Dreaming of Romania

This place really has a grip on me.. I can't stop thinking about it, and soon i can visit again and explore everything that i missed. i've started reading romanian blogs and searching out any pictures i can find..

My book list

Before it slips my mind, here's what i read while traveling europe; * = favorite

mort - prachett
*neverwhere - gaiman
neuromancer - gibson
da vinci code - brown
foundation - asimov
istanbul: memories and the city - pamuk (skipped)
fancies and goodnights - collier
40 watts from nowhere - carpenter
barrel fever - sedaris
hells angles - thompson
*another bullshit night in suck city - flynn
the man in the high castle - dick
slaughterhouse 5 - vonnegut
death in the afternoon - hemingway (skipped)
gangland - williams
the joy - howard

Final thoughts?

Here are some rambling and perhaps final thoughts...

I really appreciate toilet paper, both the existence of, and quality, in most public restrooms in the US so far. Yes yes, what a thing to say but its really the small things that make the most difference. In Romania they had either 1) none or 2) party streamers. seriously.

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At the beginning of our trip someone told us that for him traveling was all about meeting people (to party with). Bah! what are you talking about?!, we replied, its all about the sites and scenery. Now after a month of solo travel i see exactly what he meant. Some of my destinations were made great because of the people i met there.


Simple living was another wonderful part of my trip. I lived out of a medium sized backpack for 2 months and shopped for food at tiny markets... and now i'm home with dozens of tshirts, 4 pair of pants and 2 pairs of sneakers! so much stuff... and i went to walmart yesterday. it almost drained all the europe out of me. good lord. what a giigantic crapfest of useless junk. hmmm. i see that i'm back to my cynical self. :)

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post trip resolutions
- stop being an anti-social bastard and meet more ppl
- walk more (although i just bought a new car, doh!)
- avoid TV and over-working, do more "living"

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Top 5 things to bring when backpacking europe:

1. earplugs (check!), for the loud snorers in ever hostel
2. flip flops (didn't bring), for use in showers... sometimes the soles of my feet itch when hiking, is it a longing for europe or shower foot?
3. small compass (didn't bring), would have help me get oriented with maps many many times.. instead i got lost
4. flash light (didn't bring), to avoid getting killed at night on unlight irish roads and for late night rummaging in hostel dorms
5. toilet paper (check!), for eastern europe (see above) or long hikes only

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My favorite places:


Bucharest, Romania


Jungfrau Region, Switzerland (aka interlaken, lauterbrunnen and gimmelwald)


Doolin, County Clare, Ireland (off season only, i've heard its hell in the summer)

Ireland, Finally

Here are a few favorites from Ireland, see more in my ireland photoset.

thatched roof on St. John's Peninsula

Giant's Causeway
Giant's Causeway
Irish breakfast aka heart attack
zen/buddhist adam in galway
session in The Crane, galway
dangling on the cliffs of moher
socializing at the aille river hostel, doolin
buring peet and wood in the hostel, toasty
Our hostel in dingle
Good music at The Small Bridge pub in dingle
A rainbow over the dingle peninsula

Home!!

Got in last night, weird feeling to be home, to wear different clothes and hold a cell phone. More commentaries, pictures and a full recap of ireland on the way. stay tuned.

A few pictures (which i did not take)

I saw this women and the man below play at McDermotts pub last night. They were joined by an irish bagpipe and acoustic guitar. They were phenominal.

The Cliffs of Moher. I had hike the bottom half of the cliffs yesterday and today i drove out the far end (see upper right hand of picture) and hiked around an old tower that is still standing.
This is the Aille River Hostel where i am staying.

Doolin

I'm staying at a wonderful hostel on a small river in the tiny town of Doolin, in county clare. They are renowned for their traditional music which is performed at informal jam sessions in the few local pubs in town. So far this place is perfect, a coffee shop, a small deli/grocery and a crafts store which sells used books. Coffee, food and books. Perfect. Awesome scenery as well and this hostel is really cosey. Went to see Cliffs of Moher today, which are close by to Doolin. Pretty good but i liked Giants Causeway and Fair Head much better. Tons of tourists at Moher. Last night i went to The Crane in Galway city and saw a traditional music set, with about 10-12 musicians and singers. All improv, unplaned jam. It was wicked. 3 fiddles, 2 accordians, 2 banjos, 1 guitar, 1 madolin (thingy), a small flute, and later two people who sang and played guitar along with everyone else. Talked with an older women from galway about life and such. Upstairs "crooked still" from Boston was playing.. what are the chances that a boston band plays while in the same pub as me.? sold out though. too bad. Internet is expensive and the free kind usually doesn't let you upload pics.. Maybe, soon. Just think: green.

Giants Causeway, NI coastline and Galway

Hello from Galway!

For the last few days i've traveled from dublin, west to county Sligo then north along the coast curving around eventually to the Giants Causeway which is in North East Ireland. I saw so much beautiful countryside, rolling hills, mountains, oceans calm and rough, and drove out onto a few peninsulas. Giant's Causeway and Fair Head were the best so far. Giants Causeway is a set of huge cliffs which interesting rock formations. From there you can see Fair Head to the east. This is another massive cliff which i hiked to the top of and peered over the edge. The hike was through farm land with only tiny trails to guide your way and nothing on the cliff to stop you from failing off. Wait till you see pictures. The east coast of northern ireland was also very beautiful, extremely rugged seas and some forests. I drove all the way down to belfast and was going to spend a few hours but parking was problematic so i drove diaganol west back to Sligo and stayed in the same hostel as a few days ago.. luckily i left some food there by mistake and it hadn't been thrown out, so i had free dinner that night after a long drive. Right now i'm in Galway city. Very nice place, small, nice square in the middle and some wonderful looking pubs. I watched a women playing a traditional irish instrumental that looked like a cross between a bag pipe and accordian. Tonight i'm going to "The Crane" which is supposed to have the best jam session for trad. music in galway. Tomorrow i may go to the Aran Islands and then head south to The Burren area, to Doolin because i've been told by numerous people that they have _the best_ music in all of ireland in the pubs there. If i don't get stuck there, then south to county clare and kerry (yes, cliffs of moher, dingle, et al). So far i've only had 1 traditional irish meal, breakfast. What a heartattack. 1 egg, 6 pieces of toast, 2 sausages, 2 _slabs_ of bacon, 3 or 4 pieces of some type of sweet bread, beans, a grilled tomato, half dozen whole mushrooms. i didn't eat lunch or dinner. really. Sometime soon, i'll have some "pub grub"...

Green, Green and Green

Now i see why green is for irish... All the hills and valleys are a thick patchwork of green, segmented by old stone walls or bushes. Its very beautiful so far.The hillsides are full of cows and sheep of all different colors. Right now i'm in Donegal town in Donegal county, near the west coast, north of Sligo County, where i spent the night in a youth hostel with a frenchmen, dane, aussie and kiwi, watching simpsons, southpark and other american tv. it was very relaxing. I'm driving a little Fiat Punto 4 door. Not as small as i hoped but good enough. Driving on the left side of the road was quick to pick up, although there are times where you have to double check before turning,, a hint of doubt coming into your mind as to what side you should be on. Besides being green here, its expensive, on par with London i would imagine but with far fewer hostels and "cheap" accomodations. My current plan is to continue north along west coast and come around to the Giant's Causeway and then cut a diagonal back to the west coast again. I'm also pondering Iceland after realizing that ireland is a small island. I'll see how far i've made it after 5 days and maybe geta cheap flight to iceland.

Work Will Free (you)

Today i visited concentration camps in Oświęcim, Poland. There is Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II aka Birkenau. The following are the only photos i took. Ask me more about it in person.


Beautiful tree covered lane.. The grounds and buildings here are "relativley" nice because it was not designed as a death camp but rather a campus for soldiers.



One of the entrances to Auschwitz with the words "arbeit macht frei", meaning "Work Will Free" (you) or "Work Liberates".


Israeli students visiting, flying many many flags.


This is Birkenau, which was designed from scatch for the purpose of extermination. The main entrance/guard tower sits at the end of this rail line, look hard and you will see it and realize how large this place is.


Inside the latrine houses, "Behave Calmly"

Poland Pix

In Vienna, Austria, the old men play chess. In lublin, poland, they play cards in the park.


Countryside, travling by train to Krakow from Lublin

A hazy morning in Polska

Walking down the mine shift at the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Recently closed in 1996, started production in 1300s and the area has been used for salt since 3000 BC.



Inside the mines are incredible statues and monuments carved out of the salt rock by common workers. This women is the patron saint of the mine and is recieving a diamond ring (which she had thrown into the mine early)... i think.

Mine tunnels, note white salt walls. they also mine "grey" salt.


We were allowed to lick the walls if we so inclined... i was not.


A carving of a gnome. Miners believed these creatures lived and worked in the mines.


The church inside the mine.. Crazy!! Gorgeous carvings all over the place and it is still used as an active chapel. notice the carving at the middle top of the picture (in the middle of the altar), it is glowing. The grey salt is so pure that it can be illuminated almost as if it were a clear substance.

Dedicated to the workers

A miners prayer. I think it is the other prayer (not pictured), which ends in "God Bless". Miners would not say hello or goodbye but rather God Bless.

Romania pix

View from "palace of the people" in bucharest.


concrete apartment buildings at the other end of avenue seen above, built during communist rule. now sprouting all types of adverts.


The Infuriated Donut. i'll take this over dunkin donuts any day.


Another church in bucharest. People to left of church are lining up to hand in prayers and intentions to be said by priests inside.



Carpathian mountains, on the train to Brasov. If you look closely at the high peak on right, you will see a cross. Placed there in memory of all the romanians who died in war.

Church art in Brasov


From a cemetary in Brasov


Brasov is the second biggest city in Romania... this entitles them to a HOLLYWOOD type sign in the mountains. You can hike or take cable car up there for great views.


Peleş Castle in Sinaia


Can you tell which bill is worth more?


So called Turkish Toilet..

Ireland ahoy! - update

Krakow has been really nice so far.. Took the redeye train (5:30am) from lublin to krakow, staying at Nathan's Villa Hostel (run by nathan from lowell, ma). Went to see the big salt mine 30 minutes away. It was wicked. Tons of statues and even a church carved out of salt rock. Wait for the pics. Tomorrow i will go to auschwitz early and then hopefully start my journey to Ireland. I'm going to skip berlin.. just not feeling the big cities anymore. After buying the lonely planet book on ireland i meet a couple from ireland in the big plaza here. They filled me in on the best part to visit and what to avoid.. I will attempt to rent a car and travel the west coast, going as far north as Mayo area. Wish me luck! Hopefully upload some pictures soon, don't hold your breath though.


UPDATE:
just booked my flights and car; i will land in dublin on 19th, rent a "mini" car (e.g. really small, not mini the brand), drive to northwest and then make my way down coast to catch a flight on 30th from Cork. This will be my first time driving on left side of road (on purpose) and with a stick shift at that (automatics are uncommon and expensive).. Wooohoooo!!

I'm hoping my car will be about this size:


Also - Good Lord is ryanair cheap!! My flight over was expensive cause i booked last minute but my flight back to london was roughly $17. That is great.