Stop 7: Perfect Views, Crazy Artistic Seafood Dishes, and The Bluest Water on the Planet (aka Dubrovnik)

Here it is. The last city/country of the big trip. I was off to Dubrovnik, the most southern city of Croatia. Within my first 15 minutes in the country I had my favorite moment of the trip. The bus that takes you from the airport to the city had a sign directly above the driver that said "Bitte wahrend der Fahrt nicht mit dem Fahrer sprechen" which translates "Please don't speak to the driver while the bus is moving." That's it. No other languages or anything! Sorry Germans, but it appears you are the only ones they have that problem with! Loved it.

I arrived at night so my first view of the old city was it lit up and it was breathtaking. I got up early the next morning and took advantage of the sunshine and went straight to do the tour of the city walls. You walk up along the top of the walls and can see everything: the ocean, the mountains, and all of the city. I loved it and easily took 50 picture in 30 minutes. Then back down in the city I discovered that all the other tourists had arrived. I moved on to other parts of the city to explore.

I had forgotten the next story until I just read it in my notebook and when I saw forgot, apparently I mean that I blocked it out. So the first night I went down to the pool and sauna in the hotel and discovered that bad parenting is a universal problem. From the locker room I can hear this kid screaming and yelling. Then I come out to find him running around the pool while his mom swims. Then she gets out of the pool and goes into the steam room, alone. Yep, she leaves him (with his water wings on so he should be fine, right?) out in the pool alone. So of course he goes around pulling all of the cups from the water cooler and then turns it on while all the water runs out. So his dad comes out soon and takes him back into the steam room. Did I mention that the kid is about 2?! I'm pretty sure that is child abuse and I can no longer be annoyed that he is screaming, because he is forced to sit in a steam room! So I seek solace in the sauna. That is until this guy comes in. I decide to close my eyes to "relax" or just avoid conversation until I peek an eye open and realize he is in there changing his swim trunks! I'm sorry, isn't that what the locker room is for? Then he leaves, thankfully and I escape to my room.

The next day I took the bus to Lapad and walked all the way around the edge of the water. It was sunny again and so peaceful. I stopped every once in a while to read and sit on the beach to snack. Such a great day at the water. Then that night I went to Seseme. I held out as long as I could and had a reservation for 6pm (which was the earliest the lady at the hotel said I should go). She was right, I am certain they had just opened the doors and I was the first and only person there. Oh well, I know I'm a loser and now they do too. The food was good, and was one of those super artsy places. I wish you could see the sketch I made of my sea bass with shrimp risotto. It is pretty stellar. Ask me to see it and you'll be impressed I'm sure. Well, I ended up sitting there alone in this restaurant for about 20 minutes after the waiter took my dinner plate. I was so confused. What was he waiting for. I know what I was waiting for. I was waiting for him to come back so I could order the blueberry sorbet. He finally did and it was delicious. It had some sort of rosemary like herb on it which complimented it nicely. All and all it was a weird and enjoyable meal.

In closing, Croatia was amazing. It was the off season so it wasn't too busy and half of everything was closed for the of-season, but I still really enjoyed it. I will absolutely be returning to this amazing country. Maybe even in the summer next time . . .

One more very random sidenote: apparently only American culture frowns upon picking your nose in public. These Europeans are digging for gold on this continent all the time. No big deal. It's kind of gross though.

Stop 6: Steep Hills, No Tourists, and Cats Hanging Off Tables (aka Positano)

Thankfully I didn't let the morning thunderstorm deter me and I headed on the bus to Positano on the Amalfi Coast the next day. For the record, if you get car sick, do not make this trip. I spent the entire ride taking amazing pictures since the storm had cleared the skies (finally) of all the exhaust fumes and I could see for miles.

At this point I was hungry which normally wouldn't be a problem, except that this was the off season and nothing was open. I walked for over 30 minutes and made it all the water down to the water before I found a place open. Regardless of the fact that it was probably the most over priced place in the city and that the food was likely mediocre, the view of the ocean was nice and, well, they were open. After I finished eating I noticed a stray black cat that had made it's way over to my table. (Needless to say I was eating outside.) At first it was pawing at my chair and soon it was literally hanging off of the side of my table by it's claws. Not only was it pawing at my food, but it was filthy. I was amazed at the brazenness of this cat, not enough that I didn't want to kick it, but amazed none the less. By the end of the meal another few tourist showed up but all in all, I think there were about 10 of us that day in the city.

Unfortunately I totally screwed up with the weather that day. I spent the day dragging around my umbrella when what I needed was sunglasses. Oh well, with that much up and down hill walking I was usually too winded to notice the glaring sun. Oh and for the record, my calfs were sore the next day from all the up hill walking.

Stop 5: Broken Pots, Half Walls, and Walking (aka Pompeii)

Day 3 was Pompeii, which I will confess was the top site in Europe that I wanted to see. I'm not sure why but ever since we learned about Pompeii in elementary school I have been obsessed and have always wanted to go. Pompeii is the reason I decided on visiting this area of Italy at all. Anyway I spent over 5 hours walking the site and still didn't even manage to see it all. It was not quite as I imagined, but still impressive. The worst part was that the audio guide kept referring to a statue or item that they found in the place I was standing, but then always said "this can be found in the Archeological Museum in Naples." All the best stuff is there and guess what day it is closed, yep that's right Tuesdays (it was Monday and I was flying out on Wednesday). Just perfect. Anyway I still loved it and also managed to get sunburned in January with moisturizing lotion with SPF. How does that happen?!

Also, that night at dinner I saw an ad for a Fastweb travel site that starred George Clooney. Apparently he doesn't mind pimping himself out for anything in this amazing country. Then again I guess that's how he pays for his place on Lake Como, so I can't hold it against him.

Stop 4: The Blue Grotto, Views, and Empty Shops (aka Capri/Anacapri)

The 2nd day I was there Rachele told me the weather forecast for the day was perfect for Capri and I learned to do what Rachele said so off I went. I caught the ferry to the island and actually let myself get talked into the tour by the guy on the boat. In hindsight I am glad I did. (Quick side-note: I'm not sure if it is pity for the girl traveling alone or if it is because I am young and not too bad looking, but I have to confess that I don't mind the discounts on tours. Capri, Brussels, etc. I am ok with this and am not going to feel guilty.)

So first thing was the Blue Grotto. We took a little boat to the side of a cliff and then they loaded us in groups of 2 into tiny rowboats with a guide and then while lying down in the bottom of the rowboat we get pulled through this very low opening into the grotto. I think if I had known what was going to happen before I got in the rowboat I might have backed out. Then once you're inside and you look back toward the little opening you see why all the fuss. The bright blue water looks lit from below but it is just the combination of the sun and the beautiful blue water.

Then we took the smallest bus I've ever seen to Anacapri and wandered for a couple of hours where I got amazing photos of Capri, Sorrento, Naples and more. Then to Capri. I bet during tourist season when things are actually open it is a crazy place, but in January it is quiet and almost peaceful. The crazy part is that even with all of the Gucci, Prada, etc. shops closed (and empty), there were still women coming back on the ferry loaded down with shopping bags. Where did they find places to spend that much money?! Oh Italy.

Stop 3: Lemons, Oranges, and Exhaust Fumes (aka Sorrento)

Next stop (after a crazy flight/layover decision) was Sorrento/Pompeii/Capri/Positano. I stayed in this bed and breakfast which was in Piano di Sorrento and was actually this woman who rented out two of the rooms in her apartment. I was the only one there for the 5 days so luckily I got the bathroom all to myself. She served the best breakfast ever and it was completely authentic Italian: a perfect espresso, a slice of cake, and homemade jams. Each day she had a different local sweet thing with breakfast. Once morning it was a homemade delizia al limone (lemon delight) which was a dome shaped cakes with whipped cream and (of course) lemon. Another day there was a real Sicilian Cannoli. She totally read my mind because after having a northern Italy cannoli I had always wanted to try the sicilian kind. So good! The Sicilian ones are a crunchy shell filled with a ricotta cheese type mixture with candied lemon and orange pieces and almost a hint of cinnamon (although I could see no tract of the spice in the mixture). I also sat up with her two of the nights and she shared some homemade lemoncello and an amazing cream of coffee liquor. Both of which were like nothing I had ever tried before and showed me that both types of liquor can in fact be delicious. Thanks Rachele!

So back to the trip. First and foremost this area of Italy is dominated, and I mean dominated, by lemon trees. There are a few orange trees too, but the lemon is the local celebrity. It is in EVERYTHING and I love it. The first day was my walking, picture taking, death by motorcycle/car avoiding, shopping day. The streets there are about one and a half car-widths wide and naturally there are no sidewalks, so as much as I feared for my life I also found my new heros: the ladies walking down these same streets with strollers. I guess the children were the real heros. Plus to add insult to possible injury there are apparently no emission standards here. By the end of the day my cough had picked back up after breathing so much exhaust (and cigarette smoke)!

Stop 2: Tarts, Hills, and Rain (aka Lisbon)

Next stop for me was Lisbon. I only had 2 days and one night there and I think I did a pretty good job of thoroughly covering everything there was to see. Sadly this was the one rainy part of my whole 2 week trip. I ended up doing some of the bus tours since this way I could see things, but not end up drenched.

I got into town really early and had to laugh at myself when I stopped for lunch because both my stomach and my cell phone were telling me it was time, but I realized as I was finishing up that is was actually only 10:30 and I needed to change time zones on my phone. Oh well.

I, of course, had to try the Lisbon speciality pastéis de nata and I even got it at the place that supposedly invented this famous custard tart and makes the best one. To be honest I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and I was even tempted to get another one later (this is unheard of for me, so nicely done Lisbon).

The second morning it wasn't raining (just cloudy) so I hiked up the hill to the St. Jorge's Castle and went ahead and paid the 7 euros to get in. I confess it was worth it just for the pictures. I think I took about 50 pictures when I was up there.

I think the rest of the city is best summarized by these observations:

• Worst. Drivers. Ever. Not bad in a crazy impressive way like Italians, but in a cutting off buses, forcing through when you have no right of way, and ignoring traffic lights kind of way.
• There are tons of fabric shops
• They love Vasco de Gama
• Worst streets and sidewalks in Europe. Half of these surfaces were holes and the rest of the surface was slanted into the hole.
• There are no good looking people in the city. Sorry.

Stop 1: Paella, Gaudi, and Tapas (aka Barcelona)

Well I didn't time my departure from Europe very well; I should have ended my assignment in the Spring instead of Winter when the weather is better. I did manage to plan well enough that all of my destinations on my "good-bye Europe" trip were south enough to not need hats and mittens though.

Basically I left from snowy Munich and landed in beautiful (and not snowy) Barcelona. The nice part about this segment of the trip was that I wasn't alone. I met one of my travel buddies (who conveniently had been there for a day already and had lots of stuff figured out) and we went all over this wonderfully Spanish city. The first night I got in with just enough time to go to the Picasso Museum since it was the monthly free night and I have to confess that I am glad I didn't pay for it. Maybe if I were a bigger Picasso fan or something it would have been life changing, but sorry.

Anyway during my two days there we saw just about all of the main sights, which for me included the big market with more colors than I have seen in ages. We did the historic Barcelona tour, saw the Gaudi buildings, the harbor, the beach, and of course the Christopher Columbus statue. All I can say is that the Gaudi buildings reminded be of a combination of Dr. Suess and Frank Lloyd Wright. (Hope that's not an insult). Our big splurge this time was dinner at 7 Portes. It is a well known Spanish restaurant and I finally got to have paella. Oh. My. Heavens. It was delicious. Like a really good risotto with fresh seafood, chicken, and some of the best sausage I have had in a while

The next morning we went to see the Roman ruins which are below ground and really amazing. Then some more walking, shopping, and eating. Only problem with shopping was that it was the night before 3 Kings Day which is like their Christmas Day (gifts-wise) so we waited in line with all the people buying the last minute gifts for their kids. Slackers.

Christmas, Madrid-Style

Even though I had to sit for 3 hours on the runway trying to get out of snowy Dublin and then only had 6 hours in the city on a quiet Christmas Eve, Madrid still was taking the lead as my favorite city by the first night!

Quick tangent: Sometimes I am SO glad to be a US citizen. When arriving in Madrid we had to go through immigration since we were coming from Ireland, but there were two lines: an EU citizen line and an All Passport line. Within minutes the EU line was gone while the 10 people in line in front of me at the All Passports were still there. It seemed like there was a problem with every person going through. It was taking forever. So I finally get to the counter and the guy looks at my US passport, opens it, flips to the first blank page, stamps it, and passes it back. Not a single word and finished in 8 seconds flat. Boy I love being an American!

Anyway to back to the trip. I got to my hotel (which was directly across the street from the huge Prado museum), checked in, and then started wandering. The city is beautiful. The architecture is gorgeous! The quiet and quaint streets were almost as clean as the streets in Munich! I worked my way to the Christmas Markets which compared to the German and Irish were a bit of a let down, but Madrid can't be the best at everything! I did enjoy the nativity scenes and the crazy wigs/hats/prank items for sale though. (Apparently the 28th is Fool's Day in Spain.)

So the next morning was Christmas and despite not being with my family, I actually had a wonderful day. I got up and had a big breakfast in the hotel and then had to walk some of it off before my massage at noon. :) So I headed to the nearby Parque del Buen Retiro (or El Retiro park for short). It was indescribably peaceful and relaxing. The park was full of joggers and families out walking since it was perfect weather for a tranquil Christmas walk. This was probably my favorite walk ever. Even though the plants weren't flowering the park was still beautiful and I returned there the next day because I couldn't stay away.

Well, after my massage I wandered a bit more before my Madrid Christmas Tradition tour where I learned a ton. And then for once my indecisiveness paid off. I was meandering around trying to decide if I should brave a tapas place with no Spanish when I walked past one that had the tapas out behind a glass (so I could point) and only one other person eating there (so I wouldn't get pushed around and wouldn't embarrass myself in front of lots of people) and I took a chance and went in. It was delicious! The guy was so nice and patient too! A bunch of people came in later so I knew I had made a good choice. The only frustrating part is that I have no idea what was in my favorite one. It could be anything, even cow heart for all I know, but Good Lord was it delicious!! Oh and then I got a piece of dulce de leche cake at the bakery around the corner since it was Christmas after all.

The next morning my indecisiveness paid off for a second time. I wanted coffee before my Essential Madrid tour at 10 so I wandered and wandered and finally just went into a place and wow! It was one of those cups where you don't need to add any sugar or anything. Beautiful.

Next was the tour where I was one of three. As interesting and informative as it was I found myself distracted a fair amount because I was certain I was freezing to death. By the time it was over I was finally slightly back above freezing so I went to this huge outdoor fair held on Sundays. I decided it was best if I left after about an hour because I was really fighting the urge to start pushing people. Next was my big food crawl. Most of the bakeries and other special restaurants were closed the day before so I had to hit them all on this one day. I was in and out of a dozen brilliant bakeries, but I only got cookies and a Spanish version of a Napoleon at 2 different bakeries, so I was very well behaved.

While I was galavanting through all of the bakeries I didn't realize I was missing my chance to go to the one museum I was particularly interested in (Sofia). But the day was not without it's culture element, I went to the Prado for the evening as it was free on Sunday nights. I'm glad I didn't pay and to be honest I think I think that is enough fine art for me for a while.

The food, the people, the architecture, the parks, the Spanish people who are nice to (and patient with) a non-Spanish speaker. What's not to like about Madrid?! New favorite!

Country or State or Region? I'm Still Not Sure.

I decided it was time to add a new country (or state or something) to my list and headed up to Belfast. I'd like to say that after spending almost 10 hours there that I now know what to call Northern Ireland, but I don't.

So I headed out really early and as we approached Belfast the train go more and more full as all the shoppers from the south headed to Belfast where apparently everything is much cheaper. And well within the first hour I might have stopped in a few shops and did some shopping myself (but I can justify it because they were stores I'd never seen before and thus it was allowed). Now the challenge will be to find space in my suitcases.

My first good decision was to walk from the train station to the city center instead of waiting for the free bus. Lucky I did because I happened upon the St. George's Market which is a huge food market which has existed there since 1890. I think I can safely say that this is the 2nd best market I have found in Europe (the one in Lyon might still win). There was tons of meat and fish and veggies and lots of prepared foods, amazing shortbread cookies, giant American style cookies, and (my favorite) the American food stand with pop tarts, fluff, candy bars, peanut butter, and a bunch of different pop. Hilarious.

The second good decision was to go on one of the bus tours. (Ok actually it was a recommendation from my colleague who is from Belfast, but it was my decision to listen to her.) Anyway it was good because there are some very interesting and impressive sites outside of walking distance from the city center. The murals were so telling of the history of this amazing city. The amount of history in this one city is astounding. I still have lots to learn!

Oh and I decided I want to go back to school at either Queen's College or Campbell College. I don't care what they teach me, I just want to be on those campuses.

The Christmas market in front of the City Hall was great, a bit too crowded for me, but very international. I even had a springbok burger. It was from a place which serves exotic burgers: alligator, wild boar, ostrich, venison, kangaroo. Not bad at all.

I liked Belfast and I need to go back some time and learn more about the all of the history there of the Titanic. Oh, but be warned, Belfast has the most slippery dry sidewalks I have ever experienced. I hate to think what they're like when it is wet.

Even Better the Second TIme Around

Well, I'm back in Dublin for 2 months for work, just like last year except more familiar but also more complications. Anyway, I had the privilege of having Bridget stay with me here for over a week and it was so much fun. In fact I am not sure how I will adapt to life in Dublin without her. It's so much less interesting today. Plus coming home from work next week and not having her here will be painful. I loved coming home and then heading out right away for dinner somewhere awesome. (And let me just say that we found some amazing restaurants, including finding the city's best cup of coffee!) We basically had a week long conversation and never ran out of things to talk about. Now that is friendship!!

On Saturday we ventured out to Cork. My favorite part about the train ride there was the girl next to us getting ready. She went from "just rolled out of bed" to "ready for a night out" in 2 hours on the train. She covered every detail. Not only did she remove her nail polish on the train (seriously?) but she also applied a new coat. Then she proceeded to put on every possible make-up item. I didn't even know what some of them were or what they were supposed to do. I can't imagine what she could have achieved had she gone the whole way to Cork and had another hour to primp.

Once we arrived it of course was raining, but we successfully found our way to the city center with no map. Aside from the occasional rain, it was the best day ever. We walked through fun shops and lots of bookstores and found not only The Wholly Grain but also the best chocolate store ever. The chocolate shop had a cafe where they made hot chocolate, one of which also had a shot of espresso. So naturally we had to get one. Oh. My. Lord. Best drink I have ever had!! It had to have been a melted chocolate bar with a shot of espresso (which of course just brings out the chocolaty goodness even more). It took us an hour to get through them though. After each sip you needed to recover from the sugar rush and chocolate overload. Best chocolate I've had in a long time (and this includes Belgium and France!)

We also stumbled upon a craft fair in an old rec center. There wasn't much inside, but we both had luck with this great hippie girl and her hand made items. I got a super cute polka dot apron and Bridget got a gorgeous table runner. I love being able to talk to the person who made an item. It always make it so much more interesting and overall better. She was a hoot.

On Sunday we had an "as close as we could stand to get to an" Irish breakfast and also discovered the best cup of coffee in town. After this great discovery we went to the Guinness Brewhouse so we could use the tickets I bought a year ago. We went on the absolute perfect day. At the end of the tour you get a free pint of Guinness and you can drink it in the Gravity Bar in the very top of the building. Luckily on Sunday there wasn't a cloud in the sky. We could see everything, including out to the channel. Totally worth it. Then we attempted to go see the Book of Kells but we just missed the last tour group. Instead we just had dinner at this great vegetarian restaurant. Another fabulous day.

During the rest of the week we had more amazing dinners and hit up some nice pubs. Although it has come to my attention that Dublin pubs are more bar like than pubs in the smaller cities. Either way you meet fun people, hear good music, and have nice conversation. Oh, it just won't be as much without Bridget here. I should have tried harder to make her miss her flight . . .