Easterm Europe: Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Croatia

Hey erryone!

So tomorrow were 3/4 of the way through our trip! So crazy!!! I'm excited to see all my friends and family but very sad to be coming to the end of the most amazing adventure of my life!

Live, free open-air opera in Vienna

So after saying goodbye to my mom, we continued on to Vienna, Austria. I knew I would love this city, seeing as though it is home to some of the worlds best classical music, composers and the Vienna Phil but man I was not prepared for just how awesome and diverse it was!! All I can say is: live, free open-air opera, giant spinach gnocchi and potato with bacon so big we couldnt even eat a quarter of it, the beautiful Danube, boats and nudists, and the Vienna pride parade with some of the nicest people I have ever met.

Day 1 we happened to be in Vienna over pride and it was a time! Beer steins were the going thing, as were men in leiderhosen buying Daniel and me drinks. We met the "Pride King", who had just won the biggest Pride award and was the nicest guy ever. He also happens to be eligible, and a butcher (which means he knows how to handle meat). It was a blast. After, we got invited for dinner and more beers (delivered to your door!) by some friends we had just met (shout out to Elke and Ludz!), who made us cheesy sausages which were soooo yummy!

PRIDE!!!

With the Pride King

Men in leiderhosen...cant resist!

Our new friends

Day 2 involved renting a sweet motor boat and exploring all through the beautiful blue Danube. It was super hot that whole week (about 41 degrees), so it was the perfect way too cool off! We just jumped out of the boat whenever we got too hot. Vienna is seriously the most beautiful city. The Danube is so old-world feeling, I understand why my Czech grandparents always came here for their holidays. I felt like I was in the 70s. And yet, the downtown of Vienna is so vibrant and modern. The pride celebration took place on the gardens and parks of the Hapsburg palace from the 18th century. Such a beautiful mix of old and new! I could SERIOUSLY live here!! Probably my favourite city I've seen so far!

Daniel "manning" the boat down the Danube

THE BRAT AND 'PEST 

After Austria, it was on to Slovakia. The capital, Bratislava, is only 45 minutes from Vienna, but it is like entering a totally different world! Made famous by Eurotrip fame, it actually is kind of like that! Eveything is pretty "Eastern" European and just feels totally different from Austria. People are a little more reserved, buildings are more run-down, there isn't the same infrastructure and everything is seriously cheap. Pints of beer for 1 euro! Even cheaper than Prague! And food was insanely good and so cheap as well! While we were there, it was a heat wave, and unlike Vienna, you can't swim in the Danube here. So we were suffering!! But we consoled ourselves by drinking cheap beer and finding places with AC (barely effective AC), since our hostel did not have any.

One of the best meals of my life

 One thing Slovakia is famous for is its sheep cheese, and we found a local, organic restuarant that is famous for it! They literally bring all their food from their farm which is 45 minutes away from the city so this meal was insanely good. Actually, could compete for one of the best meals of my entire life. It was that good. So on the left we have a sort of schnitzel, covered in mashed potato-type thing then deep-fried and smothered with cheese. Oh man. On the left, my personal favourite, we have potato spaetzle (kind of like mini gnocchi) covered in sheeps cheese and cream and crackling BACON. OMG. I died when I first tried this dish. I would gladly go back to Bratislava and pay 3 euros to have it again anyday!! Other highlights of Bratislava incuded going on a pub crawl with these awesome Brits I met (hey Manti and Preety!). It was all you can drink wine and beer for the first hour, then free shots at every bar we went to. Needless to say I was pretty tipsy! I have to say, the Brits showed me up :S BUT I had been using beer to stay cool all day, so when they come to Canada, we can show them how its done. 

Ballin out of control with 100,000HUF!

Chillin at the Buda baths

After Slovakia, it was on to Budapest! Super cool city, also a very different feel from the rest of Europe! We got to take out 100,000 HUF (Hungarian Forinths) so we felt pretty damn cool. We met an awesome guy from Norway, Kriss, who really made our time here special. We went to these amazing thermal baths right in the center of the city with him. There are over 30 different baths, all with different temperatures and minerals, some with currents and waves, some without, indoors and outdoors, so there is really something for everyone, and for all occasions. When we went it was 43 degrees, so I just lay in the cold pool outside and had the best time. Somehow, Kriss and Daniel were still in the hot pool and were seriously bro-ing out. The whole thing is also set in and outside of this incredible castle, so you really feel like a Hungarian king while you're there.

Budapest is also famous for its nightlife. They have these incredible "ruin bars", where they take basically anything and everything and make it into art. There were toilets hanging from the ceilings, pots and pans, posters, christmas lights, laundry baskets, basically anything and it was sooooo artistic! Really incredible. The bar we went to is also supposedly the 3rd best bar in the world, called Szimpla. If you're in the area, I highly recommend it! Another thing that was so amazing was that we met some super cool native Budapest-ers(?) who took us under their wing and decided to show us the best night. We met Jasper and Jenna at Szimpla and Jasper was like: "okay. Here's the plan. First we will get some beer, then some kebab, then we will take a taxi up to the Pest castle on the hill and we will watch the sunrise. Okay?" We were like, heck yes!! So it was a plan! We got to see the most incredible sunrise over the city, and explore the castle by the early morning light. Oh, and it was also the summer solstice. I have SO many beautiful pictures I can't even pick one!! What an incredible experience!

Szimpla ruin bar

Daniel consuming the solstice.. so metal.

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL EXPERIENCE!!!!

After Buda, we went to Kezsthely lake with Kriss, who decided to come along with us! This lake is the biggest one in Europe, and is famous for its beaches and hot springs nearby! There we met Sofie, another super cool Scandinavian (from Denmark). We had so much fun with these two, swimming in the thermal lake near Kezsthely, teaching them how to play Kings, walking around the lake and just learning about each other's culture.

Swimming in the thermal lake complex

Being silly with Kriss and Sofie

We finally left Hungary to see Croatia. We said goodbye to Kriss, which was sad since we'd been travelling together for almost a week! He is a super cool dude, and we hope to come visit him in Norway/London soon! Sofie decided to come with us to Croatia, and we found the most beautiful coast we had seen so far! Such beautiful turquoise water, olive groves everywhere and friendly people who gave us free grappa (super strong fruit alcohol). We were happy to finally have a real beach again, and took full advantage of it. We stayed in the small town of Funtana, close to Rovinj.  

Emjoying the sun and waters of Croatia

We visited Rovinj as well, and it was so incredible. Perched on top of the Mediterranean, it looks just like a jewel coming out of the ocean. It is so nice to come back to the Mediterranean for the first time since Spain! We also indulged in fresh tomatoes, cheese, olives, wine and the yummiest local olive oil.

We only stayed for a few days in Croatia, then on to Italy. Sofie decided to come to Venice with us as well, but that's the next chapter!

Daniel being a badass in front of Rovinj

Eastern Europe was incredible. It really is different from Western Europe, and feels untouched and completely natural. You can go to Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, and feel like you are living how the locals there live. This is also because in these places, the locals are so friendly and eager to show you their beautiful countries. They are so generous as well, in an old-world way that we just don't appreciate anymore in quick-moving big cities. It really makes you take a step back and move at a slower pace. 

Well, hopefully I'll not move on a slower pace with these blogs and get some more pumped out while I have a computer here in Naxos! Anyways, till next time, miss you all and enjoy! 

Czech Republic with the madre!

Wow so I'm super behind on blogs!

Ok... so Czech! I was really excited for this leg of the travel because my dad's family is Czech and I always wanted to "go back to the homeland" to see how they lived and what their life was like. My grandfather lived in the Sudetenlands but luckily could perceive what was about to happen to Jewish people like him and left in 1937/8. He tried to convince his whole family to come with him, but they were well set up with their business and life, so the only person who came with him was his brother. My grandfather was only 16 or 17 at the time, and the rest of his family was killed in concentration or work camps. He left behind everything, and we only now are starting to reclaim some of his property. I cant even begin to imagine what that must have been like, but it definitely set up this country differently in my head!

We arrived in Prague only a few days after major floods had hit the city. We were a little worried about if we could even go but it must show how resilient the Czech people are because everything was open and when we asked people if everything was okay, they would just shrug and say, "Well, it wasn't as bad as 2002!" After learning more about the history of Czech, this attitude makes sense since the Czech people really suffered alot over the last century, with WW1, the annexation of the Sudetenlands, WW2, migration of the German people and Soviet takeover. The things you don't know until you visit a place!

We met my mom at the Prague airport and I was SO happy to see her! I've really missed her the last while! Prague is such an amazingly beautiful city. It seems like every building is ornate, historic and seems to tell a story. For example, this church (below) is Gothic and Baroque from the 12th century and tells a story about a man who came in a tried to steal some gold from the statue of Mary. She apparently came alive and chopped off his hand. To warn other people not to steal, they HUNG UP his hand in the church, where it remains, 600 years later!

Some dudes hand

Beautiful buildings in Prague

So we spent a few amazing days in Prague, just walking around the city, going up the tower at sunset and exploring the MASSIVE Prague castle. Mom and I also saw a classical concert in this old church in the castle complex. We enjoyed yummy goulash, red cabbage, bread dumplings, potato dumplings, and Daniel's favourite that he must have had at EVERY meal: Bramboraky (basically like a potato latke). Although he actually admitted it was BETTER than latkes.. I hope his bubbie doesn't read this!! And of course, we drank lots and lots of light and dark and frothy beer, which all Czechs claim is the best in the world (and I don't disagree!)

Duck and goulash and potato dumplings and fish and bramborek... oh my! 

Prague at sunset

After Prague, it was on to Zatec, the original home of my family. We met with a father and son team who specialize in land claims. It was amazing to see where my family lived and what they did (grew hops to make beer). We also had lunch in a small, traditional Czech restaurant/microbrewery.

Part of the original Reiss family home in Zatec, Czech Republic

After, it was on to Pilsn, the home of all Pilsner beer and also Pilsner Urquell, the brewery. Hops grown in the Zatec area (I later found out), are some of the best in the world for making beer, and is what Pilsner Urquell uses to make their beer taste so awesome. Hmm... looks like my family was onto something there! Maybe I'll have to go back one day and get into the beer making business! We toured the PU factory, saw the production of bottling and the old and new vats that they make beer in- super cool experience! Then we got to drink unfiltered beer right out of the barrels; definitely a different taste to it, but awesome once you get used to it! We also went to the 3rd largest/most important synagogue in the world, which was in Pilsn.

I can fit through a beer barrel! 

After Pilsn, we drove through the tiny town of Chodova Plana, where there is a beer spa, restaurant and brewery from 1117. The thing to do there is to get a beer bath (not kidding). So we jumped in feet first (literally), and climbed into a warm dark beer-filled bath complete with a foot full of brown-ish foam. Surprisingly, it was a relaxing and unforgettable experience! They even give you pints of beer while you're in the tub, which you can refill for yourself when you go dry! Seriously, so awesome and at the end of it, all of us noticed how soft our skin was and how relaxed we were.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTX4exUXtb8UXtb8

Check out the link above, from the show, worlds weirdest restaurants (done and done.)

Our final stop in Czech was Cesky Krumlov. This medieval city has the beautiful Vltava running through it, a hilltop castle and narrow winding cobblestone streets- what more could you want! Unfortunately because of the floods, we couldn't do the typical thing, which is to rent floaties and float down the river (beer in hand), but we managed to get up to all sorts of other things. The first night there, we went to "Gorilla Rock Bar" and met some super cool Slovaks and Czechs. We also wandered around the town and ate lots of gelato. Then we toured the hilltop castle and gardens and took tons of pictures of the colourful buildings. We also ate at a traditional Medieval restaurant that has been around for hundreds of years in the original building. We sampled rabbit, two types of traditional cabbage, potato kugel-type thing and drank some STRONG warm, cinnamon mead. Mom was definitely tipsy by the end of it! And a perfect DOUBLE rainbow to top it all off!

All in all, it was a great way to finish an amazing week in Czech with my mom. We were so happy to travel with her and it was so amazing to learn more about my heritage with her.

Enjoying our last meal with my mom...rabbit!

Une petite morceau de la France, and Deutschland!

HELLOOOOOOOOOO

I'm currently sitting in Bratislava in 41 degree weather trying to catch up on some posts! Unbelievable but we're almost halfway through our trip!! It's so incredible, the things we've seen and experienced and yet it feels like we just left yesterday as well. Time really does fly...

So, when we last left off we were in Metz, France. We had a hilarious mix-up with the hostel (they sent us a confirmation email but apparently it was only a confirmation that they got my reservation, not that they were actually confirming that we could stay there). The super French hostel guy was like "it is not possible." so we got a little rattled, called his system stupid and went to sleep in our car that night. Even after covering all the windows and windshield with towels and clothes, it was still freezing cold and a pretty uncomfortable night. But thank goodness we had the car otherwise we would have probably froze to death on a park bench! (Grammy, if you're reading this, don't worry, we didn't actually freeze to death).

Our wondrous pink Peugeot 208 keeps us warm

After Metz it was on to Strasbourg where we met up with the lovely Franziska who took us around the beautiful city, introduced us to all her friends and helped us have an awesome night full of all you can eat and drink flammekeuche and beer! Flammekeuche is a local Strasbourgian specialty of thin dough with creme fraiche, lardons and onions put in the oven-yummy! It has been so nice to hang out with local people and the European generosity has no bounds! Hopefully Franziska will come back to Canada so we can return the favour and introduce her to some beavertails! 

"Soiree" in Strasbourg with Franziska and her awesome friends 

After saying au revoir to France and any ability to communicate in the local language, it was on to Germany! First up was Stuttgart, where Daniel drooled over the Mercedes museum and all the nice cars there. We also took a side trip to Baden-Baden to hike through the beautiful Black Forest. It's awesome how everything in Europe is so dedicated to getting around on foot or bike (or scooter). There are literally thousands of kilometers of marked and well-kept trails and you can literally hike from town to town, stopping in for lunch and beer on the way (which we did). 

Then it was on to Munich. Oh Munich, how we underestimated you. What can I say? 1L steins of beer, beergardens, huge gardens where everyone sunbathes nude, amazing meat and scnitzel and knodel dumplings, beautiful old churches and buildings, kind and generous people... it just doesn't end. I think this city and I could get along quite well. Our first day there, we went to a beergarden/beerhall  that can seat 3000 people and had AMAZING food. After getting our first few litres of beer out of the way, we met the most amazing 70-something year old couple, Hans and Helga Schlotter. Even though communication was sometimes difficult (Helga didn't speak any English but seemed to have an uncanny ability to understand everything), we had a blast. By the end of the night, they were family, bought our beer for us, and told us to come visit them in Frankfurt anytime. What a special experience! 

The next day, we wandered around the beautiful and huge Englisher garden, sunbathed and drank more beer and walked around the historical centre of Munich. We also experienced the joy of having knodel in a bowl of its own gravy...mmm!! And then, much to Daniel's enjoyment, it was on to the BMW museum and HUGE Welt, where you can look at and even get into beautiful new BMWs. 

Trying out a sweet bike in the BMW Welt. I think I could be a biker chick, ya?

Our last night in Munich was also memorable. We stayed at the Tent Hostel and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone who's going there. It's basically a huge hippie-type commune in the middle of a park in the city, where they have huge circus tents set up with bunk beds inside to sleep 100. There's also a kitchen/restaurant where they feed you and give you beer. And of course, a huge campfire where you can sit around, talk and meet some amazing people. And volleyball courts, table tennis, fields to run around in, all in this beautiful park. It was like summer camp for grownups, and we met some awesome people and had such an amazing night!

The next morning, it was off to Dachau to see the first concentration camp ever opened in 1933, and also the one that all other camps were modeled after. Definitely a profoundly moving experience, and still seems so fresh even after so many years. Also personal for me since all the Jews from Sudenland, Czech Republic where my family is from went there. When you actually see the pictures and buildings where everything took place it definitely takes on a new meaning. 

After Dachau, it was off to Prague to meet up with my mom and travel Czech with her! To be continued...

Please comment or message me, it's nice to hear from all you special people :)

France!

Hello everyone and sorry if there are typos- I äm typing from a German Keyboard and it's verz confusing!!

It's been awhile: Daniel and I have been biking, Walking, driving and wine/cheese tasting all through France and Computers have been scarce!

After a very interesting drive through San Sebastian on the Spanish/French border (hail, torrential rain and 2 degree weather), we arrived in Bordeaux. Immediately after crossing the border (with NO Police or anything) we realiyed we were definitely not in Spain anymore! Bordeaux is beautiful, very quaint and cute on a river, but with enough of a student Population to keep things interesting. I would probably get dirty Looks from Frenchies for saying this, but Bordeaux felt like a mini Paris. We indulged in our first tastes of French wine, multiple types of cheese (tomme de montagne, delices de gorgogne and many MANY yummy types of chevre) and of course amazing fresh and warm Baguette. We were pretty happy, little did we know that the cheese would get even better...

Daniel enjoying fine cheese and Baguette in Bordeaux

On to the Loire valley, where we rented bikes for two days to explore the many incredible chateaus from the 15th-18th centuries. The guy we rented from in Amboise ambitiously thought we could bike 85km in 2 days and said it was 'very nice and flat'. False on both counts. After biking uphill in the rain for about 40 mins we decided to revise the plan and stay overnight in a tiny town called Montrichard. The Loire is beautiful: hills and farmlands and sheep and basically makes you realize why Catan exists. We saw Chenanceau, a beautiful Castle on a river, and tasted some local crepes and wine (in a cave).

 

Daniel in a field

Tasting some local wine in a cave

 

After the Loire was Paris, where my cousin was nice enough to put us up for a week, and my friend Sophia as well for a few days! Paris is amazing at any time and in any weather (luckily, because we haven't had a day of sun in 3 weeks). The locals even suffered through my French and we felt very much like we could fit into this lifestyle. Mary-Jane (my cousin) took us out for a typical Parisian meal and showed us where to buy good groceries: 'this boulangerie, not that one, that one's no good. this one!' We happily followed her advice and bought cheese from the fromagerie, meat from the bucherie, bread and multiple pastries from the good boulangerie and fresh vegetables from the ... vegetablerie(?). All were amazingly delicious and we ate like kings. We also saw the sights, climbed the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, met up with Sophia in Montmartre, drank cider and lazed around the Luxembourg gardens and ate Falafel in the Jewish quarter (and bought lots of cool clothes).

 

Me and Mary Jane in a typical Parisian brasserie

 

Then, we met up with our friends Jean-Charles and Jordan in Chablis. We had met them in Barcelona and became fast friends and they invited us to see their town and sample some of the local 'vine'. We had an awesome day of sampling wine, eating local delicacies and more sampling of wine (in a huge Underground cave!). They are the nicest and most generous People, and even bought me a bottle of very fine cremont (champagne not from Champagne) as a present. I hope when they come to Canada I can return the favour somehow!

 

Our friends in the Chablisieng winery

 

After Paris was Metz and Strasbourg to visit my friend Franziska but People want to get on this Computer so those tales will have to wait!

 

Anyways, we're doing well. We LOVED France and it's definitely a place to come back to one day to see more of and spend more time in. I totally am down with the culture and lifestyle and my French improved so much over only two weeks! We're in Germany now, I will try to update again soon! Miss everyone!! Cant wait to see my mom in 4 days in Prague!

 

xo 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Andorra and Spain

Hola amigos!

Here we are in Espana! After our last Portugese stop in Porto we flew to Toulouse to pick up our car, stayed in Andorra (a tiny country in between France and Spain) and for the last week we´ve been travelling through Spain.

The constant rambling lifestyle of travelling is really starting to sink in. Showers and comfortable beds are becoming few and far between, and normal things from home like cream cheese, driving a car and understanding the native language are now nonexistent  However, the overwhelming benefits of getting to experience new people and places everyday greatly outweigh not having those simple comforts.

Without sounding too negative, Spain has not really been me and Daniel´s thing. Like anything else, there are ups and downs in life, and it is disappointing to have a country you´ve been excited for to not live up to your expectations. However, in the wise words of Daniel´s mother, "you are free spirits! go where you want!"

Obviously there have been uniquely Spanish experiences that have been unforgettable. One was definitely our hostel in Barcelona. I have never been in a place where everyone is so friendly and fun and so willing to put themselves out there to make friends. We were so lucky to get to know an amazing group of people in such a short time, and we picked up a super cool Aussie (Kiri) to travel Spain with in the process. We also met some awesome French dudes who suffered through my French, and who invited us to visit them on their farm in Chably. Can´t wait to meet up with everyone again!

Our group of friends from Barcelona








Some other amazing Spanish experiences included: swimming in turquoise natural hot springs surrounded by rock walls completely by ourselves, seeing the amazing Sagrada Famillia by pure luck (normally tickets get sold out and the lines are 2 hours but we managed to find online tickets!) and the gorgeous Alhambra in Granada. Also, lots of (topless) beach days with our friend Kiri.

when in Valencia...








Before Spain we went to Andorra for two nights. Andorra is AWESOME but I´ve never met a single person who´s been there. To be fair, the country is only 20km by 30km big, and on top of a mountain BUT it´s incredible. Please go if you have the opportunity! We were the ONLY people staying in our hotel, but luckily it´s super safe and we became besties with our hotelkeeper. Andorra feels like one of those last refuges of old world charm and rustic nature truly appreciated by its natives.

Beautiful mountains and snow (in May) at 2000m







A highlight was having a super yummy 3 course meal (including a full bottle of wine) for 8€. We were served by an 80 year old woman who spoke NO English and very little French, but who somehow communicated that our dessert, the crema of Catalan, would put roses in our cheeks.





Daniel with our favourite lady








Anyways, off to France tomorrow to follow our hearts. It was the two year anniversary of my dad´s passing the other day, so I´m going to spread some of his ashes there. In my favourite picture of him, he´s holding two baguettes surrounded by the fields of the French countryside. He looks so incredibly happy and at ease, so I think he would be okay with that. Hope everyone is well, and please comment! 323 blog views already! Pretty awesome :)

Portugal Part 2: Evora, Sintra and Porto

Hey errrryone! I know we just posted a blog BUT we have free computer access at our hostel in Porto so we figured we should take advantage of it! Porto is the second biggest city in Portugal and also where Port wine comes from (from our samplings, it is very very yummy). We are staying at "The Wine Hostel", where a glass of port of any variety is 1€. We also sampled the glorious francesinha or "grilled cheese from Hell" as our American room mate called it. Basically it's a heart attack on a plate; sandwich with roast beef, sausage, smoked sausage and some sort of corned beef thing inside bread that has been smothered with copious amounts of cheese then drenched with a spicy cheesy gravy and mounds of tiny french fries. 5 € fed us for breakfast and I think I speak for both of us when I say I don't think I'll ever need to eat again!

The famous francesinha













Before Porto we explored Sintra and Evora (Ehh-vrah). Sintra is a beautiful city inside what feels like a jungle, with multiple gorgeous castles perched on top of mountains in the town. It's so hard to describe what it's like until you're roaring up through switchbacks in a moss covered forest, seeing ruins of castles whizzing by from as early as 400 AD. The last castle seems determined to outdo them all and is covered in pink and yellow and looks like it's from a Disney movie.

The jungles and castle ruins of Sintra

After Sintra, we went to Evora, which I was very excited about because of the song "Tango to Evora" by Loreena McKennitt, who apparently went to Evora and was captivated by the beauty and timelessness of the city. We met a cool dude from Spain and sat out on the rooftop patio of our hostel with him, drinking rum and watching the sun set over the red tile roofs.

 The beautiful city of Evora at dusk

Anyways, it's amazing here so far, every city we've seen is so unique but beautiful in its own way! We're off to Toulouse tomorrow to pick up our car then going to drive through the 31 roundabouts (literally. I counted.) to Andorra on a whim :) we'll see how it turns out! 

Hope everyone is well, please comment and miss you all! 

~Caroline

OK, the fun one is going to write now. Ms.NoFun has said pretty much everything for the both of us. Portugal has been beyond amazing. When we first planned our trip, we both viewed it is a means to an end rather than an end in it of its self. However, upon arrival we have both been amazed by the people, the fish, and the imagery. Every city is distinctly different from the last yet remains united as Portuguese. 

     The pictures speak more to the country than anything i could say (thankfully "NoFunMolly" is a pretty deece photographer :P) 

Captain Fantastical  

Portugal Part 1: Lisbon and Cascais

Hey everyone! So here we are in Portugal. I have to say, when I was thinking ahead to the trip I was most excited about Portugal. It seems to be a place less frequently visited but everyone who goes seems to be captivated by it, and it has definitely lived up to my expectations! Lisbon is a big but beautiful city with red tile roofs, bright colorful houses, large sunlit squares and cool narrow alleys. It's right on the River Tejo (which is actually the ocean) and our first few days were spent just walking around, drinking beer in the Praço do Commerçio and trying to explore all the cobblestone alleyways in the historical Alfama district. At night we listened to traditional fado music- historically they are melancholy songs descended from African slave ballads. People come and sing off the street and they are given a cup of wine for their efforts. We sat next to a Portugese couple and ate amazing cheese and pão (bread). We also visited the amazing Castillo do São Jorge; a hilltop castle with amazing views of Lisbon and the ocean with beautiful trees and we got to climb up the castle tower! Still don't know who/what São Jorge is... Portuguese is very difficult and dissimilar to most other languages where I might have some hope of communication. It's almost Germanic or even Slavic sounding, with some Spanish and French and Italian words thrown in. Needless to say, we're happy to say most people speak a little English and/or French! Our hostel is also beautiful, right by the ocean and super clean. We met a cool dude from Ecuador who's studying at la Sorbonne and luckily speaks French, English and Spanish very well. We became best friends over a couple (several) glasses of duty-free rum (only $16!!!) and coke.

Travelled to Cascais (cash-kay) yesterday by train along the coast. It's a super adorable town on the ocean with a beautiful white sand beach and a Harbourfront full of fishing boats. Our hostel is right in the main part of town and is full of restaurants and bars. We ate a plate full of sardines for dinner and drank cerveja (beer). We have the entire hostel to ourselves since it just opened, including a huge patio! So awesome! Breakfast was also made for us this morning when we got up. So far Portigal is so beautiful and amazing! Tomorrow were traveling to Evora, the Porto.

Miss everyone! Thinking of you while we're relaxing on the beach :P