June 30

Klagenfurt and Ljubljana.
After breakfast and checkout, we went to the station to catch a noon train to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Sydnee has been here before and raved about the hostel she stayed in (it's breakfast and free internet). We checked in and then set out to see this city. I liked it; it is very picturesque, coblestone streets, a river running through the town, and a castel up on a hill near the center. Also, it is a very new city because it has only been it's own country for about 9 years (before it was communist and part of Yugoslavia) -history lessons are free with travel. After climbing down from the castle and wandering through the city, we came upon a street performance. We stopped to watch an Australian woman perform on a trapeze and do some moves similiar to a Cirque de Sole show.
This internet in this hostel is the first time this blog site has been in English, so I can actually figure out how I have been putting up my posts. Hopefully, all the smaller Eastern European countries that we go to will not have all websites translated into their language and I will be able to figure out how to post some pictures (because many are better than I can explain).

June 29

Klagenfurt.
We didn't get to sleep until late last night because of the time the bus dropped us off at our hotel, so after breakfast Sydnee went back to sleep, but I had my coffee so I set off to explore our surroundings until we had to check out (we were moving to a different place, a pension that is more than we like to spend, but less than the hotel we were staying in). I just walked around the city center, the town is so quaint, clean, and beautiful.
After Sydnee and I settled into our new location we decided to walk through the city square (to see the dragon statue that is the symbol of the town) and then on 4km to the Wörthersee (the thermal lake). When in the square we noticed a lot of activity with vendors and stages being set up, so we made a mental note to come back to that at night. On our way to the lake a fifteen minute rain pour forced us to seek shelter at this gas station, but the store clerk assured us it would blow over soon. Eventually we made it to the lake and it was BEAUTIFUL, clear, blue water (that apparently is drinkable-didn't test that out) and Alp-sized mountains behind it. There is a university near the lake and a "Europark" (amusement park) with models of famous buildings from all over Europe. The little community by the lake was so charming and we even got an offer to go out on the lake in a sail boat if it wasn't for the fact that a storm was a-brewing. Luckily we caught a bus back just in the nick of time before a torrential rainstorm poured down.
By the time we were back in the city center it had stopped raining and was dinner time, so we decided to head to the "Neuer Platz" where we had seen people setting up for the festival. A few blocks away we were already able to hear the music and people. We found a wonderful Doner Kabap stand (which are EVERYWHERE and becoming a staple in my diet) which was only €1.25 and we found a seat in front of the stage at a picnic table with local Austrians all around us.
I'm getting ahead of myself, and I really need to explain this festival. Klagenfurt is the capital of the small, southern-most state of Austria (according to our guidebook, home of a controversial far-right politician, apparently meaning there are still some Nazi sentiments in this area). It has about 90,000 people, so it really is pretty small. I would like to equate it to Montgomery and the festival to Jubilee City Fest (Sydnee thought I should equate it to the Loachapoka Syrup Soppin'). We sat through a local folk band perform (he led the audience in clapping and singing along) and a solo performer (and his attempt at comedy). Although my German is limited, I was able to understand some of the songs (which are still running through my head), some titles include: "We are all Indians" and "I was once a Casanova" (which seem to carry the same tune), also the crowd pleaser- a song I would equate to "Sweet Home Alabama" (it was about the beauty and love of their land).
I really enjoyed our day in Klagenfurt- at the lake and being engrossed in Austrian culture through their summer celebration.

June 28

Random events are what this trip is all about.
Our last morning in Spain we had another wonderful breakfast at the market, checked out of our pension, walked to the bus station, and boarded a bus that would take us to the Girona-Barcelona Airport. We had a fairly uneventful (although somewhat bumpy) flight. Europeans always clap when we have safely landed, which is a nice way of showing the relief of being on the ground.
After waiting outside in the heat of late afternoon for an overcrowded bus to take us into the Treviso, Italy city center, we discovered that any train or bus that would take us closer to our destination (Rejika, Croatia) would dump us somewhere near midnight, so we decided to stay in Treviso for the night (or so we thought). We started walking in the direction of a few lodging options when we came to a city square (open areas all over cities in Europe) where tables were set up with Strudel and drinks. We were beckened over for free Strudel (which we could not pass up) and cold drinks (again, could not pass up, rememeber it is 6:30 pm, we are hot, and have been travelling all day) by travel representatives from a town in Austria. They begged us to sit down, take a load off, enjoy the food and drink (which we did). We started talking to these people and they explained they were in Treviso all day with this group of children who do a dancing and singing performance. Somehow we were invited to join this group on their bus to go back to Klagenfurt, Austria with them. While still in Treviso, they called a hostel and reserved a room for us. (Let me take a moment to ease any fears of those reading to say that Sydnee and I thoroughly assessed the safety and sanity of this situation, there were adult men and women, very nice, many children, a large coach bus, and I promise we would not get ourselves into any kind of bad situation). So, we rode for three hours from Treviso to this lovely town of Klagenfurt (slight detour, but trains leave from here to Croatia, so no big deal). The kids (ranging in age from 5 or 6 to 15) loved to try out their English on us and I loved trying out my minimal amount of German with them (of course they were way better at English than I was at German). We may end up spending a few days here because there is a very nearby lake that is supposed to be wonderful and warm (which must be rare in the Alps because they kept telling us the exact temperature like it was a big deal), there is also some sort of amusement park.
The bus dropped us off out our hotel and now we are in Austria!

June 27

Last night in Spain...
After a late start this morning and what I will call brunch at the market, Sydnee and I walked to the 1992 Olympic site and explored that area. There were plenty of neat buildings and Olympic monuments. The only thing really worth noting is that I believe the Auburn University pool is larger than the one here. After that long walk/hike we decided that "when in Spain" we should siesta too.
We people watched on La Rambla for a couple of hours and then went to this really cool "travellers bar" that caters to a variety of english-speaking nationalities. We split a €1 meal (talk about saving money) and tried to pick a team to root for in the Spain v. France World Cup game.

As a farewell to Spain, I would like to share some of the observations I have made while here:
*no gender discrimination here- I have seen just as many men wearing capris as women, men push the baby stroller just as much as women, and we have seen many women street sweepers and butchers
*there are two foods that are EVERYWHERE- number 1- HAM (jamon is spanish), 2- more of a drink, but it is called Orchata (earth almond) and is a nasty, milky drink everyone seems to love and need
*loud noises are constant- from church bells, to firecrackers, to people or music, there are always loud noises
*food is cheaper if eaten at the bar
*fresh squeezed orange juice is everywhere and very tasty
*the siesta aka break from work aka everything is closed - very much still part of life here
*broken arms, no kidding- I think I see someone with their arm in a cast about once an hour, maybe 1 in 200 people has a broken arm here at any one time (i would very much like to know the cause of this "broken arm disease" as Sydnee and I refer to it)
*Last but most importantly, when all the guide books say that the best time to visit Spain is in April, May and September- THEY ARE NOT JOKING, peak season (June, July, and August) IS NOT a good time to come- it is too hot and too crowded and the prices are higher than they should be. Please take this advice if you plan a trip- it is the type of advice that I would listen to but decide I'd rather do what I want anyway, but I'm telling you, it is better off-peak season!!!

June 26

After a hostal breakfast of Cocoa Puffs (the only option), we checked into a nearby Pension that has private rooms and a better price. We then walked around the biggest market in Spain- it was so colorful with its fruit and vegetable displays, but everything from meat and cheeses to bread and pasta was sold there. Next we went to this Chocolate Museum and then I had Doner Kabab for lunch (which I had been craving) and Syd ate at this Vegan place that made us feel like we were in Austin, TX.
Then we hiked up to this other Goudi Museum, all in all we walked about 11 miles today (according to the pedometer).
We ran into these backpackers from Colorado who had just arrived and we shared with them some travel secrets we have learned so far. Some bars down La Rambla were going crazy tonight because Australia was playing their world cup game and there are so many Aussies around.
I wish I had more to add to the details today, but there isn´t much else to tell except that Sydnee and I have been giggling nearly nonstop since I got here.

June 25

This morning we left Valencia and took a never ending train to Barcelona (never ending thanks to the squirmy-screaming children and Spanish chatter). Once in Barcelona we began our hostal search (which is still ongoing at this point). We discovered the current, cheapest option (with breakfast- the deciding factor) and decided we could handle a sauna for a roomshared with 6 other girls in the Arab part of town for one night until we find something better tomorrow.
We walked down La Rambla- it is a bustling street with crowds, performers of all kinds, vendors, restaurants, and those costume frozen-still people. We walked all around there and gawked at the sights.
We foolishly decided to repeat our afternoon tea at the Ritz hotel here, which could not compare to our experience in Madrid. It did rejuvenate us enough to walk to see some sights, such as Goudi´s architecture- very interesting, unique buildings.
I like Barcelona, I've never been to New Orleans, but Sydnee says it reminds her of the Big Easy. There is tons to see and too much good food to eat. It is a little more crowded than I would prefer but it was fun walking through this one "hip" area because England was playing in their World Cup game so all the English were milling in and out of pubs catching the game.
Gotta go, I am trying to have a conversation with the 2 Brazilians, 2 French, and 1 Canadian in our room (their grasp of English puts me to shame). And I may try to join the group of guys watching the World Cup game downstairs...

June 24

Freak show
Let me just start off with a description of breakfast, since I have been re-living it all day. At Valor, the Chocolateria, we had churros and hot chocolate that was like the richest melted chocolate ever. You dip the churros in the melted chocolate and it is to die for!!!
After breakfast and an hour at the internet cafe we walked through the park/garden I mentioned yesterday to these massive architectural structures that housed an IMAX, a planetarium, an oceanagraphy place, and much more. One building kind of looked like the Sydney Opera House. We wondered through that area and saw all there was to see of it. We think the Pope is coming to speak there next week but the signs are in Spanish so it is hard to tell.
We walked back to the city center, through the park- which I just love- so bike/pedestrian friendly, but so hot in unshaded areas. We found a cool Chinese restaurant to rejuvenate ourselves in and then went back to take a siesta (along with what seemed to be the rest of the city).
Tonight we went to the city center, sat on a park bench and watched a gay pride parade take place. It made for some excellent people watching. Not only did we see drag queens, etc, but we saw all kinds of people- young, old, all nationalities, all types of dress, just milling about the square.
Then there also was a parade of some sort with drums and women in traditional dresses. It seems that every where we go there is a festival or celebration of some kind.

June 23

I love Valencia!
After a muoy caliente night, Syd and I wandered the huge covered market here in the city center. There was endless amounts of fruit, meat, spices, nuts, pastries, etc. We got some fruit and then walked through this great park/garden surrounding half the city. It is a great place to ride bikes, run, hang out, and play fútball.
We had some fabulous gelato- Dulce de Leche was the best flavor! Yum!
Then we went out to the port for the America's Cup, an international yacht racing competition. It is a really big event going on in Valencia now. We tried to weasel our way into some of the press lounges or team staging areas, but no luck.
The food here in Valencia is just fabulous. We found this Chocolateria, called Valor, that is 125 years old.
We sent our laundry off with the hostel cleaning lady and we are hoping it all comes back alright. She is only charging us €6 total, we couldn´t have done it ourselves for that cheap!
Sydnee and I are still getting along well and enjoying each other's company. Sometimes it is hard that she is engaged, but I'm reminded to be thankful I can fully enjoy this trip.
Today while we were walking around we went in this baby clothes store that carried gorgeous handmade dresses. They also had a catelog for very unique wedding dresses. ...note to self.

June 22

After sleeping in and a fairly uneventful breakfast, Syd and I went to the train station to catch a train to Valencia. The ticket seller guy kept telling us we were "guapa" and he would drive us to Valencia "gratis" (free). Sydnee is not as as thrilled about the attention we recieve here because of our blonde hair, but she is the engaged one and I do not mind the occassional ego boost!
Not to let this become Bridget Jones Diary Part 3, but Syd and I are sure we have lost a few pounds because we walk at least 5-7 miles a day and our budget keeps us from eating too much.
Of course, after saying that we did have the biggest Paella meal ever for dinner.
I love Valencia! My favorite city so far! Palm trees, young people, diverse and trendy cultures, amazing food, beaches, whats not to love?
Tonight was the latest we stayed out so far. We found a great hostel after getting off the train from Cuenca, then we wondered the city for a while. Near dinner time we took a tram to the beach and sat outside for our wonderful dinner, past sunset- and the sun sets really late here in the summer.

June 21

Hanging Houses
We left Toledo this morning via a very nice air-con bus and arrived in Cuenca (Kwayn-Ka) mid-day. We checked into a hotel, grabbed a map, and set out to find the famed "hanging houses." Soon after we left our hotel we bumped into 2 American guys who are Mormons. They are here in Spain for their 2 year mission. They were VERY nice and gave us an extensive tour of the city- the hanging houses, the cathedral, the aquaduct, the legends of the city, and local honey. They were so nice to take time out of their day off to hike all over the city with us. It was great to get a semi-local perspective. Our hotel has TV that gets an english channel, so we are enjoying vegging in front of it- despite the fact it is just sports.

June 20

Hot in herre.
After a simple breakfast of coffee and toast, Syd and I decided to stay in our hostel another night (instead of paying more for a nearby hotel). We wandered through the city of Toledo most of the day. We saw the cathedral and a monestary. The streets are cobblestone and it is a very old city. Also, the streets are very narrow and wind up and down all over. The Spanish land around Toledo looks very much like Arizona or New Mexico- very southwestern and feels as hot.
Syd and I decided they built the city with narrow streets and high walls so you can´t see the arrid country-side. We had kebabs for dinner and sat in this Middle Eastern or Indian restaurant for a while watching Indian music videos with the waiters.

June 19

This morning we took full advantage of our own room and bathroom, sleeping late and long showers. After my morning cafe con leche we headed to this convent where nuns have taken a vow to be secluded, but they are supposed to make this wonderful pastry. We hunted down this place to ask for "dulce" and a sweet old man at the church helped us locate the lazy susan/barrier area where we couldn´t see the nuns but they could talk to us and exchange money for baked goods. It was a very neat experience, but the resulting sweets were like Mexican wedding cookies- not very good and not what we were expecting. Syd got a video clip of the exchange so that was pretty entertaining. We had a very nice, cheap salad lunch at none other than Micky D´s, and got an 30 minute train to Toledo, a town south of Madrid.
The train station is about 500 m from town, so we had to walk, too far in my opinion, with our backpacks on, and it started raining all before we found a Pension to stay in for the night. We did make it though and we have a private double room with clean beds. Syd and I walked farther into the city center for dinner. We split Paella at an outdoors cafe in the city square and people watched the locals for hours. We also sampled a little Marzipan for dessert, something Toledo is famous for. As we made our way back to the hostel we stopped in a bar to catch some of the Spanish World Cup game with the locals.

June 18

Tea at the Ritz and Bull Slaughtering
This morning we checked into a wonderful, clean 2-star hotel. It was so nice to move into a private room and bathroom. From there we trecked out to a church we had found online, as an english speaking "community church." Turned out it was the same church my friend Lacy had told me about and that it had a woman pastor. What a coincidence! After church with "Kathy and Kirk", we had a quick bite to eat and went to ´chill´ a while. Since Syd and I had been so good about budgetting this trip we splurged for tea at the Rtiz. It was wonderful and only 22 Euros. After tea we walked a few miles to the Plaza de las Ventas. On our way there we stopped in an AC hotel, as is our habit to stop in 5-star hotels, and on our way out we had paparazzi take our picture. It was my dream come true. So we asked why they were stationed there and they said Shakira was about to come out. So we were in the same hotel as Shakira.
The Plaza de las Ventras is where we watched the Bullfight. It was five rounds of predictable action resulting in a slaughtered Bull. Syd and I were hoping for a meet and greet with the matadors, but we had no such luck. Back at the hotel we are enjoying our privato chambres.

June 17

Free day!
Not only did we get a free breakfast, free lunch, but when we got back to our hostel that night we discovered one of our beds had been booked, so we got our money back and Syd and I had to sleep in the same bed.
This morning after our free breakfast we did round one of speed internet. We then walked a few miles to buy bullfight tickets for the next day. Nearby was a public library we were attempting to get free internet from, but instead we stumbled upon some sort of local dance recital/ gymnastic show which we thoroughly enjoyed. After that we rode the metro to a location from which to start a walk toward the Madrid "must-sees." That is where we stopped for lunch and some very friendly locals picked up our tapas tab. On to the walk- first stop was the Ritz hotel- very nice! Next we saw the Prado Museum. Along our walks we have gotten into the habit of stopping in 4 and 5 star hotels. If we can´t stay in them, we at least like to see them. We went to the huge Palace and Cathedral and then stopped a while to sip on Sangria and eat flan. YUM!!! Round two of the internet came next, followed by a trip to the local supermarket/ department store. It was night and day different from the grocery store we went in the night before. "El Corte Ingles" was very nice. We just browsed, went to Starbucks to lounge and try to call a girl from AU living in Madrid (no luck) and finally arrived back at the hostel.
I should take some time to describe this hostel. Two words come to mind: sketchy and international. My roommates are two non-English speaking guys and a girl I have yet to meet. I´m glad Syd is with me! One front desk worker is a very squirrely guy. We are ready to leave this grossness tomorrow. Oh, and we sleep in our sleeping bags because they try to pretend the bedskirts they put on the cots are really sheets.

June 16

What's the address of our hostel?
After a fairly good nights sleep on our overnight train to Madrid- where we bunked with a girl from Atlanta and a non-English speaking Asian lady- we attempted to find our hostel for roughly THREE hours- all walking WITH our backpacks on. Needless to say we were happy to find our hostel, although disappointed to learn we would be staying in two different dorm rooms. As I write this before bed I´ve yet to discover the age, sex, or nationality of the 4 other people sharing our room. After a minimal amount of freshening up we went to a nearby Starbucks I spotted on our hostel search. Syd and I sank into the plush couches for awhile as I slowly sipped my Frappaccino. We discussed our mission for the day: find the tourist office and free internet. We accomplished both goals but free internet came with a price- a 2 mile walk and only 25 minutes of computer time on a slow computer. We´ll find a better solution tomorrow. Dinner was from a dingy Supermarket- "Dia"- apples and yogurt, but eaten in the VERY cozy basement lounge of the Starbucks. Even a hostel shower felt wonderful tonight before bed.

June 15

Free Bikes, a Wreck, and Lots of Laughs
We took a short train ride to Cascais, a resort town, and rented their complimentary bikes. Syd and I rode all over the town and along a bike path for quite a while, which was very fun, until I inevitably crashed into her. A few scratches, bruises, and lots of laughs later we turned around to turn our bikes back in. In Estoril, another resort town, though more reisdential according to a tourist agent, we visited a huge Casino, rumored to be the largest in Europe. The plush couches were a wonderful place to rest our weary legs.
We made our way back to Lisbon, encountering a stop involving our tickets not being round trip like we thought, and ate at the mall food court for dinner.
We headed to the to the train station tonight to press on to Madrid. On our way, we ran into some Catholic processional and several Gypsy´s trying to sell us "marijuana." After being accosted by several of these hash-selling street people we notified nearby policemen. They laughed and told us the marijuana was not real, it was just bits of the sole of a shoe disquised as weed.

p.s. please disregard all my poor spelling, grammar, etc, i´m writing in a hurry as the internet cafe clock ticks down! I mean, sometimes I even forget to check facebook!

June 14

Rainy day!
Walked around Alfama and Belem- two areas of Lisbon.
For lunch I thought I had asked for "Lasanha" and it turned out to be more like a tuna casserole. I also enjoyed some of the fresh squeezed orange juice that is available everywhere here.
Sydnee is keeping us to a very tight budget. It is a fun challenge to stick to $30 a day.
We ate the famous "Pasties de Nord" (pastry) that my grandmother told me I MUST get. Pretty good- like creme brulee in a tart shell.
Can you drink the water in Portugal? Yes, but it just tastes nasty!

June 13

Scandinavians are hot.
My layover in Copenhagen allowed me time to admire the good looks of the Danish people.
A quick walking tour and Portuguese/Chinese food were all I could handle before crashing from jet lag.

June 12

Ask and it shall be granted.
Requested a transfer from my small seat next to a rather large gentleman, received two seats to myself and it made for a much more comfortable flight.