My adventuring days have come to an end
My magical time overseas has, at last, ended. I got into Seattle last night after roughly one thousand hours of travel, from Madrid to NYC and then from there to Seattle. Travelling with Lucas was great, but exhausting since we never stayed anywhere for more than a couple of days. Here's how it went:
On Friday, June 2nd I left Marzi. After many, many hours on four different trains, I arrived in France on the 3rd. We spent one day in a small lakeside town called Aix-Les-Bains or something like that, where I ate an amazing ham and cheese baguette sandwich and and was struck for the first time by how difficult the French language is. I got by so well in Italy with the Italian I know that I kind of took it for granted. It's incredibly difficult going to a place where you don't know any of the language. Good thing I had Lucas there, who is fluent in French. The next day, we went to Lyon, which was absolutely beautiful. We spent two days there. I ate more baguette sandwiches and struggled with the language some more. I was also amazed at just how different everything is there from Italy. It's not really all that far, but all the buildings, cars, and people look completely different. But I really did enjoy it there, and like everywhere else I went, I'd like to go back some day and see more of it.
Monday night (the 5th) Lucas and I boarded a plane for Marrakech, Morocco. We got into Marrakech about midnight, and got a ride to our hotel from a friend of the owner or something. We don't really know who this guy was, and we never saw him again. Anyway, this night-time cab ride into Marrakech was amazing. The culture shock I saw coming to Rome the first time was nothing compared to this. We saw narrow, windy streets, donky-drawn carts, impromptu games of soccer, tiny little shops selling stuff. It's hard to put it into words, but it was like nothing I had ever seen. The next day was like that ten times over. We stayed in the Medina, which is the walled part of the city. That's where most of the tourists stay. We did a lot of wandering through the souks, or markets. Doing so is fascinating but also very stressful, because the shopkeepers are incredibly persistent. Everybody is your friend, everybody wants to give you the special price, and so on. The Arabic phrase "la shukram" (no thanks) is quite useful. Luckily, they speak French there since it is a former colony, so Lucas was able to speak to people in French, and I spoke to no one, really. Another thing worth mentioning are the snake charmers and dancing monkeys they have in the main square. Obviously they are there for the tourists, but it was still cool to see those kinds of things. Moroccan food is good, and very different from anything else. The major Moroccan dish is called a Tajine, which is sort of a meaty stew you eat with bread. We also found this drink that was sort of like an orange juice float, and it was delicious. We spent two days in Marrakech and then took a train to Rabat, Morocco's capital. We spent only an evening there. After the chaos of Marrakech, Rabat felt almost like being back in Europe. We wandered through the souk, which was so much more laid back than the Marrakshi ones. No one hassels you at all. It's not as stressful as the ones in Marrakech, but not quite as foreign or exciting either. Again, I need to spend more time in Morocco, but not in June. It was definitely hot there, but, to my surprise, no worse than that one day in Marzi. Nevertheless, it was a good 20 degrees celcius too many for me.
After the evening in Rabat we got on a bus to Sevilla, Spain. Unfortunately, Lucas and I had very little money, and the little cafe in the bus station only had junk food. But we were sure we'd come across an ATM at some point so we didn't worry too much about it. Unfortunately, we didn't, and so ate very little and nothing of quality. This wrought havoc on my poor stomach. Another unpleasant incident was going from the bus to the ferry to Spain. We were supposed to fill out these customs cards, which everyone in line somehow had already. No one told us we needed these forms, and we didn't realize it until we were at the front of the line. So I just had to stand there off to the side while Lucas ran around frantically tring to find the forms. When we finally got them, we had to haul ass to get to the ferry because we thought it would leave without us. The whole thing was extremely stressful, and it was compounded by the fact that the boat didn't leave for two hours. When we got to Algeciras, Spain, we had to get on a different bus to get to Sevilla. This bus driver, unfortunately, was an asshole, and would not allow carry-on bags or any eating on the bus. This bus was also much hotter and less comfortable than the previous one. We finally got to Sevilla at about 3 am and went to sleep.
The next day in Sevilla, though, was much more enjoyable. We ate some real food and wandered around. It's really a beautiful city as well. Much in the same way everything in France just looked really French, everything there was very Spanish. We just spent a lot of time wandering around town, and we went to the bullfighting museum, which was fascinating. This whole bullfighting thing really intrigues me. As cruel and barbaric as it is, there's something about it I find fascinating. They weren't having any fights when I was there, though, which is probably for the best. The museum was cool though. We went back to the hostel in the afternoon/evening to use the free internet that they had, and also to get out of the 30 degree-plus heat, which really wasn't that bad after Morocco, but still more than I like. Then, since it was the first day of the World Cup, we ended up watching the opening game, Germany-Costa Rica, with a bunch of Americans at our hostel. It was a surprisingly good group, and we had a lot of fun talking sports with these random people.
The next day, we left for Lisbon. We went by bus again, because the rail system in Spain is terrible. It's impossible to go anywhere without going through Madrid, which would have taken about 12 hours. Going into Lisbon by bus was really cool, though. We went through the new part of the city first, which almost felt American because it was so sprawling, and there were tall buildings everywhere. You wouldn't call them skyscrapers by American standards, but for Europe, they were big. It really felt nothing like Europe. The old part of the city is of course much more European, but it still feels really different from Italy, France, or Spain. Walking around Lisbon, it really does feel like an old sea town, the capital of a vast and powerful navy. It feels old and weathered. I liked it a lot. We went to some museums and a really cool castle up on a hill with spectacular views of the city. Sunday night, we watched the Portugal vs Angola world cup match in a bar amongst the Portuguese, which was amazing. I'm glad I could be in Europe for the start of it, because it is huge there. It really matters. Everywhere you look in Lisbon, you'll see flags flying and people decked out in jerseys and hats and whatnot. Also, in Italy, while they have words that mean Wolrd Cup, they just call it "Il Mondiale," which means "the worldwide," as if it's the only thing going on in the world that matters. Anyway, on Monday we saw Mission Impossible III, which was an enjoyable, if cliched and unoriginal, action flick. Movies are cheaper there, though, and they even offer student discounts, just like the museums. On monday night we took the night train to Madrid (which is the only way to get there by train, because again, the Spanish rail system is bad). The night train was actually really nice, and Lucas and I shared a cabin with a Brazilian guy and a Chinese guy who both spoke excellent English. The highlight for me was when the Chinese guy asked us a bunch of questions about the old tv show "Growing Pains."
On tuesday morning we got to Madrid and checked into our hostel. Then we went to the Prado museum, which is supposed to famous and amazing and all that. They had a Picasso exhibit going on, which was very cool, and a lot of other great works as well. But this museum is simply gigantic and exhausting. We were going to check out the Reina Sofia museum, which is also having a Picasso exhibit and is home to his famous painting Guernica, but we were museumed out, so we went to a place called the Museum of Ham which was actually a sandwhich place. It was delicious. We wandered around some more, saw the royal palace which was amazing (especially the part with all the old-timey weapons and armour), and had a dinner of tapas. Tapas is a Spanish thing where you just eat a lot of little things. It's kind of hard to describe, but it was terrific.
Then it was time to go. I got up on wednesday morning and took a shuttle to the airport. I could have taken the metro, but I was so tired of lugging my 30kg suitcase around that I just did it this way, which of course was more expensive. Then of course was 14 hours of flying plus a 4 hour layover at JFK airport in NYC. But at least I didn't have to go through Atlanta again like when I flew to Rome. Eww, the south. Anyway, it's wonderful to be home. Tonight I'm going to eat a steak and a baked potato and hopefully I'll watch some baseball as well. I do miss Italy, but I don't think I'm going to be like Ben and spend all my time whining about how I want to go back. There's a good chance this will be my last livejournal post. It's just that nothing interesting happens to me when I'm home, and besides, I talk to all of you people regularly so you'll know what I'm up to. I'll still read other people's posts and respond to them, though. Thank you to everyone who read this and posted comments and such. I hope you've enjoyed my little anecdotes.
On Friday, June 2nd I left Marzi. After many, many hours on four different trains, I arrived in France on the 3rd. We spent one day in a small lakeside town called Aix-Les-Bains or something like that, where I ate an amazing ham and cheese baguette sandwich and and was struck for the first time by how difficult the French language is. I got by so well in Italy with the Italian I know that I kind of took it for granted. It's incredibly difficult going to a place where you don't know any of the language. Good thing I had Lucas there, who is fluent in French. The next day, we went to Lyon, which was absolutely beautiful. We spent two days there. I ate more baguette sandwiches and struggled with the language some more. I was also amazed at just how different everything is there from Italy. It's not really all that far, but all the buildings, cars, and people look completely different. But I really did enjoy it there, and like everywhere else I went, I'd like to go back some day and see more of it.
Monday night (the 5th) Lucas and I boarded a plane for Marrakech, Morocco. We got into Marrakech about midnight, and got a ride to our hotel from a friend of the owner or something. We don't really know who this guy was, and we never saw him again. Anyway, this night-time cab ride into Marrakech was amazing. The culture shock I saw coming to Rome the first time was nothing compared to this. We saw narrow, windy streets, donky-drawn carts, impromptu games of soccer, tiny little shops selling stuff. It's hard to put it into words, but it was like nothing I had ever seen. The next day was like that ten times over. We stayed in the Medina, which is the walled part of the city. That's where most of the tourists stay. We did a lot of wandering through the souks, or markets. Doing so is fascinating but also very stressful, because the shopkeepers are incredibly persistent. Everybody is your friend, everybody wants to give you the special price, and so on. The Arabic phrase "la shukram" (no thanks) is quite useful. Luckily, they speak French there since it is a former colony, so Lucas was able to speak to people in French, and I spoke to no one, really. Another thing worth mentioning are the snake charmers and dancing monkeys they have in the main square. Obviously they are there for the tourists, but it was still cool to see those kinds of things. Moroccan food is good, and very different from anything else. The major Moroccan dish is called a Tajine, which is sort of a meaty stew you eat with bread. We also found this drink that was sort of like an orange juice float, and it was delicious. We spent two days in Marrakech and then took a train to Rabat, Morocco's capital. We spent only an evening there. After the chaos of Marrakech, Rabat felt almost like being back in Europe. We wandered through the souk, which was so much more laid back than the Marrakshi ones. No one hassels you at all. It's not as stressful as the ones in Marrakech, but not quite as foreign or exciting either. Again, I need to spend more time in Morocco, but not in June. It was definitely hot there, but, to my surprise, no worse than that one day in Marzi. Nevertheless, it was a good 20 degrees celcius too many for me.
After the evening in Rabat we got on a bus to Sevilla, Spain. Unfortunately, Lucas and I had very little money, and the little cafe in the bus station only had junk food. But we were sure we'd come across an ATM at some point so we didn't worry too much about it. Unfortunately, we didn't, and so ate very little and nothing of quality. This wrought havoc on my poor stomach. Another unpleasant incident was going from the bus to the ferry to Spain. We were supposed to fill out these customs cards, which everyone in line somehow had already. No one told us we needed these forms, and we didn't realize it until we were at the front of the line. So I just had to stand there off to the side while Lucas ran around frantically tring to find the forms. When we finally got them, we had to haul ass to get to the ferry because we thought it would leave without us. The whole thing was extremely stressful, and it was compounded by the fact that the boat didn't leave for two hours. When we got to Algeciras, Spain, we had to get on a different bus to get to Sevilla. This bus driver, unfortunately, was an asshole, and would not allow carry-on bags or any eating on the bus. This bus was also much hotter and less comfortable than the previous one. We finally got to Sevilla at about 3 am and went to sleep.
The next day in Sevilla, though, was much more enjoyable. We ate some real food and wandered around. It's really a beautiful city as well. Much in the same way everything in France just looked really French, everything there was very Spanish. We just spent a lot of time wandering around town, and we went to the bullfighting museum, which was fascinating. This whole bullfighting thing really intrigues me. As cruel and barbaric as it is, there's something about it I find fascinating. They weren't having any fights when I was there, though, which is probably for the best. The museum was cool though. We went back to the hostel in the afternoon/evening to use the free internet that they had, and also to get out of the 30 degree-plus heat, which really wasn't that bad after Morocco, but still more than I like. Then, since it was the first day of the World Cup, we ended up watching the opening game, Germany-Costa Rica, with a bunch of Americans at our hostel. It was a surprisingly good group, and we had a lot of fun talking sports with these random people.
The next day, we left for Lisbon. We went by bus again, because the rail system in Spain is terrible. It's impossible to go anywhere without going through Madrid, which would have taken about 12 hours. Going into Lisbon by bus was really cool, though. We went through the new part of the city first, which almost felt American because it was so sprawling, and there were tall buildings everywhere. You wouldn't call them skyscrapers by American standards, but for Europe, they were big. It really felt nothing like Europe. The old part of the city is of course much more European, but it still feels really different from Italy, France, or Spain. Walking around Lisbon, it really does feel like an old sea town, the capital of a vast and powerful navy. It feels old and weathered. I liked it a lot. We went to some museums and a really cool castle up on a hill with spectacular views of the city. Sunday night, we watched the Portugal vs Angola world cup match in a bar amongst the Portuguese, which was amazing. I'm glad I could be in Europe for the start of it, because it is huge there. It really matters. Everywhere you look in Lisbon, you'll see flags flying and people decked out in jerseys and hats and whatnot. Also, in Italy, while they have words that mean Wolrd Cup, they just call it "Il Mondiale," which means "the worldwide," as if it's the only thing going on in the world that matters. Anyway, on Monday we saw Mission Impossible III, which was an enjoyable, if cliched and unoriginal, action flick. Movies are cheaper there, though, and they even offer student discounts, just like the museums. On monday night we took the night train to Madrid (which is the only way to get there by train, because again, the Spanish rail system is bad). The night train was actually really nice, and Lucas and I shared a cabin with a Brazilian guy and a Chinese guy who both spoke excellent English. The highlight for me was when the Chinese guy asked us a bunch of questions about the old tv show "Growing Pains."
On tuesday morning we got to Madrid and checked into our hostel. Then we went to the Prado museum, which is supposed to famous and amazing and all that. They had a Picasso exhibit going on, which was very cool, and a lot of other great works as well. But this museum is simply gigantic and exhausting. We were going to check out the Reina Sofia museum, which is also having a Picasso exhibit and is home to his famous painting Guernica, but we were museumed out, so we went to a place called the Museum of Ham which was actually a sandwhich place. It was delicious. We wandered around some more, saw the royal palace which was amazing (especially the part with all the old-timey weapons and armour), and had a dinner of tapas. Tapas is a Spanish thing where you just eat a lot of little things. It's kind of hard to describe, but it was terrific.
Then it was time to go. I got up on wednesday morning and took a shuttle to the airport. I could have taken the metro, but I was so tired of lugging my 30kg suitcase around that I just did it this way, which of course was more expensive. Then of course was 14 hours of flying plus a 4 hour layover at JFK airport in NYC. But at least I didn't have to go through Atlanta again like when I flew to Rome. Eww, the south. Anyway, it's wonderful to be home. Tonight I'm going to eat a steak and a baked potato and hopefully I'll watch some baseball as well. I do miss Italy, but I don't think I'm going to be like Ben and spend all my time whining about how I want to go back. There's a good chance this will be my last livejournal post. It's just that nothing interesting happens to me when I'm home, and besides, I talk to all of you people regularly so you'll know what I'm up to. I'll still read other people's posts and respond to them, though. Thank you to everyone who read this and posted comments and such. I hope you've enjoyed my little anecdotes.