First Few Days In Dublin November 12, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Dublin , 2comments
- Image by chris181m via Flickr
The last leg of our six month journey is nine days in Ireland. In Dublin, where we are staying, we have met with my mother, Alice, and her friend, Cindi, for what resembles more of a vacation with tours scheduled in advance and the purchasing of trinkets. Its really nice to see familiar faces in the flesh.
We have been treated to tours of the city, including a Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour of Dublin (I recommend this for the first official day in any city since it allows you to get a feel for the area). Then there were other tours that went into the history of the people who inhabited this area. Mostly Vikings, although there have been many others over the centuries.
Today we went on a tour that brought us into a crypt beneath a church where we saw Mummies (Apparently the right combination of dryness, cool temperature, and Methane really preserves a corpse). They even let us touch one of the Mummified corpses, saying that if one shakes hands with the mummified bodies, then it brings good luck (Then again they say that about Blarney Stone and the stone is used every where around here).
A Day At The Beach July 10, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Normandy , add a commentSo yesterday we went to the coast in Normandy and walked along the never ending beach (it’s a depositional beach, so it is forever growing). It was nice to take our shoes off and feel the sand between our toes. The water was beautiful but a bit chilly. We joked about the invasion and how it must’ve been (considering it’s such an ideal beach). Our host has said that if we were to get out the beach early enough that there is a chance that debris from the invasion can be found.
There was a lively crab that we stumbled upon in the shallow parts as we walked. With a bit of trouble (evasive maneuvering on it’s part) and a lot of fumbling, our host finally was holding the crab. Also, there were tons of Hermit crabs that scuttled about as the waves receded.
As we walked we saw the high tide line of shells and bits of other debris. It all seemed fairly the same as what you’d find on any beach, except there were Cuttlefish bones randomly along the beach in the high tide line. I knew they came from the fish and the fish lives in the ocean, but I never thought I’d see the actual bone that you’d find in a bird cage just out in the wild! Wild might be an over statement, but you catch my drift. There was also a unique part to the beach which was that the beach is so long there are various places where water seeps out of the ground from about 100 feet away from the actual water’s edge and it makes a shallow river that flows into the ocean. It’s pretty neat in a sense that it also fills any depressions in the sand, so there are various places where it dips down slightly so there is a foot of water where children were splashing around like it was an overgrown puddle. So after having a lovely walk along the beach, we went to a small village on the coast and had a soda at a local cafe.
We people watched and joked around with our hosts for a while. It was a beautiful, clear day so many people were in the town with their dogs and sun block covered children with long sleeves on (the French are a bit over protective in reguards to their children and the sun). Normandy really is a wonderful place (although the best part about Normandy is still the cheeses). I am not a huge fan of sandy beaches and the whole ocean theme, but I must say that this beach is my new favorite.
Today it was not as hot and so Chris and Carl burned the branches that they removed from the trees along the back of their property. It was amazing how tall the flames were and the heat that came off of it was quite impressive.
Holland: Amsterday And Leiden July 2, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : holland , add a comment
- Image by chris181m via Flickr
On Wednesday we said our goodbyes to our hosts and got on an over night bus to Amsterdam via London. That was a poor decision. I figured I could sleep on the bus since I have no trouble sleeping in cars, but I now stand corrected. There was no sleeping until the final hour before we arrived, which made us even more groggy than before.
So after we got to the hotel and realized that our room was not ready for us since check-in time starts at 2PM and it was currently 7 AM, we left our bags at the hotel and went to the city center for some breakfast (small selection of places are open at that hour in Amsterdam) and anything to kill some time (I think we both really wanted a nap more than anything). Amsterdam collectively is not a morning person, if you catch my drift. Needless to say time crept by that morning.
So after getting checked in and having possibly the best nap of our lives, we went back to the city center for some people watching. Amsterdam seems to lack benches in most of the city, but there are many planters that work just as well and with lovely views of the canals. The entire city was decorated with orange banners and balloons for the World Cup (soccer), which the Netherlands won today, in case you were wondering. At one place that we went to there was a group of street performers that were break dancing. It was amazing!
- Image by chris181m via Flickr
Yesterday there was a heat wave of some sort that has continued on today as well. I suppose we should be used to much hotter (considering it’s about 90F around noon) but there are very few places that have air conditioning. So we sit and sweat where ever we go.
So today we packed up and headed to Leiden where Minas picked us up and introduced us to his family and to the duck that choose to turn their garden into her nursery. The eggs hatched some time yesterday, so the baby chicks were so tiny and fluffy. So we had to catch them so his children could hold them. Then the mother duck decided that it was time to go to the canal right behind Minas’ garden, so then the chicks got all confused and stuck on the wrong side of the fence (so we helped them get out to the water).
Then he took us for the Greek food that was delicious for dinner. After eating way too much we went for a walk around Leiden’s city center. This city is lovely! There were tons of people celebrating their soccer victory in the streets with loud music and a lot of drinking. Many people in their cars (or even the city buses) honked repeatedly and people in their gardens set off fire works and blew horns. I suppose we shall see what Leiden really looks like tomorrow after the clean up crew does their job.
As for the Work away thing any the remaining time we have before we meet with my mother in Ireland, we have a plane in Normandy to work at that is owned by a friends of one our previous hosts. We shall see!
Working in Italy April 25, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Carassai , 2commentsAs you guys know, we’re staying and working at Agriturismo la Cicala, a vineyard on the East coast of Italy. Despite the inclement weather of the past few days, today has been a gorgeous, sunny day. The weather is warming back up and our skin is loving the sun.
We didn’t get started with work until around 11 this morning but we handled the same amount of work as we did on Thursday in about half the time, clearly we are getting more skilled in tending grapes! Despite our growing skill, today the fields are muddy and pack onto our shoes quickly, making us feel like we’re wearing 10 lb. platform shoes.
After Giuseppe or I (Chris), clip the rogue shoots of the grape vines and tend to them, Tiffany comes through and ties the grape vines onto the poles, helping the grapes to grow straight and in the right direction.
The lack of rain gives us the stunning views we saw on our first day here but which has been blocked by the low clouds and fog since then. The countryside around Agriturismo La Cicala is absolutely beautiful, a wonderful change to the city scapes we’ve gotten used to seeing.
Mount Vesuvius April 19, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Naples, Travel Tips , add a commentTo go up Vesuvius, you have to take a bus most of the way up and then hike to the summit. The cheapest way to get the bus is to go to the Ercolano stop where the bus tickets are the cheapest, in addition to the train tickets being fairly cheap. Be wary though because there is a tour that charges extra for a tour guide. It’s a volcano, do you really need a tour guide?
The bus ride up gives you great views over the Bay of Naples in addition to the towns of Pompei and Ercolano. About 4km from the bus stop at the top of the volcano, we stopped at a shop run by a man who has been living and working on Vesuvius for over 40 years, saw the last eruption in 1944 at age 16, and gave us a nice history of the volcano highlighted by pictures out of a book about Vesuvius.
The top of Mount Vesuvius is a National Park that you have to pay 4.50 to 6.50 Euros a person to climb to the top, depending on age and whether or not you are a student.
We paid to exert ourselves and climb to the top and it was worth it. The hike afforded us great views some of the time, odd visions while walking in clouds, and finally, stunning views into the volcano itself.
Along the way, there are several small shops where you can buy nifty figures and souvenirs from the mountain made of shiny volcanic rock and such. There are Roman statues, fairies, and even just plain shiny rocks!
At the top is a shop where you can grab a coffee while admiring the views around and over the mountain and if it’s cloudy when you get to the top, just wait a few minutes, the clouds have a tendency to be only temporary things, passing by and giving you an absolutely stunning view down the volcano.
While taking the climb, Tiff and I got engrossed in looking for shiny rocks of our own so that we wouldn’t have to pay for a rock, shiny or not, deciding that it would be more fun to find our own anyway. What we discovered by the end of our trek up and down the volcano was that there are more shiny rocks at the beginning of the path than at any other point on the climb; however, there were a lot of nifty, shiny, and colorful rocks on the path, just not as many as were at the bottom.
One thing to remember before deciding to climb Vesuvius is to bring a jacket even if it feels nice and warm at sea level; it can be several degrees cooler at the top and is often very windy, there are even signs posted around the entrance to the Park.
While looking into the volcano, we noticed that apparently there are steam vents in the sides of the volcano because there would be steam constantly moving up from the walls of the volcano and joining the clouds, even when there weren’t any clouds anywhere near the volcano!
Vesuvius is definitely something you can’t miss on a trip through southern Italy!
Pompei Ruins April 16, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Naples , add a commentToday, we took a train from Napoli to see the ruins of Pompei; the ruins were very well preserved when Mount Vesuvius exploded in 74 CE which coated everything in the city in ash before sealing everything with a blast of super-hot air coming off the mountain.
Because of the quick preservation, there are a ton of frescoes still visible in the city, spread out through the walls between the buildings, inside the buildings, and even on the ground in some cases! Also clearly visible in Pompei are the Romanesque ruins with columns, a bath house, and amphitheaters scattered throughout.
The city seemed to be designed with carts and pedestrians sharing the roads because there are sidewalks on both sides and wagon ruts can be clearly seen in the streets. Whoever built the streets in Pompei must have been brilliant; the streets were about 12-18 inches above the road and there were stepping stones on the street at the ‘crosswalks’ that were nearly the same height as the sidewalk, allowing us to walk through the city without jumping on and off the sidewalks!
We got lucky with our timing this week as it’s apparently Culture Week which meant that all of the museums in the area (maybe Italy), are free! We still had to get a ticket but we asked for it and they gave us a ticket admitting two people with a price of zero Euros.
Zurich Zooh! April 4, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Zurich , add a commentWe stared the day with a great breakfast at the hotel; soft boiled egg, Croissant, cold cuts, yogurt, and a variety of cheeses. We pocketed some cheese for a snack for later (we figured at SFr 14.00 each, we should get the most bang for our buck). It was cheaper than the bakery across the street at SFr 23.00 each for a buffet breakfast.
After we went for a walk in an area just outside of Kloten. It was nice, nothing too spectacular, but we did get to see some farm lands and a pretty good view of Kloten and the mountains in the distance.
We walked for about an hour and then took the train into the city. We road the Tram around, sampling the city you could say, looking for a good place to get off and explore. We thought about going into Zug and the surrounding mountains, but that area was just outside of our ticket’s zones. So we ended up at the zooh! which is right down the street from FIFA.
The zooh! turned out to be a great idea! There were many animals that I had never seen before and Zurich’s zoo is much different than the ones in the states. wild animals are allowed to go into other wild animal’s habitats (such as an anteaterneating lunch in the parrot habitat),there were relatively wild fowl roaming the grounds (including storks), and the fences were mostly about two feet high. The pictures shown below are a Shoebill and Chris is feeding a free-range Chicken at the zoo.
The best part was the Masoala Regenwald which is an 11,000 sq meter, completely enclosed Madagascan habitat. There are no fences keeping the animals and people separate; just a path that they ask visitors to stay on. Red Ruffled Lemurs called and jumped from tree to tree around and a
bove us. I loved every minute of it. This was definitely the first time I stood face to face with completely wild animals without any walls between us. It truly was a magical experience!
First Day In Zurich April 1, 2010
Posted by tiffany in : Zurich , add a comment
We took a TGV train to Zurich today and we’re planning to stay for three days. We arrived and learned that our hotel was not completely honest about their location and we ended up spending a large amount of Francs on cab fair. I suppose we have learned a lesson; “10 minutes from the city center” should not by taken into consideration unless the mode of transportation is taken into account(10 minutes on a Swiss freeway equals 40 Francs).
Switzerland is interesting in the fact that they are not a part of the EU, they have four official languages (French, English, Italian, and German), and they still use the Swiss Francs (current value: 1.00USD to 1.05 Franc).
So today we wandered around what appears to be a bedroom city to Zurich(much like Bellaire is to Houston) and found a couple of interesting things to look at. We saw a candy warehouse and couldn’t help ourselves. We had to go and check it out! It was all candies that Haribo (the company that makes gummy bears) makes, so they were all assorted gummy candies. There were milk cows, eggs, lizards, and of course bears all made of candy.
So, from the looks of Zurich it seems like a very run of the mill European city but as we do more and more research into what we can do while here,we are learning that it has so much that we may end up feeling like we’re running a marathon! There is a whole area of Zurich that apparently looks very much like it did in the 16oo’s (apparently the people who work there act the part too). Also, from our impression today, Swiss people are usually happy to help and forgive you for messing up their language (even though there are four to choose from, not everyone speaks all of them).
Camera Obscura March 15, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Edinburgh , add a commentToday we took a day trip to Edinburgh to visit the Camera Obscura. We had a great time in the galleries and taking a different kind of tour of Edinburgh in the top floor of the building.
The Camera Obscure is located just down the Royal Mile from Edinburgh Castle and across the street from The Scotland Whiskey Experience.
The show consisted of a tour of Edinburgh, having some laughs with the hostess, and learning how camera obscura works. We were very fortunate that today was not very rainy since the show is apparently fairly lame if the weather’s bad (the mirror fogs up or low visibility due to precipitation). That was not the case for us and it was amazing!
The Camera Obscura is one of several around the world, they are each large pin-hole cameras that project an image in a manner similar to an old film-style camera.
The tour feels like a cross between seeing the city from a low flying plane and being an omnipotent being. We got to see all the major sights in the city plus (since it was a clear day out) we saw islands and the hills outside of the city! And since it’s a real image that’s constantly changing, we got to see the people moving around the city. This is truly people watching in style! We pretend to pick people up off the street with a piece of paper, give them a shake, and put them back (those poor pedestrians, if they only knew).
The galleries are three floors of purely interactive exhibits.
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The first floor of exhibits consisted of all sorts of demonstrations of light play, from holograms to pin-hole photography. 
One of the most visually stunning parts of this floor was the room of lights- a room with a transparent wall blocking a lot of lights, causing the light points to move outward to infinity. Another fantastic aspect of this floor was the stairway to Australia!
The second contained varied optical illusions: everything from Escher prints to ways to visually exchange facial components/faces.
The third floor of exhibits had many fun gadgets and devices including a gigantic lightning ball and other fun toys! There was a crackle ball and a flat lightning ball like thing that responded to noise.
The exhibits mentioned above were fantastic but are merely a way for you to pass your time until your show on the top floor is ready to begin, the camera obscura.
Click to learn more about Camera Obscura.
Camera Obscura gave us free admission to write this review.
Traveling Europe on a Budget March 10, 2010
Posted by Chris in : Travel Tips , 2commentsThere are so many ways to travel around Europe, and despite the differing price range, it comes down to what your specific needs and wants are. Your primary methods of travel would be renting a car, hiring a taxi, by bus, train, or airplane. For traveling around a town, another option you may want to consider would be to rent a bicycle.
There are varying levels of comfort, price, and length of trip between these options so be sure to consider before choosing which you’d prefer.
Rent a Car
Renting a car can be your best option when you will need to travel around your destination as well, but only if you can return the car near to where you will be instead of having to return to the rental location. There are great prices by the day so if you are going to be traveling around a lot and already have your own insurance, the last thing to consider would be gas.
Gas is expensive throughout Europe so expect to be paying more than you do at home and you won’t be disappointed. Also, if you aren’t carrying insurance that covers rental cars, you will be required to pay for insurance on the rental car as well.
Taxi
If, on the other hand, you are traveling shorter distances, say from the bus or train station, or maybe the airport, taxis can be a great option. Make sure you understand the pricing before you head off or you might get shocked about what you’re expected to pay on arrival. Returning to stations can often have set rates so ask if they are available in the taxi you’re taking.
While taxis can be a great option, they can also be quite expensive; however, attempting to drive around in a city you don’t know can get you terribly lost.
While taxis may not be your best option for getting to a destination, there are many different options with cabs! Many taxi companies have hourly rates for tours so be sure to ask about pricing. Who better to show you around the town than somebody who drives around it all day! Taxi drivers may know the best things to see, the best places to go, and more!
Bus
Traveling from cities near to each other, cities that are around 3-4 hours apart, often have bus as the best option, as long as you remember to book online. The buses often have stops in between the stations where passengers can get on or off so they are often great options for inter-city travels.
Traveling around a city by bus can also be a quite affordable way to get around. Usually you can ask the people where you are staying for help with the bus schedule so don’t be afraid to ask. Traveling by bus can be less than 5 pounds per day for unlimited travel that day so is often a good option.
When traveling by bus and returning to your departure location later that day, be sure to verify that you will have a return bus running on the day that you are riding or you could easily end up stranded overnight in a distant town. While this can be a fun adventure, it can also cost you a decent amount of money to handle, either renting a bed for the night or getting a taxi (expensive) back to your location.
In Scotland, Citylink often has prices of less than 10 quid to travel between cities but only when booked one-way, online.
Train
While I debated with myself about including the train in the traveling Europe on a budget, I decided to put a few notes about it in here.
Trains can often be the most comfortable option of those listed to get from city to city; however, they are not the cheapest or even always the fastest so depending on what your goals are, think long and hard about using trains.
Traveling between cities can also be a great time to use trains if you need to get there quickly. With trains, you can avoid timely security checkpoints and get to your destination much more quickly. Train stations are also usually located more centrally than airports and so can even make it easier for your later travel.
If you will be doing a lot of travel by train, I advise checking into Britt Rail or EurRail passes but don’t forget that both of these options can be costly.
Airplane
When traveling longer distances than a 4 hour bus ride would take you, check out air prices. RyanAir has great prices, as low as 19 quid to go from Glasgow to Paris. The short plane trips are often more cramped and often have limited features and can include limitations like only 1 bag, and they mean only one bag. One carry on, no checked items, and no additional personal bag (no purse, laptop bag, or backpack).
If you are taking a plane, be sure to give time to account for clearing security. While a plane will occasionally be held for you, don’t count on it, you will be left behind. While you may or may not have to clear customs heading into different countries while traveling through Europe, don’t forget that you might have to and plan accordingly.
Bicycle
While a bicycle may not be as efficient for traveling long distances, a bicycle can be a great asset to have when staying in one city or town. At around 20 pounds per day, a bicycle can be an afordable way to travel around.
Be careful though to not get ahead of yourself, make sure to observe the local area, are the streets cobblestone? Are there sidewalks? Is the traffic really heavy? These are some of the questions you should ask yourself before deciding on a bicycle as your primary mode of transportation or you could find yourself in a bad situation.
Traveling around Europe is an adventure but there are many different options that are available to the budget traveler.
Have fun and Good Luck!
