Well, I arrived in Vienna safe and sound. I have been traveling for about a week and a half now, although it feels so much longer. Was I really in Malta this time last week? That was only a week ago? I feel like I'm in some weird time-warp where time does fly while having fun, but also infinitely long at the same time.
I've been traveling with one of my best friends, and we've known each other since birth. It's so bizarre to be globetrotting with her, but incredibly awesome at the same time! We've been seeing other friends around the globe too, which once again reinforces that it's a small world. (Feel free to hum the tune... NOW.)
I shall put up pictures on here sometime, but since I don't have my computer, I think I will do some waiting on that front. Right now I shall do a quick (haha) entry about my travels so far, since I don't have toooo much time. Dublin was... exactly like the UK (except not). I had to exchange my pounds for euros, and was slightly annoyed to find that when exchange places don't take coins, that includes the 2 and 1 pound coins. It's not loose change! Boo.
It was nice to wander around the city. We met some really cool people, and also saw some great buildings and learned a lot about Irish history. It's so strange to think that part of Ireland is still part of the UK, but the rest isn't. How can Scotland and Ireland hate the British so much and still be associated so closely with each other?
Anyway, our big touristy move of the weekend was going to the Guinness Storehouse, which actually isn't a storehouse now. It's built to be this huge museum/exhibit about Guinness. I thought it was going to be pricey and boring, but I was only half right. It was pricey, but it was an awesome place. I learned a lot about the brewing process, and even learned about the old art of making wooden barrels. I even got a certificate from Guinness saying I learned how to pour the perfect pint. It was pretty funny, because the woman teaching us was pretty strict, and even made one man start his pint over because he wasn't doing it right.
The travel gods smiled on me again, and it actually did not rain in Dublin until the morning we left for the airport. Where is this luck coming from? It's making me happy -- I haven't had rain come down on me on my trips (for the most part). Huzzah! However, despite the drizzle, we arrived in Malta without a hitch. There was even applause from the airplane as the pilot touched down (something I've seen several times... it worries me a bit that people clap that we land successfully with RyanAir). And Malta was.... SUNNY! WARM! I expected it, but it was great to actually experience it.
In Malta we stayed at a guest house called Room 4 You, run buy a Swedish man named Emil. He was so funny and awesome, and it just felt like we were staying at a friend's house. My friend and I cooked some yummy meals, soaked up the sun, and even biked around the countryside. It was hard to see super touristy things because one of the days we were there was a national holiday, so a lot closed down. We did manage to see the ruins of the Ggantija temples, which is the oldest free standing structure in the world.
Italy? Bari was a massive fail. The hostel owner insisted that it was impossible that no one was answering the door, and thought we were somewhere else. So we walked around only to end up in the same place. A second call by us and a third call from 10 Spanish people revealed that the person working had stepped out to go shopping. He ran back quickly (after, I'm guessing, a call from the owner) and checked us in. He tried to overcharge us though by assuming we'd pay for a nicer meal, and the hostel itself didn't really have separate rooms. It was just floors piled on top of each other, with makeshift stairs and no doors to block out noise from other floors. My friend and I got no sleep that night because the other residents stayed out until 1:30am and talked until 3am. We left at 4am to catch a taxi to the airport.
Venice was beautiful!!!... but super confusing. We arrived there in bad tempers, and quickly got lost. I convinced my friend it'd be more fun to find our own way there than backtrack across the island to our original starting point. We had to buy a map eventually, and we arrived at our hostel 4 hours after our plane touched down. It was great to walk around though. The main street is just filled with vendors and people selling small trinkets, beautiful paper mache masks, gelato, etc. Then, the hostel we stayed in was pretty nice, although I did get 2 bug bites.
Sorry this entry is so scattered, but I wrote this as quickly as I could. But I shall write again soon.
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