Italy and Greece Pictures

Corfu!

Our first scooter (AKA the crappy one)

Greek pancakes, the best dessert one can have and still call it breakfast.

The Colloseum

Viewpoint overlooking Athens.

Sorry, we had about ten more pictures picked out but they just don´t want to load even after a half hour of trying.

Day 65 (Barcelona)

Hello from Barcelona, Spain!

We have spent the last two nights in Barcelona, our favorite city so far. We got to Barcelona in the middle of the day on Sunday. We got a little spoiled the last few nights in a hotel but we were brought back to reality, sharing a room with 4 other people. When staying in a hostel we have a tendency to try to spend as little of time as possible in our room. So we spent the evening exploring the city a little bit. We ended up spending most of our time on a famous shopping street called La Rambla. The street was full of tent shops and restaurants. We had to try out the famous Sangria. Yum!

Day two in Barcelona, went out to explore some more but I made Simon go back to the Hostel and get our swimsuits as soon as we found a beach. It was a nice sand beach but rocky in the water. It was great, first day that I got a little pink though. Simon got to practice some more of his Spanish when trying to bargin for beer with the locals trying to sell it way over price. Ended up having two beers and a bag of chips for lunch. Dinner was a little bit better, homemade spaghetti and a small salad, which we prepared in the hostel. It was then time to see some real sights and be tourist. We hadn´t spent enough money for the day so we stopped for some Sangria. We ended up going to a restaurant because the owner said he would pay for half because we told him in Spanish that we were poor. Our Sangria was a different color then everyone elses in the restaurant, maybe a little orange juice added.

Day three, there is a large area, which includes the Olympics facilities, capital, and a castle. We spent the morning seeing the area. There was also an area that was built for a festival back in the early 1900´s, which showed the different architecture of all the different regions in Spain. It was nice because you didn´t really feel like you were in the city because it was so green and there was nothing else really around. We then went back to the beach for a few hours. We went to a different part of the three mile beach that lines Barcelona´s central coast. This part was great not so many people selling things, sand also in the water, wind surfers to watch, and some great waves. We had a ton of fun playing in them. Simons first real big wave beach.

Tomorrow we are heading on to San Sebastian, which is in Northern Spain. It will still be on the water but it is suppose to be a little cooler.

Hope everything is good at home. Can´t believe we will be seeing you all very soon.

Kaylee and Simon

Sam!

Looking back through our pics we realized that we randomly happened to stumble apon your long lost twin in Germany SAM! (Click on the picture to enlarge and get the full effect!)

Finally a few pics from Gimmelwald

These pics don´t nearly do the Alps justice (Niether do the 300 others we took that day). (Also, I don´t know why this is in blue and underlined but I don´t want to mess with it, it takes over 5 minutes to load three pics.)

Pics from Spain

View Point overlooking Barcelona's Waterfront (Above and below)

Arch de Triomph

La Sagrada Familia, as you can see it is under continuing renovation as has been the case with 90% of the tourist atractions we have seen throughout europe. In this case it worked to our advantage, whether it was intended or not it lead to our free admission. Easily the most unique place of worship we have seen yet even with a majority of the detail currently hidden.

Day 63 Barcelona, Spain

Tonight we enjoyed the traditonal Sangria to go with dinner. We had to share a dinner to have it though.

In the middle of the city there is a huge park, where it looked like the locals liked to hang out on a Sunday afternoon.

It was beautiful this afternoon and evening walking around Barcelona. We found it to be one of the cleanest cities so far. It is great cuz it is right on the water!

Day 62 (Two months, we can't believe it either), Madrid, Spain

Sorry to get your hopes up again. We are staying in what appears to be a nearly brand new hotel with brand new computers, and yet no pictures again today. We were able to open the pictures on the computer, which tends to be the difficult part, but after giving blogger twenty minutes to upload one picture without success we must once again admit defeat. The more time we spend attempting to load these pictures the more we have to wonder how Andy and Kelsey made it look so easy. Of all the places we have tried we figured that this one was for sure.

After a sleepless night of flying, our flight from Athens took us to Prague, then after a 4 hour layover (attempting to sleep on the metal benches), it dropped us in Madrid. After finding our way through the maze of metro lines (Madrid has 15) we arrived at our hotel and were pleasantly surprised. Exhausted, we got into bed only to decide that since it was already 17:00 it probably wasnt the best idea to go to sleep. We spent the remainder of the evening finding food nearby, using the internet, and watching news on our one english channel. The next morning (Kaylee's birthday) we slept in late before heading out to see the sites and search for an english movie theater to celebrate. After a few hours of searching for a cinema we found one theater that provided english screenings, but not of anything we had ever heard of. Bagging that idea, we went in search of a real traditional meal to celebrate. On our way we encountered a military marching band celebration taking place in one of the royal palaces. Assuming that we were once again too late to get tickets for this cultural event we were about to leave as someone handed us a free enterance. The show was nearly over, but we were still able to get a feel for it. After the show we found an upscale restaurant and sat down to our best meal yet. We ordered a mixed paella, a rice dish with an asortment of seafood, chicken, beef, peas, and pepers. It was very good. Our time in the restuarant was very entertaining because neither of our two waiters spoke any english. I finally got to struggle my way through my first real spanish encounter. It was great, and we think the waiter had a good time too.

This morning we packed up our stuff and moved to the very opposite end of the city. Our first place only had two nights available. It took 45 of metro riding and an hour of walking to reach our new place, Alexor Feria. It was worth the effort. it appears to be brand new, very clean, comfortable, and somewhat spacious. We quickly found a supermarket nearby and bought food for the day. Due to the hotel's distance from the center of Madrid we decided to have a different tourist day and go to the Super Mall around the corner. Not our usual gig, but interesting in its own right. After we are done on the computer our plan is to make a nice salad (in the bag we bought it in) and acompany it with some delectible sandwiches in our room.

Tomorrow we catch a train (at the opposite end of town of course) around 12:00 and should be in Barcelona by 15:30. We have three nights booked at a hostel near the water, with I believe free internet, so if all goes well maybe some pictures tomorow (The suspense grows...).

Simon and

Madrid, Spain

¡Estamos en Madrid, España! If we get a chance tonight and the computer cooperates we will try to finally post some new pictures.

Our time in Greece

Corfu, Greece-

We decided to take the boat from Bari Italy to Corfu Greece, it wasn't until we got there that we realized that the boat no longer traveled from Bari to Corfu. There website had not been updated recently. We did end up making it there and the extra hassel was all worth it. We spent three nights in a family run hostel that overlooked a beautiful beach. We were greated by homemade greek pancakes, which were amazing they were more like dessert then breakfast. We then checked into our room and took a couple hour nap because we did not get to much sleep on the boat. Then beach time! The second day we rented a scooter, it was an old one but it got us around the island, and even up the big hills (with some struggle but she made it). We spent all day on the scooter but it was great cuz we got to see a big portion of the island that way. Beautiful beaches, cute little towns, and some good food (Gyros are great and they are cheap too). Each night there fas a family style dinner, which was fun cuz there were only about 5 of us there but at peak time there can be up to a 100 guest. Greek salad (I love Feta cheese, a few too many onions and tomatoes though), and some kind of main course, which included some kind of meat. It was great! The next day the clouds rolled in with the wind. The water was very rough and a lot of the water activities were cancelled, including the Submarine that we were excited to go on. We ended up watching a great storm from our balcony it lasted for several hours. The next morning our plan was to catch the boat to Patras, main land Greece, and then train to Athens. Once again the superfast ferries let us down. The boat comes but does not pick up passengers. Instead we took an expensive 8 hour bus to Athens. Such is life.

Athen, Greece-

We spent less then 12 hours in Athens on our first stop. Just enough time to find our hostel and book our plans for the next few days. We caught the boat to Santorini at 7:30 in the morning.

Santorini, Greece-

It was about a 8 hour trip to Santorini but it was amazin once we got there. We spent two nights at another family run hostel/hotel. It was great huge room with a private bathroom. There was also a kitchen that we could use. We spent the first evening wondering around the main city of Thira. It is just as you would expect it, the town is completely white with a little bit of blue. We decided to rent another scooter, it so cheap and it is a great way to see everything that you want to. We spent an hour swimming at a red sand beach, exploring the other black sand beaches, and some other time just enjoying the view from the high points on the Island. We went to watch sunset from what they call sunset point, it was beautiful but I think we are a little spoiled the sun always sets over the water for us. The next day we spent hanging out by the pool. it was a little cooler today, probably 75, but a little chilly with the wind. We then caught the afternoon boat back to Athens.

Athens, Greece-

Of course the boat was an hour late, which got us back to late to catch the last metro ride of the night. We ended up spliting the ride with to women, which saved us some money. The boats were nice but they sure created us some problems. We spent the night at the same night as before, which worked out great. We spent today touring around the city. It was pretty cool to see the first Olympic stadium and the Acropolis. We are now just waiting for our plane to come. We decided to save the money for a room to night, since our flight is at 4:25 am.

Athens, Greece

We have some time before we catch the metro to the airport so I will try to touch on some of the highlights of the places we have been in the last few weeks.

Gimmelwald, Switzerland -
On our third morning at the Mountain Hostel we woke up to a completely cloudless sky. Our first two days spent hiking through the cloud covered Alps left us wondering what we were actually hiking through. By 9:30 on our third morning we were on the first of 3 Gondolas to the top of the Shilthorn, a lookout 11,000 feet above sea level. It was one of the most expensive explorations of our trip but well worth it. The view was 360 of Alps and central European highlands. It was magnificent. While we were on top we hiked a few hundred meters out along one of the ridges and had the chance to watch a few paragliders take off and silently descend into the valleys below. It looked like a lot of fun, but we were sure the price was beyond prohibitive.

Nice, France -
We rearranged our schedule a little due to input from other travelers that we would only need one night in Venice and that we should see Nice if we got the chance. Nice had a pretty good beach, but over all it was a big, rather dirty city. Not our favorite of the trip. We spent our time wandering through the city and on the beach mostly.

Cinque Terre, Italy -
Easily one of our favorite stops. For those of you who don't know, the Cinque Terre is a 15 kilometer stretch of coast that is the home to 5 small, traditional villages connected by a local train and hiking trails. We spent our time hiking between the towns, swimming/laying on the beach, and eating great Italian food (One real meal thanks to Kelsey and Andy). On our second night in the area we met up with Jim and Alecia (We met them in Gimmelwald at the Mountain Hostel, also from Seattle) who were staying in one of the other small towns. They cooked us a great meal and we split a couple of bottles of the local wine before catching the last train back to our place. We had hoped to return the favor and make dinner the following night, but as it was their last day in the area they decided to take a day trip to Piza which didn't get them back until late. Hopefully we will have a chance to see them when we are back in Seattle (they were considering moving back to their home town in Ohio).

Venice, Italy -
We arrived in venice in the evening and had booked a "room" at a campground across the water from Venice island, so after moving into our mini mobile home like cabin we caught a nearby ferry to the city. With only 3 hours until the last boat returned to the camp ground we covered as much ground as possible. We also had our first truly Italian pizza during this time. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a let down. We were both really hungry and 10 euros only bought us one individual pizza and a small water. It turned out to be more of an expensive snack than a meal. Venice is easily the most unique city we have been in so far, the canals make for interesting, if not sometimes difficult, routes through the city. Andy promised that we would get lost while in Venice, and while we always had an idea of where we were we still ended up running to catch the last boat. The next morning we checked out of our "cabin" and took the bus/train back out to the island. The left baggage line had at least 250 people in it so we ended up stuck carrying all of our stuff while we explored the city in daylight. All in all Venice was definitely worth the visit, but we would agree that one day is probably enough to see the sites.

Rome, Italy -
Rome held one of our more disappointing hostel selections. Other than its great location near the main train station it was little more than a cheap, dirty, old hotel that decided that by placing 5 beds in one room they could call it a hostel. At least our Finnish roommates were fun to talk to. On our first full day in the city we explored the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica. It was easy to see the churches Billions of dollars, the marble, gilding, and sculptures throughout the cathedral were amazing. It did take us two trips through the line because Kaylee was showing too much skin the first time through (her scandalous shoulders weren't properly covered). So after buying a shirt from a nearby stand we were allowed in. We also randomly happened to be at the Vatican on the last Sunday of the month which meant the Vatican museum, usually 14 Euro each, was free. Of course we got there a half hour after they closed the entrance. On our second day we went to the Colosseum and the surrounding ruins. Both were very impressive, not quite Egyptian pyramids but impressive none the less.

Bari, Italy -
We didn't spend any nights in Bari, but our 6 hour train from Rome dropped us at the port in Bari to catch a ship to Corfu, Greece. At the check in we were frustrated to learn that the ships no longer stopped in Corfu (contradicting their website) so we would have to take a 10 hour ship to Igoumenitsa, Greece then a 1 hour local ferry to Corfu.

I believe that Kaylee is currently describing our time in Greece, but she is on a computer on the other side of the room so I will end here for now so as not to overlap. Off to Spain in 6 hours!

Simon and Kaylee

Sorry no Pictures again

Another place where I can't figure out how to get the pictures to load. Pretty sure it is not me this time and it is the lack of intelligents on the computers end. Sorry we had some good ones for you, maybe in Madrid.

Athens, Greece

We are way behind so I will just list where we have been and go into further detail as time allows.

After leaving Gimmelwald, Switzerland we spent two nights in Nice, France. From there we moved on to the Cinque Terre where we stayed for four nights. Our next stop was Venice, for just one night. Leaving Venice, we went to Rome for 3 nights. From Rome we took a 6 hour train to Bari, Italy and then a 10 hour boat on the same day to Igoumentisa, Greece. A 1 hour local ferry then took us to Corfu, Greece where we spent 3 nights. From Corfu we took a bus to Athens where we spent 1 night before catching a boat to Santorini, Greece. Two nights and another boat later we were back in Athens, where we stayed last night.

We are homeless tonight because we catch a flight at 4:25 am that will take us to Madrid, Spain tomorrow. I imagine that without a place to stay tonight we will kill some time later back here in the internet cafe, in which case I will try to provide some of the more interesting moments of the last two weeks.

Hope everyone is doing well,

Simon and Kaylee