The Road to Europe : Part 2

With just under four months to go until we depart on our very first Euro trip, my friend Wok (check out his rad photoblog: astorytelling.tumblr.com), has kindly drawn up a simply wonderful Itinery. Have a look at it, feel free to use it...its our very on contiki tour through Italy, Spain and France. We managed to get return tickets for R6500, and we are looking at spending approximately R10000, inclusive of food and accommodation, while we are there. Not too bad hey.
Anyway, enjoy.

EUROTRIP  of  Awesomeness!!!!!!!

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Sat 23 June

Arrive in Rome. Catch a train to Naples ( need to book that train).

Sun 24 June

Do whatever you want to do in Naples. Maybe  buy food supplies (breakfast perhaps) at a supermarket

Mon 25 June

Peruse around Naples. Go out for pizza and talk about the fact that we are in Italy!

Tues 26 June to Wed 27 June

Day trips from Naples!

- Pompeii / Herculaneum

- Capri

- Amalfi Coast

Pompeii

€11. Open every day from 8.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. (last admission 6 p.m.)

By allowing 3-4 hours you will not feel rushed and will have an opportunity to steal some quiet moments. All the excavated stuff is in a museum in Naples… so we could check that out too, to get the full experience.

Alternatively, you could go to Herculaneum (or do both?). Pompeii is much more famous than nearby Herculaneum. Still, some people prefer Herculaneum as it’s smaller, less crowded, and has a bit more of what’s been excavated still on site (as opposed to in a museum somewhere else). For Herculanuem allow 2-3 hours to tour the site.

Capri

From Naples you can take a ferry (80 minutes, €11).

The most popular activities on the island involve the natural beauty of the place – hiking, boating, and swimming are all common ways to spend a day on Capri.

The most famous natural landmark on the island, however, is the Blue Grotto (The Grotta Azzurra). You have to wait in line to go on row boats… and pay around €15.

Amalfi Coast

The number one item on most agendas of people who arrive on the Amalfi Coast is simple – to relax.

If you get bored, however, there are other things to do in the area.

One of the best hikes in Italy is on the Amalfi Coast – it’s called the Path of the Gods and it’s easy enough that you don’t need to bring any specialty gear (other than good walking shoes). 2.5-hour hike.  Best in morning or late in the day.

Perhaps catch the train to Pompeii/Herculaneum in the morning… have lunch and then catch the train to Amalfi Coast for afternoon hike/relax?

Side note: Cinque Terre and Amalfi are similar in many ways. Both amazing scenery, but different in ways too.

The Cinque Terre is more "rustic and informal". The cuisine tends to be unique and of course emphasizes Pesto as this is where it was invented. There are no large Museums or Galleries, and the typical activities are hiking the trails between the villages, swimming and just relaxing and enjoying "Il Dolce Far Niente" (and of course the great food).

Thurs 28 June

Wake up and catch a train to Rome (1h20 trip). Eurail - need to book reservations. Fee = R100.

-  Say “When in Rome” a million times.

-  Hang Out in the Pantheon – Do what the Romans do.

-  Roman Forum + Colosseum + Palatine Hill (€12 for all of it)

-  Trevi Fountain people watching.

Catch train back to Naples (1h20 trip). Reservation fee = R100.

Fri 29 June

Vatican City - Eurail (1h20 trip) - need to book reservations. Fee = R100.

Need to dress conservatively for this one. No shorts or showing shoulders etc. Like if you were going to NG Kerk!

-  St. Peter’s Basilica

-  The Vatican Museums

-  Sistine Chapel

“For most travelers, touring the Vatican is one day out of a trip to Rome, and that’s exactly what I suggest when people ask me how much time they should spend in Vatican City. A guided tour is recommended. So you don’t miss the most important pieces (not to mention being told why they’re important) and avoid the potentially long lines at the museum entrance. “

Catch train back to Naples (1h20 trip). Reservation fee = R100.

Sat 30 July

Florence! - Eurail  (3 hour trip) - need to book reservations. Fee = R100.

Florence is best explored on foot.

Booking in advance to see Florence’s museums is highly, highly recommended.

Get a feel of the place. Check out some churches. Get some Gelato. Leave the art museums for the next day.

Will be best to stay in a hostel here. We found a R124 per night for 7 bed private (we must book ASAP). It’s 5 minutes away from everything and lots of free stuff. Instead of catching 2 hour trains back and forth to Milan (and R100 reservations for each trip)… and wastes precious time!

Sun 1 July

Florence Day 2 – Art Day (wake up and walk 5mins to art museums).

- Two main art museums (Uffizi and Accademia). MUST book in advanced!

- Chill after museum madness, get some more Gelato and wander a bit.

- Hike up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo… a lovely place to watch the sun set over the city.

Sleep the night (R124)

Mon 2 July

Tuscany Tour

Depart from Florence. 80 euros.

Visit Siena. Free time for shopping or relaxing in an open air cafe. A Tuscan lunch at a Chianti vineyard. Visit the enchanting hilltop town of San Gimignano. Scenic country drive & Pisa.

Go straight from Pisa to Cinque Terre and stay the night in a Hostel there (R250). Because it takes 3.5 hours to get there from Florence, and that’s wasting precious time – you really don’t want to rush things. The tour allows you to bring your bags for that purpose, so rock it! Also, Cinque Terre has lots to offer and you’ll want a whole day. So go straight to Cinque Terre, have dinner and sleep over.  

Tues 3 July

Cinque Terre!

Wake up. Hike between the villages, swim, eat the famous Pesto Pasta, relax, wander around, get lost… amazing.

Sleep the night (R250). You’ll be buggered.

Wed 4 July

Train to Milan - Eurail  (3 hour trip) - need to book reservations. Fee = R100.

I think we going to have to just drop bags and leave and rush off to Bergamo… google it.

A fantastic day trip from Milan is Bergamo. Takes 1 hour to get there. You use a slower regional train that runs between the two cities, so no reservations are required. If you’ve got a Eurail, all you need to do is hop on board!

The city is divided into two parts – the old high city (alta città) and the newer low city (bassa città). The newer parts of the city aren’t horrible by any stretch, but the historic and more pretty areas are in the alta città.

The main thing to do in the Bergamo alta città is just wander, so do yourself a favor and try to get lost. It’s virtually impossible to do, because the old city is encircled by the old city walls – so if you stray too far in any one direction you’ll just bump into a wall at some point and have to turn back. The streets themselves aren’t often flat, but if you’re letting the bus or funicular get you up and down the hill then a few little climbs on the streets of the alta città shouldn’t be too much trouble.

Thurs 5 July

Day trip to Venice. Eurail (2h30 trip) - need to book reservations. Fee = R100.

Eurail back to Milan (Reservations – R100)

Overnight sleeping train to Paris (R739). Leaves Milan at 23:38 and arrives in Paris 09:29.

Fri 6 July

Paris! Read this http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/travel-tips-and-articles/69987 (Advise for one day in Paris - rad).

Sleep over in Paris Hostel. (R250)

Alternatively: Spend 2.5 days in Paris or spend 2.5 days in French Riviera. Instead of spending over 5 hours on a train between spots… and rather giving time to fully appreciate, go at own pace and not rush. Just a thought.

Sat 7 July

Train to Nice from Paris. Plus/minus R250. 5 hour trip. Nice seems to be the preferred option compared to Marseille, but Marseille is a closer 3 hours trip from Paris.

Will get there at about lunch time.

OPTION 1: Train to Nice. And stay there for the night. (R250)

OPTION 2: Train to Marseille, stay in a hostel there and day trip along the French Riviera.

Sun 8 July

French Riviera vibes.

Afternoon it’s time to make your way to Pamplona. This is the tricky part!

It used to be the case that you could take an overnight train to Pamplona that would get you to the city in the small hours of the morning just in time for the bull run. But alas, this is no longer possible.

So, taking a bus to Pamplona from Barcelona might be the best option.

The bus will take like 6 or 7 hours. So if we leave Barca at 11pm, you’ll get there at a good time to get ready for the bull run at 8am. Plus you’ll have some sleep on the bus on the way there. Optimistic, I know.

OPTION 1:  Catch a train to Barcelona. Then catch a bus to Pamplona through the night.

OPTION 2: Stay the night in Barcelona. Then the next day catch a train to Pamplona after lunchish. Join the party. Sleep somewhere close to Pamplona. Arrive in the morning for the Bull Run on Tues 10 July.

Pamplona hostels are over R600 a night. So you will need to find something outside…

Mon 9 July

8am Bull Run in Pamplona

Vibe the streets afterwards

Party and fireworks start at 11pm.

Or OPTION 2…

Tues 10 July

8am Bull Run in Pamplona

Vibe the streets afterwards

Head to Barcelona for the evening.

Wed 11 July to Fri 13 July

Barcelona for 3 days (perhaps a day trip somewhere).

http://www.spaintravelguide.com/3-days-in-barcelona-itinerary-ideas.html

Sat 14 July

Train to Madrid Airport and fly home! 

Watch this space for more wonderful posts about how great Europe is once we are actually there!

Five tips for becoming domesticated.

1. OFFENSIVELY YELLOW

If you weren't previously domesticated, which was the case for me, there is a very big chance that you won't enjoy the pieces of grime and food that float around in the lukewarm water which supposedly cleans our dishes. So get yourself a pair or those offensively yellow gloves and start washing up after you eat. Just don't forget you're wearing the now sopping  gloves and then try and answer a phone call with them still on your hands. Not that I did that.

2. DON"T FORGET ABOUT THE CLOTHES

So the first time I did my own laundry was a very proud day for me. I figured out which compartment to put the washing powder in, I piled in the clothes, I pressed some buttons and hey presto! Then I went upstairs and fell asleep. For two hours.
Now in case you don't know this, laundry takes about 40 minutes and then needs to be removed from the washing machine and hung up to dry. After being left in the machine for 2 hours though, my laundry smelt like wet shoes and I had to wash it all over again. Not ideal. So do yourself a favour, save yourself the time and the washing powder and just don't forget about the clothes.

3.CUTLERY IS IMPORTANT

On my second night of living in my own house, I decided it would be a good idea to host a dinner party. So I purchased all the necessary food, made a huge pot of pasta, invited about eight friends over, and only once everyone was dishing up did I realise that only 4 knives, 5 forks and 3 spoons existed in the cutlery drawer. Somehow we made a plan, but needless to say I made sure that I got my hands on some cutlery very soon after that incident. My advice would be to ask family or newly married friends, who may have an excess of cutlery in their kitchens, if they can sponsor you a couple of knives and forks. Avoid that awkward dinner party where people are eating with their hands.

4.SPEND SPEND SPEND. AND SPEND SOME MORE

Becoming domesticated requires one to purchase many household items ranging from tupperwares, to wash baskets, to toilet plungers. Yes, even those. Now, if you're a first timer at this you may not realise just how expensive all these things end up being. So save yourself some cash by shopping at places like The Crazy Store or finding bargains at cheap Car boot sales. If you live in Cape Town, pop in to Milnerton Market on a Saturday or Sunday morning. I am pretty sure you will find everything you need and more, and it will cost next to nothing.

5. OH TO BE JAMIE OLIVER.

Before I moved into my own house, I think I must have cooked about three meals in my lifetime.It's unacceptable I know but now I have to cook often and I have learned a lot along the way :

- If you want to roast a chicken you need at least two and a half hours preparation time- especially if the chicken is frozen rock solid.
 - When defrosting meat in the microwave, don't forget about it because it will end up cooking, and probably taste like cardboard.
-  If you have been waiting for an hour for a pot of water to boil, you have more than likely heated up the wrong stove plate.

I'm pretty sure by the end of this year I will be Jamie Oliver.

Book Club.

So much to read, so little time! Well technically I have a lifetime, but you know what I mean.

I often hear book titles getting thrown around and think to myself, I need to read that book, but then promptly forget about it the next day. Lately however, I have been craving to read substantial writing and for mind to just be blown by the thoughtful, challenging and heartbreaking words of authors that I am continually inspired by. So I have decided to set myself on a journey of being consumed by the wisdom that exudes from simple ink on a page and have made a list of books to read over the next few months. Goal - to have read them all (or more) by the end of the year. This is a journey to be shared, so here is the list I am about to tackle head on.

New beginnings.

So I finally did it. After years of wanting to make the big move to Cape Town, I am finally here, sitting in my new bedroom, in my new house, with a new view, wondering how the heck life can change so quickly. It's all been pretty overwhelming to be totally honest, and although the Cape hasn't changed and is just as breathtaking as it always was, my first few days here were spent wishing that I could trade Table Mountain for a swim in the warm Durban ocean. I wasn't in the most ideal emotional space at the start of this journey but it's amazing how God can kinda just swoop in and save the day like the hero that He is.

 The first thing that helped this big change was being blessed with awesome digs mates who understand what I'm going through and I feel like we have all been living together for years. It's ridiculous. We've been spending copious amounts of cash on household items that we never even knew we needed, for example, its important to get different cloths, one for dishes, one for dusting, and one for cleaning the bath with. Then there's the little blocks you buy to clean out the toilet with, and not to mention the gazillion bottles of different cleaning liquids we had to purchase. Stocking up our separate grocery cupboards is a whole other story. Basically I am broke after the first week, and that's just from buying stuff I NEED. Growing up is expensive.

The second area where God has shown up in a big way is through reading and music. I have found that since I have moved here, I desire time alone a lot  more than going out to big social events, and in that time I've started reading a little C.S Lewis and been a lot more focused on guitar. I guess I forgot how much happiness these two activities bring me and it's been distracting me from thinking about Durban all the time. Which is good.

I've realised that over the years, I placed Cape Town on such a pedestal and it prevented me from being happy in Durban, and now I have put Durban on that pedestal which is why I am battling to enjoy Cape Town. I remember a friend once saying to me, " Dani, be where you are", and that advice has been popping into my thoughts and challenging me all week. So, although it has been a tough move, I already feel like I am growing through it all, and I'm excited to look back on this at the end of the year and see how much God has worked in my life. I'm excited to grow up.


To Durban (and all my friends there) : I miss you like crazy and I'm so glad I got to leave with such a love for you in my heart. Growing up in this city really grounded me and although I may walk around without shoes on or speak in a weird accent, it's because I am a proud Durbanite through and through and it will always be my home.

To Cape Town : I'm excited for the adventures and challenges you have to offer. I look forward to experiencing  the Long street culture and wine tasting and sunset hikes. I may even swim in the cold waters. Maybe. I hope at the end of this year I will be lucky enough to call two provinces home. Bring it on.

A long time coming....

So, I have been without Internet for a while which will explain the lack of new content on my blog. However, it has allowed me time to experience many wonderful adventures and journeys, so now I actually have something legit to write about other than the obvious "thought of the week" escape route. Haha. Enjoy.

God has been doing great and amazing things in my life these past two months, so I felt the need to share.

I'm pretty sure most people, from all faiths, religions or walks of life, reach a point where they just feel....bleh.
It feels as if you are just going through the motions of a day-to-day life without much direction or purpose. I might be totally alone here, but I have a feeling that many can relate.
This entire year I have had absolutely no idea what purpose my life held in the greater scheme of the world and basically I felt pretty useless.
I have always felt a very strong call to the poor and have always felt like I needed to be doing something, anything, to help the situation of poverty our country finds itself in. The problem was that firstly, I was just ridiculously lazy, and secondly, I didn't feel that I had the ability to do anything. I mean, I'm just one person and there are a gazillion (that may not even be an exaggeration) mouths to feed and bodies to clothe. In my mind, I just couldn't understand why God would want to use me of all people. I'm nobody special, I mess up all the time and I can be pretty selfish and greedy and even spoilt when I want to b.

But here is what went down.

I spent a week during Matric Rage working 10pm-2am and 2am-4am shifts with a team of other people, just being a positive and sober presence during rage and ensuring that the matrics felt safe in a very hectic, alcohol-filled environment. By Day Two I was so ridiculously tired and just emotionally and physically broken that I didn't know how I was going to cope for the rest of the week.
Then I heard a life-changing analogy.

It came from Matt 14:13-21 and was a story about how Jesus used the lunch of a little boy to feed 5000 people. He started off with five loaves of bread and two fish. He then broke the bread and used these five loaves to feed all these people.

 This story basically depicts my time during Matric Rage. Our team was like those loaves of bread, small and seemingly insignificant - but Jesus found us in our brokenness and tiredness and used us to "feed" or help all those matrics, and boy, did He show up. It was said to be one of the calmest Matric Rages they have ever had.

Anyway the point is that, during that week, God really showed me that no matter how insignificant I think I am and no matter how much I have messed up in my life, I still have the ability to love people beyond my capabilities. I realised that I had forgotten how powerful it was to merely show someone love and kindness. We don't have to be perfect people, in fact, we probably never will be, but we have been given this beautiful gift of love - a powerful love that comes from a God who loves us without condition or expectation... so why not use it to make a difference in the world.

I think it was Mother Theresa who once said,

" Following Jesus is simple, but never easy. Love until it hurts, then love more"

Sheesh, what a quote hey.

Sometimes, actually oftentimes, it does hurt to love the old lady who has fallen asleep on the pavement in the rain, or the man digging in the rubbish bin for any sign of food, or the group of friends sitting on the curb, drinking alcohol all day to forget about the pain of poverty. It hurts because I wish there was more I could do and it hurts because I know that there are so many more like them, but you would be surprised the impact that showing someone a little love can have. It is because I love that I give them money for the shelter, it is because I love that I make them food parcels, it is because I love that I talk to them and pray with them and build relationships with them.

It is because I am loved by a God like no other that I can love. It is because of that love that I finally feel like I have purpose. It is because of that love that I'm finally doing something about it.