X-men, confusing hotels, ancient ruins, dying men!

Well today was my first official day in Athens- it was quite interesting! I made it to the hostel- after a very confusing taxi ride there. The taxi driver was luckily amazing and although she didn't know where the hostel was- she had to park and walk me to it- because the road we had to take was under construction at last we found it though! I gave her a huge tip for her help! She had to talk the police into even parking in that area because cars weren't supposed to drive on that road- right next to the Acropolis- After checking into the hostel I went on a walk with a new buddy Nikos, that I met while checking into the hostel. We went to the National Gardens, Plaka, areas around the Acropolis, and had a wonderful lunch. Lunch was the most amazing part of the whole day. We are sitting there- eating-Exohikoo- which is pork stuffed w/ tomatoes,green pepper and feta cheese and then the man at the table next to me suddenly completely fell off his chair- his head landing on my backpack which was resting at my feet. He fell like a sack of bricks!!! He had been drinking a pitcher of wine. There was no movement- either before or after he hit the ground- he just laid there completely still. I seriously thought he was dead! He laid there for several seconds- I was just stunned- thinking oh no- this guy is completely dead! But alas after what felt like several minutes- and with the help of the waiters and restaurant help he was awakened- and ok. You see his head was saved by landing on my backpack! otherwise his skull would have hit the cobblestones and it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. Maybe he had narcolepsy- who knows- once awakened he continued smoking and was drinking a new glass of wine! It was incredible- I guess life goes on- welcome to Athens!!!I posted a picture of the almost dead man- he is the one with his hand to his nose! Sidenote- there are lots of stray dogs in Athens- I met Quasi- (short for Quasimoto) which is a gimpy dog which is dating a rather nice looking white dog. I don't have pictures of Quasi but maybe tomorrow our paths will meet again! After lunch we journeyed to the flea market- where hundreds of people tried to get us to enter their shops to buy their goods they were selling. Then we saw a turtle- which I am positive was touring the city of Athens on a small train tour around the city. The turtle- who is yet unnamed is pictured above. We came back the hostel- only to be greeted by some neanderthals from the Midwest. One was proud of his collection of a 1500 lb pig and certain unmentionable parts on his phone- and the conversation quickly got more crude from there. Needless to say I was not impressed by the intellect of my fellow Americans. One (aka Mr. Sizzler- see below)kept insisting that he needed to use my computer to access porn. I extracted myself from the situation by saying I was hungry! We left them to their beer and X-man 3. Dinner was good. After dinner- I wanted to see part of the city at night-which is my favorite time to tour around..... well I heard voices and they were students marching with candles protesting something- marching the Acropolis- I have no clue what they were saying-police were surrounding them it was quite exciting!! We decided we wanted a picture of the rally so we started following them- dodging police cars and trying not to look to conspicuous - and hiding behind bushes. Don't worry all it was a peaceful rally all was quite tame! All this for no good pictures that turned out- just blurry shapes :( After that I wanted a bit of ice cream so we found a shop that was still open around midnight. After sitting down peacefully eating my ice cream- we witnessed a motorcyclist crash into a outdoor restaurant table. After all this action I was excited to return to the hostel and relax. Unfortunately the cowboys/neanderthals- had never left and had continued drinking during all the time we were gone. The one- who I can't stand- informed me we "he and I had to celebrate and sizzle" ICK! He proceeded to wedge his rear in next to where I was sitting- I had to once again relocate. I was not impressed! His new nickname is Mr. Sizzle- Which is not a favorable nickname! He and his buddies have gone out drunk looking for a Big Mac and have yet to return. Tomorrow I will go to the Archaeological Museum and then the Acropolis! I then have to book the remaining part of my trip. PS. Does anyone know if a turtle would eat a gimpy beetle- if it could catch it?

Munich Germany

I left LA at 9:15 P.M. and arrived in Munich Germany- around 5:40 P.M. (time in Europe). The flight was wonderful- because of my new found love Dramamine! This pill is magic- and is now a must have for any travelling. I slept for about 6 hrs at least of the flight- and watched Australia- which was long- but relatively entertaining. This wing of the airport is relatively abandoned- there was absolutely no line- to go through the security check...... so hopefully I didn't take a wrong turn somewhere! It seems almost every airport I have been in is under some sort of construction. But the sign at the gate says Athens- so I believe I am in the right area! :)

Lufthansa is a fairly good airline from what I can tell- I liked it better than Air France and KLM. The food was good- serving fresh fruit with every meal which I enjoyed. I traded seats with a women in front of me so she could sit with her husband- which meant I had a window seat!! Even though it was dark for most of the flight- I still love to watch taking of and landing! It is my favorite.

I like the German airport- it is very clean and wonderfully marked as to where you need to go. It eliminates the level of confusion and I greatly appreciate it- being the lost, bewildered traveller I am! So far so good- we will see if my bag makes it to Greece later this evening. I should start boarding here in about 1/2 hr for Greece. I feel so good having actually slept some!

Chris did you do the expirement with the Cranberry Juice and the Ice Cream?? I want to know the results!

Final Travel Plans! Prague and Greece

I am returning to Europe next Sun March 29- I fly out to Athens, Greece from LAX at 9:15 P.M. I will be in Greece until April 13- when I leave to go to Prague until April 19th when I return to OR. This week I am spending in Santa Ana, CA with Chris and Dang- my step brother and his wife. Last week Penny and I returned from Rome- into LAX and then faced a 10+ hr drive to Reno NV and back- to arrange things for my step sister's funeral. We returned late Thursday back to Santa Ana, I am staying in CA until I fly out on the 29th of this month! I am not looking forward to the long flight again to head back to Europe- but I am excited to see Greece. Prague should be fun but expensive :( .... More wonderful entries will come in the coming days! It will just be me traveling alone- Penny is not returning to Europe.

Back to the US- LAX

This morning- we got a call from Chris- my step bro- that Suzannah- Penny's daughter, my step sister had passed away Friday morning. So we went to the airport in Rome- and got the quickest flight out possible- After approximately 14 hours of straight flying and being up for 25 hrs straight we arrived in LA where Chris picked us up. We are probably going to fly to Reno NV where Suzannah and her husband lived tomorrow. I have a return flight booked to Rome leaving LAX on March 21 that I will most likely take- Oh but I don't look forward to that long flight again! But that way I could see some more of Rome and Italy and then fly out to Greece. I have to see how exhausted I am over the next couple of days. Penny is doing alright- but it is such a shock to all of us. So my adventures are postponed for approximately a week or so- until I return back to Europe.

Roma!

This is Penny! It seems like we've been in Rome forever, not just 2 days. The day started beautifully clear and cool. The hotel breakfast buffet was more than adequet-cereals, fruit, a collation of Italian deli meats, ham, sausages, bacon, eggs (boiled & scramble), toast, breadrolls and of course, the sweets --6 kinds of cakes & pastries. Carolyn missed it catching up on sleep from a strenuous day before.

The tribe gathered to venture on "l'autobus". This time it was easy (after going to work hours). We knew on which side of the street to be and where to validate the tickets. We recognized streets and stores AND I'm beginning to understand complete sentences in Italian ( when I listen to surrounding conversations). .The upshot of all this is Caro and I were at the Coliseum . First I made Caro get the required tourist photoshots with the really cute Italian guy in the short skirt and armour. Then we stood in line for tickets and were asked for information re: il colossia from the Texas couple in front of us. The colossia was awesome and we took a zillion pics. On the way out we availed ourselves of the ladies/gents loo where I left my sack of souvenirs on a hook while trying to keep my skirt out of the facility. A nice Scottish lady retrieved the gift sack for me.

On the way to our bus Caro was accosted by another Roman gladiator asking if she wanted her picture taken and he broke out in an Italian love song. She didn't know what he was singing , so I translated. These fellows are really cute AND charming. I enjoy walking behind Carolyn and watching the action around her (she 's oblivious to it). I had a great dinner with Jack and Hetty- a delightful 2 hours of eating! Caro was working on a job application at the internet center in the hotel so she could use the printer and had snacked earlier so she skipped eating with us. Tomorrow we head off to Furore on the Amalfi Coast - south of Rome- the drive should take approximately 5 hour or so.

I am in love...with Rome!

Today we woke up at 5:30 in the morning to take a taxi to the bus station so we could grab a shuttle to the airport. (leaving Paris) We arrived in Rome a bit after 11 I believe. We made it to our hotel- which is really a wonderful upgrade from our Paris experience!!! We rested for about an hour or so to get settled in and then we decided to go for an extended tour. We decided to brave the local buses here- which was quite amusing. After getting detailed descriptions from the kind man at the front desk of which bus to take and where to switch- we headed out- sure that this time our navigation skills would be a success. Alas however, our sense of direction is still a bit lacking. We turned left when we should have gone right and were on the wrong side of the street- looking for a bus going the opposite direction we intended to go. A kind local set us on the right path. Now we would be successful for sure. So there we are waiting for the bus......here it comes! Great this is so wonderful- the bus stops- a few people get off and it continues right on going! We are just standing there still- oh my. We learned that you have to practically jump on the bus when it stops- it doesn't wait for anything- the door opens and you better be pushing your way on it. So we wait another...10 min or so. This time we have success- we finally are physically inside the bus which is a definite improvement to our last attempt. Now- might I mention- we didn't think this through entirely because it is going home time and the buses are packed- no one can move- people can't even get off at their stops because individuals are standing on the steps in front of the doors- it is crazy- sometimes people can't even get on the bus because the doors won't close! Anyway we are heading into downtown- again crazy traffic. We get to our stop where we have to switch buses. Alas- we go the wrong way again to look for our next connection! However, the people are so friendly here- and with Penny's Italian and other people's broken English skills we have for the most part been able understand most anyone. So we finally board the last bus and head down to the Colosseum. We pass so many many incredible buildings...well buildings doesn't really describe them- they as you can see from some of my pictures it is absolutely amazing here. So we arrive at the Colosseum- only to find out that it closes at 4 pm. (It was approximately 6) So off we walk- just looking at all the amazing things to see. It is so incredible here. We walked around till it got dark- I did a bit of exploring on my own which was awesome- I went up these crazy stairs that go forever and took a few pictures- another staircase to the right led to an amazing courtyard with a cool fountain and all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore at night! Would be the perfect place to play hide and go seek! So we finally settled down and had dinner at a wonderful little restaurant. Discussing how to get back to the hotel- we basically had 2 options- 1st. Battle the bus system or 2nd. Hire a taxi. We decided that the taxi was the best option because we didn't want to have a 2 hour ordeal on our return. This taxi driver was the best so far. He didn't speak that much English but what he did say was hilarious. First, he entered the address to the hotel in his GPS- of course when he is driving over the speed limit it yells at him. He was constantly saying "shut up, shut up" in this wonderful Italian accent. Then for some reason it moos at him- I didn't know they do that- and he says- "it sounds like my wife, she is large like that!" :) Overall, today was spendid! I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

Last Day in Paris!

Today was rather uneventful. It started out with Penny and I taking a tour to Versailles. It was interesting- did I mention traffic in Paris is horrible- Penny said worse than New York. We toured the palace- which was impressive to say the least- the gardens were huge- Although I am not a fan of French gardens- they are much too put together for my tastes! I like more spontaneous wild growth type gardens- not so tailored. But I could appreciate the landscaped art just the same! After Versailles- we went to lunch and relaxed for a bit. After that we marched over to the Louvre- which was amazing! It is so huge- and after I figured out how to read the map- was actually manageable. We saw the Mona Lisa and some Rembrandt, Monet. We saw some amazing marble statutes and some Mesopotamian and Babylonian artifacts!!! Penny just commented that she was surprised that we never found dead bodies in the hallways of people who had gotten lost and didn't make it out of the museum!!! There are no water fountains! After an amazing trek through the museum we met up with Jack and Hettie and walked to a wonderful little restaurant and had a bite to eat. Then going home we decided to get a taxi so we could rest our aching bodies! The taxi ride was something I will never forget! Penny had to go up the Champs Elysees- which is the main street which ends in the L' Arc de Triomphe- there is a roundabout with no lines- and has 5 streets going off of it - it was rush hour and was an experience. The poor driver kept asking us if he could return us to our hotel- poor man- he didn't know what he was in for when he let us in the cab! He didn't want to be there- we tipped him heavily for his wonderful driving skill (and it was amazing!) and then finally returned to our last night in our little hotel! I must mention- that Paris comes alive at night- It is the MOST beautiful city I have ever been in at night- it is truly spectacular. Tomorrow we are up at 5:30 and leaving here at 6 for Rome. We journey on to new adventures and places to see!

A long long long day

This is Penny. Today we walked from our hotel to the metro station which we took down to the Seine- which we walked across to Notre Dame, we walked to the Louvre only to find out that it was closed on Tuesday- then walked to the Eiffel Tower! We went up in the tower to the very top which was very cold and windy. I posted some pictures of the sights. After getting down to the bottom- we hobbled over to a brasserie (restaurant) and had a wonderful lunch. Carolyn had crepes- stuffed with bananas- chocolate and vanilla (see picture) I had escargots- See pictures. We then took a taxi back and returned to our hotel. I asked the taxi driver approximately how far we had walked that morning- and he was shocked. He said we had roughly walked at least a 10km! Upon returning to our simple hotel- Carolyn and I laid down for a simple rest trying to recover, when a knock came at the door. It was the manager who asked us in broken English if we would move rooms. I tried to talked to him in French which further confused the issue. It seemed that the room next to us that housed Jack and Hetty needed to be repaired due to some city official. Jack and Hetty were out having coffee someplace- being sent away because of the repairs done to their room. I asked the manager twice if he wanted US to move- because it didn't make sense for us to move when their room was the one that was out of order, he insisted that we change rooms. So Carolyn and I started carrying our things up to the second floor- the maid was cleaning up after the workmen- and she is looking at us shaking her head- we got everything moved up and she is trying to tell us something. Then the manager comes down and tries to explain to us that he wanted us to move Jack and Hettie's things up to the 2nd room- thinking they were our parents. The maid apologizes to me profusely and speaking in french- we were both laughing. Hetty comes in- telling us that Jack was so mad about the whole ordeal- he was off drinking a combination of wine and coffee around the corner. We finished the evening at an Italian Restaurant called Maya at about 8 o'clock. Jack and Hetty and I had been talking and eating not paying attention. All of a sudden I see this head peak around the corner of the dining area- and it pops back and forth. Carolyn starts laughing. I said who is that? She responds "you don't know the half of it, haven't you seen what is going on?" apparently the bartender in the restaurant "appreciated" her, and had been attempting to charm her by prancing by over and over again and smiling- peaking around the corner at her- and poking her through the chain divider- and attempting to give her chocolate. He then proceeded to pass her a small piece of paper, which she finally accepted because it was easier than to keep attempting to refuse it - with what I found out later contained his name and number. He talked to her as we were leaving- asking her if she was English- and she said "American" and he then asked "Washington?" Carolyn found the whole event annoying and had tried to ignore him the best as she could which was difficult because his behavior was so over the top. Jack, Hetty and I decided to create a phalanx around her because now she was attracting male attention on the street- she smiles too much compared to the European girls. We are going to have our hands full in Italy. Jack who is our father figure was laughing too hard to be any use at all. We are trying to rest up for a big day tomorrow of Versailles and the Louvre.

Penny's Bath Experience at Hotel Little

This is Penny~We can't take a picture of the bathroom because you have to stand outside the door and you only see the sink.
Use of bathroom INSTRUCTIONS:
l. Do Not touch in anyway the plastic shower divider on the edge of the bathtub. It WILL fall down.
2. Adjust the water CAREFULLY . It is really HOT.
3. DO NOT put the shower nozzle over your shoulder. If it SLIPS water goes ALL over the bathroom.
4. The RADIATOR is ON. IT is LUKEWARM. That's as hot as it gets. If you keep the door shut it's relatively warm in there.
5. The towels are really ROUGH but they trully warm and exfoliate your skin.
6. The hand soap broke into 3 pieces upon ripping open the paper package.
7. Keep the toiletseat cover DOWN. Any objects placed on the sink edge or back of toilet WILL fall in.
There is no bidet. Bon Chance! Bon Nuit!

Lost in Paris!!!!

It has been a long day! First, on the train we past through part of Belgium- Brussels! (see last picture posted on this entry) Next stop Paris- we arrived safely and collected our bags- and hailed a taxi to find our small hotel. Our hotel is something else- it is tiny tiny and very......well ........simple? is the word I am looking for- It is a great experience though- wonderful adventure! The room Penny and I are sharing has 2 twin beds- and a tiny flat TV mounted on the wall- The bathroom is tiny and the keys are almost like old skeleton keys! The staircase is a spiral that makes you so dizzy going up or down- and you have to turn on the lights in the hall. So after settling in to our surroundings that we will be staying in for the next 3 days- we rested for an hour. After that we decided to take a walk around downtown Paris. It started out well- we had surplus energy and were in high spirits. We went in a few shops- Penny and I both got some shoes!. Don't worry Bernadette they weren't that expensive I promise- you would almost have approved! We went to lunch at a cafe- I posted the picture of the cafe- Penny and I had- Boeuf Bourgingon (which is like beef stew, everybody who knows me understands I love and crave meat) of course we first had cappuccinos, then wine, then our food. The menus were really cool! They were posted in old books so they brought out what looked to be leather bound hardback novels- which had the menus taped inside! I posted a picture of the menus because I thought it was so interesting! After lunch we moved on.....I picked out a fabulous new outfit- you can see the picture of the manikin wearing it- I thought it would fit in great in Oregon. The thing about this marvelous garment- that you can't tell from the picture is it is actually chain mail! The one thing females in OR need is a chain mail 2 piece bikini? or warrior outfit. It is almost as essential as Birkenstock. How cool is that! I definitely needed to obtain this essential piece to expand my severely lacking wardrobe! (kidding of course-) So here it is about 5 o'clock and we decided we should head back.....to the hotel..... the only problem we realized- is that the 2 travel maps we had on us didn't have the location of the street where the hotel was....this turned out to be a slight problem. We had the address of the hotel which was great but no one seemed to know where the street was where it was located. We finally found a kind police officer- who was familiar with the street and he gave us some general directions to locate the "area" in which the hotel might be located. So off we marched....I should add that Penny is fairly fluent in French and so is Jack and Hettie- but we still were very lost. Finally after about 2 hours of going in circles we finally found our street! I have never been so happy!! We went across the street and bought some pastries- I got an eclair- and then went and enjoyed a drink now able to relax! We are in for the night and believe me- we are going to be very very careful so this doesn't happen again.

On the Train- Destination Paris!!!

This morning we woke up very early! Well... early for me that is-6:00! and got on the train- we had to take 2 commuter trains into Rotterdam and then finally at 10:30 we finally boarded the main train heading to Paris. It was so nice to get out of the icy wind here and be on the train! I can't believe they have Internet on this- It is amazing! The train ride should take about 3 hours and then we have to locate our hotel! Which we believe is in the center of the city. I believe we are going through Brussels on our way? Although I am not quite sure. The train is so quiet- my typing is probably the loudest thing I can hear- ohh good I did just hear a child- so I am not the most annoying person out of a car of 40 people!!! I am trying to be very quiet so as not to be the pesky American typing away! If anyone can type stealthily it is me! I put on some pictures of us loading the car and at the train station! Important sidenote: I was not sleeping- I was only resting my eyes!!!!! That was on the one of the commuter trains! Well this is all I have for now- hopefully our hotel will have internet- I have no clue- but now that I know the trains have it - I could always just travel between countries to update the blog- the things I will make myself do! Ha ha! Next post- unless I see something absolutely amazing on the train, will come from Paris!!