hallo!
man, being with friends everyday is so much different than travelling alone. time goes so fast when you are with good people.
helsinki was a cool day trip, but it would have been better if we had a local guide like sebastian in sweden. the weather turned cold and we really had no plan--that meant wandering around and seeing all the cool old buildings that we could see over the tops of office buildings. the best surprise for me--and it shouldn't have been a surprise because i could name at least 3 people who told me early, i just forgot--was that santa is from finland! good times seeing christmas cards in the middle of may. i guess he comes from "lapland" which is some place way up north, but i think finland as a whole is proud of their santa invention.
its been a really weird part of travelling because usually when i leave good friends i have some alone (and usually down) time, but now its just friend, friend, friend. it makes it easier now, but i think when i get home and all this is done, it will hit me how much i miss these people. i parted ways with pauline in estonia and went to hamburg, germany. a few hours later i was at a wedding party in Plon with jasmin and bjorn (i met them in my first two weeks of travelling--they weren't getting married, their friends were. germany wedding parties are crazy! nothing like i've ever seen. everyone was really cool and the food was amazing. we left the party at 4:30 in the morning as the sky was just getting lighter. when we finally woke up for breakfast it was 3:30 in the afternoon.
the next day we went to Jasmin's new flat in Lubeck, which is a rad old city. since our sleeping patterns were all messed up from the night before we never really got tired at night and played dominoes until 6:30 the next morning. her roomate moved in last night but was late from traffic. we tried moving everything as quiet as possible since it was 10ish, but i think the whole apartment building knows they have arrived.
this mornings trip to mannheim was really cool. they have a website here of people that are travelling from one city to another and have extra space for other travellers. the trains here are crazy expensive so it is such a good deal. the driver was a cool computer guy that goes to mannheim to work, and we also picked up a girl in hamburg. i mostly slept because the sleep is still screwy. i'm in mannheim to meet katja, i kayaked with her on the north island of new zealand. and then in a few days i hope to visit tyson from university in heidelberg. see what i mean...friend, friend, friend.
have a good day
your friend
chad
Monday, May 23, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
kubb in the park
ciao a tutti,
the transitions have been really fast lately so it makes it hard to sum up everything that has happened. i'll do my best:
i did not want to leave spain at all. the freaky weird day seemed to be perfect with naps and super late nights. i've never seen a father and son play football (soccer) in the street on a sunday night...at three a.m. i was getting used to the good cheap food, good cheap sangria, and free amazing days with good people. so, it was a good thing i was going to sweden with friends i met in fiji.
the four day fiji reunion consisted of sebastian and sofia, the cool swedish couple, pauline, from england, and myself (laura, you should have been there too). at times my mind would say, 'what are you doing in sweden visiting friends you didn't even know existed before this trip?' the week we were in stockholm was some of the best weather they have seen in a long time (long, cold, dark winters for them). it was a bit chilly at times but the sun was shining. they really know how to make cinnamin buns and hot chocolate there, so that helps take the chill away. sebastian had a pretty good knowledge of interesting swedish history and things about buildings/statues/and other sites so we did lots of cool walking tours. then we would usually meet up with sofia after she had work. it was also cool to see urban, the swedish guy that i met in croatia. one of the best moments for me was playing kubb in the park. its a game where you knock down small blocks of wood with sticks. we played two games and whatever team i was on lost. thats ok though, i'm not swedish. i feel like a wuss because for the past three days, my muscles have been sore from throwing the sticks (if you saw how big...ok, how small the sticks where, you would understand why i feel like a weenie--its just i was playing it really intensely). but really the best part was hanging out with everyone. i think if i grew up in sweden i would want to be best friends with sebastian and sofia.
now i'm in tallinn, estonia with pauline. its always been really easy to travel with her so its been a good time. tallinn is pretty small but we've been able to occupy our time with cool things to do. there's so many dang churches its unbelievable and everything has a bit of that communist touch to it. some things are cheap and some things aren't. food is nearly nothing, but getting a water always costs more than you would think. we've been really lucky with the restaruants we've gone to. the one on our first night was straight out of italy which made me happy and last night was a proper estonian dinner. my potato porridge thing with bacon was good but a traditional softdrink called kali got me sicker than i would like to admit. tonight is some musical concert--i don't really know much about it, but i'm hoping its not too fancy-pants. tomorrow we are going to helsinki, finland for the day. its not in any of my books (the scandinavian countries have their own lonely planet book, and i don't have that one) so we really have no idea what is there.
on friday i'm going to hamburg germany to enjoy some wedding festivities. i don't know who is getting married but i know they are nice. the people i'm visiting (jasmin and bjorn, the cool german couple from the farm in new zealand) are going to the wedding and i'll be joining them as a guest. i'm going to do my best to look fancy, but i'm not so sure. either way, it will be good to see them again.
so, from now until arriving home, i believe i will be with friends or family--minus a few days. this means its going to be fun for me, but also it means i'll be a lot more delayed in returning emails. if you've emailed me, or if you will email me in the next two months, i'll do my best to write back as soon as i can, but it may have to wait until i get back home.
have a good day
your friend
chad
the transitions have been really fast lately so it makes it hard to sum up everything that has happened. i'll do my best:
i did not want to leave spain at all. the freaky weird day seemed to be perfect with naps and super late nights. i've never seen a father and son play football (soccer) in the street on a sunday night...at three a.m. i was getting used to the good cheap food, good cheap sangria, and free amazing days with good people. so, it was a good thing i was going to sweden with friends i met in fiji.
the four day fiji reunion consisted of sebastian and sofia, the cool swedish couple, pauline, from england, and myself (laura, you should have been there too). at times my mind would say, 'what are you doing in sweden visiting friends you didn't even know existed before this trip?' the week we were in stockholm was some of the best weather they have seen in a long time (long, cold, dark winters for them). it was a bit chilly at times but the sun was shining. they really know how to make cinnamin buns and hot chocolate there, so that helps take the chill away. sebastian had a pretty good knowledge of interesting swedish history and things about buildings/statues/and other sites so we did lots of cool walking tours. then we would usually meet up with sofia after she had work. it was also cool to see urban, the swedish guy that i met in croatia. one of the best moments for me was playing kubb in the park. its a game where you knock down small blocks of wood with sticks. we played two games and whatever team i was on lost. thats ok though, i'm not swedish. i feel like a wuss because for the past three days, my muscles have been sore from throwing the sticks (if you saw how big...ok, how small the sticks where, you would understand why i feel like a weenie--its just i was playing it really intensely). but really the best part was hanging out with everyone. i think if i grew up in sweden i would want to be best friends with sebastian and sofia.
now i'm in tallinn, estonia with pauline. its always been really easy to travel with her so its been a good time. tallinn is pretty small but we've been able to occupy our time with cool things to do. there's so many dang churches its unbelievable and everything has a bit of that communist touch to it. some things are cheap and some things aren't. food is nearly nothing, but getting a water always costs more than you would think. we've been really lucky with the restaruants we've gone to. the one on our first night was straight out of italy which made me happy and last night was a proper estonian dinner. my potato porridge thing with bacon was good but a traditional softdrink called kali got me sicker than i would like to admit. tonight is some musical concert--i don't really know much about it, but i'm hoping its not too fancy-pants. tomorrow we are going to helsinki, finland for the day. its not in any of my books (the scandinavian countries have their own lonely planet book, and i don't have that one) so we really have no idea what is there.
on friday i'm going to hamburg germany to enjoy some wedding festivities. i don't know who is getting married but i know they are nice. the people i'm visiting (jasmin and bjorn, the cool german couple from the farm in new zealand) are going to the wedding and i'll be joining them as a guest. i'm going to do my best to look fancy, but i'm not so sure. either way, it will be good to see them again.
so, from now until arriving home, i believe i will be with friends or family--minus a few days. this means its going to be fun for me, but also it means i'll be a lot more delayed in returning emails. if you've emailed me, or if you will email me in the next two months, i'll do my best to write back as soon as i can, but it may have to wait until i get back home.
have a good day
your friend
chad
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
two travelling chads
hola!
i'm going to miss spain, all of its people, beaches, sangria, tappas, and most of all siestas.
i don't understand why they don't make more buildings now like Gaudi made them. they are full of imagination and make you dream. i think if i could get two people in human history to meet, it would be Hayao Miyazaki and Antonio Guadi. miyazaki is the guy that made spirited away and other trippy cartoons in japan. they would have been good friends--a common language wouldn't even be necessary.
today i went to the dali museum in figueres, a town about an hour and half by train from barcelona. i think that guy was too smart and had to find creative ways to entertain himself. there isn't a proper path in the place and it was incredibly crowded. i think its the first tourist site where i just wanted space and to stop bumping into elbows and feeling bad for getting in the way of everyones photos. i was about to make a quick exit until i found the stairs to the top levels (where i think a lot of people skip since they just follow the flow of people). it was all of his sketches and drawings and i think i spent an hour or so just up there. that definitely made it worth it.
tomorrow is the flight to sweden for a fiji reunion! pauline is flying in from england and we'll be staying with sebastian and sofia in stockholm. it would be cool if laura could make it, but she's working in northern ireland. i'm holding on to all of my winter clothes because i don't know what the weather is going to be like. the moment i think its warm enough, all the winter clothes are getting dumped. they are in no shape to wear when i get back and the extra space/less weight would be good.
so i guess there's a website of a different travelling chad at www.chadstravels.com (which has caused some confusion with a few people i have met) he's got pictures of his trip to new zealand too. i think its good that more chads are getting around. i hope he has good times.
have a good day
your friend
chad
i'm going to miss spain, all of its people, beaches, sangria, tappas, and most of all siestas.
i don't understand why they don't make more buildings now like Gaudi made them. they are full of imagination and make you dream. i think if i could get two people in human history to meet, it would be Hayao Miyazaki and Antonio Guadi. miyazaki is the guy that made spirited away and other trippy cartoons in japan. they would have been good friends--a common language wouldn't even be necessary.
today i went to the dali museum in figueres, a town about an hour and half by train from barcelona. i think that guy was too smart and had to find creative ways to entertain himself. there isn't a proper path in the place and it was incredibly crowded. i think its the first tourist site where i just wanted space and to stop bumping into elbows and feeling bad for getting in the way of everyones photos. i was about to make a quick exit until i found the stairs to the top levels (where i think a lot of people skip since they just follow the flow of people). it was all of his sketches and drawings and i think i spent an hour or so just up there. that definitely made it worth it.
tomorrow is the flight to sweden for a fiji reunion! pauline is flying in from england and we'll be staying with sebastian and sofia in stockholm. it would be cool if laura could make it, but she's working in northern ireland. i'm holding on to all of my winter clothes because i don't know what the weather is going to be like. the moment i think its warm enough, all the winter clothes are getting dumped. they are in no shape to wear when i get back and the extra space/less weight would be good.
so i guess there's a website of a different travelling chad at www.chadstravels.com (which has caused some confusion with a few people i have met) he's got pictures of his trip to new zealand too. i think its good that more chads are getting around. i hope he has good times.
have a good day
your friend
chad
Saturday, May 07, 2005
agua de valencia
ciao a tutti!
my last day in valencia turned out really relaxing. a group of us went to the beach (after picking up some fruit and bread from the giant market) for the morning--and by morning, i mean spanish backpackers morning--11ish. i left my sunscreen in lagos so i had to purchase some more. the only one the pharmacy had was spf 60; i didn't even know it went that high, but it was either that or nothing. everyone made fun of the 60 but, whatever, when half of the people came back with what looked like purple sunburns, they weren't making as many jokes then. i'm proud of my shade in a tube.
two of my roommates were from albania but spoke perfect italian (they study there), and had two friends (an italian couple) that were also visiting valencia. the couple made everyone a great italian pasta dinner and we finished the night with an agua de valencia at a cafe in the town center. its some kind of mixed drink with orange juice, vodka and a couple other things (although, i think it was probably 90% juice). most of the others went to another bar/club but i had to get some sleep for the morning (again spanish morning--10ish) bus for barcelona.
the day in barcelona has been perfect! i met amandine, someone i met in lagos and sevilla, and went to the beach. i swear i have never seen so many naked people in one location. ok, actually the tramatizing icelandic public pool was probably more. the best was catching a glance (i wouldn't even classify it as a "look"...strictly a glance) of a couple playing paddle-ball in the nude. you have to love europe's ability to be naked. as the sun started going down we got some icecream and sat in front of the casa batllo, a house designed by Gaudi. it is unbelievable considering it was made in the early 1900s. its straight out of a dreamy (but sophisticated) cartoon.
my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life and there are 70 something days left. its a lot hotter and i use way more shampoo, but other than that (as long as the shampoo has some kind of conditioner, or else it feels like sandpaper) i could get used to it...maybe.
have a good day
your friend
chad
my last day in valencia turned out really relaxing. a group of us went to the beach (after picking up some fruit and bread from the giant market) for the morning--and by morning, i mean spanish backpackers morning--11ish. i left my sunscreen in lagos so i had to purchase some more. the only one the pharmacy had was spf 60; i didn't even know it went that high, but it was either that or nothing. everyone made fun of the 60 but, whatever, when half of the people came back with what looked like purple sunburns, they weren't making as many jokes then. i'm proud of my shade in a tube.
two of my roommates were from albania but spoke perfect italian (they study there), and had two friends (an italian couple) that were also visiting valencia. the couple made everyone a great italian pasta dinner and we finished the night with an agua de valencia at a cafe in the town center. its some kind of mixed drink with orange juice, vodka and a couple other things (although, i think it was probably 90% juice). most of the others went to another bar/club but i had to get some sleep for the morning (again spanish morning--10ish) bus for barcelona.
the day in barcelona has been perfect! i met amandine, someone i met in lagos and sevilla, and went to the beach. i swear i have never seen so many naked people in one location. ok, actually the tramatizing icelandic public pool was probably more. the best was catching a glance (i wouldn't even classify it as a "look"...strictly a glance) of a couple playing paddle-ball in the nude. you have to love europe's ability to be naked. as the sun started going down we got some icecream and sat in front of the casa batllo, a house designed by Gaudi. it is unbelievable considering it was made in the early 1900s. its straight out of a dreamy (but sophisticated) cartoon.
my hair is the longest it has ever been in my life and there are 70 something days left. its a lot hotter and i use way more shampoo, but other than that (as long as the shampoo has some kind of conditioner, or else it feels like sandpaper) i could get used to it...maybe.
have a good day
your friend
chad
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
giant futuristic space ship
hello,
its been a pretty relaxed birthday. somehow the lady at the hostel knew it was my birthday; it was a bit weird but a good surprise. valencia used to have a pretty wide river running through it, but it either dried up or was stopped somehow (i don't really know). now its a park that goes and goes--good use of space. at the end is a collection of museums and other buildings. i'm not usually impressed by modern architecture, since usually a building is a building, but these were really different. the opera house isn't finished yet, but looks like a giant futuristic space ship and has a roof that looks like it isn't connected at all (except for one little bit at one end). next to it is a baby spaceship that is surround by shallow pools that make the water seem silvery blue (a lot like the blue lagoon in iceland). i'm not sure what is in that one but thats where i stopped under a tree and had sandwiches and my siesta. i've realized with the siestas, you just have to stop and sleep. yeah, you could be doing something else, but it can wait. its good to stop everything and relax for an hour or two.
tonight i'm meeting some cool people that i met in the hostel in madrid. they study here, so they have places that they usually go to. a pretty good birthday, i would say. on saturday i go to barcelona for the end of my time in spain, where i hear there are wickedly cool buildings to see (and more beaches, always a plus). and i hope to catch up on some pacassos that i missed in madrid. then its time for a fiji reunion in sweden on the 10 of may. two more months in europe! its going to go fast since for most of it, i will be with friends or family (i'm going to meet my mom in italy).
have a good day
your friend
chad
its been a pretty relaxed birthday. somehow the lady at the hostel knew it was my birthday; it was a bit weird but a good surprise. valencia used to have a pretty wide river running through it, but it either dried up or was stopped somehow (i don't really know). now its a park that goes and goes--good use of space. at the end is a collection of museums and other buildings. i'm not usually impressed by modern architecture, since usually a building is a building, but these were really different. the opera house isn't finished yet, but looks like a giant futuristic space ship and has a roof that looks like it isn't connected at all (except for one little bit at one end). next to it is a baby spaceship that is surround by shallow pools that make the water seem silvery blue (a lot like the blue lagoon in iceland). i'm not sure what is in that one but thats where i stopped under a tree and had sandwiches and my siesta. i've realized with the siestas, you just have to stop and sleep. yeah, you could be doing something else, but it can wait. its good to stop everything and relax for an hour or two.
tonight i'm meeting some cool people that i met in the hostel in madrid. they study here, so they have places that they usually go to. a pretty good birthday, i would say. on saturday i go to barcelona for the end of my time in spain, where i hear there are wickedly cool buildings to see (and more beaches, always a plus). and i hope to catch up on some pacassos that i missed in madrid. then its time for a fiji reunion in sweden on the 10 of may. two more months in europe! its going to go fast since for most of it, i will be with friends or family (i'm going to meet my mom in italy).
have a good day
your friend
chad
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
salsa-ing shoes
¡Hola!
happy may day to everyone! i'm not exactly sure what holiday that is for, but not much of valencia was open. i'm starting to see the difference between a "holiday" and a "festival". festival is the much better option because it usually means cheap food and a lot of fun; holiday just means everything is closed.
i had a great time in madrid for the few days i was there. i don't know what it would have been like if i stayed in a different hostel. the place was really small which meant you had to meet everyone. on saturday 15 of us (it seemed like more than half of the hostel) went to a salsa club. i'm crap at the salsa (it was my first time and i was in flip-flops, not the best salsa-ing shoes). tonight i might check out some tango (to watch, not to do) in valencia. the next day i went to the street market where i have never seen such a long river of people. it was dense (not chocalate festival in perugia, italy kind of dense) and it went on forever.
spain in the spring is amazing--although, lots of places probably are...but i'm not there, so i can only tell you about spain. every city i'm going to either just had a festival or are getting ready for one. i don't know if people work in madrid because everyone is out walking the streets (all day and all night long). they have huge parks where depending on where you go, can be tranquil or packed full of people, and the difference is only a minute or two walk away from each other.
i skipped out on the bull fight on sunday. not as a social stand against the cruelty of it; i just really love animals, and i don't think i could have taken the killing of 6 bulls. so, maybe i missed out on a cool cultural experience, but this trip is a cool cultural experience. i think i'll do alright without it. i did want to see picasso's guernica but the museum it was in was closed. instead i went to the prado and saw a lot of spanish art of goya and velazquez. velazquez's stuff was good but goya's paintings were really dark and powerful. my award goes to goya.
so, my birthday is tomorrow. i'm thinking its going to be alright. i kind of like celebrating other peoples birthdays more than mine. it seems like such an ambiguous celebration--kind of like new years. it does put me one year closer to cheap car insurance though (one more year), after that there aren't many more milestones. 23 has been an unbelievably crazy year for me. its going to be hard for 24 to compete, but i'll do my best to give it a good chance.
i'm getting used to eating dinner on spain time. there were two other people starting to cook dinner with me at 10:30pm. its still a bit strange, but that's when i was hungry. the sun is out today, so that means the beach. its only a tram ride away.
have a good day
your friend
chad
happy may day to everyone! i'm not exactly sure what holiday that is for, but not much of valencia was open. i'm starting to see the difference between a "holiday" and a "festival". festival is the much better option because it usually means cheap food and a lot of fun; holiday just means everything is closed.
i had a great time in madrid for the few days i was there. i don't know what it would have been like if i stayed in a different hostel. the place was really small which meant you had to meet everyone. on saturday 15 of us (it seemed like more than half of the hostel) went to a salsa club. i'm crap at the salsa (it was my first time and i was in flip-flops, not the best salsa-ing shoes). tonight i might check out some tango (to watch, not to do) in valencia. the next day i went to the street market where i have never seen such a long river of people. it was dense (not chocalate festival in perugia, italy kind of dense) and it went on forever.
spain in the spring is amazing--although, lots of places probably are...but i'm not there, so i can only tell you about spain. every city i'm going to either just had a festival or are getting ready for one. i don't know if people work in madrid because everyone is out walking the streets (all day and all night long). they have huge parks where depending on where you go, can be tranquil or packed full of people, and the difference is only a minute or two walk away from each other.
i skipped out on the bull fight on sunday. not as a social stand against the cruelty of it; i just really love animals, and i don't think i could have taken the killing of 6 bulls. so, maybe i missed out on a cool cultural experience, but this trip is a cool cultural experience. i think i'll do alright without it. i did want to see picasso's guernica but the museum it was in was closed. instead i went to the prado and saw a lot of spanish art of goya and velazquez. velazquez's stuff was good but goya's paintings were really dark and powerful. my award goes to goya.
so, my birthday is tomorrow. i'm thinking its going to be alright. i kind of like celebrating other peoples birthdays more than mine. it seems like such an ambiguous celebration--kind of like new years. it does put me one year closer to cheap car insurance though (one more year), after that there aren't many more milestones. 23 has been an unbelievably crazy year for me. its going to be hard for 24 to compete, but i'll do my best to give it a good chance.
i'm getting used to eating dinner on spain time. there were two other people starting to cook dinner with me at 10:30pm. its still a bit strange, but that's when i was hungry. the sun is out today, so that means the beach. its only a tram ride away.
have a good day
your friend
chad
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