Straddling the Continents in Istanbul

Days 286-291, September 9-14, 2011

My last official stop in Europe. It was an odd feeling on that 24+ hour train ride from Bucharest to Istanbul. Part of me was sad to be so close to the end of this portion of my trip. Another part was excited with the prospect of new cultures and experiences that were surely to come. Istanbul was going to be a great way to ease into the culture shock as the city itself spans two continents; the only city in the world to do so.

Getting into Turkey was a breeze, though for Canadians it can be a ugly little dent to the wallet. Of all countries, Canada has to pay the most for their Visa, which can be purchased on arrival both at the airport or any land border crossing. The cost: US$60. And they only accept American Dollars or Euros. The train border crossing I went through at 3 in the morning was super easy. Stand in one line, get your visa sticker in your passport. Stand in the next line to get stamped into Turkey. Done and done.

[No] Sex, [Some] Drugs, & Country Music

Day 249-254, August 3-8, 2011

There were a couple reasons I was excited to go to Amsterdam. First, it was Pride. You always hear about the craziness of European gay prides and Amsterdam was surely to exceed those expectations(for what Pride was really like, check this post out). But I think I was actually even more excited because this would be the first time I meet another fellow travel blogger on the road, Jaime from Breakaway Backpacker.

We had been planning this for months now and it was finally here! With our apartment booked and our train arrival times happening within a half hour of each other, it was time to head off. For me, it was a 20 hour train ride from Zagreb, through Munich and onto a night train to Amsterdam. For Jaime, it was a two hour train from Antwerp, Belgium.

Oh, I Love a Rainy Night[‘s and Days] . . .

Days 236-241, July 21-26, 2011

When I picture the war in Bosnia, the city of Sarajevo always came up in my head. It was the city you always heard about on the news back when the war was happening. Even considering that I was only in grade 5 when the war officially ended, I still have vague memories of hearing about something happening in Sarajevo. In a way, I was expecting the signs of war to be much more prevalent in Sarajevo than they were in Mostar. I mean, I don’t recall ever hearing about Mostar before coming to this side of the world. Surely this must mean something.

“I would walk 500 miles . . . “

The following takes place on Days 207-210, June 22-25, 2011

I’m going to prologue this with a reminder: Kelly was on a tight schedule. She had her return flight to Saskatoon leaving Rome on July 1st. And with us wanting to see more of Italy than just the Eternal City, it meant having to do a lot of fast, expensive traveling. The start of all this was to get ourselves back up to Athens from Santorini. The cheapest option would be a 9 hour ferry ride. There is an airport on the island but the prices are a bit insane, especially for my budget.

Our end goal for the next few days: Venice, Italy.

Without leaving the surface of the Earth.

A Day in Marrakech

The following takes place on Day 179, May 25, 2011

Traveling with a group has its perks. You have more than one head figuring out how to get from one place to another; you end up doing things or seeing places you wouldn’t have before; and you also have the whole “strength in numbers” advantage. The downside though is that there’s a bit of compromise that comes into play. Marrakech was our compromise city. I would’ve enjoyed a couple days in this large city. In the end though, with a bit of discussion, we decided on only two nights and one full day in order to get a few days in Essaouira on the coast.

Marrakech has not had good publicity in recent months, with a deadly terrorist bombing occuring at a popular cafe in the middle of the main square of the Medina. I think this is the incident that many people back home had in their heads when they sent me messages to “stay safe.”

Lisbon 2–The treasured city

The following takes place between Days 161-162, May 7-8, 2011

After the quick breeze through of Porto, it was back on the bus for me towards Lisbon. And good timing too as just as the bus was pulling out of the city did the rain start pouring down. I wouldn’t have gotten much done in Porto that day it seems.

The one thing that really was annoying about Porto, which I alluded to previously, is that there is no central bus station. Each bus company runs out of its own office so it’s not exactly user friendly. You don’t get the opportunity to shop around for the best times and/or prices. You basically choose the bus company and take what’s available. Luckily for myself and the two girls I was with, the next bus to Lisbon was leaving in ten minutes so it wasn’t that much of a wait.

Overseas Birthday

The following takes place on Days 153-154, April 29-30, 2011

A curious pattern seems to be emerging, I’ve noticed, when it comes to me and travel days. They become almost a complete waste. Take for instance my travel from Barcelona, Spain to Lisbon, Portugal. First I was extremely bummed out that I had to leave behind Jordi and Esteban. At least there’s a huge reason to come back to the area. Second, I get extremely exhausted sitting on a bus for an extended period of time. I left Barcelona at just before midnight and, after a quick transfer in Madrid, arrived in Lisbon at 4:30pm the next afternoon. When I successfully navigated the metro system and found my hostel in the center of Restoradores Square I had been on the move for over 17 hours.

So what did I do with what was left of the day? The same thing I seem to do with every travel day. I plucked down on my bed and did absolutely nothing.

Day 11 - Red Head vs. The Sun

The following takes place on Wedenesday December 8, 2010

You would think that after 25 years I would learn. I mean, I’ve been a red head my entire life. A two week vacation to the cabin at the lake usually ends up with me having to swim with a t-shirt on halfway through the trip because I’m too sunburnt to do otherwise. So I was prepared. SPF 40, hat, kept my clothes on.

No dice.

I have recieved my first lobsterfication of the trip.

And it hurts.