Saturday, July 31, 2004

almost home time : /

Well im currently waiting for a train to Barcelona where I will spend three nights and then fly home on the 3rd. Reeeeeeeeally not looking forward to coming home. England is so lame.

The only good thing I can really think of about coming home is that I can finally look at my photos.

Hrmph.

I was in San Jose, on the Spanish south coast, a few days ago, one of the best places Ive been yet, I think. It´s a little sea side resort but its not covered in huge hotels or anything. I went for a walk along the coast line (so eager!!). It´s all desert-like landscape, mountains in the background and then crazy trees and things nearby. Walked right to the end of the next beach along and then up a hill so I could see out over the cliffs and sea. Sat there for ages listening to music and eating cake. Cake, music, sun and a view of the med. What more could you ask for, really? Wanted to walk on further and see if I could find a deserted beach but it was getting dark. It was maddening cause you could see the path disappear over the next bit of hill/cliff and I wanted to walk it and see where it went. Definitely on the list of places to go back to some day.


Thursday, July 22, 2004

woah

Theyre playing Counting Crows cover of Big Yellow Taxi in this internet cafe.  Which is weird because before that it was all boyzone and the like.  Anyway thats pretty cool.  Nothing like hearing an awesome song when youre miles from home and werent expecting it.

Anyway I just had to blog about this.  About three days ago, while in a train station in Montpellier.  I saw a guy wearing a bright red black and yellow sash.  Across it, in bold letters, was written "Mister Belgium 1998".

What possible shade of madness could have created a situation where standing in a train station claiming you were the hottest man in belguim 6 years ago could have seemed like a good idea?

Sunday, July 18, 2004

omg medieval ness

Well after a brilliant time in montpellier, Im now in Carcasonne.  Montpellier was really cool, met loads of people in the hostel so had a night in a dodgy "latino" bar; got to go out into the country and swim in a river miles from anywhere.  Very pretty.  Also Montpellier is one of those great European cities thats really alive at night.  Saw breakdancers in the street one night, very amusing.
 
At Carcasonne the hostel is right inside the walled medieval part of the city.  Its gorgeous from the outside and the little streets inside certainly have an appeal, even if they do come across as a bit disneyland-y sometimes due to being quite touristy.  I think all the buildings are authentic though and Im hoping to get some good photos this evening when its lit by the setting sun.
 
Saw the tour de france today cause it set off from Carcasonne this morning.  Didnt actually realise it was here till I arrived here last night and heard some people talking about it.  Got talking to a few people in the common room in the youth hostel till about 2am and found out where to go and stuff.  Stood around for about 2 hours, and then the cyclists shot past in about 12 seconds.  Wild.  Got some photos though.  I just set the camera to continuous shooting, held down the shutter and pointed it at the road.  They go by too fast to think about doing anything else.  Was very jealous of the photographers going past on the back of motorbikes, keeping up with the cyclists.
 
Now im about to take a walk around the main part of Carcasonne, looking for somewhere that will sell a cheap sweater since I left mine in Montpellier :/

Thursday, July 15, 2004

omg sun!!!

Whoo, I dont even know where to begin with this post. ive been pretty good at keeping my diary on paper and ill update my blog with sections of it when i get home prolly. In the mean time Ill just ramble for a bit cause internet access is like 85p an hour here.

Uuuuuhm well last night was the quatorze and I went with a polish girl called paulina and a welsh girl also called amy to fireworks just outside montpellier (which is where im staying at the moment). Amazing display. Two things the french know how to do: make sandwiches, put on fireworks.

Today i took a quick trip on a tram and a bus to the beach and had a walk along, paddling in the water. Took some photos and tommorrow im gonna go back, sans camera and perhaps with some girls from the hostel to swim and properly do the beach thing.

Am really loving Montpellier,everyone here seems so much nicer and more willing to help than in some other places ive visited where theyve even been rude at tourist information offices. A swedish woman told me of this conversation at the tourist office in aix-en-provence
SW: Hey so are there any good art galleries here?
TO: Yes loads, what do you want?
SW: Um, well, Cezanne was born here wasnt he?
TO: ... He's dead you know.

say what now?

Anyway, as i was saying, people in montpellier are much nicer. Am staying here two more nights then heading to Carcassonne I think which is some kind of walled city I think. I never really know until I show up in these places since I dont have a Europe/France guide book aside from the hostel guide.

Well, Im off to see if anyone at the hostel feels like going for a wander round the town.

Sunday, July 11, 2004

omg mountains

ok this is gonna be a short post cause the net access is expensive but i had to come online to check hostel availability in nice, which is probably where im going next.

i'm currently in chamonix having just arrived from annecy which was gorgeous and this place is even more breath taking but its a bit cloudy.

was hoping to take a cable car half way up mont blanc tomorrow but apparently they had signs there today saying that the visibility is bad to 0.

anyway, annecy was definitely the best place ive stayed so far. stayed there two nights and met two other girls, one from south africa and one from austrailia. Cool to have people to hang out with. Went on a boat trip round annecy lake and took lots of photos, also swam in the lake. Was cold but ridiculously iddylic(which i cant spell), swimming in a lake at the foot of huge green mountains.

Weirdest thing to happen so far is that i arrived in lyon at about 11pm cause i coulddnt get an earlier train. Found the road the youth hostel was on on a map and figured out how the tram works. Very proud of myself. Reached the road and hostel is number 51, set of walking at number 157. Got to 53... then got to 45. Oh crap. Wandered around this slightly dodgy neighbourhood a while and decided to go back to a police station id seen a few blocks back. Fell through the door almost in tears and told them i was lost. Nicest police officers in teh world. Turned out there were two roads called teh same thing and id picked the wrong one. Ended up having three police officers drive me to the hostel, while they sang songs about the quartorze.

Anyway apart from that everythings totally awesome. Just hoping for better weather/visibility tomorrow!!

Au revoir!

Monday, July 05, 2004

so much stuff

Backpacks full of a month's worth of stuff are heavy. :(

1 day to go!@!@
:D