From Spain to Rome

Jayda Thoughts; I appologize for poor grammar, but I cannot find some puncuation on this Italian keyboard. They are all so different.

Leaving Spain was sad. We stayed in this town outside of Barcelona, called Girona. It was very peaceful and nice to have a break from the hectic city. Everything was quite a bit cheaper and the people were far more friendlier. We made lots of friends at the hostel. It was like the same group of us hanging out several nights in a row. We met friends from Austrailia, Switzerland, Ireland, Malta, and Lithuainia. It was tons of fun just hearing everyones story. One guy had hitchhiked all over Europe before. He was full of fascinating stories. Trent, from Sydney, took us to this small town about an hour from Girona and we hiked up this big mountain to this castle and had lunch. King James II started the castle and never finished it. It was still very intriguing to see. We all shared dinner the last night and said our goodbyes. Its just crazy how sometimes you meet people and its as if you have known each other for years. We did not want to go, but Rome was calling.

We arrived in Rome early this morning. To get the local bus to the train station we had to wait over an hour at the airport. Then we get on the bus and off to the train. At our first stop we see, Roma Termini, on the sign. So we go to get off and I got off and the door shut on Chris and it would not open. So I yelled I will wait here and you come back. After the train left, I realized I was in the ghetto of some tiny town. I was so scared. Trains came and went. And I had it figured out which one he should be on and 3 came. No Chris. I was about to give up and then finally an hour later here comes Chris. I had never been so excited to see him. He explained that the next stop was the main terminal which held numerous trains. It took him forever to find someone to speak English to help him get back to me. Nevertheless, we caught a train back to Rome and found our hotel. Then we went and got some lunch. I had the best Carbanara pasta ever! Then we just started walking and waalah, there was the Collisium! It was really neat to see a building soo old! I touched it and I told Chris, this is probably the oldest thing I have ever touched! We just walked around and took everything all in. Its crazy how you are just walking and theres a new building and right beside it may be a piece of something that’s thousands of years old. So now we are back at our hotel to rest up and figure out our plans. We are staying here until Saturday and I think we are going to go to Naples and catch a ferry to one of the Islands and hopefully see some warm sunshine!

Chris Thoughts
After finally arriving in Spain it was nice.  Though we did not make it to Barcelona the little town we stayed in was nice. It was called Girona and we stayed in a hostel here that was wonderful.  We met some terrific people here and spent the day with an Australian named Trent. We went to an amazing castle about an hour outside of town. The castle was on what appeared to be at first glance to be a rock face about 200 to 300 meters high. When told it would take 45 minutes to hike we thought impossible. We did however make it to the top just as we were promised to discover amazing views of the small town we had just left and glimpses of the coast. We ate a pinic lunch in the dried out cistern of the castle to get out of the wind.. We then hiked back down to return to the hostel. We spent time here with some of the other residents. We conversed with a super nice Irish guy named Alexus and a Swiss guy named Thomas. It was great to talk to such an amazing array of differant cultures. We left Girona this morning at 6 to head for the Rome airport.
We arrived in Rome and fought our way onto the bus. We then headed by train to the city centre. However, not without a little mishap. On the way Jayda got off the train before I could get off and the doors shut. I was trapped on the inside and she was left at a random train stop in Rome. We did communicate to each other through the glass for her to stay put. I arrived in the main train depot in Rome on the next stop intending to just grab a train back to her. However, the main station in Rome is huge. I couldnt just grab a new train and here I am in Italy and speak no Italian without Jayda and am truly a little scared. I sought help from the police to no avale but fortunately found a member of the Italian airforce who told me to just board a train and get off at the first stop and this would lead me to Jayda. He was right nand we did reconnect and finally made it to Rome. We walked around the colliseum and saw a few other ancient structures before we came back to the hostel we are now staying in.
Oh and by the way I dont know if Jayda said anything about this in her blog but if she didnt ask her about how good the tacos were in Girona.

pictures from Spain and our first day in Rome

couch surfer in Paris

 Chris reading all his wonderful birthday cards

 finally, LAUNDRY!

Beauvais, France. This cathedral has the highest ceiling in the world.

 castle in Beauvais

 Chris's birthday beer, we had no idea they were so big

I ordered tacos in Spain and somehow this is what I got.

 Mom, I want these toys for Christmas!

playing on the playground in Girona

Girona, Spain by night

The castle in Spain that we hiked to

top of mountain

Trent, from Sydney, and us

castle door

 view from the top of the mountain

Chris picking up a smart car

yes we hiked to the top of that mountain! and there was no road

guys in Spain playing cards

this was a Spanish lemon beer, but it tasted like sundrop!

Chris in Spain

pasta in Rome!

gladiators at the Colosseum

Colosseum

 

  not sure what this went to, but it was old

see there's just random old structures hanging out

so long beautiful Paris, airport craziness, Beauvais and Girona

Chris Thoughts:
On Sunday night we prepared to leave Paris. Our couchsurfing host Nico and Greg prepared a traditional French dinner kinda like fondue but you heated your own cheese on a little plate (a Raclette machine) and put it on things like potatoes, bread and different meats. It was delicious and the wine we had was out of this world. They were great host and really helped us in experiencing French culture. Yesterday was a little rough. We missed our flight from Beauvais to Girona. So we spent the day in Beauvois a little town near Paris where the airport is located. We did however have a pretty productive day. We found a laundromat and washed some much deserving clothes. We also toured a small castle and a cathedral. The cathedral had the highest ceiling of any cathedral in the world. It was also one of the only things standing after the Germans bombed this town in World War II. We finally got to the airport and made in to Girona around midnight. We are just going to stay here for a few days instead of going to Barcelona. It is cheaper and just as beautiful.

Jayda Thoughts:

Paris was so much fun that I did not want to leave. We had a great time with our couch surfer and his roommate and friends. They were all so very kind. They definitely proved the french stereotype for being rude, wrong. On our last day we went to this huge cemetery where Jim Morrison, from the Doors, and Oscar Wilde were buried. I was stunned at how small Morrison's grave was. I expected it to me more extravagant. Wilde's grave site was really neat. It is the one I am blowing a kiss at in the picture. It's tradition that all girls kiss his grave(hence all the lipstick marks) but I did not want to deface it any worse than it was, so I just blew him a kiss. After returning to Nico and Greg's apartment we indulged in a delicious French meal and lots of wonderful french wine.

Yesterday started off rough, but turned out ok. We still had 15-20minutes before our flight departed and they would not let us through. I would advise you to never go through the Beauvais airport. Its a huge monopoly and the employees are really rude! Ryan air is basically the only airline out of this airport so they can charge you outrageous fees. But anyways, we decided to walk into the town and enjoy the day instead of sitting at the airport. It was a really cute little town. We did some laundry and toured a few places. We found a small pub and got some drinks to celebrate Chris's birthday before heading back. After dealing with more airport chaos, we finally got on the plane to Girona, Spain.
We are staying in a hostel here, but it is actually nicer than any of the hotels we have stayed in. It's really new and clean and people are so friendly. We are just going to be lazy today(we haven't had much sleep) and probably walk around later. So far the city looks really nice and its quite a bit warmer. There's a beach nearby and we are going to check into getting a bus there.

pictures from Limerick and Paris

sorry using a French computer and cannot figure out how to write captions but here are some pics for now

Over the past few days.. From Ireland to Paris

Jayda Thoughts:

Ireland came and went quite fast. The first night in Limerick we got lost and had to stay at a different place. The next day we found the couple we were supposed to stay with and had a great time! We cooked them dinner. We first went to the Market and we bought a whole salmon! Chris, the fishing pro, filleted the fish up and we cooked salmon, homemade macaroni and cheese and sauteed onions and mushrooms. It was delicious! After dinner they took us to a local pub. It was much fun. Everything was all decorated for Christmas and some people were playing a violin and piano. The next day we walked to look at a castle and headed off to Paris.

Paris, Paris, Paris!!!!! I looveee it! Everything is so beautiful! The architechture, the language, the people, the food, the Eiffel tower! What not to love? This city comes alive at night. Everything is so lit up and festive for the holidays. Christmas decorations are EVERYWHERE! Last night when we arrived we walked to the Eiffel tower and took it all in. It was extravagant. It was like a Taj Mahal experience. Then we watched the Eiffel's midnight light show.
This morning Mickgael and his girlfriend came to show us around. We saw the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe Etoile, Notre Dame, the embassy and capital buildings and much much more. We walked through the oldest part of Paris and had crepes with nutella, which were amazing! This afternoon we met the couch surfer we are staying with, Nico. We were filmed for a documentary which is going to be on French national television. He showed us all around his neighbourhood and we went to this really beautiful cathedral, but sadly pictures weren't allowed. He then hosted a small Christmas party where we had warm wine(which was like hot apple cider but better) and homemade snacks. Nico is also a fellow cook. His parents ran a restaurant in small French town. We met lots of new people and had a fun time.

We will try to add a few pics later.

Chris Thoughts:
It was hard leaving the beautiful land of Scotland not knowing what to expect from Ireland. Both the people and the landscape of Scotland are wonderful, I will return to the highlands some day. When we arrived in Ireland we expected to stay with a couchsurfer but due to miscommunication on directions we stayed in a hotel our first night. The next day however we met up with two great Irish host Mike and Izzy. Though we only spent one night with them I feel we will remain friends for a long while. We enjoyed a few beers at a local pub and listened to traditional Irish music.
We are now in Paris and I must say this is the most beautiful city I have ever seen at night. We arrived last night and wondered around the city in awe until midnight last night. We enjoyed a spectacular light show at the Eiffel tower and enjoyed the city all decorated for Christmas. We met up with our friend Mikegual from Normandy and his girlfriend today and took in many sites around the city. We are now with a couchsurfer in the city, where he is hosting a party tonight. We plan on doing more sightseeing tomorrow and taking in as much of this gigantic but spectacular city.

fairwell to the U.K., we are going to miss you!

Jayda:
Things I like about the UK:
-their accents, I could listen to them all day.
- I love the phrase "no worries mate" meaning no problem, no big deal, etc.
-The fact that you can walk everywhere and most everyone else does too. Hence, you rarely see an obese person here.
-They are environmental conscience or at least trying. In the street next to the garbage bins you find recycling bins also.
-The street entertainers. They are so much
fun!
-The people are so friendly and honest.
-No beggars and hagglers. I think that I've maybe seen 3 homeless looking guys. Not looking forward to that part of Asia.
-No one knows we aren't local until we speak. We fit right in.
-There's so much history. We went in a house the other day that was built in the 1400s.
-The countryside is beautiful!

Things that are not so charming:
-Everyone is always smoking. Its everywhere and hard to avoid.
- everything that's supposed to be cheap is still expensive for Americans.

Things that I have learned:
-how to make pasta with only a coffee maker. Seriously, it just takes longer but tastes just as good.
-that most all clothes dry within 24 hours if you wash them in the sink.
-If you need free Internet just get a visitor pass for the library.
- compression bags were a GREAT idea; thanks Bekah
-the free stuff is more fun than the tourists stuff that just takes your money
-just tell them the train pass is to much and they will come up with some kind of deal for you. We basically scored a free return doing this.

Chris:

Things I like:
-people will help you without expecting payment for anything
-everything is so old in comparison to the American way of thinking
-people are laid back and don't get in a hurry about things

Things I don't really like:
-it rains a lot and is usually pretty chilly
-things are expensive
-having to walk long distances with a backpack it seems like up hill both ways

Things I've learned:
-meals can be made from a coffee maker
-carry change the bathroom is not always free
-have clothes with lots of pockets
-you don't tip in the UK
-ask anyone here for directions they are very helpful people
-find libraries for free Internet
-always dress warm it gets cold here quickly and begins to rain without warning
-most museums are free in Scotland

I want this little pink car!

This really neat little Gaelic pub that was recommended called "UISGE BEATHA"

Huge old cemetery by the cathedral

Beautiful! This place is like 500yrs old!

Inside Glasgow's oldest house, built in the 1400s.

A fair that is going on in Glasgow

This is only a tiny picture or Christmas lights. They are everywhere. The city is so pretty at night.

Typical Scottish dish, called a meat pie with gravy and chips, yum! I know its probably horrible for me but calories don't count when you walk a million miles a day.

Outside our window in Oban

The beautiful shore in Oban

me playing with the birds, they were not the least bit afraid of me

A view from our train ride. It was hard to get pics from the train but Chris took this one at a stop.

Glasgow University

The biggest Kit Kat I have ever seen

Its a big joke around here to put stuff on the statues. This one was pretty funny.

The suspension bridge that was supposed to be a big deal but not really that impressive