Category: Europe

Love it or Hate it: Venice, Italy

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date July 1, 2014
2,907 Comments on Love it or Hate it: Venice, Italy

After leaving my short-lived life as a Londoner, I did a week-long ultra touristy trek through Italy, hitting up Rome, Venice, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. Everyone assured me I would absolutely love the romantic old-world charm of Venice. But after three days of exploring the maze-like canals and carless streets, I wasn’t impressed.

To me, I could easily see how Venice could be like the Times Square of Italy—the overcrowded tourist trap where no local in their right mind would ever go. Maybe it was just the time of year (late April) or the places I’d visited, but it seemed as though every narrow walkway was jam-packed with groups of map-wielding, camera happy tourists.

The antique architecture was enough to make me reach for my own camera at every turn. But after a while most of the streets (and my photographs) began to look the same. Okay, so maybe all of that weaving over and around canals led me in circles more times than I’d like to admit, but the narrow walkways crowded with storefronts, restaurants, and hotels really did become difficult to tell apart from one another.

Sometimes (particularly when I was hangry or had to pee) it was just downright annoying to look across the street and see where I wanted to go, only to have to go six blocks out of my way to the nearest bridge to do so—and then getting lost. Lazy/dumb I know, but I don’t like maps and well, this is what happens when you don’t use maps in Venice.

A lot of people talk about how romantic Venice is. I wasn’t there on a romantic getaway, but the sheer amount of people at every turn made me wonder how anyone could consider Venice a romantic destination. These must be the same kind of people who also think New Years in Times Square or Jumbotron marriage proposals are romantic as well.

And let’s not forgot the infamous gondola ride. I knew they would be expensive, but $80-$100 to ride down a crowded canal alongside noisy motorboats while sucking in exhaust fumes? No thanks, I’ll go stuff my face with a five course meal of carbs at an awesome restaurant for that kind of money. I saw gondola guides talking on their cell phones and shouting at one another when they got within earshot. Ooh yes, I’ll take my romance with a side of boat rage please! (Okay I’m sure they’re really not that bad, this is just my way of justifying the fact that I didn’t spend that insane amount of money).

I must say that all of the food I had was pretty delicious in Venice, even though I’m sure that I ate at more than my fair share of tourist traps. Fresh meats, milky cheeses, homemade pastas, and an abundance of wine made every mealtime my favorite time of day.

Sadly, my absolute favorite day was the day we decided to grab a glass of wine (sometimes three) at each place we passed on our aimless walk through the maze-like streets. I usually prefer traveling to places where I don’t need to get drunk to enjoy myself, but the booze really helped to block out all of the tourists and notice the things that so many people love about Venice. Suddenly the city had a kind of rustic charm to it as wrinkled couples made their way through the streets while spouting off loud Italian. Loads of brightly colored laundry flapped against the peeling paint of centuries-old buildings. Kids ran through the car-free streets kicking soccer balls, and restaurants lured us in with their accordions and wine lists.

Wine was definitely a good choice in Venice.

Have you ever been to Venice? What do you think, love it or skip it?

Tags canals, Europe, Italy, unesco, Venice

Europe Food + Drinks Solo Travel

WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK IN ISTANBUL

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date May 21, 2014
3,890 Comments on WHAT TO EAT AND DRINK IN ISTANBUL

The short answer? Everything.

The downside to taking a last-minute weekend trip once I’d already splurged on a huge twelve-day trip in the same month, was that unfortunately I couldn’t afford to eat everything. Nor did I have the time. And since my hotel offered free breakfast and afternoon snacks, I didn’t wander far from the Sultanahmet area during dinner time. While there were no McDonald’s or TGIFridays, I was told that area is nothing more than a tourist trap with overpriced and under-flavored food.

All I can say is that if that’s true, then my taste buds must be seriously jacked because I developed a borderline addiction to every single thing I put into my mouth.

Sultanahmet was full of pushy hosts standing in front of every restaurant, fighting for the attention to lure in every passerby. It’s actually incredibly annoying. It took me about 30 minutes, but I finally decided on a restaurant called Masal because the guy at the door didn’t seem like a truck-stop rapist or a desperate prom date. Reverse psychology I suppose.

Thus began my extraordinary culinary tour of Istanbul. And while I’m not exactly a foodie, I do have over 28 years of experience in eating so that gives me some sort of credibility, right?

Here are seven budget-friendly foods or drinks that are definitely worth trying in Istanbul.

LAHMACUN

The first dish I tried was lahmacun, a simple pizza-like flatbread that I could’ve sworn I’d remembered Anthony Bourdain refer to as mandatory drunk food. Even though I wasn’t drunk, I knew my Taco Bell loving tummy (having been trained by years of eating—and enjoying—borderline offensive food) would love it.

The large piece of dough is topped with minced meat (beef and lamb), minced vegetables, and herbs, and then baked. It was delivered to my table with a side of lemons and a plate of vegetables including cabbage, pickles, tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and parsley. I think you’re supposed to pile on the salad, squeeze on the lemon juice, roll it up and eat it, but I chose to do it in smaller pieces because 1) it would’ve been huge, and 2) I hate the whole “now that I’ve rolled it I can’t set it down” thing. Either way, that stuff was fantastic and not nearly as filling as I thought it’d be. I could’ve easily eaten two more. And it was nowhere near as greasy or degrading as drunk food in the US.

But whatever you do, DO NOT skimp on the lemon juice. It’s key.

SIMIT (TURKISH BAGELS)

Alright, alright. I’ve lived in New York for nearly eight years, so I’ve been pretty spoiled by the very definition of a bagel. I was skeptical when my new hotel friends invited me for Turkish bagels and tea. A simit is essentially a sesame seed hybrid between a bagel and a pretzel that’s crispy and crusty on the outside, but fluffy on the inside. Splice it open and layer it with some tomatoes and cheese, and serve with a side of hot tea with a view of the Blue Mosque, and you’ve got yourself the perfect afternoon snack.

İSKENDER KEBAP & BALLOON BREAD

One night I decided to treat myself to a nice meal (and a lot of red wine), so I popped into Sura Kebab House and ordered my very first İskender kebap. Holy satisfying dinner. I never knew meat and yogurt could go together so well.

They served me a gigantic loaf of this balloon bread, which was easily the size of a brown paper shopping bag, along with a small dish of what I’m pretty sure was salted butter and a soft cheese—maybe goat cheese? I don’t know if I was supposed to mix the two together and spread on the bread, but I did and the results were absolutely phenomenal. Groups of tourists glanced at me while I devoured the bread and gulped down my Pinot Noir. Then the kebab came out, drenched in a tomato-based sauce and served next to a bed of yogurt.

As the weird girl who won’t hesitate to dine solo, I made friends with the entire waitstaff that night and got free shots of Raki when I was finished. Though it is the national drink of Turkey, Raki was nothing special in my opinion and very similar to ouzo or sambuca. Barf, pass.

TURKISH TEA

Okay this isn’t really fair because I LOVE TEA. Black, green, herbal, chai, morning, noon, and night, you name it. All kinds of tea, doesn’t matter, I will drink every last sip. So when the waiter handed me this perfect, and better yet free glass of apple tea, I didn’t think it was possible to have a better meal ending . That is, until I walked down the street and picked up some…

BAKLAVA

One cannot go to Turkey without indulging on the delicious sweets that have become so popular here in the Western world. While they say baklava’s origins aren’t particularly well documented, some suggest that the modern day form was created right inside Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.

Wherever the hell it’s from, baklava is abundant in Istanbul. I stopped by several shops and easily consumed 1500 calories in sweet, sticky deliciousness before returning to my hotel every single night.

TARIHI SULTANAHMET KÖFTECISI

Okay so this is the name of a restaurant, but they only serve a couple of things on the menu—the main item being köfte, or Turkish meatballs. The place itself is definitely a no-frills restaurant, but their meatballs are supposedly some of the best in the area. One of my new friends I’d partied with in Taksim took me here for lunch, claiming it to be a favorite amongst the locals. Unfortunately after our super late night out, I was still a wee bit too hungover to handle much solid food. The meat was definitely delicious and juicy, but I could only eat about three and a half before retreating back to my hotel room to crawl under the sheets and swear off drinking (again).

I also washed my meal down with an Ayran, which is a cold yogurt drink mixed with salt, and a national non-alcoholic drink in Turkey. Everyone in the place was sucking these down, and again the whole meat + yogurt thing is genius.

SALEP

The evenings were still chilly, so I bought a cup of sahlep to keep warm, thinking it’d be like a spicy hot chocolate. Not exactly. Salep is a flour made from some kind of orchid, but it’s commonly used in a hot wintertime drink. This drink in particular was made with milk, honey, orchid bud, vanilla, cream, cinnamon, and spices. It had a much thicker consistency than hot chocolate, almost like a glue that was so thick the piles of cinnamon clumped together on top because it was too thick to permeate. Regardless, I drank the entire cup before it got cold, and once I got past the weird texture I loved every second of it.

Turkish food has quickly moved to the top of my favorite cuisines. Istanbul is the kind of place where you will not go hungry. I only [accidentally] ended up eating chicken orzo at one super touristy place. The rest of the time I was sampling bits and pieces of Turkish and Ottoman cuisine whenever and wherever possible. But I still barely scratched the surface in trying all of the foods on my must-eat list. Next winter when flights are back down below $500RT I’ll almost certainly head back over there and explore the lesser touristy neighborhoods for a few dinners. Totally worth it.

Have you ever been to Turkey? What’s your favorite Turkish food?

Tags drinks, food, Istanbul, Turkey, turkish cuisine, turkish food

Asia Europe Solo Travel

MY FIRST TASTE OF TURKEY

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date March 20, 2014
3,942 Comments on MY FIRST TASTE OF TURKEY

The first couple days after returning from vacation are always a struggle—even more so when you know you’ll be jetting off to another exotic location the following week. From jet lag and slowly coaxing yourself out of vacation mode, to gauging your answer to the infamous “how was your trip” questions. Of course it’s a courtesy to ask people how their vacation went, but not everyone really cares. And even then, what part do you tell them about while keeping it brief enough for the water cooler? The food? The sights? The people? The culture? I could talk about my travels all day, but instead I’ve tried to keep it brief amongst coworkers. For the rest who are curious, I’ll share it here.

There will be more detailed posts to follow, but I just need to put it out there: Istanbul is a stunningly beautiful, almost magical city that’s really different from most places I’ve visited. In a very good way. Even though I stayed in ultra touristy Sultanahmet. It seemed like the perfect introduction to a Muslim country since they don’t seem to be very dismissive of Westerners. I don’t have any religious upbringing whatsoever so I’m fascinated by learning all about different faiths. I mean I certainly have my own beliefs, but I’ve actually managed to avoid sharing those with anyone pretty much ever. Well except for one of my exes, but that’s partially why he’s an ex.

Anyway, the city is MASSIVE. I had no idea how big it even was until I went up to Galata Tower and looked out over the city. Then I took a cruise up the Bosphorus to see it was even bigger. For fuck’s sake it spans two continents, of course it’s huge. From above it kind of reminded me of San Francisco times about 100, but with a way different culture and a lot more mosques.

Kebap. Lamb. Lahmacun. Borek. Meze. Baklava. The food was so delicious I’ve actually doubled in size upon returning to the States. Seriously though I’ve never eaten so well on a solo vacation. Usually I’m pretty frugal with what I eat, picking up yogurt and granola bars to get me through most of the day, then eating whatever random cheap dinner I come across in the evening. I usually save a ton of money doing that, but this time I just couldn’t stop myself from over-indulging every time I turned a corner. I never ate the same thing twice (except for baklava, but come on, baklava). The hotel had free buffet breakfast with a perfect rooftop view so I sampled everything they had to offer every morning. I stopped at dessert shops and street carts even when I wasn’t hungry. I splurged on dinner and I went back to the hotel full and happy (with more baklava in hand) every night.

Like most of my trips I went to Turkey alone, but I was rarely by myself this time around. In general the people in Istanbul were almost alarmingly friendly and hospitable. It threw me off a bit because I was always trying to figure out whether they were genuinely nice or if they just wanted to lure me into their family’s shop to buy something (or kill me in a back alley, you know, the standard worries). Waiters gave me free drinks and bar recommendations. Strangers on the street asked me to dinner. Others simply asked where I was from and started a conversation about the US or gave me directions. Yes, the tourist spots were loaded with hagglers and conniving salesmen, but rather than walking through the city ignoring everyone like I do in New York, I actually conversed with nearly everyone who spoke to me. Hell I even approached people myself and made a few friends. In fact I think this was the most “unplugged” solo trip I’ve ever taken, meaning I didn’t walk down the streets listening to my headphones so that strangers wouldn’t talk to me. I made small talk. I listened to everything. I met locals and I hung out with them. I went to Taksim at midnight, which some US news sources have recently portrayed as the “dangerous” part of the city. It wasn’t very dangerous at all. Probably because on this particular night at least, the protests had been replaced by a bunch of drunk kids partying. And a Shake Shack.

The call to prayer is a really beautiful thing to hear. One guy told me that Istanbul has over 2,000 mosques, so to hear these calls come over the loudspeakers and echo throughout the city during the day was absolutely surreal. My first day there I woke up sometime in the 4am hour to hear the first one of the day which completely blew my mind because it was still dark out. Another local later told me that the morning call to prayer has an additional line in it to say something about how God is more important than sleep. I’m guessing that prayer is for the truly faithful Muslims. And right in the middle of the day, seeing men shutting tourists out of their shops in the Grand Bazaar to pray was a sight to see. I mean I’m used to America where capitalism usually trumps religion, so to see people with such a devout religious culture is truly mesmerizing.

Sorting through my 1000+ photos is already leaving me with a serious case of wanderlust. How many days until I go back?

Luckily flights during the off-season are actually pretty cheap (under $500 RT!) to Istanbul, so the likelihood of me going back is actually pretty good. Except next time I’m stopping off in Cappadocia and Pamukkale. Who’s with me?

Tags Asia, Europe, food, Islam, Istanbul, solo travel, Turkey

Europe Food + Drinks Travel

MY BIG FAT GREEK VACATION

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date January 31, 2014
320 Comments on MY BIG FAT GREEK VACATION

Move over Mexican food. There’s a new first place contender for my gluttonous fat girl heart.

With its economy deep, deep in the shitter, I wasn’t really sure what to expect while I was in Greece. So I split my time between the ruins of Athens and the relaxing beaches of Crete. Both provided two starkly different views of Greece, but they also had two fantastic things in common: amazing hospitality and even better food. Seriously, not only was every single thing I put in my mouth worthy of a full-on addiction, the people putting these things on my plate wanted nothing more than to make sure I tasted everything, loved it, and ate some more.

I arrived in Athens right after an underwhelming couple of days in Italy. Maybe I went to the wrong places, but Rome just felt too busy, dirty, and touristy for me (though to be fair, the ruins around the Colosseum were beyond awesome). And frankly, I’d had similarly equal (if not better) Italian food in Little Italy. So on the drive from the airport to the hotel I was worried that the run-down streets of Athens would leave me feeling the same way. It felt old, dirty, and every surface was newly adorned with layers of graffiti. For a minute I thought about turning back to the airport to skip Athens all together and head to the islands.

Then we got to our hotel, the Herodion, and suddenly all was right in the world.

Considering the pocket change we paid, the hotel made me feel like a baller. Located at the base of the ultra-touristy Acropolis, it was just outside of the seemingly cash-strapped city streets and just a few blocks from the restaurants and shops of the Pláka. Aside from it being cheap enough for my travel partner Marcus and I to each have our own room, there was a rooftop garden just waiting for us to sip cocktails in the jacuzzi while looking out at the Parthenon. But I must say, once we finally made it up there I cracked open a Mythos and it kind of sucked. Reminded me a bit of Busch Light. Stick to food, Greece.

Our first evening in Athens we walked uphill to the Parthenon. It was closed for the evening, so naturally we went for the next best thing: food. Along some winding road down the hill we stopped into a restaurant that we couldn’t even read the name of, and the food absolutely blew my mind. It was my first taste of Greek food, and I only wish I would’ve been more hungry. But like a true fatty I went straight for the cheese appetizers. Two of them to be exact. Pan fried kefalotyri cheese for €4,50 and feta saganaki drizzled with honey for €6. Holy mind-blowing shit it was delicious.

The next morning I was introduced to my first of many deliciously satisfying all-you-can-eat breakfast buffets in Greece. I ate about six plates, which held me over until dinner when we stopped at Plakiotissa. Marcus ordered the always delicious moussaka, and I got stuffed peppers. It’s weird that this place has such bad reviews on TripAdvisor, because we both thought it was pretty damn tasty. Not as amazing as the first place we went, but still a solid, satisfying meal. We both scarfed down our meals until we were uncomfortably full, and when we thought we could eat no more, our new waiter friend brought us out free dessert. If this was a typical tourist-friendly Greek restaurant, I can’t even imagine how good the local spots were.

Ten extra pounds of Kim proved that I fell in love with food all over again in Athens. But it got even better.

I stayed at two different hotels in Crete, the first had buffet meals that were easy enough to sneak into without paying (woops). So of course I did that and sampled everything I could get my hands on. I know, how often do you get amazing food at a buffet though, right? Apparently all the time in Greece.

The salads. The stuffed grape leaves. The flaky phyllo layered with spinach and feta. The better-than-Italian pasta. The galaktoboureko. The lamb. The galatopita. I don’t even know what I was piling on my plate most of the time, but I do know that I never tried a single thing in Greece that I didn’t like. I went to several restaurants in Crete and ordered main dishes of things I’d sampled at the buffet, only to be even more wowed, but I know I’ve only barely scraped the surface of awesome Greek food.

It took all of my power not to throw out all of my clothes and fill my luggage with olive oil, spices, cheese, and whatever else I could fit in there from the airport marketplace. But I figured a cookbook would last much longer than any sort of actual food that’d surely be gone before my plane even made it back to the States, so I picked one up and decided I could make some of this stuff back in New York.

Have I yet? No. From what I can tell, cooking Greek food is super intimidating. But I’m up for the challenge if anyone wants to come over for dinner! I sure as hell can’t cook all that food just for one person.

Moral of the story, Greece has some incredible food. So when life gives a beautiful country financial lemons, travel there and make lemonade in the form of delicious meals and cheap accommodations. Just make sure to keep some cardio in your plan.

Europe Ireland

THE COAST AND COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTHERN IRELAND

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date November 24, 2013
4,534 Comments on THE COAST AND COUNTRYSIDE OF NORTHERN IRELAND

Have you ever visited a place without any prior knowledge or expectations of what it’d be like, only to find yourself planning a disappearing act once you arrive, into this fictional world of happily-ever-after that’s the complete opposite of the life you actually live? That’s what happened to me in Northern Ireland.

After falling in love with Dublin I was curious to see the North since it’s actually part of the UK. We drove through the rain, passing small town after small town before hitting Belfast. The downtown area was bustling, complete with a multi-level shopping center and giant outdoor TVs for passersby to watch soccer on the go. But after driving through some of the mural-covered back roads (which could easily be mistaken for a forgotten, semi-active war zone…or maybe even downtown Detroit) I didn’t have very high hopes for the rest of the day. But holy hell was I wrong.

This was the first time I can remember ever being out in the country and not only enjoying it, but never wanting to leave.

Maybe it’s my love for the friendly/crazy/drunk Irish people and their charming accents, or their flawless alcoholic contributions to the world. Or maybe it was because I was touring the countryside with one of the most fascinating, hilarious people I’d met while living in Europe. Or maybe it was simply because Northern Ireland was truly whimsical and beautiful. Whatever the reasons, this day trip made me feel right at home, longing for a time before cell phones and Facebook.

I kept imagining myself sneaking away at our next pit stop, roaming through the hills with a few meandering sheep before coming across a cute little farmhouse. A burly Irish man with a perfect manly beard and dirty working-man hands would answer the door of course, and invite me in for a pint of Guinness and a glass of Jameson with his seductive accent. Then he’d take me out back to show me the farm and all of the fresh cheese he makes, you know, as a hobby. And just like that, I’d forget all of my concerns for the world I used to know, and I’d live happily ever after on that farm.

Sadly that didn’t happen. But I did have one of the best guided tours of my life on the Extreme Ireland Day Tours of Giant’s Causeway.

Our guide was hilarious, and he knew so much about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. He gave us a brief history in Belfast that could’ve easily spanned an entire middle school semester in History class, including the fact that the Europa Hotel was considered the most-bombed hotel in all of Europe—and the world. For once I actually enjoyed sitting on a bus, looking out the window and listening to his commentary.

On our way to the Carrick-a-Rede Rope Bridge near Ballintoy, our guide got on the speaker and said that he had some bad news. I could tell by the way the bus occasionally jerked over into the other lane that it was something weather and wind related. Then I heard the only words that could’ve ruined that perfect day: the bridge was closed due to gale force winds making it unsafe to cross.

Upon hearing this news I went through a whole myriad of emotions, followed by cursing at the voices in my head, anger-eating chocolate, and praying to the Irish Gods. It all must’ve worked because next thing you know, the winds let up enough for us to safely cross just a couple of hours later. I got some awesome video of the walk across the 66-foot bridge, so more on that later.

The entire area surrounding the Carrick-a-Rede Bridge was nothing but natural beauty. I could see Scotland, and though I knew there were farmhouses just beyond the hills, there were no visible signs of civilization as far as the eye could see. And for a city-dweller, that was awesome.

After my glorious walk across the bridge, we continued on to Giant’s Causeway, a more touristy spot just up the road. Giant’s Causeway is a group of about 40,000 polygonal basalt columns caused by a volcanic eruption. Or as legend explains it, a causeway built by the Irish giant Fionn mac Cumhaill to get over to Scotland to fight the Scottish giant Benandonner.

Clearly the Irish have been hitting the bottle for as long as they’ve been telling stories.

After leaving Giant’s Causeway we drove out to see what’s left of the 13th Century Dunluce Castle.

You wouldn’t even guess from these photos that it was absolutely freezing on that cold March day. The wind was relentless, blasting us like one of those reporters you see standing in the middle of a hurricane while you secretly hope he gets pegged by a cow or a stop sign for his stupidity.

But damn was the scenery beautiful, and totally worth it.

Should you go?

Hell yes. Even if you’re not up for renting a car and making the trek on your own, the day tour I did from Dublin was about 65 Euros, and it helped launch Ireland to the top of my Favorite Places in Europe list. Traveling the coast is nearly orgasmic. Plus the company offers tons of other day trips and adventure courses, so if the rest of their staff is anything like our guide you’ll definitely enjoy yourself.

I want to go back and do an extended hike and a trip to the Cliffs of Moher, so if you need a travel buddy, let’s go!

Tags Belfast, Carrick-a-Rede Bridge, Europe, Giant's Causeway, Ireland, Irish countryside, Northern Ireland, UK, United Kingdom

Europe Italy Tours Unesco World Heritage Sites

Pompeii in Pictures

I won’t give you a history lesson because I’m pretty sure everyone knows what happened to Pompeii in 79 AD. And if you don’t, well you can look at just about any other site and find out. More importantly, maybe you should dig yourself out from whatever rock or volcanic ash you’ve been living under (see what I did there?)

While in Italy I went on an 8-person day trip to the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii through Viator. After leaving Rome, we drove for a few hours before the unmistakable silhouette of Mount Vesuvius began to peak above the horizon.

It was awesome. And it was kind of like love at first sight. I wanted to go straight there and climb to the top, then base jump right down into the crater. Fuck the Amalfi Coast. Who needs gorgeous cliffside scenery when you’ve got vengeful volcanoes of destruction to explore?

But Pompeii was the last stop on our trip so we kept driving (as a little piece of my heart broke), finally making our way to the cliff-hugging roads of the Amalfi Coast. The next few hours—spent exploring the painfully rocky Spiaggia Grande barefoot, doing shots of limoncello with two women who were probably as old as Italy itself, and coming back to the van late thanks to a poorly marked underground bathroom, causing me to lose my picture-taking window seat to a woman who couldn’t log off Facebook long enough to appreciate the view—is a totally different story in itself. But I was more than ready to leave the overcrowded coast behind and go wander around the ruins.

That winding cliffside road out of Amalfi was clearly built for tiny compact European cars. Hell, our eight-seater van was almost too big to comfortably zig and zag without riding the brakes, so I really don’t know what those truck drivers were thinking when they decided to take the coastal route with their eighteen wheelers. Every 50 feet or so we’d have to stop and wait for some unseen vehicle to make its way around the bend before proceeding. This was never a quick task, each stop took about 20 minutes while people put their cars in park and walked up to double check for oncoming traffic. This put us in Pompeii almost two hours later than expected.

When we finally got there our tour guide was kind of a huge jerk. Since we were late I understand he wanted us to see as much as possible still, but the constant rushing was really aggravating and left us with no time to explore or even take a decent photo. At first I was following his commands, running around snapping pictures ferociously and trying to absorb every bit of information he rattled off like an auctioneer. But then I just stopped listening and kept trying to take pictures.

The ruins were absolutely amazing, and so well preserved that it’s hard to believe they were constructed SO long ago, and were once covered in nine feet of volcanic ash.

Like seriously, how is it possible some of these pillars are still standing? Also, how much better would this shot have been if Vesuvius would’ve exploded with awesomely hot glowing lava right then and there?

Different areas seemed to have suffered varying degrees of damage, kind of like the path of a tornado. One of the most fascinating things I saw was inside some of the buildings like this bathhouse below. On the frescoes you can actually see the line of deterioration caused by the surge of volcanic ash that rushed in and destroyed all that it touched.

Another slightly unnerving sight that we’ve all seen in our middle school text books were the plaster casts of bodies in the position that they died in when the pyroclastic flow wiped out Pompeii. When archaeologists uncovered these empty cavities underneath the ash, they filled them with plaster before lifting them out, basically leaving an exact impression of that person at their moment of death. We only got to see two, but I’ve heard that some are so well preserved and detailed you can actually make out the wrinkles in their clothing and see the fur on a dog.

Every day the Romans would flood the streets to clean them, using stepping stones to create a crossway so they wouldn’t get their feet wet. Plus they were spaced perfectly for carriages to pass through. I don’t know why I found this so interesting, but I did. And I suddenly wished all streets in New York had these.

On the last stop of the tour our guide warned women and children who might be offended not to go in, so naturally I found myself paying attention to this jerkwad again. We were headed for the brothels. And how did we know that? Because of the stone penis on the ground pointing in the direction of their “red light district.”

There were a series of rooms (with the most uncomfortable looking beds) reserved strictly for adult fun. I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had been in these rooms when they died, and if so, where were their plaster casts?

There were paintings on the wall illustrating the different sex acts someone could walk in and order up. You know, kind of like a Baskin-Robbins. But with sex.

And here’s my pervy prostitute “come hither” look. I’m pretty sure I would’ve made a killing back in the day with my creeper glare.

SHOULD YOU VISIT POMPEII?

Yes! We only spent two hours at Pompeii, and while our tour was extremely rushed, it was a good way to see the highlights and learn a bit about the places we were looking at. I think a long tour with a very small group would be perfect. If I did it again I’d definitely spend at least an entire day wandering Pompeii on my own, picking up overheard information from all of the tour groups rushing around. Then I’d hike up to the top of Mount Vesuvius the next day.

I’ve heard that Italy is struggling to keep up with the preservation of the site, but I can only hope they find the funding to do so. Pompeii was a great experience and totally surreal, and I’d definitely visit again if I had the chance. I’d say it was actually my favorite part of Italy that I’ve visited. Plus admission is very reasonable (about 11 Euros, or $15 USD) and definitely worth every bit of it.

Tags Amalfi, Amalfi Coast, Italy, Mount Vesuvius, Pompeii, Positano, Rome, ruins, Unesco World Heritage Site, Vesuvius

Adventure Europe Switzerland

VIDEO: PARAGLIDING OVER THE ALPS IN INTERLAKEN

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date October 10, 2013
4,064 Comments on VIDEO: PARAGLIDING OVER THE ALPS IN INTERLAKEN

Okay. I’m going to have one last “poor me moment” about that time I flew all the way to Zurich and took a train to Interlaken with the sole intention of skydiving over the Alps, but was unable to do so when Mother Nature decided I wasn’t worthy of such fun. There, done. Now I can tell you all about how I tried to make up for it by paragliding.

On my last afternoon there, I walked into Balmers and started whining to the chick at the front desk about how I needed some excitement because I certainly couldn’t afford to sit around and eat in Interlaken (seriously my last ditch effort to save money by eating at McDonald’s cost me about $34). Since it was already pushing noon, the only option I really had was paragliding. It sounded promising, so I jumped in a car with an older, silent man before being dumped off at the wide open landing field a few blocks away. I was a little confused, but I followed some random guy whose accent I could barely understand, and before long I was quickly rushed into an unmarked van along with a few other confused Swedish and Chinese tourists, lead by four jacked-up European men.

Our van zig-zagged up the mountain, the green grass disappearing and the snow and cloudy haze getting thicker. I changed out of my mesh running shoes and strapped on some heavy hiking boots that, based on the warm, sweaty insides, someone else had just taken off. They dumped us off to walk the rest of the way uphill which is where I realized how pathetic my body was. I desperately tried to hide my heavy breathing while trekking up the slippery incline in my oversized boots. All the while my tandem gliding partner was walking full speed like he was in the mall walking olympics and holding conversation without missing a beat, even with his gigantic loveseat-sized pack strapped to his back.

After we set up and laid out our canopies, we waited. And waited. There was a stick in the ground with a red and white ribbon blowing in the nearly nonexistent breeze. Apparently this was their way of determining which way the wind was blowing and how hard so that we didn’t float off the edge of the cliff and right into the side of another.

After I got bored of standing around playing guessing games as to when we’d finally make a run for it, my tandem gliding buddy hooked himself onto me and got all intense again.

“Now this is the important part. We have to go at exactly the right moment, or else it could be bad. So when I say run, you run, got it? And I don’t mean just a light jog or a brisk walk, you run faster than you’ve ever run in your entire life until we take off from the ground. K?”

I didn’t know if he completely missed seeing that I was only 5’2″ or what, but here I was with a grown ass man strapped to my back along with what felt like a small sofa attached to him, wearing clunky man boots that were about three sizes too big, and this guy wants me to run down a slippery, icy hill without falling on my face. Right.

We continued to wait. And wait. Then out of nowhere we heard “baaaaa!” Right in our running path a herd of sheep had broken through a hole in the fence and started making their way uphill curiously towards us. At first it was cute watching them dig in the snow to try and eat the grass below, but all of a sudden baby sheep were running all over the fucking place. The guides were nearly pissing themselves with laughter, saying this has never happened before as they started baaaing back at them. But that only attracted the sheep more and they continued to make their way up towards us. And they were hungry. Finally one of the guys had to unhook himself and run down to scare them off. But of course this was also the exact moment the wind changed directions and I was told to run, NOW.

I ran like Usain Bolt. Actually no, I pitter-pattered down the hill rather pathetically until a gust of wind grabbed ahold and threw me down in the snow. Just as quickly that same gust lifted us up slightly, dragging my legs long enough to scoop up two boots full of snow, then launched us off the cliff.

It wasn’t even a windy day but the guide kept saying that due to our “excellent running speed takeoff” (hell yeah, way to go little legs!) we were able to get more speed than most people. I got a well deserved pat on the back.

At first it was pretty cool when you suddenly realize that you’re floating and gliding through the air. But then it became oddly comfortable and a little…boring. The wind was chilly, drying out my lips and making my eyes water, and the view didn’t really change much during the whole 15 minute flight. Plus it was much more secure feeling than I thought it would be. I wanted to feel like I was falling or flying, something comparable to what I’d imagine skydiving would be like. But instead I felt safe, in a heavy box propelling through the sky almost with as much control as if there were an engine. And the whole dude on my back thing wasn’t a particularly liberating experience.

So while it was definitely awesome and I’d definitely do it again in a heartbeat, I had the same problem with paragliding as I do with most things I do. It left me wanting to go faster and higher, and I wanted to do it alone. I felt like a brat, but I asked my instructor guy to go a little crazy, so he started spiraling us closer to Earth towards the end.

Enough of my babbling, I’ll let this little video montage do the job. But beware, the last few seconds can be a bit dizzying!

(PS click through the link below the video to watch it in HD.)

Interlaken Paragliding by Just Visiting, Music: “Option” by Crosses.

Tags Adventure, adventure sport, Europe, Interlaken, paragliding, skydiving, Switzerland, video

Europe Outdoor Switzerland

JUNGFRAUJOCH: TAKING THE LAZY TRAIN TO THE TOP OF EUROPE

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date July 22, 2013
4,062 Comments on JUNGFRAUJOCH: TAKING THE LAZY TRAIN TO THE TOP OF EUROPE

Skydiving has been at the top of my to-do list for the past few years. But in true chick form, I want my first time to be special. I don’t want to pop my free-fall cherry over some boring flatlands. I want to plunge towards the Earth over a landscape that even Bob Ross couldn’t paint. That way if my chute doesn’t open, at least I’ll die with an awesome view. So at the end of my London living experience I flew down to Switzerland with the sole intention of jumping out of an airplane and gracefully falling back to Earth over the Alps. Since April was technically spring I wasn’t too worried about the weather, but knowing how I somehow always end up visiting places during historically wet times, I gave myself three full days in Interlaken to ensure at least one of those days was nice enough to jump.

It never happened. In fact, the mountains never even came out from the damn clouds the entire time I was there. I was getting frustrated. After all the city hopping I’d been doing around Europe I needed some sort of a rush. About the only adrenaline pumping activity that wasn’t shut down was paragliding (post and video coming soon!) which was entertaining and gave me a great view, but it was nowhere near as exhilarating and piss-your-pants awesome as what I’d imagine skydiving would be. So on my last day there, fed up from the months of grey skies, I decided to head above the clouds to Jungfraujoch.

Also marketed to tourists like me as “The Top of Europe,” Jungfraujoch is a mountain pass between the Mönch and the Jungfrau in the Bernese Alps. The journey to the top takes about 2.5 hours via three trains. But like all other Swiss trains I encountered, they operate seamlessly. We set off into the green mountains, seeing waterfalls, rivers, and the most adorable little homes I’ve ever seen under grey skies.

Lauterbrunnen train station — Boarding the train at Lauterbrunnen

Heading up to Jungfraujoch — I could totally live here

The higher we got, the more snow started to fall and accumulate, and before long the ground was covered in about two feet of snow. But the train continued chugging uphill. At some points it was impossible to see out the window, and the final leg on the Jungfrau Railway was almost entirely enclosed in a tunnel. We made a five minute stop at a glass-enclosed lookout point, completely oblivious to what we were going to be able to see. I quickly ran off the train and looked out the window to see that we’d finally made it above the clouds, but not by much. There were snowy mountain peaks beginning to emerge, but still blending into the layer of clouds.

Barely above the clouds — The view from the first train stop on the Jungfrau Railway, barely breaking through the clouds

Jungfraujoch is 3,471 m (11,388ft) above sea level which is apparently just enough altitude change to fuck with me. Shortly after I stepped off the train I could tell it was more difficult than usual to breathe. I felt kind of winded, and since my chest was feeling heavy it was proving impossible to catch my breath. (I blame it on the fact that my doctor told me I had slight asthma when I was younger but I chose not to do anything about it.) But since it was hardly enough to be annoying I continued on, rushing through the inside tour so I could spend maximum time snapping pics before the last train down.

Jungfraujoch digital experience — Digital tour of Jungfraujoch

Inside tour at Jungfraujoch — Welcome to your brain on drugs

Wooden sculptures at the ice cave — This guy.

The walk took me past all sorts of history, paintings, and videos of the area, but probably the coolest part was the Ice Palace of sculptures and tunnels that look like they’d be a hell of a lot of fun with a bobsled.

Tunnel at the ice cave — Tunnel leading into the Ice Palace

Ice cave — The floor wasn’t as slick as it looked, even when you ran and slid across it. That or my shoes just had excellent traction.

Licking ice at Jungfraujoch — I like to lick things. And I was kind of tempted to see if my tongue would get stuck. It didn’t.

Bear Sculptures in the ice cave at Jungfraujoch — Too bad these guys were barred off, I would’ve licked them too.

Then finally I take an elevator up to the Sphinx Observatory, strapped my GoPro on my head and made my way outside to see the blue skies and snowy mountain peaks that made the journey totally worth it.

Jungfraujoch Top of Europe — High altitude selfie

Top of Jungfraujoch — The Swiss flag added a nice touch to the blue and white landscape

Jumping at Jungfraujoch — They looked like they were having fun…

Beautiful view of clouds forming over Mönch

I saw my first mini avalanche from the top of Jungfraujoch

Should you go?

Meh. It was definitely cool to see the kind of view that usually only hardcore climbers get to see. But then again you don’t get that same sense of accomplishment when you’re at the top because you just sat on your ass for two and a half hours to see it.

But you’ll see three awesome peaks of the Bernese Alps (Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau), as well as the Aletsch Glacier which is the largest glacier in the Alps. So that’s cool.

BUT IT IS NOT CHEAP. I didn’t have a Swiss Pass of any kind and I paid $214.35 for the RT train fare. Had I not budgeted $600 for my skydiving experience I would’ve never paid that. Either way, for that price I would’ve liked to have some more of an activity as opposed to sitting on a train for five hours total. You know, like base jumping back down to the ground below.

If you do decide to go, ask the staff at the train station to check their webcams beforehand to make sure the weather up there is okay. And maybe even look into a glacier hike if you’re interested—there seem to be some options if you plan ahead.

There’s a reason Interlaken is known for its extreme sports. And if the weather abides, then most certainly I think your time would be better spent experiencing those. But if you get stuck with shit weather like I did and have an extra couple of hundred dollars to spend, then sure, it’s worth the trek.

Oh, and by the way, the day I left Switzerland there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Go figure.

Tags Aletsch Glacier, Alps, avalanche, Bern, Bernese Alps, Eiger, Ice Palace, Interlaken, Jungfrau, Jungfraujoch, Mönch, mountains, snow, Swiss, Switzerland, train travel

Europe Living Abroad

FUTURE CINEMA PRESENTS: AN ACTION-PACKED MOVIE NIGHT

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date June 5, 2013
1,332 Comments on FUTURE CINEMA PRESENTS: AN ACTION-PACKED MOVIE NIGHT

London isn’t exactly the most adventurous place to visit or live. Sure you could always shit-talk some drunken die-hard Chelsea fans and try to dodge punches, or test your luck at jumping in the Thames to see what happens to your limbs. But what about when you want to do something without the fear of being severely disfigured?

How about a night at the movies? Sounds boring doesn’t it? And while we’re at it, why not a black and white film from 1942? Are you sleeping yet? Yeah, my thoughts exactly, BORING. That is, until I found out it was a Future Cinema production. If there’s any way to turn an ordinary movie experience into a fun, action-packed evening, Future Cinema is it.

Simply put, Future Cinema is live cinema. They don’t just play the film. They create a theatrical world around the film that fully immerses you into an environment that makes you feel like you’re in the movie. So we bought tickets and went to see Casablanca. Though I’d never seen the film beforehand, that didn’t ruin my experience (but I bet it would’ve been 10x cooler if I knew what was going on).

Our experience started before we even got to the venue, and I honestly felt like I left that place in the middle of World War II. Our confirmation emails gave us a passport along with a name, nationality, and directions on how to dress to get into the show.

Casablanca Paperwork — My passport, exit papers, Francs, and literature on France

I was Dana Yevseyeva from Slovenia. And my email told me to wear the sign of the snake, learn the Marseillaise song if I believe in a Free France, and bring jewels to barter with on the black market to secure an exit visa to America. I had no idea what to expect.

The Troxy was decked out as Rick’s Café Américain as we entered in through the Caroline Street entrance, a dark side street that was crowded with an audience dressed head-to-toe in 1940’s era clothing. The actors were spot on. About a block away we were accosted by what we believe were prostitutes. The policemen were so intimidating I’m actually not convinced that they weren’t actual policemen. While we were in line, these stone-faced guards picked men from the line to push against the wall, screaming “I said put your hands on the wall, what are you stupid?” When they grabbed our papers the interrogation and sweating began (I don’t do well during confrontation). We were scolded for mispronouncing our names, and teased because we didn’t look Slovenian. I felt like I was in an unwelcoming foreign country doing something illegal and I needed to hide my American-ness for fear of being exiled or murdered.

Policemen at Casablanca — The policemen were so intimidating that we were scared to take photos. This is what happened.

We walked inside and made our way through halls and stairways of potted plants before reaching the grand room that smelled of Moroccan food thanks to Moro. London-based French musician Benoit Viellefon and his Orchestra welcomed guest singers on stage while the dancers moved to the rhythm in their sequined bodysuits.

Inside the Troxy — Part of the stage setup

Rick's Cafe Americain — The lovely overpriced cocktail menu that I fell victim to

Inside London Troxy — Who needs cushiony, reclining theater seats?

As we made our way towards our seats it became difficult to figure out who was in character and who was another theater-goer looking to start up a conversation. I was taking notes on my cell phone when a woman came up to me in a frenzy, warning me that “the Nazis can intercept everything, so you should be very careful when using communication devices.” After she thoroughly confused me with her political French talk, an attractive French man came up and started flirting with me, which kind of sucked because only in a world of make believe did an attractive French man ever hit on me. It’s hard to respond when you know the person hitting on you is only doing so because it’s his job (is this how men feel at strip clubs? I’m gonna go with probably not). What’s even more weird is that he started acting like he knew my character, saying things like “are you good at gambling? You used to be,” before giving me 20 (fake) Francs to gamble with.

Hard to see, but Marcus coyly took this photo while I try to figure out if this chick is an actress or spectator.

Gambling with fake money — The roulette table in the back, where security only allowed certain people to play.

Ilsa Lund — The actress dressed as Ilsa from Casablanca, dining amongst the rest of us.

Me in a fez — One of the girls with us stole this fez from a security guard. And yes, I know I’m not very 1940’s-ish. Especially with my iPhone falling out of my belt.

In the couple of hours leading up to showtime we were seated about eight to a round table, enjoying our drinks while checking out all of the dapper men in suits, when all of a sudden a shout or loud noise would grab our attention and a short scene would unfold. One time it was even [SPOILER ALERT]… gunshots.

I wasn’t going to buy into the overpriced food, but those gunshots jumpstarted my appetite (okay maybe it was the two overpriced Moscow Mules), so I needed some food in me. This salad surprisingly did the trick thanks to that huge hunk of creamy brie and the warm flakey bread.

At this point in the evening, though I’d never seen the film I had a pretty good idea of what it was about. Then the smaller than expected screen (to be fair I think I was expecting IMAX) dropped down, the film began, and the experience did a total 180. The sound system was not that great so it was hard to hear the dialogue over the crunching popcorn and cocktails being shaken, (not stirred). People were now drunk and giggling and talking. Or maybe that was just the brown-bagging alcoholics I was sitting next to.

Overall, Future Cinema did an excellent job of making me feel like it was 1941. I walked out of that place still convinced there was a war going on. Plus I actually sat down to watch a film I probably wouldn’t normally watch, so I finally understood the 4,981 “Here’s looking at you, kid” and “of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine” references that have gone completely over my head for the past 27 years.

SHOULD YOU DO IT?

Yes, absolutely. It’s £25, or roughly $38, but if you’re looking for a different London experience Future Cinema is definitely it. Just plan on making an evening of it. Drinks and food cost extra so bring some money, and plan on staying after the film for some more dancing. Dress up, act the part, and transport yourself into the movie. The only regret I have is that I didn’t get more into character, but I didn’t exactly include 1940’s style clothing in my luggage when I packed.

Casablanca ended on March 23rd, but next up is Saturday Night Fever from June 15th – July 9th. If you want to bump up the excitement a little more, check out Secret Cinema. It’s basically the same thing except you don’t know what movie you’re going to. I didn’t get a chance to see it but I hear it’s incredible, just check out this awesome video for the Secret Cinema production of The Shawshank Redemption.

Tags Casablanca, London, Morocco, movie, theater

Europe Living Abroad Unesco World Heritage Sites

That Time I Was Mildly Underwhelmed by Stonehenge

Post author By Just Visiting
Post date May 27, 2013
4,220 Comments on That Time I Was Mildly Underwhelmed by Stonehenge

When my mom and aunt flew over to London we took a day trip out to Newbury to see where my aunt had lived when she met and married my uncle. Of course, once I looked at a map and realized that Newbury was only about a 45 minute drive from Stonehenge, I immediately volunteered my aunt as our personal chauffeur/tour guide.

We spent the morning touring the English countryside from the warmth of a car, and had the most incredibly delicious Sunday roast at The Star Inn.

There wasn’t much to see during the drive. The skies were grey and the windshield wipers moved across the glass the entire time. But there in the middle of the rolling fields of meandering sheep and more than 200 mysterious burial mounds, the stones arose from Salisbury Plain. They looked smaller than I’d expected, arranged in a circle that seemed tiny compared to the massive space of openness surrounding them. But the sheer fact that their construction began in 3100 BC, 300 years before the Egyptian pyramids were built was astounding.

Sheep — Stones on one side, sheep on the other

We parked the car and hesitantly made our way to pay £8 at the entrance. It was cold, windy, and we were going in at the same time as about 200 French students. Not exactly the best circumstances for a leisurely sightseeing stroll.

Since the actual stones were roped off in the 1970’s to prevent damage and erosion, tons of people (including myself) have complained about the inability to go into the circle of rocks and see it up close. If you just show up like we did, the closest you’re able to get is right at the entrance where you’re still at least 30 feet away, if not more. Then you can walk in a circle well beyond the ditch that surrounds it, while the exaggerated loop around the far side takes you even further from the stones. If you plan on taking pictures, you’d better pack a decent zoom lens.

Stonehenge — This shot gives you a pretty realistic idea of how far back the rope keeps you from the stones.

Between the frigid, nonstop wind and the fact that we were constantly moving so that we didn’t find ourselves hopelessly absorbed into the mass of students, it was nearly impossible to truly appreciate everything around us. Of course visiting Stonehenge left me bewildered with the usual questions like “how did they transport such large stones from as far as 240 miles away?” “How were they lifted upright using such primitive tools?” “Why was it built?” “If I jump over the rope and run towards the stones at full speed, how many good pictures can I realistically snap before security escorts me out?” “Can I lick the stones? Just one?”

But I also found myself curious about the restoration efforts, and how they’ve altered the way the giant stones were first discovered and originally intended. They’ve been lifted, straightened, and put into cement since then, which always leaves me curious on where they draw the line between preserving and reconstructing.

Just over a mile from the stones, English Heritage is working on building a £27 million centre that will not only teach visitors more about Stonehenge, but allow them to digitally go inside the site as well. They say it’s meant to “give people a sense of what it is like to stand in the middle of Stonehenge because most people just won’t be able to do that.” Seems weird to me. Travel all that way to Stonehenge just to explore it in a virtual reality type experience? I think you’re better off planning in advance to go into the circle.

SHOULD YOU VISIT?

Obviously if you’re a thrill-seeker Stonehenge isn’t the most enthralling experience unless you plan to jump on a random sheep and ride it through the stones like an obstacle course.

Sure it’s a bit underwhelming, but it’s still Stonehenge. And for that reason alone it’s worth it. I’d imagine with a little planning you could spend an awesome sunrise or sunset inside the stones and it’d be an unforgettable experience. Add a few pit stops along the way to check out some nearby towns or even Avebury and it’d really make for an awesome day. But if you can help it, don’t go during the “coldest winter in 50 years” like we did.

Mamabear and I bundled up at Stonehenge — Mamabear and I bundled up

Tags England, English Roast, Newbury, Stonehenge, Wiltshire