I have definitely been remiss in the blog posting as of late, so sorry everyone! You have to understand that while Katy and I like each other, there are plenty of times in these past 5 (yikes!) months that we have absolutely nothing to talk about- and with that time, we upload pictures, update our blogs, etc etc. Well the past few weeks have (fortunately!) been filled with FRIENDS!!!! so we have spent the time that we normally would to chronicle this trip being social :)
But what have we done? I'll give you a brief summary, working backwards...just to keep everyone up to date. I'm afraid any picture uploading from this portion of the trip might have to be done after I return home at the rate I am currently moving at- but I will try my best.
As I currently write, I am perched on the top deck of the Holland America Ryndam sailing through the fjords of Norway. Yes, ladies and gentlemen- we have taken our backpacking selves and boarded a cruise ship (primarily filled with senior citizens)....and you know what? We are having a fantastic time! I don't think either one of us still understands how a cruise to Norway fits into this trip around the world, but the price was right and the departure port was London, so we figured why the heck not? And I am lucky enough to have two spontaneous friends, Em and Kelli, who booked the cruise with us shortly after they heard about it....so I am getting a taste of home as I explore Scandanavia! (I want to put in a sidenote here and mention that Emily and Kelli are part of the reason I am on this trip- they helped spark my travel bug when we travled to Italy in 2009 along with our other very good friend Nicole, and our dear friend Zack (also Em's husband :)....AND- thank you Zack for giving us your wife for the week, especially over your birthday :).
So the four of us met up on this ship Saturday (Katy and I from London, Kel from Italy (she was on holiday the week before as well), and Em all the way from San Francisco!). Since Saturday, we have spent hours wandering around the ship, playing Taboo, requesting songs from the piano man Paul, and exploring the cities of Oslo and Kristiansand.
And the other thing worth mentioning....one of my favorite things about travel:: Katy and I were able to meet up with not one, but TWO, of our travel buddies from previous trips while in Oslo, of all places. Our friend Elise traveled with us in Peru in March of 2011 and lives in Oslo, and our friend Dennis who hiked Annapurna with us in April, is from Sweden, and is currently working in Oslo.....so on Monday, the 6 of us had lunch (Myself, Katy, Em, Kel, Dennis, and Elise---good things my friends are all easygoing and like meeting new people!!)
Now lets keep working backwards..........
Before Norway? We were in............England!!! We landed (from Athens) at Heathrow the night of June 16th and were greeted with open arms by our very good friend Brandon, who we travled with in Chile this past October. He (along with his two roommates, Harry and Shauana) was our MORE than gracious host(s) for the week as we used his Hammersmith, Lodon apartment as our home base for exploring not only London, but England. He was able to get part of the week off of work, and the three of us headed to Stonhenge, Cambridge, and Dartmoor National Park- one of the prettiest places I have ever been. Picture "English countryside" and you see Dartmoor. Undulating green hills, rocky tors (basically miniature mountains) poking out of the ground, wild ponies crossing the road, and sheep dotting the fields as far out as you can see. We spent two days making our way around this park, spending the night in a teeny English town inside of the park. We also stopped off in Plymouth, a nearby naval town, to check out the waterfront and the lighthouse.
On Thursday, it was back to work for Brandon and time to tube around the city for Katy and I. We hit all the classic places: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, etc etc. Thursday night we were lucky enough to make the connection with our friends Sam and Shi (London natives we met traveling in Laos back in February) for a couple of pints. Friday it was more "London" for us, followed by Chicago at the Garrick Theatre with Brandon to wrap up our week together. Being the great friend that he is, he took us 2.5 hours to the cruise port of Dover the following morning, where we parted ways (but not for long, we'll be meeting up with him when we get back to the UK after the cruise!).
And before that? Greece!!! (Sorry, it really has been a long time......)
Very brief summary: We took many ferries, spent a few nights on Mykonos and a few more on Santorini (I may be in love with Santorini- within hours of being on this island, it quickly worked its way up my "most beautiful places I've been" list..........), and then a few nights in Athens, shacking up again at a friend's place (Nick, who you may remember from my Turkey blog!). He was a great tour guide, taking us all around Athens (he studies there), and inviting us to crash his group's "final night abroad" party. May I also point out that the apartments that house the students from his university are the same that housed the Olympic athletes back in 2004 and it is rumored that Michael Phelps lived in his room during those Games (hey, its only based on some loose evidence, but in my mind- I definitely used Michael Phelps' bathroom.....).
Next up? Sailing to two more Norweigan towns over the next two days and then back to Dover (London, if you will) Saturday. Again, sorry for the lack of pictures but the internet speed combined with cruise ship internet prices would make uploading an insanely expensive, completely frustrating (and probably pointless) endeavor.
Hope everyone is well at home!
But what have we done? I'll give you a brief summary, working backwards...just to keep everyone up to date. I'm afraid any picture uploading from this portion of the trip might have to be done after I return home at the rate I am currently moving at- but I will try my best.
As I currently write, I am perched on the top deck of the Holland America Ryndam sailing through the fjords of Norway. Yes, ladies and gentlemen- we have taken our backpacking selves and boarded a cruise ship (primarily filled with senior citizens)....and you know what? We are having a fantastic time! I don't think either one of us still understands how a cruise to Norway fits into this trip around the world, but the price was right and the departure port was London, so we figured why the heck not? And I am lucky enough to have two spontaneous friends, Em and Kelli, who booked the cruise with us shortly after they heard about it....so I am getting a taste of home as I explore Scandanavia! (I want to put in a sidenote here and mention that Emily and Kelli are part of the reason I am on this trip- they helped spark my travel bug when we travled to Italy in 2009 along with our other very good friend Nicole, and our dear friend Zack (also Em's husband :)....AND- thank you Zack for giving us your wife for the week, especially over your birthday :).
So the four of us met up on this ship Saturday (Katy and I from London, Kel from Italy (she was on holiday the week before as well), and Em all the way from San Francisco!). Since Saturday, we have spent hours wandering around the ship, playing Taboo, requesting songs from the piano man Paul, and exploring the cities of Oslo and Kristiansand.
And the other thing worth mentioning....one of my favorite things about travel:: Katy and I were able to meet up with not one, but TWO, of our travel buddies from previous trips while in Oslo, of all places. Our friend Elise traveled with us in Peru in March of 2011 and lives in Oslo, and our friend Dennis who hiked Annapurna with us in April, is from Sweden, and is currently working in Oslo.....so on Monday, the 6 of us had lunch (Myself, Katy, Em, Kel, Dennis, and Elise---good things my friends are all easygoing and like meeting new people!!)
Now lets keep working backwards..........
Before Norway? We were in............England!!! We landed (from Athens) at Heathrow the night of June 16th and were greeted with open arms by our very good friend Brandon, who we travled with in Chile this past October. He (along with his two roommates, Harry and Shauana) was our MORE than gracious host(s) for the week as we used his Hammersmith, Lodon apartment as our home base for exploring not only London, but England. He was able to get part of the week off of work, and the three of us headed to Stonhenge, Cambridge, and Dartmoor National Park- one of the prettiest places I have ever been. Picture "English countryside" and you see Dartmoor. Undulating green hills, rocky tors (basically miniature mountains) poking out of the ground, wild ponies crossing the road, and sheep dotting the fields as far out as you can see. We spent two days making our way around this park, spending the night in a teeny English town inside of the park. We also stopped off in Plymouth, a nearby naval town, to check out the waterfront and the lighthouse.
On Thursday, it was back to work for Brandon and time to tube around the city for Katy and I. We hit all the classic places: Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, the Eye, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, etc etc. Thursday night we were lucky enough to make the connection with our friends Sam and Shi (London natives we met traveling in Laos back in February) for a couple of pints. Friday it was more "London" for us, followed by Chicago at the Garrick Theatre with Brandon to wrap up our week together. Being the great friend that he is, he took us 2.5 hours to the cruise port of Dover the following morning, where we parted ways (but not for long, we'll be meeting up with him when we get back to the UK after the cruise!).
And before that? Greece!!! (Sorry, it really has been a long time......)
Very brief summary: We took many ferries, spent a few nights on Mykonos and a few more on Santorini (I may be in love with Santorini- within hours of being on this island, it quickly worked its way up my "most beautiful places I've been" list..........), and then a few nights in Athens, shacking up again at a friend's place (Nick, who you may remember from my Turkey blog!). He was a great tour guide, taking us all around Athens (he studies there), and inviting us to crash his group's "final night abroad" party. May I also point out that the apartments that house the students from his university are the same that housed the Olympic athletes back in 2004 and it is rumored that Michael Phelps lived in his room during those Games (hey, its only based on some loose evidence, but in my mind- I definitely used Michael Phelps' bathroom.....).
Next up? Sailing to two more Norweigan towns over the next two days and then back to Dover (London, if you will) Saturday. Again, sorry for the lack of pictures but the internet speed combined with cruise ship internet prices would make uploading an insanely expensive, completely frustrating (and probably pointless) endeavor.
Hope everyone is well at home!
