Where´s Our Sun???

Our first night in San Sebastian was spectacular. We got to see traditional dances and hear great live music rolling down the pedestrian streets. On our way through the exploration of the "parte vieja" or old part of town, close to our hostel and to the beach, we saw many stores that caught our attention... they had a variety of things from ecclectic shoes, wooden rings and earrings and t-shirts with the basque symbol and writing. We promised each other that we´d be back to explore them all... we just didn´t think that we´d get our chance so early in the trip. Saturday, our first full day in San Sebastian greeted us with light drizzle. The sky didn´t look too promising but we weren´t losing hope. We got a quick breakfast and stayed in our hostel till about 12:30 or so at which point it was raining even harder. We came to terms with the fact that our lovely beach city was drained in rain that day and went shopping. And what a shopping day it was. We kept with our flea market in Venice method visiting all of the stores in the parte vieja and going back to the ones that had the things we liked the most. We covered most of them in a couple of hours. At that point most of them were shutting down for siesta... which is interesing because the hours posted on their door are more of a suggestion since they stay up partying so late (4 or 5am) thus opening at around noon instead of 11am... So Beth went back to the hostel and I came to the internet cafe to catch up on my blog. We met back up at 5pm and hit the shops again. The rain was coming down even harder but we were scoring some really good deals so our spirits weren´t too down. We finished our night out by checking to see if The Davinci Code was playing in English... the guy seemed pretty amused by my question... that was a no go so we got some tapas and beer and came back to peel off our smoky and wet clothes. The Mexico/Argentina match was on so we had that to watch as we went through our loot... sadly, Mexico lost... we had much to celebrate though... great purchases, good food and a nice, clean hostel. There was still hope of sun for Sunday (today). Stores and restaurants opened even later today. Spaniards really like to party... we can hear it starting from our balcony at around 11pm and it doesn´t stop till 5am. Once we got lunch at 1pm we headed out to the beach in our jeans and windbreakers and were very nicely surprised when the sun came out to greet us. We quickly went back to change into our suits and raced to the beach on the other side of the street-the surfing beach. It was simply lovely... deep blue water with rich, white sand and great waves to play in. We laid out first and then I had to go in and play in the water. There was a great mix of people on the beach-soccer players, families, couples, and of course, quite a few nudisits. It was definitely a great mix. The sun left us afer a couple of hours but at least we got a couple of hours... It is already 6:30pm here so after we get dinner and dessert it will be time to pack up our backpacks for our early morning tomorrow. Tomorrow we catch our LAST train to Madrid and are there for 2 days before heading back to the States on Thursday. It will be a full day of travel as we´ll be on the rails for close to 8 hours but we´ll get there just in time for some more tapas (of course!) and sangria. Madrid will be a good place to end our trip... a very fun and laid back city with a great museum-el Prado and a beautiful park-Parque del Retiro in which we can sunbathe once more (hopefully!) before heading back home.

Ciao Roma, Hola Espana!

Our last Friday in Europe started early with a jaunt over to the airport via the metro and an airport bus. We decided early on during the planning stage of the trip that we would fly and not train the leg from Roma to Spain. We would have had to endure another night train and it was good thinking we decided to skip this. Instead we boarded a RyanAir flight in Roma´s Ciampiano airport-very small and crowded; clausterphobic people be ware! It was sheer craziness in there. The only screens that had any information were right above the check-in counters and to view the details we had to push through the sea of people who thought we were cutting in front of them. I can curse like a Spaniard if I have to so we were left alone after I whipped out their lingo. We found our line and were on our way to being checked in. All the lines and craziness in the airport ate up our 2 hours of anticipated travel and check-in time so it was a good thing we left early. The flight was extremely nice as both Beth and I scored exit row seats at the very front of the plane and we didn´t have anyone sitting in the seat next to ours. The rest of our travels that day were equally as smooth... ahhh, being in a country where I can speak the language is beautiful. We found the bus to take us to the bus station, bought tickets from Santander to San Sebastian and we were one leg closer to the beach. It was a 4 hour ride in a comfy coach bus and we got to see amazing coastal scenery as well as the tail end of the Pyranee Mountains. We located our hostel-Pension San Juan-with the help of a cheap taxi ride (neither one of us had a map or directions) and settled into the cozy bed and breakfast like place. The owner is very nice and warm and takes pride in his pension. He immediately made us feel at home offering us maps, beach towels and directions to nearby bars and the beach. The Summer Soltice celebration was going on that evening and we caught the tail end of the celebration in the main plaza. There were tons of people in the plaza watching a troop of traditional basque dancers do their thing and many others walking the pedestrian streets drinking beer and eating tapas (there are plates of various bite sized delicacies all along the bar. the bar attendant gives you a plate, you choose what you like and then you pay. you can enjoy however many you want). We hit the beach where a very older woman offered to take our picture... window shopping followed and we ended the night with some tapas and beer at a bar close to our hostel. we had arrived in paradise-beach, friendly and fun people and lots of good shopping and food!

Early Mornings Make for Tiring Days

After our full day in the city we were beyond tired and were ready for a night of well deserved rest. The hostel wasn´t really conducive to this, however. Moreover, I was stressing over how we were going to get from Santander, Espana to San Sebastian, our beach town. It all worked out but at the time I didn´t know wheter a train or a bus would get us there and how much extra this would cost us. We hadn´t budgeted for this and I felt extremely bad that I forgot about this step that Beth wasn´t counting on. The internet cafe we frequented in Roma was hot and stuffy and always busy so it was hard to figure things out online (the computers were also slow) and to write in my blog... thus the delay. We were both tired from not sleeping well. The sewage smell was really hard to bear at times and every morning we were awoken at 5am by some weird birds calling out in the distance. I was never able to get back to sleep because they kept screaming and because once awake I became very aware of how warm it was in the room. My travel clock said it was 83 degrees... So Thursday we decided that it was going to be a light day. We left a little later and went to the Catacombs. I again had a chance to use my SpanItalian. On that day however, I had a few people who didn´t take to it too well... oh well, at least I was trying. We made it to the Catacombs and I was initially disappointed that we had to be led down there in tour fashion... more tours, just what I was looking for! But it was a good thing. The tour guide is one of the many priests that is now caring for the Catacombs so he was very knowledgable and friendly. The Catacombs were created by Christians between the 1st and 5th centuries when they were faced with not being able to bury their loved ones within the city walls of Ancient Rome. We got to see where people were actually buried-small rectangular slots along the walls and spaces that were niched out for prayer and gathering. After that it was off to see a little more of the Colosseum and then to the Pantheon. Going to the Pantheon we crossed a street where I was actually afraid I wouldn´t come out alive... There was no crosswalk and we just had to step out with hopes that all drivers were paying attention and they´d actually stop for us. We ended our day out with more pizza and Coca-Cola and counted the hours till our check out time where we could bid a ciao! to Hostel Beautiful.

A Full 10 Hour Day with a Bonus

Neither Beth or I had good or even decent feelings about our hostel so we decided that leaving early on our first day in Roma (Wednesday) wouldn´t be such a bad idea. It would get us out of the room and we´d hopefully beat some of the crowds. First on our list was St. Peter´s Basilica. We made it there at 7:45am with no problem by way of the metro and encountered our first line of the day. The Basilica opens at 7am daily so we found it odd that there was already such a long line. After a bit of investigating and trying my SpanItalian with some nuns we figured out that the Pope was due to come out that morning (apparently a weekly event) and thus the Basilica was closed. Many people had red tickets to let them in but we were let in by the guard after he searched our bags... we just couldn´t go into the seating area. We took pictures and staked out good spots for when the Pope did actually come out. There were so many people all around us and the heat was starting to welcome us to Vatican City. We both had khakis and short sleeved shirts on so that we were appropriately dressed for the Basilica and we missed our shorts and tank tops. Once the Pope was seen coming in his car the crowd got wild and there were no more guards checking for red tickets. So, Beth and I went in with the rest of them and got a decent spot for some pictures and to catch some of the mass...what a bonus! There were many other priests officiating the mass with the Pope and I understood the reading in Spanish. Being raised Catholic, it was a such a great feeling to be able to see the Pope and to hear Scripture read in my native tongue. I really loved relaying that news to my parents! On to line #2... the Vatican museum and Sisteen Chapel. This was the worst one by far. It moved pretty quickly but it was really hot and there was hardly any shad while we stood in line waiting to get in. I think we were in line for about 45 minutes. When we finally made it in we had to fight our way through all of the hallways-through various tour groups, tour leaders speaking loudly into microphones and many other people stopping to take many shots of sculptures and the ceilings. We did our best to see what we had on our list without getting trampled on. The Sisteen Chapel was gorgeous. There is no other way to describe it. I was lucky to find a seat on a bench and to look at all of it without having to negotiate for personal space while I took it all in. We were tired and hungry so we got a quick but filling lunch across the street and then headed back to St. Peter´s. Line #3. This one moved pretty quickly too but the sun and the humidity are unforgiving. Once we got in it was overpowering. This was the one big thing I wanted to see while in Roma and I took my time giong through the church and prayed in the closed off chapel for a while. I loved how it was curtained off so that people wouldn´t snap pictures, talk on their phone or talk loudly to one another. These places are religious sites and it´s a shame that so many people forget this. I got my time in here and I could leave Roma happy knowing that I had ample time to take it all in. It was then about 3pm... 3pm... how did that happen?! We were running low on energy so instead of spending 4euros (close to $5) on a can of Coca-Cola we decided to stop at a street vendor station. I bought a lovely dress and Beth bought an equally lovely blouse. There´s nothing like retail therapy to boost one´s spirits and energy level before jaunting over to the Colosseum. :) The metro got us there with no problem. It was amazing to step out of the metro station and onto the street with the Colosseum greeting us in a matter of seconds. I couldn´t believe that I was seeing the edifice that I had seen so many times in books and on TV in person. The history that Roma has is indescribable and though we were tired and sweaty I know we´ll always remember that full day in Roma. We walked around for a while, took some pictures and sat for a few minutes before we made our way back to the hostel. Close to both the hostel and Termini we found a pizzeria that kept us well fed till we left... a huge slice of pizza with a bottle of coca-cola for only 5 euros! Now Roma was really speaking our language!

Bienvenuti a Roma Termini

This was our official greeting into the enchanting city of Roma. Two big pillars in the main mall of the Termini train station had this lit up in green lettering. And so our time in Roma began on Tuesday, June 20th. The train ride from Venezia to Roma was relatively short--only 5 hours and in a lovely modern train with lots of leg and luggage space. Our hostel was only a 5 minute walk from Termini. The walk served as a preparation of sorts as to what we were to expect in our days and nights in Roma. The streets were loud and congested. There were people coming at us from all different directions. Phone booths everywhere with various people going up to them to check for forgotten change in the slots. Luggage, handbag, belt, sunglass, etc. vendors lined the sidewalks. Our directions were straight forward and we got through the streets with no problem... we were just extremely cautious for crazy drivers in both cars and scooters. The taxi and scooter drivers are the most vicious of them all. The other drivers are crazy too but those taxi and scooter drivers are driving like they´re running from the law. The city, at least what Beth and I had seen thus far, wasn´t exactly what we were expecting. I think it can be paralleled to going to Paris for the first time... Ahh, the city of lights, romance and love... but it is a big city... with crime, TONS of people, the reality of life including packed and stinky subways and crowded streets with potholes. Such was Roma for us during our walk to the hostel. Tons of crazy drivers, trash everywhere, overflowing dumpsters, graffiti on almost every building we passed... including our hostel. We managed to make it to the hostel safely and were given room number 25. Keep in mind that we came from the lovely hostel in Venezia, fully equipped with AC, mini fridge, TV WITH MTV and our own private, very clean bathroom. Enter ¨Hostel Beautiful¨ in Roma... not very beautiful! We opened the door and could immediately smell the sewage system. It was dark b-c the light bulb really didn´t illuminate much. We did have our own bathroom but we couldn´t stand to be in there for very long b-c not even our beauty products could drown out the stench. We agreed that this was our first real ¨hostel¨ on the trip and that it was all part of the adventure. We had many things to see on our itinerary in Roma so we set our to see the Spanish Steps at the Piazza de Spagna that night. We made it there and encountered all the other 500 tourists with cameras, snapped a few shots and headed to find some pasta and Coca-Cola (Europeans do not call this beverage Coca as the Latinos back in the States b-c as was pointed out to me, Coca is a very different thing) before we called it a night.

Venezia

All in all Venezia has been very good to us. Our hostel is so much more like a hotel than a hostel-we have our own bathroom, fridge, tv and we have AC!! So much to love and that is only the room! Yesterday ended up being a very good day after we showered and rested a bit. We walked around a bit but made it an early night as we were tired and needed some time to recoop in our lovely air conditioned room. Venice isn't really a sight seeing city-it is more of a take in the beauty city. We did go to San Marco's cathedral this morning though... Beth was impressed with all the paintings and how ornate it was. I found a smaller church that impressed me because it was equally as beautiful without all the tourists and I got to reflect and pray for a bit. We then hit the flea market and went shopping! We went through the whole market first and then went back to get the best deals. We didn't go too crazy but we did knock out buying gifts for all of our loved ones. The best thing is that we were completely conscious of our pack carrying so they're all lovely but very compact at the same time. I'm off to the hostel now as we train it to Roma tomorrow morning... no overnight train now though... only 5 hours on the rails.

You're Pack Can Kill The Children!

Still rewinding a bit... our train ride from Paris to Venice was 12 hours long. We were very fortunate to have 4 nice companions in the couchettes next to ours but it was still a situation where we had to share a very small space with 4 extra people. Our reservations indicated that had the bottom bunks but the older Italian couple took them before we got there. We both agreed that it was best that they have the bottom bunks anyhow... It would definitely have been a sight to see both of them trying to negotiate the small ladder leading to the middle and top bunks! The beds themselves were quite comfy but the train was hot and the 2 men on the trip were both snoring... thank God for my Ipod! That night I woke up to go to the stinky, stuffy bathroom. The train was on high speed and I was still half asleep. I made it there ok but on the way back the train jerked a little more than I was prepared for and my left foot went straight into the corner of a wall. I wanted to scream then I wanted to cry and then I started to pray that nothing was broken. I'm currently fine but the following morning I was walking with a limp and was definitley not on top of my game for carrying around a backpack. We were both sweaty. Venice made us sweatier. Our hair was getting matted down to our scalps and we were trying to figure the city out. We found the waterboat to take us to our hostel... the number 1. We both got on but since I was limping I thought Beth stayed on the boat platform. I got off after 2 stops... it turns out she was on and sitting, not standing. So we were separate. It was good that I had my own set of directions to the hostel but it was both expensive and trying to get on another boat with TONS of people, sweat dripping down my back, a 30 pound backpack on my back. Beth was in a similar predicament. From what she says she realized that I wasn't on when she got to our stop-Academia and she tried to get off at the next stop but the boatman wouldn't let her. Apparently he was very annoyed with her and kept telling her stuff in Italian. One of the things being "You're pack can kill the children!!!!"--- but picture it coming from a beefy Italian guy with a big Italian accent. I've heard this story so many times since it happened and it still has me cracking up. Of course, for Beth, it wasn't so funny. We both have big packs but at least we have them on our backs and aren't wheeling around steamer trunks like some of the sorority girls we've seen... and no, I'm not stereotyping, they are in fact sorority girls b-c they have the sorority girl flip flops on their feet... AXO, DG, XO, they're all here. We finally met back up after about 2 hours. I found the hostel and deposited my bag and was about to get on the boat again when Beth called out my name. We exchanged stories and got some quick lunch... our time in Venice had gotten off to a confusing and sweaty start... but everything is better with pizza, coca-cola and a granita.

Let's Rewind for Some Details...

Ok, now that we've signed on for 40 minutes instead of 20 at the internet cafe I feel like I can delve in a little more to what we've done so far. London was a big city with lots of people and its only tangle of a subway system. Nothing like Paris' but still big and confusing in its own right. I liked the fact that it had way more soul than I thought it would have and that it was also very diverse. Everywhere we went there were many muliticultural couples and families... Our last two days there had great weather for visiting the city sites and shopping at the Waterloo flea market. We made great friends at the "extra-save" convenience store and the "nitis" beauty salon\internet shop, where the guy actually thanked me for continuing to give him business. I loved the fact that so many people have been so helpful and nice-especially in London, where for some reason I didn't expect it too much. The one thing that we couldn't get used to while there was the looking in the opposite direction when crossing the street. Though we knew we needed to look to the right and not the left it was always inevitable and our heads would turn left. I'm happy we made it out safely. We finished up our trip there with a Jack the Ripper tour. The tour guide was very experienced and his love for London and England came out in everything he told us. I learned way more about the murders than I ever wanted-like how he skinned their faces and sent body parts to the police-but it was great to get the real\known story from a London native and enthusiast. Beth and I are both VERY happy to have our last overnight\long train ride out of the way. We are thankful we got to see Paris but getting there and wearing the same clothes, brushing our teeth in small train bathrooms and pushing past people in the Paris subway left us ready for a new city and hostel! Since Iberia lost our packs we got them delivered to our London hostel and we didn't have to negotiate the train and subway system wtih them... this was good b-c we didn't have to carry all of the weight, bad b-c we didn't shower for 3 days (bad, bad predicament) and also bad b-c we were in for a rude awakening when we actually did have to navigate the subways and the trains. But we're definitely stronger for it-our shoulders, arms and legs are all feeling pretty worked out. Our packs are a bit, uh, big... Beth even got a comment from one of the Venician boatmen on the local waterboat... see the next entry for our story in Venice thus far.

Long Time Since Last Entry...

We were still in London when I created my last entry. Beth and I still had lots more to see so we stayed for one more day. I was getting over my cold and a little sleep deprived-I would wake up to lots of sirens and trunks from the nearby street and the sun also rose at 4am. That combined with evenings of light until about 10pm made for very long days. I went to Westminster Abbey with Beth Friday morning and that took us till about the Noon hour. It was great to see all the history and the detail of the building. We then decided to split for the afternoon as she wanted to see the Tower of London and the Globe. I had a more relaxed afternoon in mind-picking up fruit and lunch at an outdoor market and reading on a patch of grass at a local park. I wanted some relaxation time before our next adventure the next morning-a train ride into Lille, France then to Paris and then finally an overnight train ride to Venice at 8:30pm. We left our hostel at about 7:45 Saturday morning and made it into Paris at about 2pm. We were tired from carrying around our packs and manuevering around the tangle Parisian metro system so we stopped at the Jardines des Plantes for some sunbathing and rest. It was a gorgeous sunny day and we were glad to take in some sun along with the Parisians. We then walked to the Notre Dame-a familiar site for both of us. We took turns in the amazing cathedral and then embarked to find our favorite Parisian gyro place only a few blocks away. We were both in Paris in December of 2002 with Justin and ate there almost every day we were in the city of lights. Our final night train adventure finally started at 8:30 that evening at the Bercy train station-a little hard to find but we found it with the help of a very nice woman at the Austerlitz train station. We slept in a 6 bunk couchette with a nice older american couple and a very nice and entertaining older Italian couple. The husband of the latter group wore a fanny pack that said "Slime Ball" and we had fun communicating in Spanish\Italian. We are finally clean and in Venice now... more on our time here tomorrow.

Logging Miles

It's about 4pm on our second day in London and we've logged many miles on our shoes. We left the hostel yesterday at about 10:30am and visited Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park, Oxford Street, The National Gallery, and Covent Garden. We had a lot of Hyde Park to ourselves and it was a nice calm before the storm of Oxford Street. Walking along that street and through the subways really took all of our energy out of us. Manuevering around everybody and making sure we didn't get run over by looking at the wrong side of the street when crossing made us very tired. We ended up at the National Gallery where we went our separate ways. I'm not too much of a museum person-- stopping at paintings only when they really intrigue me so I didn't want to slow Beth down. I took my time in one of the wings and found a bench that had a beautiful view of Orange Street. I must have people watched for the last 10 minutes I was there. It was a nice time to catch up on my thoughts and to have some time to myself. Covent Garden was our last place to visit. It had an open market and lots of cute shops with eateries and performance artists. We stayed for the main attraction which was guy in a red, latex thong juggling knives on a 20ft unicycle and then juggling knives and a running chainsaw... Quite the diversion. Today entailed much more walking too... Abbey Road, where the Beatles recorded their first album, the Sherlock Holmes museum, Regent's Park, where they have an outdoor Shakesperean theatre and again through the crowds on Oxford St. to change more money. We will be in London one more night-- Friday as we are cutting Bath and Oxford out of our trip. England is a lot more expensive than we budgeted for so we're staying in London one extra night as we can get by pretty frugally if need be in this city.

Happy Birthday, Mark!!

Kelly-- I can't wait to meet the newest DiCuffa family member. You all are the greatest and I'm so happy and blessed to know all of you. I hope you are all well... It is 9pm over here, 3pm your time... I'm thinking of you and wishing that I was in Austin to welcome Mark and to give you, Luke and Tony a big congratulatory hug. All of my love, Ruby

Obviously the Spaniards Don't Know What They're Doing...

"no mam, they obviously don't" is what the kind English gentleman responded at the Iberia baggage claim counter at London's Heathrow airport. Apparently, Spaniards have many non-fans in and out of the US. After many phone calls to the supposed toll free number to Iberia customer service and reconfirming that our bags indeed landed at Heathrow, Beth and I embarked on a journey to the airport via the tube (aka underground). It cost us $16 USD-- no joke--to go from our hostel to the airport via the subway. This was disheartening. About an hour later we finally made it, though we were both very short on patience and energy. After third degree questioning about our travel to Europe and passport verification we were finally escorted to the baggage claim counter. The gentleman who helped us was extremely nice and helpful and it was just unfortunate that I had no kind words for him. He ended up offering me the advice of having a cup of tea to calm down... All in all though, my angry words weren't in vain. He could see our tired faces and our beat down, stinky dirty 3 day old clothes on us and sympathized. He gave us the cell phone number of the "bloke"-- Mick who was out delivering the baggage so that we could check on the status of our bags. More good samaritans abounded at our hostel where 2 people let us borrow their cell phones to be in touch with Mick. At approximately 11:30 pm London time we were finally reunited with our beloved backpacks. We were giddy with excitement and could finally go down for a good night's sleep.

Backpacking without Backpacks

We made it into Madrid safely and were on a roll with great seats, free red wine and small day packs to carry to the baggage claim. About 15 minutes into waiting I hear an announcement on the loud speaker calling out some names. I closed my eyes and started to pray that I wouldn´t hear... and then I hear it... Banuelos, Garcia, Olmanson... everything else was muffled but I definitely heard Olmanson. So, it turns out that both of our bags are stuck in Miami and the customer service rep. had no idea when the bags would be shipped. We didn´t have our hostel address in London so we came into the city to see some sights, find an internet cafe and phone cards. We saw the Plaza de Toros in all of it´s grandeur and finally found an internet cafe. We´re hungry and a little worried that we´ll never be reunited with our packs again but we´re on our way back to the airport now to hopefully get things back on track. Cross your fingers for us.

Packed and Ready to Go

Beth and I packed and repacked our bags while Justin continued working towards the husband of the year award. In addition to taking a half day off of work to run my last minute errands he also vacuumed the apartment, washed the dishes, did the laundry and sewed two patches onto my backpack! While all of this was taking place Beth and I worked out at Gregory gym and ran some more last minute errands that just seemed to keep coming up. We're all packed now though and will be heading to Houston in a few hours. It will be great to see my mom and dad and spend quality time with them before I leave. I will be computerless for the next 72 hours so this will be my last entry before finding an internet cafe in London.

Making Reservations...

We're less than a week away and the excitement is setting in as well as the anxiety from reading too many scam warnings in my travel book. I think we'll be fine though. Beth spent a semester in Bonn, traveling around Europe and my other European experiences in 2001 and 2002 were great. I even encountered real good samaritans in Madrid! I discovered this weekend that the Spanish trains require reservations made at least 24 hours in advance. After surfing the web for a while a great website let me make reservations for our train from Madrid to Paris and for Paris to London via the Chunnel. It's feeling very official now. The prospect of traveling for almost 48 hours isn't very appealing at all but we'll at least have a twin room hostel all to ourselves when we finally make it to London. No matter what the condition of the hostel is it will be nice to have a bed, sheets and a bathroom to wash off the cabin plane and train ride residue from our backpacker bodies!