Don't get me wrong.. I do like Greece, or rather, Crete, the island I was on. Found myself in a small town, Rethymno with iteresting streets to explore, a nice beach where I spent my afternoon just lounging around and a memorable 18km hike through Europe's longest Gorge - The Samarian Gorge which left me aching all over...
But, thinking of my travelling time to and fro Crete is laughable. I took 32 hours to get from Crete back to St Gallen. That means it is more than 1 day on the road. Let's detail how I did it..
28th July 2007
1500 - 1600 : Takes bus from Rethymno to Chania
1600 - 1730 : Figured out how to get from Chania to Souda, the port where I was supposed to take my ferry from
1730 - 1900 : Sat around, had dinner and rotted while waiting for boarding
1900 - 0600: Was on the overnight ferry back to Pireaus, the port at Athens.
29th July 2007
0700 - 0800: Bus from Pireaus to Athens airport
0800 -1030 : Rotted at the Athens airport while waiting for check in
1220 - 1355 : Flight from Athens to Milan Malpensa
1410 - 1500 : Baggage collection (There was no customs check at the airport. So lax can!)
1510 - 1600 : Bus from Milan Malpensa to Centrale Stazione (Main Train Station)
1625 - 2105 : Train from Milan to Zurich
2110 - 2215 : Train from Zurich to St Gallen
2230 : Home Sweet Home!!!
Long huh?
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Goodbye Prague! Hi Greece!
Well.. I really like Prague. Went to the Old Town yesterday and earlier today and did bulk of my souvenir buying. So I am now a happy happy girl, with a heavier luggage though. Went to the Bone Chapel on Sunday. And surprisingly, it kinda slipped my mind that I had visited it before when I first came to Prague about 5 years ago with VJChoir. I mean I had the feeling I had been there, but it wasn't confirmed until I stepped in and saw them again. Weird huh? Maybe I just chose to repress some memories.
But Prague did bring back memories. Old Town Square - although they didn't have the stalls in the square - The stalls are located along another street now. Even the glass ornaments didn't change much - I saw the glass globe, flower and bird I got the last time I went. The springy wooden ornament and the flapping parrot as well. Then I remember walking along Wencescles Square, the hot dog stands. And of course the metro stations were still the same. Only difference is it is summer this time around.
So Prague was nice to walk around - I like winding through the side streets, popping into shops and looking at the stuff they offer. And I think the blown glass ornaments are very pretty.
Ok... so now, I am spending my the last few hours I have in Prague, using the internet, courtesy of my hostel, Plus Prague Hostel. It's pretty good with decently clean and big enough rooms, nice reception staff.
It's 4.45pm now. My flight to Athens is in 7 hours. Yeah... I'm flying into Greece at the wee hours of the morning, following which I have to psych myself up for an overnight ferry ride the following night to Crete, the largest island (and the most South I think). Well.. at least I know the experience of staying up to rush papers will aid me with coping with the lack of sleep. :)
Tomorrow will spend a relatively easy day in Athens - planning a bus tour before heading to the port to wait for my boat to Crete - Rethimon to be precise. And since I don't exactly look forward to lugging my 17kg (or thereabout) luggage to Crete, I will be be rid of it pretty soon as I plan to leave it with a luggage storage service at the Athens airport - will only be bringing a small bag to Crete.
I guess my luggage is the only dampener on the whole trip. I can lug it around pretty fine, but at the same time, it is annoying and tiring. Well... just have to move it 3 more times. (once to Prague airport, the second time to Venice, and the last one back to St Gallen). I do get rid of stuff, but at the same time, I do my souvenir shopping which adds weight to it.
Well, I did get tougher on this trip, learnt how to be more independent, learnt how to navigate better with maps, being more willing to try new things and made me a better planner. At the end of the day, this whole exchange has stretched my boundaries - made me do things I never thought I would be able to do. And the best part is I'm having fun throughout! :)
But Prague did bring back memories. Old Town Square - although they didn't have the stalls in the square - The stalls are located along another street now. Even the glass ornaments didn't change much - I saw the glass globe, flower and bird I got the last time I went. The springy wooden ornament and the flapping parrot as well. Then I remember walking along Wencescles Square, the hot dog stands. And of course the metro stations were still the same. Only difference is it is summer this time around.
So Prague was nice to walk around - I like winding through the side streets, popping into shops and looking at the stuff they offer. And I think the blown glass ornaments are very pretty.
Ok... so now, I am spending my the last few hours I have in Prague, using the internet, courtesy of my hostel, Plus Prague Hostel. It's pretty good with decently clean and big enough rooms, nice reception staff.
It's 4.45pm now. My flight to Athens is in 7 hours. Yeah... I'm flying into Greece at the wee hours of the morning, following which I have to psych myself up for an overnight ferry ride the following night to Crete, the largest island (and the most South I think). Well.. at least I know the experience of staying up to rush papers will aid me with coping with the lack of sleep. :)
Tomorrow will spend a relatively easy day in Athens - planning a bus tour before heading to the port to wait for my boat to Crete - Rethimon to be precise. And since I don't exactly look forward to lugging my 17kg (or thereabout) luggage to Crete, I will be be rid of it pretty soon as I plan to leave it with a luggage storage service at the Athens airport - will only be bringing a small bag to Crete.
I guess my luggage is the only dampener on the whole trip. I can lug it around pretty fine, but at the same time, it is annoying and tiring. Well... just have to move it 3 more times. (once to Prague airport, the second time to Venice, and the last one back to St Gallen). I do get rid of stuff, but at the same time, I do my souvenir shopping which adds weight to it.
Well, I did get tougher on this trip, learnt how to be more independent, learnt how to navigate better with maps, being more willing to try new things and made me a better planner. At the end of the day, this whole exchange has stretched my boundaries - made me do things I never thought I would be able to do. And the best part is I'm having fun throughout! :)
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Day 12 on the road...
I'm happily settled in Prague now. As my sis puts it, I'm no longer roaming in Rome.
Anyway, I wrote this yesterday
=====
There are days when I wake up, counting down to the end of this trip.
Today, it is 14.
And then I think, 14 days means 2 weeks,
And it is way too short.
4 and a half months of travel and exchange,
Ending in a mere 14 days
How can it be possible?
=====
Yeah.. it kinda sums up the way I am feeling now. I can't wait to get home, but yet, how can it all end so soon?
So, for the past 12 days, I sat through an overnight train journey from Switzerland to Vienna, an even longer bus ride from Vienna to Warsaw. A couple of flights in and out of Rome, and I'm 'back' in Prague - my first European city.
Anyway... Rome... is overhyped. Maybe it is the sweltering heat - 32 degrees with no cloud covering is not funny! I go back to my hostel feeling sticky everyday! And in the day, the room becomes an oven! Everything will just get heated up which means warm shampoo and shower gel. Hahaha... - good way for wet clothes to dry though! However, nights in Rome were cool... which was good - if not, it would be unbearable to sleep in the heat!
Ok, to be fair, Rome is nice. To have a building like the Colosseum standing, other ruins and the Vatican City makes it an appealing place for tourists to Italy to visit I agree.
BUT.. and its a huge BUT. I found Rome too touristy for my liking. It is a very 'in-the-face' feeling as every corner I turn, I see a souvenir stand, many artists sitting by the road side selling their water colour paintings that look alike since they are all of the Colosseum or of cherubs.
Not to mentioned, I did feel like I was at a pasar malam with the number of roadside stalls being set up, all selling sunglasses, hats and fans. And then, prices in Rome are exhorbitant!!! I wouldn't mind paying (like in UK) if they were reasonable. But 4€ for a 500ml bottle of Ice Lemon Tea is ridiculous. They were obviously trying to rip tourists off! and that was what left a bad taste in my mouth. I have been to other cities which are touristy - Paris, Munich.. but I don't feel as ripped off as I did here. So yeah...
I did enjoy Rome actually... but it is hard to pull out the like factors cause they are overshadowed by the negative factors like the weather, the price and other stuff... But it was a good experience I would say. At least Rome will not be on the top of my 'cities to revisit' list that soon.
Anyway, I stayed at this campsite hostel thingee in Rome. Another first for me. It was a distance from the city centre, but we had a shuttle that brought us to this train station and from there, we would take about 20 mins to half an hour to get to the city centre. Saw a lot of mobile homes, tents being pitched as family spent their summer holidays there. It reminded me of a chalet actually - those in Pasir Ris to be precise.
Well... guess that's all about Rome... To visit or not, you decide. My advice is to go in Spring or sth where I expect the weather to be cooler.
Anyway, I wrote this yesterday
=====
There are days when I wake up, counting down to the end of this trip.
Today, it is 14.
And then I think, 14 days means 2 weeks,
And it is way too short.
4 and a half months of travel and exchange,
Ending in a mere 14 days
How can it be possible?
=====
Yeah.. it kinda sums up the way I am feeling now. I can't wait to get home, but yet, how can it all end so soon?
So, for the past 12 days, I sat through an overnight train journey from Switzerland to Vienna, an even longer bus ride from Vienna to Warsaw. A couple of flights in and out of Rome, and I'm 'back' in Prague - my first European city.
Anyway... Rome... is overhyped. Maybe it is the sweltering heat - 32 degrees with no cloud covering is not funny! I go back to my hostel feeling sticky everyday! And in the day, the room becomes an oven! Everything will just get heated up which means warm shampoo and shower gel. Hahaha... - good way for wet clothes to dry though! However, nights in Rome were cool... which was good - if not, it would be unbearable to sleep in the heat!
Ok, to be fair, Rome is nice. To have a building like the Colosseum standing, other ruins and the Vatican City makes it an appealing place for tourists to Italy to visit I agree.
BUT.. and its a huge BUT. I found Rome too touristy for my liking. It is a very 'in-the-face' feeling as every corner I turn, I see a souvenir stand, many artists sitting by the road side selling their water colour paintings that look alike since they are all of the Colosseum or of cherubs.
Not to mentioned, I did feel like I was at a pasar malam with the number of roadside stalls being set up, all selling sunglasses, hats and fans. And then, prices in Rome are exhorbitant!!! I wouldn't mind paying (like in UK) if they were reasonable. But 4€ for a 500ml bottle of Ice Lemon Tea is ridiculous. They were obviously trying to rip tourists off! and that was what left a bad taste in my mouth. I have been to other cities which are touristy - Paris, Munich.. but I don't feel as ripped off as I did here. So yeah...
I did enjoy Rome actually... but it is hard to pull out the like factors cause they are overshadowed by the negative factors like the weather, the price and other stuff... But it was a good experience I would say. At least Rome will not be on the top of my 'cities to revisit' list that soon.
Anyway, I stayed at this campsite hostel thingee in Rome. Another first for me. It was a distance from the city centre, but we had a shuttle that brought us to this train station and from there, we would take about 20 mins to half an hour to get to the city centre. Saw a lot of mobile homes, tents being pitched as family spent their summer holidays there. It reminded me of a chalet actually - those in Pasir Ris to be precise.
Well... guess that's all about Rome... To visit or not, you decide. My advice is to go in Spring or sth where I expect the weather to be cooler.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
GAh!
Heh... I deleted my travel schedule by accident! OK.. it's cause i tried clicking around and I can't understand Polish. Smart hor? And I tried changing my dates and voila, clicked sth that removed the whole section.
Well... if I have the time and patience, I will add it in slowly another time.
Anyway... I'm skipping Florence, thus spending close to a week in Rome. We both felt that it was better so as to save ourselves some sanity and energy (from lugging our baggage to and fro Florence). Plus, there's always the next time.
Krakow, I feel, is much nicer than Warsaw, albeit more touristy. Maybe it's cause I didn't really have a chance to see the Old Town in Warsaw due to the weather (it started raining 15 mins after we got there and we had a train to catch, so we decided to go back to the hostel where we met with the nice, bright sun!), but the Old Town in Krakow was nice. I spent 6 hours walking there today!
Well, glad I decided not to go to the Concentration camps though Yishan went. Think it would have spoilt my mood for the day and perhaps the next. It's just too unsettling for me. But I had a good day too! Finally, today feels more like summer summer with the sweltering heat. The past few weeks have been wet, gloomy and cloudy. I was out in Warsaw with my scarf and jacket most of the time, attracting the comment that I looked dressed for Winter. Hahaha...
Next stop: Rome!
Well... if I have the time and patience, I will add it in slowly another time.
Anyway... I'm skipping Florence, thus spending close to a week in Rome. We both felt that it was better so as to save ourselves some sanity and energy (from lugging our baggage to and fro Florence). Plus, there's always the next time.
Krakow, I feel, is much nicer than Warsaw, albeit more touristy. Maybe it's cause I didn't really have a chance to see the Old Town in Warsaw due to the weather (it started raining 15 mins after we got there and we had a train to catch, so we decided to go back to the hostel where we met with the nice, bright sun!), but the Old Town in Krakow was nice. I spent 6 hours walking there today!
Well, glad I decided not to go to the Concentration camps though Yishan went. Think it would have spoilt my mood for the day and perhaps the next. It's just too unsettling for me. But I had a good day too! Finally, today feels more like summer summer with the sweltering heat. The past few weeks have been wet, gloomy and cloudy. I was out in Warsaw with my scarf and jacket most of the time, attracting the comment that I looked dressed for Winter. Hahaha...
Next stop: Rome!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Greetings from Wien (Vienna)
OK... so I'm leaving for Poland tonight... but I'm doing some research for my thesis topic in WU (pronounced vey-oo according to the German alphabet pronounciation) or Wien University while Yishan goes to run errands.
Well... 'living out of my suitcase' days have started. And my suitcase is heavier than I had imagined. But i'm hoping the weight will miraculously drop once I start using the toiletries and what not.
Just a random snail that I thought was pretty nice looking. (Pretty pretty sounds weird!)
And I leave you all with a picture of me picking strawberries from my garden.
Well... 'living out of my suitcase' days have started. And my suitcase is heavier than I had imagined. But i'm hoping the weight will miraculously drop once I start using the toiletries and what not.
Just a random snail that I thought was pretty nice looking. (Pretty pretty sounds weird!)
And I leave you all with a picture of me picking strawberries from my garden.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
不舍得，舍不得。。。
It feels wrong if I don't post this... I'm leaving Switzerland tonight! Check the side for my (hectic) travelling schedule. Will update if I can...
It's been an enjoyable 3.5 months... I've learnt a lot, seen a lot, experienced a lot.. and now, a new adventure awaits...
And somehow, this song just comes to mind...
Leaving On A Jet Plane
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
It's been an enjoyable 3.5 months... I've learnt a lot, seen a lot, experienced a lot.. and now, a new adventure awaits...
And somehow, this song just comes to mind...
Leaving On A Jet Plane
All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
I'm standin' here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin', it's early morn
The taxi's waitin', he's blowin' his horn
Already I'm so lonesome I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you'll wait for me
Hold me like you'll never let me go
'Cause I'm leaving on a jet plane
I don't know when I'll be back again
Thursday, July 5, 2007
It's hard to say Goodbye...
... to the wonderful wonderful place which has been my home for the past 4 months.
Yeah... that was the thought that hit me when I was about to bathe. No more Tara (the dog), the 2 cats which up till now, i still can't figure the name. The view of the garden from which I look out to from my room. The nice garden where my landlord grows his own vegetables. I've picked strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries from there...
The walk to school, the bus up the hill. Shopping at Migros at least once a week...
But there's a time for everything. As this chapter closes, another adventure is waiting to begin - a one month trip around Europe! and after that? More stuff to do back in Singapore...
Ok.. need to get back to work... will reminisce another day...
Yeah... that was the thought that hit me when I was about to bathe. No more Tara (the dog), the 2 cats which up till now, i still can't figure the name. The view of the garden from which I look out to from my room. The nice garden where my landlord grows his own vegetables. I've picked strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and blueberries from there...
The walk to school, the bus up the hill. Shopping at Migros at least once a week...
But there's a time for everything. As this chapter closes, another adventure is waiting to begin - a one month trip around Europe! and after that? More stuff to do back in Singapore...
Ok.. need to get back to work... will reminisce another day...
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Gah! Das Wetter ist schlect!
It is not funny when it rained in Bellinzona, the Italian speaking part of Switzerland where the weather there is supposed to be sunnier, when I was there yesterday.
It is not funny when it starts to hail in July, when I'm in town with a big bag of groceries and wearing my birkenstock.
The weather is bad! But the forecast is that it will be better in a couple of days time. Yay for that!
It is not funny when it starts to hail in July, when I'm in town with a big bag of groceries and wearing my birkenstock.
The weather is bad! But the forecast is that it will be better in a couple of days time. Yay for that!
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