Cinque Terre

I'm sorry San Francisco but I have definitely left my heart in Cinque Terre!!! a perfect little sequence of 5 terraces perched on the clifs overlooking the sun soaked mediterranean.. awww bliss.
Things in Cinque Terre started out a little rough for us though.. our train from Milan was taking much longer than anticipated so I called the hostel to let them know we would be arriving 30 minutes late.. the grumpy man said "NO, we close at 7" and hung up on me!! sooo knowing that we were esentially homeless in the tiny town of Riomaggiore, Noelle and I started going from hostel to hostel asking if there was any vacancy.. everything was booked. We arrived at this last hostel and they too stated that all was full for the night but the very very kind man said he would call some friends with hostels and see if he could work something out. We are walking with him as he is about to put 3 guys into their hostel before attending to us and one of the guys turns to us and says that if worse comes to worse we can sleep on the floor of their hostel... We are later walking with the owner of the hostel and he is taking us to his last resourt which he is warning us about and strongely encouraging us to inspect before agreeing to staying the night at this place... uuuhh.. we're starting to worry about this place so i mention the offer the other guys made and he stops in his tracks and says "I've been in this business for 30 years, I know what's going on... but because you were honest, if you pay me 10 Euro each you can sleep on their floor because this other place i am taking you to is NASTY".. needless to say we turned on our heels and started searching for the guys that had so kindly made the offer. After searching for them for 40 minutes we finally see them wandering up the street.. we try and put our most helpless faces on and ask if the offer still stands.. luckily they were sweet sweet guys and agreed! They turned out to be 3 very nice guys from Louisiana. We hung out with them for the night with our bottles of wine in hand, out on the rocky beach of the beautiful Riomaggiore and then spent hours wandering the TINY maze like alleys of this city which lead us to a small neighborhood gathering up in the hills. It was a great night and we were ecstatic not to be homeless!
The next morning Noelle and i woke up nice and early, so happy to be able to move into our own hostel, take a shower and get situated! oohhh but of course things wouldn't be so easy.. we went to our hostel's office and gave them our names.. they said they had CANCELLED our reservation because we didn't show up........... we tried to stay calm as we explained that we had called and let them know our situation the night before, they said "ok ok, we will let you stay.. but your reservation is only for one person" ...... WHATTTT!!!?!?! we tried to explain how this can't possibly be correct because we've had this hostel booked for over a month, the man apparently felt threatened because he started personally insulting us.. telling us "i know how people like YOU are"... umm excuse me?! it took every bit of effort i had not yell back but we bit our tounges and left.. homeless again.
we went back to the owner of the hostel where we had previously stayed in order to give him his 20 Euros and we explained our situation.. being the extremely nice man that he is, he said he would move some other guests around so that we would be able to spend our remaining nights at his hostel! awww sigh of relief, our homeless days were over!
despite this hickup at the beginning of our trip, I must say.. Cinque Terre is my favorite place I have ever visited; it was so gorgeously picturesque.
We spent much of our time exploring each of the 5 beautiful little towns and lounging on the different beaches. Cinque Terre is actually a national park and is known for its hiking (and delicious pesto yummmm). We hiked from Riomaggiore to Corniglia, a 3 hour hike that started with 45 minutes of stairs.. yes that's right.. straight up to the top of this mountain like hill! as if the stairs weren't enough, the spectacular views were definitely capable of taking one's breath away. We hiked on narrow paths through vineyards with phenomenal views of the sea and the towns beneath us until we reached Corniglia, a quaint town with a beautiful little swimming cove to rest our tired feet and take a swim. We spent that evening with a bottle of local wine and watched the sunset together. pefection.
Another day we ventured out a bit further into the mediterranean with kayaks!! it was SO much fun, kayaking happens to be my favorite water activity and being in such a great location just made the day even better! That night we met up with our friends from Louisiana and had another great night of wine drinking..annndd they invited us to come visit them for Mardi Gras!! considering I am dying to see more of the US, I'm really hoping we can keep in contact and make it happen this February!
Sadly Noelle and I had to part in Cinque Terre, she was heading back to reality :( and I was thus traveling on my own again.. next stop: Florence

Malaga, Spain

We stayed in a very cool hostel for this part of our journey, it was run by a family who lived in half of it and turned the remaining section into an eclectic hostel. Noelle and I spent our days here laying on the beach, eating delicious paella, exploring the tiny streets, and hiking huge hills in the grueling heat. It seems like everyone in this tiny town was out on the beaches on these crazy hot couple of days that we were there so naturally Noelle and I had to join them and start working on our tans! I got the sense that everyone was staring at me due to my extreme paleness.
I spent my 22nd birthday in Malaga and as it hit midnight we followed some locals who looked like they were headed for a good night and ended up in a little bar that was crawling with local 20 something year olds. on our way home I convinced Noelle to stop in another bar.. as we entered we saw the one and only couple dancing and as an old man swivled around in his wheelchair we knew it was time to head home, the peak of the night had clearly come and gone haha.
The next day we hiked to the top of a huge hill with a glorious old castle at the top. It was quite the victory considering how hot it was that day.. not to mention we were both wearing shoes with ZERO traction and for some reason these paths were paved with slippery stones.. needless to say we were exhausted, sunburned, sweaty messes once we finally reached the top. The beautiful views of the whole city of Malaga were definitely worth the treck.
Our last night, my birthday night we heard that it was their patron Saints day which of course meant there was a huge celebration on the beach. We followed the masses heading toward the beach, not knowing what to expect. We arrived to what seemed like EVERYONE and their mother on this beach all dancing around and enjoying the live concert! a great way to spend my birthday :) OH i also introduced Noelle to calimocho, a perfect way to enjoy a CHEAP bottle of red wine.. just add coke.. try it, it makes an undrinkable bottle of red wine kind of decent!

Berlin

I've really been slacking on my blogging so I'm going to do some quick updates of the highlights of my past few weeks.
Berlin: I stayed with my friend Chris and his family which was awesome! My first full day there I was reunited with Marky Mark and Elena!! yaayy for Budapest reunions! went and saw some of the major sights and then it was time for Chris' 23rd birthday celebration. We started the night at his house with a bunch of his friends, schooled them at beer pong and flip cup haha and then at about 1am we headed to some clubs. After standing in line for 30 minutes they ulitmitely wouldn't let Noelle and I in because of our open-toed shows........ ANNOYING! but never fear, this didn't stop us.. we had no problem getting in to another club not too far away. It was totally different than anything I've seen in the States; it was in sort of an industrial area, it was huge! With two floors and an outdoor terrace there was no way to not have a great time!
Another night we went to a German house party. Everyone was so so nice and their ability to speak English definitely puts my Spanish speaking abilities to shame. sigh. After the party it was on to see the East Side Gallery and then a dance club.. and when 3am rolls around, is it time to go home? no no, not in Berlin.. it is time for another club! Berliner's party stamina is out of controlllllll!
For my last day we went to an openair museum documenting the history around the Berlin Wall. We also saw the Jewish memorial, which was far larger than I had ever anticipated! Also saw where the infamous Michael Jackson baby dangle happend haha, had no clue it was in Berlin!! For our last night we had a wonderful homecooked meal with Chris' parents!
Next day:off to Malaga, Spain

Ladurée

This beautiful and oh so fancy cafe, Laduree, was recommended to me by two friends so on my last night in Paris I decided it was worth a look. Lets just say I liked it so much I came back the next day for lunch and dessert. They are famous for their macaroons and for good reason, so I picked up a box of them to serve as a thank you gift for my friend Chris' family whom I am currently staying with in Berlin!
*pictures coming soon*

Doin' Paris Solo

Traveling alone is never boring, that's one thing I have learned for sure. On my first day in Paris without Noelle I encountered some interesting people. I started my day with a walking tour along the Seine, all was peacefull until a 40-something year old man with slicked back hair started walking alongside me and trying to strike up conversation. I tried to ditch him by walking fast, walking slow, stopping to take picture.. but there was just no shaking this guy.. I finally had to be rude and tell him to go away so I could walk alone in peace.
This negative encounter was quickly forgotten when I met Minh and her two sons, Dorian (3) and Raphael (6). We were in line to buy ice cream on this hot day and Minh didn't have enough cash for their three ice creams so I offered to pay the difference. We spent the next hour or so walking through the Jardin des Tuileries and exchanging travel/life stories. She invited me to stay with them at their home, I declined, but agreed to spend the following day with them. She took me to see the nursery school where Dorian and Raphael go and then we proceeded onto Pere Lachaise, the famous cemetrery where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and many other famous people are burried, I later saw the Bastille, and stayed for dinner at their home. I was so completely shocked by her kindness, hospitality, and for providing me with a look into the French family life.
So often it is the people you meet that really shape your experiences and for this encounter I am thankful and inspired.

Return to Paris -with Noelle!

I woke from my nap just as my train was pulling into Gare du Nord.. I assumed all would be fine and well once I arrived, considering I would be meeting up with Noelle at last! ohh but when considering delayed flights, confusion about the new meeting point/time, and a lack of cell phones.. it was far from smooth sailing. I walked around the station countless times and only once I had nearly given up, had started wandering aimlessly, and contemplating how to page Noelle over the station intercom.. there.. in the distance.. jetlagged NOELLE, a beautiful sight for sore eyes!!

We navigated through the pee scented metro to our CouchSurfing destination, the apartment of Christos, our new French friend and host for the next few days. We spent a few nights at his cute little flat, he was a gracious host: made us scrumtious pizza, gave us massages (he's a massage therapist) and took us to a DELICIOUS family owned French restaurant in the Opera Quarter. It was a pretty good experience for our first time CouchSurfing.. although there was a mixup and he pretty much told us we were going to be homeless for the last day we were suppose to stay with him!! Luckily, my friend Juliette kindly let us stay at her flat for the night, problem sloved.

So I must give many thanks to Aimee, Noelle's sister, for recommending the Rose Bakery, it was out of this world! We seriously had a hard time not buying one of everything in this adorable little bakery. We took our picnic feast to a park near the Eiffel Tour where we devoured the food, with that glorious iron lady in front of us..nbd.

We later met up with some of my French loves whom I hadn't seen in a year.. so naturally I was beside myself with excitement! We went to a club called Rex, the night was fabbbulous of course.. but I probably shouldn't go into detail on this here blog :) OHOH but our night does not end there.. Noelle and I get into a taxi and the driver doesn't understandour slurred FrEnglish so we decide to get out and walk... interesting choice.. we were lost, i mean L-O-S-T! but as the sun rose, Noelle had a minor freak out, and 6am arrived, we finally managed to find our way back to Juliette's flat. Noelle instantly passed out, club clothes still on, feet still on the ground.. out like a light. A damn good night if you ask me haha

"Morning" rolls around and we manage to drag our hurting bodies to meet Ludo and Henry for lunch. Soon after Noelle left for Berlin and I moved into Ludo's flat, where I will be staying for the rest of my time in Paris.

Farewell London

I spent my last day in the Notting Hill area amongst its tree-lined streets and the Portobello Market. I had a long lunch at a quaint neighborhood restaurant where I had my favorite meal in London, although I'm still not quite sure what I ate.. a mysterious chicken dish stuffed with delicious, yet unidentifiable, ingredients in some sort of salty broth with unusual grilled vegitables. yum. I drank a few glasses of wine, wrote a few postcards, and went on my way.

I stumbled upon the colorful portobello market, where an all too friendly jeweler give me free turquoise in hopes that I would go along with his plan and return once the market was closed.. so he could "make me a special necklace".. HA.. as his requests became more insistent and turned into demands for a promise of my return, I quickly "agreed" in order to get out of there and hang on to my new little turquoise stone :]

I found another little jem.. the Hummingbird Bakery, they had a wide range of tropical fruit flavored cupcakes.. sadly pictures were not aloud in the shop, but I snagged a few delicious cupcakes to share when I met up with Kate later on.

Kate (a friend from SF whom is interning in London and living in a 5 story, crazy-awesome, Real World esque apartment) invited me out with her roommates for a night in Soho.. where we encountered "British Snooki" and had an awesome night that was surely worth missing a night of sleep.

Before I knew it, 6am had arrived and I was on my way to the train station, saying farewell to beautiful London, and heading toward Paris.

London introduction

Something I love about traveling is that i don't have to worry about looking like a fool because I'll likely never see these people again. I happily reconnected with this mentality soon after arriving in London as i proceeded to wash my hair in the airport bathroom sink. Mother, you've created a monster.. I seem to go to great lengths to keep this mop of mine clean. gahh
So I've been in London for a few days now and its quite wonderful! I enjoy the new and old elements side by side, the decaying buildings next to the glass highrises, it creates an interesting depth to this massive city.

I've been an active little tourist so far, going on extensive self-guided walking tours and seeing many of the main attractions. I've seen much yet have hardly scratched the surface; there are countless districts to see and my days here are dwindling, so much to do and see!

I've noticed that while traveling alone my desire to talk to strangers increases. Rob, the friend I'm currently staying with, ensured that my increasing desperation to speak with someone, ANYONE, will surely lead to some bold conversation starters.. should only get more interesting from here on out. Luckily my dear French friend Lea will be meeting me in London on Monday, unfortunitely for her I'll probably be talking nonstop.

Tomorrow I am also migrating to a hostel in Kensington, right on the edge of Hyde park. Today's plans consist of visiting the Tate Modern, St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, Southwark Cathedral, and Cite Hall.. busy day.. must get going

One way ticket

I've got a one way ticket to London and my trip starts tomorrow...
A wonderful month is planned out ahead of me with stops in London, Paris, Berlin, Malaga, and Cinque Terre. I'll be traveling for most of June with Noelle but come June 28th she'll head back to the States and there I am.. in Italy and my biggest problem is that I have too many options and an indecisive mind.
I've set many goals for this trip.. one of which is to keep up with this blog, another is sea kayaking in Croatia.
wish me luck