Blogs from Europe - page 10053

Today Joonas came over around 12 and we went picnic shopping together, then he went home to grab some supplies, and I ate a special fish lunch with the family. At 1 Joonas drove Anette and I to Turku where we met Markus at the Lily on the river where he works, and sailed out to Vepsä island for the day! ... read more

We took the opportunity to sleep in a little, knowing that we had a long walk ahead today. Without a kitchenette, or utensils, we had limited choices for breakfast. Karina bought some milk and ate her cereal out of my New York Mets cup, while I opted for a rather plain, dry ham and cheese roll. Bleah! Next we stocked up on lunch - a few slices of pizza and some pesto focaccia, a couple of bananas, drinks and some chocolate - vital hiking supplies! We also quickly visited the souvenir shop before heading down to the station to Porto Venere. By the time we started out on the hike, around 1pm, Karina was hungry. The 1st part of the walk is a very steep climb past the fortress and beyond - you gain a lot ... read more

Luckily, I could sleep a bit this morning because my first train wasn't until 9:33 am. I got up at 8:30, took a quick shower and was on my way. Walking to the train station I ran into someone I knew! What are the odds?!? Especially since at 9 am this city is still asleep. It was Basel, who we'd last left in Perth. I stopped for a second to say hi and meet his friend Wendy and was on my way. The train ride to Glasgow was a strange one. There were a lot of older, louder people on it and I was just irritated. When I walked into the coach the place got quiet. Strange, maybe their not used to seeing young people. I had no choice to where I sat though because this ... read more

People call Venice the most romantic city in the world, and I can completely understand why, even though I spent the weekend there solo or with a girl pal. The tiny little streets where two people can hardly pass by, with balconies overflowing with bright coloured geraniums, with romantic little windows with wooden shutters, around every corner is a small bridge over a canal filled with gondolas... It's all very pretty and very romantic. I don't know why everyone always complains about the smell - it was 30'c+ for all the three days i was there, and there was no bad smell whatsoever. The only noticable smell is that of the ocean. It was great. Especially in San Marco piazza, which is very pretty, and it opens straight onto the sea. The Church of San Marco ... read more

We are happy to report that after two days we can now sit and stand without pain. We are in beautiful Santorini now. It is an amazing island with so many wonderful views. The trip here was not so wonderful however. The travel agent booked us on a high speed ferry from Crete to Santorini which took 2 hours instead of the normal 4. She did not mention that it would feel like being on an amusement park ride. The ferry took off from the port and the ride was smooth till they picked up speed. The water started coming over the windows of the boat and we started slamming into the waves. People in the boat started gasping as we went up and down over the waves. We were not expecting this from the ferry ... read more