| William MJ Chew님의 프로필The Chronicles of MJ사진블로그리스트 |  도구  도움말 |
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The Chronicles of MJ“If we do not discipline ourselves the world will do it for us.” 3월 1일 15 countries, 35 cities, a life changing experiencebeen back in melbourne for about 4 days now. i really miss europe.. _a lot_ im trying not to be depressed and not miss europe too much, but its difficult. its always difficult to come back from a holiday, and i guess it makes things worse when the experience was so incredible. i thought i'd spend a moment, reflecting on the trip's highlights. but in all honestly, i think what made the trip so amazing wasn't just the big 'highlights', but also the small things which i came to take for granted, like walking the beautiful foreign streets at night, or buying food in unfamaliar supermarkets, or just being surrounded by foreigners and hearing all sorts of different languages.
MJ's europe (+japan and china) trip highlights [list compiled while i was IN europe, on my last 12 hour train ride from Copenhagen to Amsterdam]:
1) literally trekking through inches of snow in my brand new lacoste runners to get to the winter olympic museum at the top of some mountain in Sapporo (too poor to pay for taxi up - the ideal option)
2) having my first REAL japanese okonomiyaki made right in front of us at a traditional japanese place - yes had to sit cross legged on the floor and all - taken to by our (free) tour guide in Nara.
3) cycling through Kyoto, passing old temples and the beautiful countryside, and getting lost on the way home (quite frustrating at the time especially since i'm not accustomed to riding at night, on roads with cars in a foreign country!) - ended up in Gion, on the other side of Kyoto.
4) turning around and seeing Mt Fuji for the first time - absolutely mind blowingly HUGE!!! - the size and impact of Mt Fuji was truly incredible, out of the flat countryside rose this huge, perfectly cone shaped mountain.
5) craziness of Tokyo with its blinding neon lights in Shinjuku and Shibuya, and crowded metro system - caught the last train which was a mistake (or you could say an interesting experience) - i thought the last time i was in Tokyo on a crowded train it was bad, but this time i literally had some guys legs sprawled inbetween mine - he was sweating too... and this poor girl who i thought feinted halfway through the trip.
6) arriving in Europe (Amsterdam) for the first time actually was an experience in itself... very difficult to describe - i remember just looking around and around at the unique architecture, all the european cars, the european people, and just thinking, FINALLY I AM IN EUROPE! it was such a great feeling. the place gave off such great vibes.
7) having hash in Amsterdam, and then again and again until that very 'interesting' last night in the Netherlands which i'm sure Amy can attest to...never again...
8) christmas eve in the main square of Brussels, with a spectacular light show projected onto the Royal Palace - very high Christmas spirit - but unfortunately no white Christmas despite the FREEZINGLY cold temperature.
9) arriving in London itself was an 'unusual' experience. i could instantly tell that i would love london from the moment i arrived (kinda like when i arrived in Rome, despite all the dodgy looking people outside the station). i dunno what about london instantly brought a smile to my face, afterall i was just sitting on the tube (a rather cool looking metro system whihch actually looks like a tube)
10) AWESOME NYE fireworks off the London Eye along the Thames, best fire works i have _ever_ seen.
11) going to the top of the Eiffel Tower (very freaky for those with a fear of heights like myself) and seeing Paris from above, and then later seeing the Eiffel Tower sparkle (literally - they have an awesome light show every hour) from a really good vantage point.
12) arriving in San Sebastian at dawn and seeing a completely different landscape, steep cliff edges jutting out into the ocean beaches, with the lights of the houses built into the cliffs making the whole scenary very surreal.
13) discovering 1 litre beers (good beers might i add) for _only_ 3 euros!!! and drinking up with Lauren and Sherry (californian girls), then running around Madrid at 3-4am being crazy nuts (and accidently waking up a homeless guy by peeing on his 'home')
14) running around Toledo looking for (a statue of) Don Quijote. loved the old medieval looking town. very VERY european feel to it.
15) arriving at dawn in Lisbon (my joint FAV city). city is amazing!! beautiful city by the water with greats views from the nearby mountains, great friendly people, YUMMMY portugese egg tarts, great night life!! found a pretty cool club sorta place at night with some pretty funny photos now to show for it.
16) the La Sagrada Famalia!!!!!!!!!!!!!! thats all i have to say. an shockingly AMazing (yet to be finished) Gaudi construction!! too bad my SD card decided to corrupt while i was inside. ah
17) the crazy partying in Barcelona speaks for itself. met some awesome people at HelloBCN! and FC Barcelona v Alavez!! great 5 goal scoring game at Camp Nou
18) riding bikes along the foreshore in Nice - also wanted to rent roller blades but i thought getting injured would probably not be the best thing only being halfway through the trip.
19) Monaco and its expensive ... EVERYTHING! all the nice cars, perfectly manicured gardens, botoxed women...
20) skiing at 3300m at Stubaier Gletscherbahn, tumbling a few too many times but eventually finding my feet. the scene at the top (of Axamer Lizum) - snowed capped mountains surrounding us while we race down the blue and red runs was so great! i will miss the great powdery snow! and how could i forget, the GREAT austrian beer!
21) snowed capped mountains alongside beautiful vast very blue lakes combine to make Interlaken so pretty!!! in fact switzerland has some of the most beautiful scenary in europe - the train ride from Brig to Milano was one of my favourites.
22) waiting over 2 hours for a train in Cinque Terre (this was actually VERY frustrating at the time). looking back upon it now, it was actually pretty fun - met 2 americans and 5 new zealanders also stranded by the very late trains. and having to wait 2 hours to buy a bottle of water (while dying of thirst) - stupid siestas!!!
23) Leaning Tower of Pisa - seen it many times before - but never in real life - the tower leans much more than i had imagined it would. climbing it feels pretty weird - very very unbalanced.
24) ROMA!!!!!!!! ah (my other joint fav city)!! everything about this place was so great, so awesome! the people were friendly, the food was great, great nightlife, great beer and wine, so much history, OH and great gelati!! maybe i'm being biased, but i just lovved this place. the city was so unique and special in its own way. i could even say i almost miss the the dodgy people, the crazy drivers, the lack of road rules, the siestas, the bumpy cobblestonned roads - all of this gave the city such a great feel, a very distinct culture.
25) the Amalfi Coast - i have to say the most beautiful coastline in europe. having pizza while sitting along the Amalfi pier is definately one of the more memorable moments in europe.
26) stepping off the train in Venice, and seeing the Grand Canal - big wow factor. if you've been, im sure you can imagine what i'm talking about. and yes we found the 50 eurocent gondala rides! and canavale - brought back many primary school memories.
27) a very confronting experience at Dachau Concentration Camp. it's really hard to imagine that all of this happened so recently in history. but i think it's really important for people not be afraid to visit this place, and to really confront the reality of what happened, and hopefully to realise that nothing like this should ever happen again.
28) finally having some decent meals in the Prague, and not having to pay a fortune for it!
29) great city tour of Berlin. really enjoyed the history of the place - you can really see the impact that he war had on Berlin - how modern it looks now compared to the rest of Europe, and how reserved Berliners are compared to their european counterparts.
30) train from berlin to copenhagen, going onto a ferry!! that was pretty insane.
i think the amount of 'highlights' really just shows what a great experience this has been for me. i know the list is long, but these are only some of the great experiences which made up this trip. i think meeting all the awesome people in each of the hostels really added to the experience. it's actually really hard to translate into words - the whole experience is now just a really good feeling inside of me, which i hope stays with me for as long as possible. i really miss the clean, fresh european air, the long train rides where i could stare into the very different landscapes, interesting accents and languages all around us, efficient public transport, GOOD PIZZA and GELATI, yeah and just the fact that you could sit on a train for a couple of hours and end up in a totally different culture!
i eventually did enjoy the last day in shanghai, but yeah i guess i was missing europe too much, and shanghai isn't exactly the best place when you miss somewhere like europe.
so, 3 months later, 15 countries and 35 cities visited, what have i learned? i think if there's one thing, it's that the world is such a HUGE place, and out there, there are so many great and interesting people. despite where you were born, where you grew up, what we do for a living, we all have so much to learn from each other, and the best thing about travel is that it allows this 'learning' to happen.
i hope that heading into a new career, a new lifestyle, i will not forget my dreams to eventually work abroad and travel. i know its easy to get caught up in the comfortable corporate lifestyle, and i guess i'll just have to be more conscious of whats happening around me.
2월 12일 italy + germanyi miss italy. coming to germany has really made me realise what i lovveed about italy - the chaotic and craziness of rome. lack of road rules. afternoon siestas (although this was pretty annoying at the time). the great food. the great people. all of this gave the place a really great feel, great vibe and just an intersting and strong culture. i mean germany is great too. i havent seen too much of it. actually munich reminds me of back home. very clean and orderly.
we ended up spending almost a week in rome. went down the amalfi coast which was the most beautiful thing ever. even beats the coast near nice, or cinque terre. i just havent seen anything like it. beautiful coast line, with houses built into the cliff edges. and yeah the beautiful warm sun shining on us. it was truly an amazing sight. spent 2 nights in venice too which was pretty cool. was there for the first day of carnavle which definitely brought back memories of italian class in primary school.. learning about Maria. were now in munich.
as this trip draws closer and closer to the end, i find my thoughts and feelings becoming more and more muddled. people are saying that they cant wait till i come back so they can hear all the wonderful stroies about the trip. but yeah in all honesty, im not sure what ill be able to say. sitting on the train the oither day, i was feeling that all my thoughts are all clouded together. like the time i first saw snow in europe on the train from barcelona to toulouse. or playing 6 person spit with randoms in nice. playing a weird version of kings in Rome which lead to us being ultra drunk. seeing the eifel tower and leaning tower of pisa for the first time. iv been wowed so many times this trip, its hard to remember them all. and yeah one thought will lead me to another memory. but otherwise it jsut all seems to be muddled into one big...feeling.
anyway, ill try to enjoy the last couple of weeks. getting sader and sader ... thinking this will all be over and ill haev to go back to normality. i wish this could go on forever. 2월 2일 France, Austria, Switzerland, Italyits been a while. im still having HEAPS and HEAPS of fun. europe continues to surprise me. when i think ive already seen the best that europe has to offer, we enter a new country which is just as amazing.
the last couple of weeks, weve visited: Toulouse, Nice, Monte Carlo, Innsbruck, Interlaken, Cinque Terre, Pisa and now in Florence. the scenary has been so incredible. from the lovely small and absolutely beautiful coastal towns of Nice and Monte Carlo, we travelled to Innsbruck and Interlaken, small towns surrounded by snowed covered alps. its was such a beautiful sight, being able to step out of our hostels and be confronted with such beautiful scenary. Cinque Terre was again so beautiful, different and unique but just as beautiful. we visted each of the 5 coastal villages.
i have to say switzerland has probably the best scenary. going up to the swiss alps or skiing in the austrians alps couldnt have prepared me for the amazing train trip from Bern to Brig. Ah. Beautiful snow capped mountains rising from pristine blue lakes. words CANNOT describe it. and yes skiing. that in itself was a great experience. their blue (beginner) runs are way steeper than back home. and the quality of snow really cant compare. skiing on powder!!!! i dont think its possible back home.
i have to sat, italy has the worst transportation system in europe. we were in CInque Terre, waiting for a train. in totaly we waited 2 friggen hours!!! 1st announcement: train delayed 20 mins. 2nd accouncement: train delated 25 mins. 3rd annocement: train delayed 40 mins. 4th announcement: train cancelled. next train - no announcement at all, it just didnt come. 3rd train: delayed 30 mins. so yes. it was crazy. realyl tested my paitence. i would have crakced it, but we ended up meeting 2 cool americans and 5 newzealands also stuck on the platform waiting... ended up gettign some nice italian wine after the train eventualyl came. but yeah. ah. italian trains are always delated. from Nice to Innsbruck, we had to go through italy. had 4 connections. and because the italian trains were late, we missed 2 connections, and edned up having to go through another city to get to innsbruck - totaly travel time of 12 HOURS!!!!
anyway yeah im glad to back back in mcuh warmer temperature. i dotn think i could handle any more of freezing snowing conditions. in lookign forward to Rome. iv heard so mch about it. so much to do. jsut hope i dont get mugged. another Big city with so much history! it seems like this trip, weve either been to big cities (London, Paris, Madrid, Rome), coastal towns (San Sebastian, Lisbon, Nice, Monte Carlo, Cinque Terre) or towns near the Alps (Innsbruck, Interlaken). Theyre all so great in different ways.
im also eating a lot of unwashed apples. hope its not bad for you.
1월 17일 lisbon + barcelonalisbon was great. i have to say my fav city so far on this trip. beautiful, great atmosphere, great night life and great people. what more could you want. travelled with some americans we met in madrid which was pretty cool. saw great views of the city up some mountain near the city - lisbon is really from above, especially being a coastal city. had some time to check out sintra the next day - great castle and palace gardens which was really very unique. all these old buildings and monument things within a really garden. met up with this aiesecer at night who showed us to the lisbon nightlife area. awesome bars with cheapish beer! can´t beat our hostel happy hour, which meant free beers!
in barcelona now. been here for 3 days, although it feels like much less. been drinking heaps and sleeping in, so yeah days have been very short. our hostel has 1 litre beers for 3 euros as well - heineiken as well. awesome! i have to say, the party all night town that barcelona is reputed to be has been a bit of a let down. places weve been to have seemed to close around 3-4am. apparently things open secretly so that only locals who know about it can go in..
back to france tomorrow. toulouse then nice. then skiing! can´t wait, although the ski season here is .. by their standards, shocking! 1월 11일 san sebastian + madridtrain ride from paris to san sebastian... 8 hours. not good. we had a sleeper train, but yeah had 6 beds crammed into they SMALLEST room. some guy brought his DOG into the room, kept barking at night so yeah sleep was very minimal. ended up being all drowsy/grumpy on my birthday.
san sebastian was great. you know, i thought paris was beautiful, but yeah san sebastian was even nicer. a different kind of beautiful, naturally beautiful. we arrived earlier in the still dark morning, and seeing for the first time the beach and dramatic cliffedges with homes built into them was really amazing.
san sebastian is a beach town, and has this really great, untouched-pure-pristine feel about it. there was no maccas, starbucks, and even the supermarkets were small, independent grocery shops rather than large chains. and yeah there were far less tourists there - probably because no one goes to a beach town during winter eh?
we're in madrid now. madrid is.. well yeah im sure a great city, but yeah in comparison to some of the places we've been, im not that big a fan. we'll be leaving tmr night to lisbon, so yeah probably won't get to see much more of it. we met with matt here in madrid, who has a group of about 6 freinds from sydney. they're all pretty big drinkers. its pretty cheap here - alcohol - 1 litre beers are only 3 euros. and the beers not bad either. paid very little for wine too!
finding that a lot more people in spain don't speak english. in san sebastian, they either spoke basque or french, and here mainly just spanish. its not that bgi a problem... jsut eating mainly. having to take gambles on what we eat. but so far.. all's been good. no major stomach aches yet..
its a pretty weird winter. mcuh much warmer than the normal european winter, or so i'm told. in fact, i was in a tshirt in san sebastian the other day. craziness. it was much colder today though - 3 degrees.
1월 7일 parisin paris now. leaving tonight though. paris has been pretty amazing. such a beautiful city. especially at night, when the eiffel tower is lit up. i've noticed a couple of things while in paris: - parisiens are generally very well dressed and pretty good looking on the whole. makes me feel even more of a bum in my big baggy jackets/hoodies and backpack. - parisiens are not rude. or at least i havent encountered any rude people. in fact id say that people have generally been really friendly. looking pretty lost today in the subway, trying to get to the versailles palace, and some very nice guy came and helped us out. and yeah i find that most people here CAN speak english. and pretty well too. nice accents - a lot of people make out in public. i guess it is 'the' romantic city after all eh? - paris trains are pretty small.. cramped. seats are very close together - no room to put legs. and doors have to be manually opened. like the old melbourne trains back in those high school days. - the seine is really dirty. makes the Yarra look clean in comparison. actually it didn't look as bad today - sun was out. when its cloudly, the river seriously looks like a muddy creek. having said that, with the beautiful architecture around it and the lovely looking old bridges, the seine is actually quite beautiful. - the mona lisa is sooo small. i was expecting it to be muchh bigger. and yeah with some many people crowding around it, its difficult to get a goood glimpse. anyway 4 days in paris has been great. paris shone for our last day which was nice. going up the eiffel tower was definitely a wowing experience. my second for the trip (first one was mt fuji). something about seeing the city from above, the way it spans out from roundabouts.. the old beautiful buildings and random castles/churches scattered around. im sure it would've been even nicer at night. i've been eating A LOT of bread and cheese, meat kinda thing. its nice, but i think iv overdosed on it. everything is pretty expensive still. not as bad as in london, but still more than my budget! so yes.. last night's dinner consisted of two oranges, an apple, yoghurt and some cheese crackers. missing out on having a lot of meat. will be so malnutritioned later .. we've been staying in a hotel rather than hostel, so havent been able to cook. i had cold canned ravioli the other day. wasn't the best, but edible. having been to tokyo, london and paris now, i realise that all the 'great' cities have awesome public transport systems. their subway systems especially are so efficient, with trains on each line running at least every 3 minutes. and yeah you dont need to walk too far to find a metro station, it seems wherever you are. at first the train network looks so confusing, but yeah its really not that difficult to navigate. especially the london one. its kinda sad that we are always leaving once i start to feel more famaliar with the place. and its only gonna get worse, we're only in san sebastian for a day, and two days each in madrid and lisbon. im dreading the LOONNGG train rides we have ahead of us. lilke the sleeper train tonight - ON MY BIRTHDAY!!!! 1월 2일 london 2its raining outside.. again. in the apple store right now, using free internet. haha i didn't imagine it to be this big. there are heaps of laptops open for the public to use. its great.
NY fireworks in london were awesome last night. we got a spot by the Thames around 9pm.. so it was a pretty good spot. worth the wait in the end i think. yeah.. they were really quite something. atmosphere was great too. heaps and heaps of people, as i expected. made getting home a real bitch though. a lot of tube stations in the area were closed due to overcrowding. ended up having to walk 1.5 hours to a further out tube station. couldnt get into any bar/pub either. even finding somewhere to eat was a problem.
london has been pretty great on the whole. i really love this city. just the feel of the city .. really .. its great. we've been travelling with another aussie, and a guy from paris during our stay in london which has made things a little bit more interesting. Johhny from paris is serious crazily funny. the other day, had to start running along a very crowded regent street to catch a bus. he started yelling 'wallet, wallet, he has my wallet' pointing to warrick. LOL and yeah all his very very random comments in his french accent.. cant stop laughing sometimes.
went to manchester for a day and night. wasnt too exciting. guss we didnt really know what to do. went to Old Trafford and then randomly walked around the city looking for an internet cafe without success.
we have to leave london soon unfortunately. there seems to be endless things to do here. weve spent a lot of time just chilling, walking around, eating, sitting in places. cant really afford to do much else. today started off with perfect weather. havent felt the sunshine in a while now. checked out the NY day parade, wanted to go on the london eye but too crowded, ended up going into the tate modern which was good. stumbled upon st pauls cathedral while randomly walking along the Thames. was good.
heading to paris on 3rd. should be good. i will miss the very organised and easy to navigate underground. but yeah hopefully tings will be cheaper. been having wayyy too mcuh maccas, which seems to be the only relatively cheap thing, but still its not that cheap. £1.19 for a double cheesburger which is a 'special'. and yeah.. been spending soo mcuh on transportation here. around $12 per day. soo broke now. |
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