Good news: I made my budget, including the air travel that I had to purchase unexpectedly and last-minute! Which means that without it, I would've been pretty well under. Darn it.
I don't normally talk about money, but I'm sure some of you following this would be interested in how much this all costs. My budget for 3 and 1/2 weeks of Western European travel was $1500. This didn't include the railpass, which was purchased and paid for before. So what this did include was:
- accommodation
- food
- souvenirs
- transportation within cities
- air travel for last 2 weeks
- ATM fees
Perhaps that sounds like a lot of money. Of course, I could definitely have lived cheaper, like less eating out and cheaper hostels and no souvenirs. In other words, I definitely could've made a budget of $1000. But I didn't want to be a down and dirty backpacker. For example, when I was alone, such as in Switzerland and Portugal, I definitely paid more for the hostel that I normally would have if I was with other people, for security and safety and weirdo hostel people reasons. For food, cooking or eating out alone is still lonely, but at least by eating out, I could try local dishes that I couldn't otherwise make. The last week in Nice I did actually cook in the hostel, but I was with a friend I knew previously and two new friends from our room. And souvenirs? Well, I didn't actually buy that many to begin with.
The morale of the story is that you could definitely make it under that, especially if you're a bit more adventurous with things like hitchhiking or couchsurfing, but you could definitely spend way more, so I think my number was pretty reasonable.
Anyway, now begins my marathon of picture uploading. Stay tuned!
Monday, April 27, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
The Mediterranean Blues
I am now on the last day of my trip, although it hasnt been much of a day at all. I leave tomorrow morning at 6am for Bratislava, then hop a bus to Vienna, then I can sleep my life away. Im looking so forward to it.
Dont get me wrong, my trip was absolutely wonderful, but I am just tired. I am not the Australian backpacker that goes for a year or more at a time and around the world (seriously, they all do). I dont know how they do it. Ive gone 3 and 1/2 weeks now and frankly Im exhausted. But it was worth it.
I got a little bit of everything- cities, beaches, partying, relaxing. Food, sun, wine, dance. Friends, alone-time, family, strangers.
Barcelona and Nice were both really great cities. Barcelona was rather better than Madrid. I got to see some old friends and some new ones from Vienna. I listened to some of the best street bands I had ever heard, and spent an afternoon in Gaudis fantasy world. Nice was nice in a different way, not something that can really compared to Paris. The water on the beach was almost 5 different shades of blue and the rock beach, although uncomfortable, had its own beauty. I explored the Cote d Azur through Antibes and Monaco, both amazing places. Monaco with its sheer wealth- streets lined with Lambourginis and Ferraris and harbors filled with yachts. Antibes with its sandy beach and cobblestone streets. I am even surprised to find I am coming back with a tan. =)
Now, I end my trip with a lovely stay in the airport. See you in Vienna!
Dont get me wrong, my trip was absolutely wonderful, but I am just tired. I am not the Australian backpacker that goes for a year or more at a time and around the world (seriously, they all do). I dont know how they do it. Ive gone 3 and 1/2 weeks now and frankly Im exhausted. But it was worth it.
I got a little bit of everything- cities, beaches, partying, relaxing. Food, sun, wine, dance. Friends, alone-time, family, strangers.
Barcelona and Nice were both really great cities. Barcelona was rather better than Madrid. I got to see some old friends and some new ones from Vienna. I listened to some of the best street bands I had ever heard, and spent an afternoon in Gaudis fantasy world. Nice was nice in a different way, not something that can really compared to Paris. The water on the beach was almost 5 different shades of blue and the rock beach, although uncomfortable, had its own beauty. I explored the Cote d Azur through Antibes and Monaco, both amazing places. Monaco with its sheer wealth- streets lined with Lambourginis and Ferraris and harbors filled with yachts. Antibes with its sandy beach and cobblestone streets. I am even surprised to find I am coming back with a tan. =)
Now, I end my trip with a lovely stay in the airport. See you in Vienna!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Ola
These past few days have been of some needed relaxation. I've caught up on all the sleep I've missed out on, and I've leisurely wandered around the city. I have even read a few books since I've been here (I'm currently on book 3, which is not so great yet. However, I highly recommend The Reader and Crow Lake.) Perhaps the small size of the city itself has lent itself to this laziness, or simply the closeness to the water. Whatever it is, I think it has done me some good and I won't be dead tired by the end of my trip.
I've been traveling for 15 days now. That sounds both long and short. I've only been homesick the day my parents left, when I was very tempted to follow them home, and this morning, when the people in my hostel were loudly talking about being in a new country and getting used to a bed that wasn't your own while I was sleeping. I thought about how I haven't been in my own bed, the one that means real home to me, in 3 months now. Then the people left, and I fell back asleep. So, just a minor missing of home. But I think it's healthy.
Like I said, I haven't done much these past few days. I went to Faro beach, where I was the only one on the beautiful white sand, except for a father and son taking a stroll. And I went to Lagos, to take a boat trip amongst the caves and cliffs formed by the literally crystal-clear ocean. The sun wasn't out for that, like I had planned for it to be, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful (and I still got a light burn). And I met a lovely German couple from Berlin who were patient with my German. The train ride itself to Lagos was lovely- with alternating fields of orange trees full of the bright fruit and fields of yellow and purple wildflowers. Today, I hope to take a boat trip on the natural reserve that sits off most of the coast of Algarve. If the weather cooperates.
Tomorrow, I leave for Sevilla, my transit stop to Barcelona. Which officially marks my return trip to Vienna!
I've been traveling for 15 days now. That sounds both long and short. I've only been homesick the day my parents left, when I was very tempted to follow them home, and this morning, when the people in my hostel were loudly talking about being in a new country and getting used to a bed that wasn't your own while I was sleeping. I thought about how I haven't been in my own bed, the one that means real home to me, in 3 months now. Then the people left, and I fell back asleep. So, just a minor missing of home. But I think it's healthy.
Like I said, I haven't done much these past few days. I went to Faro beach, where I was the only one on the beautiful white sand, except for a father and son taking a stroll. And I went to Lagos, to take a boat trip amongst the caves and cliffs formed by the literally crystal-clear ocean. The sun wasn't out for that, like I had planned for it to be, but it was still breathtakingly beautiful (and I still got a light burn). And I met a lovely German couple from Berlin who were patient with my German. The train ride itself to Lagos was lovely- with alternating fields of orange trees full of the bright fruit and fields of yellow and purple wildflowers. Today, I hope to take a boat trip on the natural reserve that sits off most of the coast of Algarve. If the weather cooperates.
Tomorrow, I leave for Sevilla, my transit stop to Barcelona. Which officially marks my return trip to Vienna!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Bom dia!
I love Portugal.
I am now in South Portugal, or Algarve. I arrived in the capital city, Faro, this afternoon, but I have been killing time because the hostel check-in starts at 5pm(ridiculous!). I could have gone to the beach, but I think I will let my sunburned skin rest a day before I do that. And because it is Easter, everything is closed, so sightseeing isnt really an option today.
Lisbon was wonderful; I liked it much much better than Madrid. It has a very small town feel but it is big enough that there is plenty to do. It has one of the prettiest castles I have seen in Europe (and that is a lot of castles), and the water is that beautiful turquoise aqua color. There is a beautiful little district called Alfama that you would never mind being lost in, with hidden stairways connecting the streets that are picture-perfect frames of the flowers hanging off the balconies and the ocean. The food was delicious- cod(bacahlau) in every way you can imagine, shellfish, shrimp, and lots of sweets. And, most importantly, I found the people to be very friendly, which makes a huge difference on your impression of a city. Just this morning, I ended up at the wrong bus stop and when I asked a bus driver about it, he took me to the next stop for free. Nevermind that the Portuguese guy working at the hostel left me breakfast for the morning, since I would be leaving before breakfast officially started. I definitely got that "I could live here" feeling about Lisbon.
Traveling alone isnt so bad. In fact, its kind of nice. Sure, the eating alone isnt always fun, but Ive learned to carry reading material with me and I forget about it. I never thought I would chat up a random person at dinner, but I did one night and made a dinner partner for the rest of my stay. She was a French engineer on a break from work in Lisbon, and as we were the only two solo people in the tiny Portuguese restaurant, we started talking and ended up making some plans for the next few days. We met again for dinner the next night, which was nice, because apparently arroz com mariscos is much too big for one person.
In our discussions we made an interesting observation- girls seem to travel solo more often than men. Funny because you would think the opposite to be true, but sure enough when I looked around at my hostel that night, all but one of the solo travelers were female. Tiffany also told me of a 2-week walking adventure tour she did in Bali (can you guess what I am looking into next?) where ALL the solo travelers were girls. Just thought some of you might also find that surprising. =)
I am now in South Portugal, or Algarve. I arrived in the capital city, Faro, this afternoon, but I have been killing time because the hostel check-in starts at 5pm(ridiculous!). I could have gone to the beach, but I think I will let my sunburned skin rest a day before I do that. And because it is Easter, everything is closed, so sightseeing isnt really an option today.
Lisbon was wonderful; I liked it much much better than Madrid. It has a very small town feel but it is big enough that there is plenty to do. It has one of the prettiest castles I have seen in Europe (and that is a lot of castles), and the water is that beautiful turquoise aqua color. There is a beautiful little district called Alfama that you would never mind being lost in, with hidden stairways connecting the streets that are picture-perfect frames of the flowers hanging off the balconies and the ocean. The food was delicious- cod(bacahlau) in every way you can imagine, shellfish, shrimp, and lots of sweets. And, most importantly, I found the people to be very friendly, which makes a huge difference on your impression of a city. Just this morning, I ended up at the wrong bus stop and when I asked a bus driver about it, he took me to the next stop for free. Nevermind that the Portuguese guy working at the hostel left me breakfast for the morning, since I would be leaving before breakfast officially started. I definitely got that "I could live here" feeling about Lisbon.
Traveling alone isnt so bad. In fact, its kind of nice. Sure, the eating alone isnt always fun, but Ive learned to carry reading material with me and I forget about it. I never thought I would chat up a random person at dinner, but I did one night and made a dinner partner for the rest of my stay. She was a French engineer on a break from work in Lisbon, and as we were the only two solo people in the tiny Portuguese restaurant, we started talking and ended up making some plans for the next few days. We met again for dinner the next night, which was nice, because apparently arroz com mariscos is much too big for one person.
In our discussions we made an interesting observation- girls seem to travel solo more often than men. Funny because you would think the opposite to be true, but sure enough when I looked around at my hostel that night, all but one of the solo travelers were female. Tiffany also told me of a 2-week walking adventure tour she did in Bali (can you guess what I am looking into next?) where ALL the solo travelers were girls. Just thought some of you might also find that surprising. =)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Vale
I wish I could do a tour of dancing around the world.
Last night my parents and I saw a Flamenco show. It was absolutely amazing. I took some pictures but I was so stunned and impressed by the performance that I took a lot less than I usually would. It was a great way to end our last night in Madrid.
Which means, I suppose, that I should bring you up to speed. My parents and I spent the last 6 days together. I met them in Paris, then we traveled to Madrid. It was a short time together but it was really really great to see and spend time with them. We saw all the highlights in each city, which I won´t detail since I´m sure you know what those are (well, except maybe Madrid, cause we didn´t even know what there was to see and were pleasantly surprised. But anyway, you´ll see pictures when I post them at the end of the month).
Comparing those two cities, I was surprised to find that I like Paris better. I´ve heard so many differing opinions on Paris that I was almost sure I wouldn´t like it. People seemed to fall into two camps- those that fell in love with the city of love and those that despise it. I didnt spend enough time there to say I fell in love, but I could see that possibility. Madrid is nice of course, but I just didn´t get the "I could live here" feeling that I always do when I really like a city. I could live in Paris.
Now, on to the misadventures. First, I was temporarily out of contact with the world for a while. Why you ask? A.) The hotel in Paris had no internet and the one in Madrid was really expensive and B.) Not only did I run out of credits on my phone the first day out on my trip, but it turned off on the plane ride from Paris to Madrid, and I didn´t know my PIN code. So I tried 3 times and it locked me out. I have now purchased a new Spanish SIM card, which will be trashed upon my return to Vienna. So, problem solved for now.
Second, a bird pooped on me. Which in some cultures is good luck right?! (please!) Anyway, it ruined a good nap in el Parque de Buen Retiro in Madrid. I was sad. And a little grossed out.
Anyway, since my railpass, a few minor details have changed in my schedule. Here´s the new info:
April 9-12: Lisbon
April 12-15: Faro/Lagos
April 16-20: Barcelona
April 20-24: Nice
April 24-26: Milan
April 26: Return to Vienna
Not much as changed, but the fact that I´m coming back to Vienna a couple days earlier.
Tonight I leave for Lisbon on a hotel train, which should be an interesting experience. Until next time, ciao!
Last night my parents and I saw a Flamenco show. It was absolutely amazing. I took some pictures but I was so stunned and impressed by the performance that I took a lot less than I usually would. It was a great way to end our last night in Madrid.
Which means, I suppose, that I should bring you up to speed. My parents and I spent the last 6 days together. I met them in Paris, then we traveled to Madrid. It was a short time together but it was really really great to see and spend time with them. We saw all the highlights in each city, which I won´t detail since I´m sure you know what those are (well, except maybe Madrid, cause we didn´t even know what there was to see and were pleasantly surprised. But anyway, you´ll see pictures when I post them at the end of the month).
Comparing those two cities, I was surprised to find that I like Paris better. I´ve heard so many differing opinions on Paris that I was almost sure I wouldn´t like it. People seemed to fall into two camps- those that fell in love with the city of love and those that despise it. I didnt spend enough time there to say I fell in love, but I could see that possibility. Madrid is nice of course, but I just didn´t get the "I could live here" feeling that I always do when I really like a city. I could live in Paris.
Now, on to the misadventures. First, I was temporarily out of contact with the world for a while. Why you ask? A.) The hotel in Paris had no internet and the one in Madrid was really expensive and B.) Not only did I run out of credits on my phone the first day out on my trip, but it turned off on the plane ride from Paris to Madrid, and I didn´t know my PIN code. So I tried 3 times and it locked me out. I have now purchased a new Spanish SIM card, which will be trashed upon my return to Vienna. So, problem solved for now.
Second, a bird pooped on me. Which in some cultures is good luck right?! (please!) Anyway, it ruined a good nap in el Parque de Buen Retiro in Madrid. I was sad. And a little grossed out.
Anyway, since my railpass, a few minor details have changed in my schedule. Here´s the new info:
April 9-12: Lisbon
April 12-15: Faro/Lagos
April 16-20: Barcelona
April 20-24: Nice
April 24-26: Milan
April 26: Return to Vienna
Not much as changed, but the fact that I´m coming back to Vienna a couple days earlier.
Tonight I leave for Lisbon on a hotel train, which should be an interesting experience. Until next time, ciao!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Cruising Through Switzerland
My luck, like me, has decided to take a vacation.
My tewrip started like any other ordinary trip- I was running late to get to the station, ran to get my ticket validated, and caught the train about a minute before it left. So, you know, hectic. BUT I made the train, so my luck must be changing right (you know, new month and all that...)?
Of course not.
Shortly after the train conductor came by and I, in my uncomfortably sweaty from running with an extremely large backpack glory, handed him my nifty Eurail pass, I realized something was horribly wrong. I bought. the wrong. pass. Oh yes. Since January I had been thinking I had a 15-day in 2 month pass, which meant I could travel any 15 days in the span of 2 months, which would've covered my whole trip and then some. Turns out, I purchased a 15-day CONSECUTIVE pass, which meant my travel now ends April 15. When I am in Southern Portugal. On the other side of Europe. I won't explain all the implications of that, but it generally sucks.
Since then, my trip has been OK (knocks on wood). I made three friends my first day out- this man from Kosovo who was going to Switzerland for an interview. Apparently Kosov..ians(?) love Americans (you know, war and all), so he not only offered me food his wife prepared (2 sandwiches, an apple, some chocolate and some Fanta! I only took the Fanta since I saw him open it.), but he invited me to anywhere he and his family live to visit (he has 7 brothers and sisters). My second friend was this older Swiss lady in Zurich who I asked directions from. She ended up walking me right up to my hostel, and we spoke in German the whole way. I was proud of myself. Lastly, a French girl in my room in my hostel. We had dinner together, which was nice since I got to skip the whole eating alone thing.
This morning I woke up before the sun did and took my scenic route train from Lucerne to Interlaken to Montroux. The ride was, well, scenic. And beautiful. =) I arrived in Geneva, bought my seat to Paris tomorrow, and took a walk around. Although I didn't see much, I really like Geneva. It's centered around Lake Geneva, and anyone who knows me knows I only need a body of water to fall in love with a city.
Tomorrow: the City of Love!! Bonsoir!
My tewrip started like any other ordinary trip- I was running late to get to the station, ran to get my ticket validated, and caught the train about a minute before it left. So, you know, hectic. BUT I made the train, so my luck must be changing right (you know, new month and all that...)?
Of course not.
Shortly after the train conductor came by and I, in my uncomfortably sweaty from running with an extremely large backpack glory, handed him my nifty Eurail pass, I realized something was horribly wrong. I bought. the wrong. pass. Oh yes. Since January I had been thinking I had a 15-day in 2 month pass, which meant I could travel any 15 days in the span of 2 months, which would've covered my whole trip and then some. Turns out, I purchased a 15-day CONSECUTIVE pass, which meant my travel now ends April 15. When I am in Southern Portugal. On the other side of Europe. I won't explain all the implications of that, but it generally sucks.
Since then, my trip has been OK (knocks on wood). I made three friends my first day out- this man from Kosovo who was going to Switzerland for an interview. Apparently Kosov..ians(?) love Americans (you know, war and all), so he not only offered me food his wife prepared (2 sandwiches, an apple, some chocolate and some Fanta! I only took the Fanta since I saw him open it.), but he invited me to anywhere he and his family live to visit (he has 7 brothers and sisters). My second friend was this older Swiss lady in Zurich who I asked directions from. She ended up walking me right up to my hostel, and we spoke in German the whole way. I was proud of myself. Lastly, a French girl in my room in my hostel. We had dinner together, which was nice since I got to skip the whole eating alone thing.
This morning I woke up before the sun did and took my scenic route train from Lucerne to Interlaken to Montroux. The ride was, well, scenic. And beautiful. =) I arrived in Geneva, bought my seat to Paris tomorrow, and took a walk around. Although I didn't see much, I really like Geneva. It's centered around Lake Geneva, and anyone who knows me knows I only need a body of water to fall in love with a city.
Tomorrow: the City of Love!! Bonsoir!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Off to see the wizard
So, it's definitely been a long while since I've written here. Nothing too exciting has happened, it's mostly just been settling in to a new life in Vienna. I've done some weekend trips- Bratislava, Prague, Slovenia- but I start my big trip tomorrow! This is the one I had been planning pretty much since the moment I was accepted to Vienna!
I suppose I am a little nervous about it. While I will be meeting my parents and some friends along the way, I will be spending about half of it alone. Funny that my last post was about how I enjoy my own company, which I do, I'm just not sure how good a conversationalist I am with myself. There will probably some long, lonely train rides, but I think I will be fine once I get to each place. I guess I'm also nervous because it's the longest length of time of straight traveling for me. A learning experience all around.
Anyway, the reason I'm starting up again with this is that it's an efficient way to let everyone know my whereabouts. It makes more sense to write about my arrival, stay and feelings about a place all at once instead of in several individual emails. So, that's what I'm going to do. I figured I will have to do something with all the time that would normally be spent making decisions with other people and fighting/arguing about those decisions. =)
So, ready to follow my adventures? Here's where I"ll be:
April 1-3: Switzerland- 1 night in Zurich, 1 night in Geneva
April 3-6: Paris with the parents (Happy anniversary!!)
April 6-8: Madrid with the parents
April 9-12: Lisbon
April 12-14: Algarve- Faro and Lagos
April 15-16: Sevilla
April 16-20: Barcelona
April 21-24: Nice/Riviera
April 24-27: Northern Italy, maybe Cinque Terra or Milan
April 27: Vienna
So, it's going to be a whirlwind tour of Western Europe. I am not talking my laptop with me, so, and here's the bad news, I will not be posting any pictures until I get back. Then, you should expect a barrage of pictures in your mailboxes that I expect you to look at and comment on. You know, I might just be desperate for interaction at that point (Ok, Ok, I'm not going to a deserted island, I know). =D
So, bon voyage!
I suppose I am a little nervous about it. While I will be meeting my parents and some friends along the way, I will be spending about half of it alone. Funny that my last post was about how I enjoy my own company, which I do, I'm just not sure how good a conversationalist I am with myself. There will probably some long, lonely train rides, but I think I will be fine once I get to each place. I guess I'm also nervous because it's the longest length of time of straight traveling for me. A learning experience all around.
Anyway, the reason I'm starting up again with this is that it's an efficient way to let everyone know my whereabouts. It makes more sense to write about my arrival, stay and feelings about a place all at once instead of in several individual emails. So, that's what I'm going to do. I figured I will have to do something with all the time that would normally be spent making decisions with other people and fighting/arguing about those decisions. =)
So, ready to follow my adventures? Here's where I"ll be:
April 1-3: Switzerland- 1 night in Zurich, 1 night in Geneva
April 3-6: Paris with the parents (Happy anniversary!!)
April 6-8: Madrid with the parents
April 9-12: Lisbon
April 12-14: Algarve- Faro and Lagos
April 15-16: Sevilla
April 16-20: Barcelona
April 21-24: Nice/Riviera
April 24-27: Northern Italy, maybe Cinque Terra or Milan
April 27: Vienna
So, it's going to be a whirlwind tour of Western Europe. I am not talking my laptop with me, so, and here's the bad news, I will not be posting any pictures until I get back. Then, you should expect a barrage of pictures in your mailboxes that I expect you to look at and comment on. You know, I might just be desperate for interaction at that point (Ok, Ok, I'm not going to a deserted island, I know). =D
So, bon voyage!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
