim" (Dejem) finds out I like Raki and invites us back to his place for some. Immediately in my mind red flags are going up, especially seeing the ramshackle neighborhood in which he lived. However, am I one to turn down a drink?! So we arrive at his place and he tells us to wait in the car. Dust is scattering the car and buildings from unpaved streets as topless, unscrubbed children look on curiously. I have to admit, I am a bit nervous. Will he return with gun-toting Albanian maniacs who will strip everything from us and leave us for dead? No, he returns with a 1.5 litre water bottle filled with an amber-colour liquid the colour of gasoline. "You drink, you drink, ees good!", he chimes.
"Well, 'ere goes nothing" I say. Hey, that's not bad!!
"Not bad, eh?" he says.
So goes our ride along the southern Albanian coast to Himare. We banter amicably back and forth the best we can, him stopping for us to take photos of amazing panoramas whenever he saw fit. It must be mentioned here that any stop was a welcome occurence. The roads are often 100m above the roaring sea below, with a main road that would qualify as a go-cart track back in PEI. Trucks come barrelling around the corner and slow down just in time to avoid slamming into us and sending us over the edge into the deadly abyss that lies below. Jim says we'll be alright ( he must have seen my face contort into a grimace more than once) and honks his horn repeatedly while rounding turns to warn on-coming drivers of our presence, or to scatter the grazing donkies and sheep. He indicates that I shouldn't wear a seatbelt as a head-on collision wouldn't be fatal (going too slow around turns), but getting knocked off the cliff would be if you were restrained from jumping out of the car in time. I slowly, discreetly unbuckle my now useless seatbelt.

We stop in Borsh for a break where Jim says is the best, purest "mountain aqua". He also has a friend who runs a restaurant here (uh-oh, I think again, are we gonna get taken for a ride here?). We meet his friend and after many smiles and vigorous handshakes we are asked to wait and his friend disappears. Once again, when he returns, we are presented with a water bottle (only 500ml this time) of a liquid the colour of ethyl alcohol - the guy's homemade stuff. " A gift for you!" he exclaims.
"Are they gonna charge me for this?" I can't help thinking.
We are taken to a table on a multi-leveled out-door terrace in the back, set amongst the falls and springs of the mountain water. JIm orders us toasted bread, a plate of garlicky goat/cow feta, and grilled pork. Oh, and also more Raki. We eat and drink, but didn't linger as Jim indicates that his wife was just on the phone demanding to know his whereabouts. " I tell her car is kaput!!" he laughs. When we asked him how much the meal cost, he seems offended, and insists on paying. Back on the road with more hair-razing pothole dodging, harrowing curves, and breath-taking views.
We get to Himare (in one piece) and he tells us he has a friend who owns a hotel on the beach and he will speak to him to get a good price for us. We are once again greeted with smiles and handshakes and are brought Greek coffee and more Raki. The owner joins us and we chat for a bit. He wants to meet us later for supper. Jim says we will pay 20 Euros for the room, when the Italians have to pay 30. "I get you good price" he exclaims. I pay him before he leaves back to Sarranda and couldn't care less that I only recieved 2000 Leke back (16 Euros) from a 50 Euro note, as it's the only way he can make change. "Don't worry about it", I say, understanding that he cannot understand what I'm saying, " It was worth every penny".

Back to the continent

2006-07-08T21:12:00.000+03:00

Leaving Naxos, we went to Santorini, which is one of the most visited Island mainly because of the history and view. A huge volcano erupted 3500 years ago and left a big crater filled with water and that is where Santorini lies today. When you think of the white-washed houses hanging on cliffs in Greece, that is where the pictures are taken from. We unfortunately only liked the view. It was pretty exciting to see that the island is basically only old lava with a bit of soil on top of it. But it was way too tourist-oriented for us and we tried to leave a bit earlier than expected but the high wind forced us to stay 2 days extra as all ferrys were cancelled. Oh well, an extra day by the pool, too bad...!! From there we went to Folegandros, another island but much smaller than the first one. It was a big difference from Santorini and was a welcoming relaxation. We stayed 2 days there and then left back to the main land (after an 11 hour ferry ride) in Athens where we met up with my brother's friend who lives in Greece and his mom. Had some of the great traditional Greek food last night (which ended up at 4 am) and have now rested for the day. We planned to head up to the Pelloponese tomorrow and we'll see what will happen next.

A Favourable First Impression

2006-07-02T12:01:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone who reads this blog. It's been quite some time since we've last posted anything, and I suppose this isn't exactly justified. Even though living in London was an eye-opening experience for both of us, detailing it on a blog post for potential readers would be like force-feeding you Javex and wouldn't be nearly the same as telling you all about our adventures while on the road.
Well, having finished our time in south London, we were extremely contented in leaving the grey dinginess of Britain for the 32-34 degree cloudless skies of Greece. Athens was a brief experience, but a good one, as we had a fantastic hospitality-club host who helped us make the best of our limited time in Athens. We saw the Acropolis and that's about it (see pic of me in front of it), but we were happy with this as the sunny islands were relentlessly beckoning to us.
Today is our last day of three in Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands. It is also the most fertile island, flourishing with olive, lemon, orange, and wine groves and has dramatic, sweeping vistas of the coast from the perches of its mountainous interior. Yesterday was strictly a "chill" day as we had no sleep in Glasgow airport upon arriving in Athens on Wednesday, and almost no sleep on our first night in Athens (good times late at night with Lena, our host, and an early morning ferry to catch!). So we slept in till late and went to the town beach in the Hora (every capital town of an Island is called the "Hora", means capital or primary town) to chill-ax and watch the world (and bikinis!!) go by.
Today, we rented scooters and negotiated our way through the mountainous terrain of Naxos. It is a very pretty island which fulfills your stereotypes of the Greek Islands: whitewashed square buildings perched along the hillsides, aqua blue water, large women in black habbit-type things sitting the shade of the village square, golden sandy beaches...ahhhh, these are the things that kept me "going" when I would get frustrated with my job in the winter!
Tomorrow (Sunday the 2nd of July) we are off to Santorini, supposedly the jem of the Cyclades. Our ferry leaves at 1:30, just enough time to go catch some rays at the beach!

Wish you were here,

Nick and Isabelle

Thanks to our hosts

2006-03-29T00:16:00.000+03:00

Well, I figured that since we are not traveling at the moment, I could still find something to talk about....One little project that I had in mind was to dedicate one post to our hosts who graciously let us spend one or a few nights (and day) with them. I truly believe that they deserve it because without them, our trips wouldn't have been as fulfilling and ?. So here they are, in order of stay so nobody would think we liked them more than others.. ;) 1- Mark in London, England. (Sorry Mark, we got your house but not you! Send us a pic) 2- Raigo in Tallin, Estonia. 3- Zhena in Moscow, Russia. 4- Anka in Bucharest, Romania (no picture) 5- Serkan and Hakan in Istanbul, Turkey. 6- Ezter and Viktor in Budapest, Hungary. 7- Laos in Budapest, Hungary. 8- Marzena and Piotr in Krakow, Poland. 9- Kira in Heidelberg, Germany (no picture) 10- Sharon in Koblenz, Germany. To all of you a sincere thank you from the bottom of our heart.

Happy New Year

2006-01-07T17:35:00.000+02:00

Well, we've done it! We arrived in England Dec. 20th and spend Xmas with the fam. We visited a lot of places, including Edinburg in Scotland and York and NewCastle (it has the biggest mall in Europe!!). Xmas was fun and New Years eve was spent dining in medieval period to an Elizabethan-style banquet...Yum! But we were so full afterwards!! I do have some pictures that I want to post but internet access is very difficult where I am right now so it maight take a few weeks before I can access it again. I will do my best though. I (Isabelle) found a job as a vet and am starting Monday the 9th of January. I am situated 45 minutes south of London's center, which is great for Nick as he can sub in London. Everything is going well for us and the travelling is delayed until spring. Have a great winter and I will try to post some pictures when I can.

Cheers!!!

Isabelle

"Up In Smoke" In Amsterdam...and Beyond

2005-12-16T21:38:00.000+02:00

Since our last post we have zig-zagged around southern Germany, taking in the sights while bombing around in our newly acquired BMW 1 series (ok, it's a rental but it's ok, I can bag it all I want!). We've been to Munich and took in the sights, including the Hofbrauhaus Beer Hall (Craig, this is where Hitler held his alcohol-soaked NSP meetings in the 30s) and then down to Neuschwantstein (see pictures) castle which is one of the most dramatic places I've been to. The castle was apparently used by Walt Disney to create the one which stands in the Magic Kingdom now. It was so cool! From there we drove through the "Romantic Road" (a series of well-preserved Medieval walled towns in southern Germany) and on to the Mosel and Rhine river valleys. Now we are in Amsterdam taking a bit of a blow (ha ha ha) before heading back to England for Christmas at my brother and sister-in-law's place where my parents will join us. We have still yet to secure employment for 2006 however we remain optimistic. Hey, I can always realize my dream of becoming a cage dancer. Somehow, I don't think this would enable me enough money to live, so perhaps I will stick to the teaching!
On another note, I'd like to wish everyone who faithfully reads this blog a very Merry Christmas and an exciting New Year! We will be thinking of you! Grandma and Gramps, Jan and Rene, Jim, Delee, Jeff, Keith and Melissa, the memory of last Christmas always makes me smile. It was so good to spend time with family that I see so little of. I treasure those memories. To my Dad's family, I'm thinking of you all too and hope the holidays are great for you! Reggie, Marg, Wendell...keep the flashlights hidden the next time I'm over, for God's sake!! Blair and Claire - well, you know that Christmas just wouldn't be the same without a few rum and eggnogs at your place. I will have one on Christmas eve for you! To my friends, have a drink for me this year and think of me 'cause I'm thinking of all of you!
Well, that's enough for now I suppose....now I'll hand it over to Isabelle...Peace!
Few words of French for my family: Je veux juste souhaiter Joyeux Noel et Bonne Annee a toute ma famille et amis (es): maman, papa, Martin et Michele et Maxime, Claude, Annie, Sophie, Fred (biomed) et Fred (grandfrere), Marc et Gi, Kim, Louise et Paul et tous les mononc et matantes et cousin cousines qui seraient trop long a nommer. Bonheur et prosperite. Penny and Ryan, Aaron and Sarah, have a Merry Xmas, Happy New Year and good luck in all your future projects. Hope to see you all sometime again. Love,
Isabelle.

More pics from Prague

2005-12-04T22:42:00.000+02:00

Prague, Czech Republic

2005-12-04T11:19:00.000+02:00

Our itinerary changed a little since we wrote the last blog. We decided to bypass Eger and to go to Bratislava (Slovakia) instead. We arrived at night in the rain and the second day was raining as well, which eventually changed into very wet snow. Not very pleasant to sightsee in these condition....we ended up in an Irish pub with a fire place trying to dry off sipping on beer and wine. What a wonderful afternoon! The only real sight we visited was the castle hill in the morning before we headed to Krakow (Poland). 2 trains and 2 buses later we finally made it into Krakow, land of cold and snow. Krakow is a beautiful city that has been virtually untouched by WWII so all the buildings haven't been reconstructed like most of cities in Eastern Europe. The Central Square in the old town is vibrant with colors and the Xmas market snugged right in the middle of it. Hot spicy wine anyone? We spent 2 days exploring the city, the castle and the old jewish town (old synagogues with very old cemeteries, museums and what not). Our hosts Piotr and Marzena were amazing in Krakow, giving us load of information, making us discover the real way of eating "piroges" and letting us try some great sweet treats. Thanks guys, you made our stay very worthwhile! The last day in Krakow was spent at Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. You're never ready to see something like that. The desolation, cold, sadness and emptiness feeling you experience is bone chilling. The fact that there was snow on the ground and that it was - 15 degrees outside didn't help either. We left this place shook up inside. When you see this place, how big it really is and how disgustingly badly these people were treated you have to wonder how some managed to survive for more than a month. :( The day after, I headed out to Prague while Nick continued in Wroclaw (still in Poland) because he had already been to Prague 4 years ago. prague is another one of these cities that have been saved from bombing in the WWII so the architecture is absolutely out of this world with different colors and sculpture for each building. The first thing I noticed in Prague is the amount of tourists present....thousands!!!! We've been spoiled in the past 2 months, the places we chose were not swarming with them but here is different. It is also very hard to manage down some streets so I can just imagine how it is in the summer when it is nice and warm!!!! Anyway, this blog is getting a bit lenghty and unhumoristic so I better stop there and write some other time when I see more things here. Pictures: 1- Krakow square 2- Krakow castle 3- Auschwitz entrance gate (work gets freedom) 4- Tyn Church in Prague

Onward we go to the land of cold and snow

2005-11-24T19:48:00.000+02:00

Well, here we are in Budapest having deliberated (for approximately 2.3 seconds) whether to fly from Istanbul (1.5hrs.) or take a train (36 hrs.). We did, however, leave our ˝mark˝ on Istanbul before leaving Turkey. In exploring the more interesting parts of Istabul nightlife with old friends Serkan and Hakan and some newfound partners in crime, we discovered great nightclubs, how defensive Turkish men are of their women, and how absolutely gorgeous Turkish transvestites are. Now we are with new friends, Eszter and Viktor (freeloaders hosts) in Budapest and are in the preliminary period of celebrating my birthday which is tomorrow. If anyone wishes to celebrate with me in spirit, in the form of buying me a drink or two, I can give you my mothers phone number who will deposit the money you give her into my account. For all of you who are not on PEI, have a drink for me please.
Budapest is a really cool small-ish city which would be any architecture buff´s dream. There is snow on the ground which makes me homesick, especially knowing that Christmas is around the corner and that Charlottetown´s streets are decorated accordingly, something I can vividly picture in my mind. Today we went to one of Budapest´s many thermal baths to warm up. Soon we will head to Eger, a few hundred KM northeast of here, which is the wine-growing region of Hungary. Then we are off to Krakow, Poland via Slovakia. Brrr....I am thinking I might have to buy a top to go with those thermal underwear!!!

Not-so-Warm Regards from Budapest,

Nick

From Another Planet...

2005-11-21T09:57:00.000+02:00

The bus ride to Cappadocia was actually very agreable. We went through very high snow-covered mountains that just took your breath away. Amazing!!!! Cappadocia is definitely a place to spend more than 2 days. It is like if you just set foot on a different world with it's canyons, valleys, weird cone-heads houses, caves and what not. Our hostel was build in the rock (yes we slept in a cave!). People from the Ottoman era used to live in these caves, hidden away for protection against the enemy. With time, part of the soft rock eroded and that is why these houses are visible today. There are some bizarre rock formations (see picture #4) which gave the name to the valley where they are situated as "Love Valley"...can't seem to figure why though... ;) ;) ;)
We then moved to Safranbolu, a beautiful town which really seems to have been stuck in time. The people in the "old town" live in old wooden houses again dating from the Ottoman time. The pension we stayed in was a very beautiful 300 year old house runned by a great family. The food there was delicious (cooked by the mother). We befriended the neighbor's cat who was only about 3 month old. We also went to a Hamam (turkish bath) were Nick received a massage from a 300 lbs Turkish man...with a moustache....let just say that I heard him scream like a little girl!! ;)
Now back to Istanbul for the week-end at Sarkan and Hakan. it seems like they are not tired of us yet, maybe we should stay longer...:) We had some crazy party Saturday night (still recovering) and went back smoking Turkish water pipe with banana flavored tobacco this time. Good times with good friends.
It is now Monday morning, we are in Budapest after another sleepless night (plane left at 5:25 am so we spent the night at the airport). I think it's time to hit the sac...

ZZzzzzz......
Isabelle

The Day We Hit The Coast

2005-11-12T12:34:00.000+02:00

Greetings from Antalya! We have been slowly picking our way down the Aegean and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey, taking in Çannakale, Assos, Foça, Selçuk, Marmaris, and finally Antalya where we went swimming in the Mediterranean yesterday (its about 23 degrees now...the locals are wearing jackets and scarfs and İ am swimming in the sea!). The Turkish coast is beautiful but we were ignorant to believe it was all unspoilt undeveloped coastline as most cities and towns are totally geared for tourism and package holiday makers. But it is nonetheless stunning. From Marmaris we rented scooters for the day and explored the nearby mountains and coast and İ must say İ have never seen more dramatic breath-taking scenery. We have also taken in the ruins of Troy and Ephesus. Next we are taking an overnight bus to the Cappadocia region which is said to be a very unique place with underground cities and churches carved out of cliff faces.

We also want to add a tremendous thanks to Mark in London (whom we absentmindedly forgot to mention in previous posts) and Anca in Bucharest for putting up with us and our shenanigans! İt is generous people like you who make the world a better place!

Well, I really should go swimming or something...afterall it İS 23 degrees! Ha ha suckers!!

Over and out from Antalya!
Nick

Time to leave Istanbul

2005-11-02T23:27:00.000+02:00

Istanbul has been one of our favourite city so far I believe (and I can speak for both of us): great people, delicious food, amazing view...etc... The grand bazaar lived to our expectations but you gotta bargain because prices are set for tourists. The spice bazaar is very exotic as well and if you like olives (which are excellent here BTW) you will be spoiled (see pic) there are a lot to choose from. Our hosts Serkan and Hakan probably think that we are refusing to leave since we had to extend our stay for an extra 2 days!! Thank you so much for both of you, it would not have been the same without you guys! We are on our way to Troy tomorrow and to Izmir for the week-end. Turkey is so bıg that we are havıng a huge problem when it comes to deciding where we want to go next. So far, I belıeve the goal is to make it as south as possible to enjoy some of the warmth that mıght be left on thıs planet :) I mean, 20 degrees would be awesome right now!!! Anyway, I intended to make this post a photo one so I wıll shut up for now and wrıte when I have more to say.
Pic ın order: Dome of Blue Mosque, Inside Aya Sofya mosque, muslim praying inside Blue Mosque, The Bosphorus Strait, Grand Bazaar, Olive stand inside Spice Bazaar, our hosts: Serkan and Hakan (and us!) in front of some good Turkish food and finally, our supper tonight! Enjoy!

Isabelle

P.S. Christina, you would have loved Turkey have you decided to come with us. Your path led you somewhere else and we hope you are enjoying your time in Boston. Miss you lots!

Turkey, anyone?

2005-10-31T09:53:00.000+02:00

We have arrived safely ın Turkey, having found it difficult to say goodbye to Romania. On our way to Turkey we went via Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria which proved to be a hidden gem in our itinerary. İt is yet another charming medieval town (you would think we would be getting tired of those by now, eh?) set dramatically on limestone cliffs carved out by a river (see couple first pics). Some say it is the 'the next big thing' in Europe and it likely will be given it´s dramatic landscape, friendly people, good food, and cheap prices (1.50 for a beer ın a bar, about .75 in a market).
Despite some brief issues at the Turkish border (getting absolutely ripped off for entry visas), Turkey so far is nothing short of amazing. We were met at the train station by our freeloaders host, Serkan, and his friends Hakan and Sinem. They have gone completely out of their way to help us and make us feel at home: hooking us up wıth 'football' tıckets on Saturday night, giving us tips about the city, taking us to some really good bars, and of course giving us a place to sleep!! They are great people who truly reinforce the image of Turkish hospitality.
Yesterday we saw the Blue Mosque and Aya Sofyia (a Byzantıne church cum mosque cum museum) which were both absolutely stunning in their grandeur and imposing presence. The dome of Aya Sofyia is supposed to be the greatest in existence and İ believe it!
Today we will go to Topkapi palace and the Grand Bazaar if we have time (which means I must go!).

Regards from İstanbul
Nıck

Romania the beautiful...

2005-10-23T20:59:00.000+03:00

WOW!!!! That's all I can say for now of Romania. It has been an amazing opportunity to visit this country, meet the extraordinary people that live here, the delicious food (not for vegetarian I have to precise...), the incredible landscape (rolling hills, snow covered mountain), etc....I have to admit that it is hard to find computers that are not turtle speed so our blog has been suffering a little, sorry about that! We will post pictures again when we can but I've been taking lots!! One thing that is crazy here is all the gypsies that are around begging for money. When we arrived in Sighisoara, a little medieval town stuck in the last century, we've been surrounded by them. They can be very insistant and annoying, tugging on your shirt for money...you just have to shoo them away...sometime quite not nicely! Ah well, it's all part of the experience. We are often cheering to good fortune when we have a drink since our trip has been without misfortune so far. Hope it continues that way. We are staying away from any live poultry (market, poultry tranformation plants, droppings, etc)...especially the Danube delta where Bird Flu has been found so don't worry, we will be okay. Except from that, we are taking it quite easy, we actually treated ourselves to a nice meal yesterday with some wine (got to do it once in a while I guess) so now it's back to budget travelling! Lots of things are closed here on Monday so we might end up staying a little longer in Dracula's country to be able to see everything we want. We've seen Suceava, Cluj-Napoca, Sibiu, Sighisoara and now Brasov so far and every city has been very different from one another, even if they are all in the same country! We are planning to get to Bulgaria then Turkey by the end of the week I believe. We'll see if that works! I think our favorite city so far has been Lviv in Ukraine for the small narrow streets, the untouched by tourism appearance to it (we were the only tourists there that we could see), and of course the outdoor music concert that happened to be there that week-end with some good Ukrainian Pop music! Anyway will stop for now and try to organize some picture is some kind of order so you guys don't get lost in translation...
Isabelle

From Bearded Babushkas to vodka shooters

2005-10-14T20:26:00.000+03:00

Sorry for the delay since the last post....we've been busy!! We finally said "Goodbye" to St. Petersburg after debating whether to stay another day or so, but Moscow was calling our names too loudly for us to ignore it! Moscow is nothing short of ginormous, to say the least - 10 million people (that they know of, not including the 2 million est. or so living there illegally) and very expensive but also very vibrant and interesting. We saw the Kremlin, Red Square, and St.Basils (onion domed multicoloured church in middle of Red Square)and went to a Banya where we sweated and beat out bodily toxins with birch twigs like the Russians do... and that was all interesting enough, however the highlight of our visit to Moscow was meeting/staying with Zhenya, our host through GlobalFreeloaders. She and her boyfriend, Dima, went out of their way to proudly show us their city, driving us around to the country-side, taking us to bars, making sure we were fed well, and making us a home-away from home for a couple of days. Thank-you Zhenya and Dima!!!
We are now in L'viv (Ukraine) and it's one of our favourite cities so far (beautiful and so cheap! Our hotel is only 20$ a night for both of us!). Tomorrow we start making our way to Romania in search of Dracula in the Transylvannian mountains! Internet time is running out so I have to go. Will post pics as soon as I can!
Nick

From Tallinn, Estonia to St-Petersbourg, Russia

2005-10-06T19:08:00.000+03:00

Talk about landing in a totally different world!!! Before we arrived here, we stopped for a short visit in Tallinn, Estonia. Very much like Riga except that there is a souvenir shop every 5 meter in the old town. Otherwise very beautiful. We stayed with Raigo, an Estonian who lives in an old soviet style apartment. It is difficult to imagine that a whole family used to live in that small apartment only over a decade ago when Estonia was still part of Russia. We then took an overnight bus across the Russian border (no problem but no sleep) and arrived in a Russian world! Very hard to read since everything is written in cyrillic. We got there at 6:30am when it was still dark outside and tried to find our hostel...1.5 hours later with a heavy backpack on our back, we finally found it and settled in for a well deserved nap. I (Isabelle) woke up with the start of Strep. throat infection and Nick's sinuses are still full, but we enjoyed what we've seen so far. We are staying in a pretty nice hostel name "Nord Hostel" where people speek English a little better so we are able to communicate. I guess the most dangerous threat here is water. You have to drink bottled water or boil tap water for 5 minutes if not you may catch....Giardia!! (Hey Penny, bring back memories?). Anyway, seems like we are doing okay for now, we'll let everyone know if we catch anything like that! Good conversation subject, isn't it? Anyway, sorry for the long gap between the last post and this one but it is sometime hard to find a computer. The two first photos are from Tallinn, the most right one is from the Church of the Spilled Blood in St-Petersbourg. We will stay another few days in St-Petersbourg and head to Moscow next. Cheers with a shot of Vodka!!!

Riga, Latvia

2005-10-01T16:10:00.000+03:00

Wow, I'm really lucky to have access to a free computer at this hostel. I can stay on as much as I want! We explored Riga, the capital of Latvia (Lettonnie for my french friends) and the houses are simply magnificient! Rustic charm of an old city I tell you. The oldest three stone houses left are from 1629. I believe one of the brick Church was build in 1249. We also visited the central market which was like a giant flea market. It still reflects the pre-Latvia independance period. Lots of fruit and veggies, 1980-style clothes and shoes, jewels, etc... Food is awesome but not for vegetarian. They love their meat!! (and I do too;) So the pictures I posted are a view of old Riga from the St-Peters Church, St-Peters Church itself and a beautiful view of one of the pitturesque street in Riga with its cobbled-stone pavement and beatiful old buildings. Appears that Nick is taking a break on the stairs!

In between London and Latvia

2005-10-01T08:40:00.000+03:00

Hello everyone,
Well we just arrived in Riga, Latvia 4 hours ago and already we are having a great time. Met a lot of Aussies here surprisingly (well, they own the hostel where we are staying at I guess!) We are looking forward to visit the old city tomorrow. yesterday we met with Nick's brother, Shawn, around noon and went to visit King Henry the VIII residence (Hampton Court Palace) and it was absolutely fantastic! To think that everything is dating from the 16th century period is just incredible. We got a tour from a dressed up lady who pretty much told us to recreate it the way it would have looked like (paint on the ceiling and walls, golden and silver tapestries, etc) 500 years ago! Of course it looks older now but... Abyway we did that during the day, went for thai buffet for supper and Shawn very nicely offered us tickets to go see a musical in Central London so we went and saw "The Producers". Shawn, thank you very much, it was exceptionally good. I (Isabelle) recommend it to everyone. Anyway, we'll post more after a few days in Latvia. The picture you see is from Hampton Court Palace.

London

2005-09-30T20:27:00.000+03:00

We arrived in London Monday around noon exhausted from our flight (no sleep on "cheap bucket seats" airline!). We decided that the best thing to do in our state of sleeplessness would be to take a bus-tour of the city on a double decker bus, so we did that and took in most of the main sites of the city, such as Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St.Paul's, Tower Bridge, etc. Well, I should say that I (Nick) took in the sites while Isabelle's head bobbed in semi-conciousness for part of the tour (she's gonna kill me). Our night ended at 7pm with lights out in our hotel and we slept for a solid 11 hours. The next day Isabelle went to the Tower of London (Crown Jewels, etc.) while I went searching for hookers.....no just kidding, I had a meeting with my employer, a teaching agency here in LOndon whom I will be getting work through in the new year. Yesterday was a fun day which saw us taking the tube all over the city to Soho, South Bank, Notting HIll, Portobello Market (damned thing was closed), Camden Market: Home of every freak and weirdo in London (but soooo cool!), and finally ending the night with a chicken dinner with our host through GlobalFreeloaders, Mark who lives in north London.
Now we are going to meet my brother Shawn and tomorrow we're off to Latvia!!! The 1st picture shows Big Ben and the second is from the Tower Bridge.

Us before our trip!!

2005-09-16T04:54:00.000+03:00

We know you already all know what we look like, but for everyone who might not have seen us in a while...