My blogs seem to be coming less and less frequently, but I’ll try to work on that! I never did meet up with my friend in Northern Ireland thanks to miscommunication on both our parts, but I spent a great week in Belfast! I spent a lot of the week being lazy and not doing much, bit it is one of those cities with a lot of recent culture and loads of things to see. Belfast is known for its murals, painted to memorialize “the Troubles” that were widespread in the north until very recently - many of them have sayings along the lines of “lest we forget…” as a reminder not to let history repeat itself. All the murals are really detailed and well painted, some with quotes or poems on them, and most of them are memorials to specific people who died during the Troubles. I don’t really know enough about the Troubles to be able to tell, but locals can usually tell right away which political party or religion painted the murals by their style and content. Belfast still seems to be known for the violence that once plagued it and I was asked a few times while in the city if I felt unsafe, but I have to say I didn’t at all. I think it’s a really vibrant city with a lot to offer. I also met a lot of great people in the hostel I stayed at, but I hung out most with Chris, an “extreme medic” (for lack of a better term) from Dublin and Bernard, a local from Belfast. I think the three of us are all a bit nerdy on our own, but we really brought it out in each other. A lot of our time was spent in the basement of the hostel playing games like 20 questions and guess who.
A word of advice to everyone reading this: if you feel a UTI coming on, don’t wait to go to the doctor! Another word of advice: if you feel that the infection has moved to your
kidneys, DON’T put off going to the doctor because you’re too busy browsing the flea markets, no matter how good the markets are! I flew from Belfast to Berlin where I was meeting my mom, and kept telling myself I could wait till Monday (this was day 3 or 4 of the infection), but by Sunday evening I felt like I had a vice on my bladder and was getting a kick in the kidney every time I moved, so it was off for hospital visit number two of my trip! Luckily this time the doctors spoke English well enough to tell me that the infection had “walked” to my kidneys, and the urologist knew English well enough to scold me for waiting until the middle of the night on a Sunday to be seen by a doctor. The nurse I had was a really nice guy, but one of the first things he told me was that he was the rookie of the hospital, so I can’t say I was surprised when it took him three tries to catheterize me, or at the bruise that attempt number one left on my arm. After a long night, though, I got my antibiotics and pain medication in time to be on a flight to Budapest 6 hours later.
kidneys, DON’T put off going to the doctor because you’re too busy browsing the flea markets, no matter how good the markets are! I flew from Belfast to Berlin where I was meeting my mom, and kept telling myself I could wait till Monday (this was day 3 or 4 of the infection), but by Sunday evening I felt like I had a vice on my bladder and was getting a kick in the kidney every time I moved, so it was off for hospital visit number two of my trip! Luckily this time the doctors spoke English well enough to tell me that the infection had “walked” to my kidneys, and the urologist knew English well enough to scold me for waiting until the middle of the night on a Sunday to be seen by a doctor. The nurse I had was a really nice guy, but one of the first things he told me was that he was the rookie of the hospital, so I can’t say I was surprised when it took him three tries to catheterize me, or at the bruise that attempt number one left on my arm. After a long night, though, I got my antibiotics and pain medication in time to be on a flight to Budapest 6 hours later.By the time my mom and I got to Budapest I was feeling loads better, so we spent our first day exploring Castle Hill on the Buda side of the city. We didn’t go into the castle, but we did have coffee at the castle café, with an amazing view of Pest over the river. The next day we went to one of the famous Hungarian Baths, which was more than worth it! There were at least 6 or 8 pools inside, all at different temperatures, and some with different minerals and healing properties. There were also three outdoor pools, which is where Mom and I spent most of our time. One was just a regular lap pool, while the two others were thermal heated pools. One of those was just meant for soaking and relaxing, and the other one had jets that came out of the floor and a round bit in the middle with a current that pushed you in a circle - it was a lot of fun! Everyone says that the baths are the highlight of Budapest, but I the best part for me was definitely the caving! Apparently there’s caves all through the hills surrounding the city, and you can take tours through them where they dress you in coveralls and helmets and everything. It’s definitely not somethi
ng to do if you’re claustrophobic, but if small spaces and tight fits don’t bother you, it’s absolutely something worth doing. It is a workout, though, and I was feeling it in my whole body for about three days afterward! The tour lasts about 3 hours, and they have you crawling, climbing, diving, and slithering through what would be pitch black rocks if it weren’t for the headlamps on our helmets. Our last day in town we went to a different bath, just to experience more than one, but I think we were really spoiled with the first one! There were only indoor pools at this one, and not as many to choose from. And the people watching wasn’t nearly as good as the first one either! We did have a minor brush with fame in the city, too! We were using Lonely Planet's Budapest guide in the city, which has a picture of local buskers on the cover. While eating lunch in an outdoor cafe and listening to buskers in the square, we suddenly realized that the music we were listening to was being played by none other than the men on the cover of our guide book! So it wasn't quite a Hollywood moment, but we were excited.
ng to do if you’re claustrophobic, but if small spaces and tight fits don’t bother you, it’s absolutely something worth doing. It is a workout, though, and I was feeling it in my whole body for about three days afterward! The tour lasts about 3 hours, and they have you crawling, climbing, diving, and slithering through what would be pitch black rocks if it weren’t for the headlamps on our helmets. Our last day in town we went to a different bath, just to experience more than one, but I think we were really spoiled with the first one! There were only indoor pools at this one, and not as many to choose from. And the people watching wasn’t nearly as good as the first one either! We did have a minor brush with fame in the city, too! We were using Lonely Planet's Budapest guide in the city, which has a picture of local buskers on the cover. While eating lunch in an outdoor cafe and listening to buskers in the square, we suddenly realized that the music we were listening to was being played by none other than the men on the cover of our guide book! So it wasn't quite a Hollywood moment, but we were excited.From Budapest we flew to Athens, where we only had one day, so we didn’t get to see as much of the city as we would have like to, but we made the most of it. We took a tour in a tr
ain (the type you see going around fair grounds and things) that briefly showed you some of the main sights, and we got to get off at the Acropolis to explore a bit. We didn’t go right up to it, but we did climb a nearby hill that gave a fantastic view of both the Acropolis and Athens, which I reckon is better anyway. But the wind on the hill was like nothing I’ve ever felt before! You had to be careful when you were standing on top of the hill and had to brace yourself at times so you wouldn’t fall over! The ferry we were meant to take to Mykonos the next morning was cancelled because of a windstorm that was sweeping the country, but we did catch one later the same afternoon. What we didn’t know until after the fact, though, was that the ferry we were on was only one of two ferries that made it to Mykonos that day, out of 17 that were meant to arrive. The poor ferry staff were running around handing out sick bags to everyone.
ain (the type you see going around fair grounds and things) that briefly showed you some of the main sights, and we got to get off at the Acropolis to explore a bit. We didn’t go right up to it, but we did climb a nearby hill that gave a fantastic view of both the Acropolis and Athens, which I reckon is better anyway. But the wind on the hill was like nothing I’ve ever felt before! You had to be careful when you were standing on top of the hill and had to brace yourself at times so you wouldn’t fall over! The ferry we were meant to take to Mykonos the next morning was cancelled because of a windstorm that was sweeping the country, but we did catch one later the same afternoon. What we didn’t know until after the fact, though, was that the ferry we were on was only one of two ferries that made it to Mykonos that day, out of 17 that were meant to arrive. The poor ferry staff were running around handing out sick bags to everyone.We stayed in a bungalow at a campsite in Mykonos called Paradise Beach, with a restaurant and it’s own private beach, so it was easy not to leave, but we did manage to pull ourselves away long enough to go exploring. Our first full day we spent most of the time lounging on the beach, which we didn’t realize until after we arrived was a “clothing optional” beach. The majority of those who opted not to wear anything, though, were men over 50, and the occasional woman. You could spot the naked tourists right away, though, by their Oreo tan lines! We met a local man at the beach who insisted on tanning right next to us (even though there were dozens of free lounge chairs) who walked around wearing nothing but a sheer leopard print scarf tied around his waist, and wore an, um, interesting bit of jewelry that I could have happily lived without ever seeing. We went into town that night for dinner and while we were looking at a menu outside a 
restaurant, two GIANT pelicans wandered up and just stood there like they were reading the menu with us! Then they walked into the restaurant with a third pelican, straight into the kitchen like they owned the place - I got the impression they were regular guests. So of course we stayed there, if for no other reason than to be able to say that we’ve dined with pelicans. And the cats! Apparently all the islands of Greece are known for their abundance of (surprisingly well fed) stray cats. There were a few wandering about while we were waiting for our food, and I made the mistake of petting a couple of them. Then as soon as my dinner came, I was suddenly every cat’s new best friend! It was hard, but I did manage to resist their best “I’m cute and pathetic; feed me” faces. The city center of Mykonos was originally set up to confuse invading armies, and they must have done a good job! There’s absolutely no rhyme or reason to it, with narrow winding paths and stairs that randomly go up or down. If you know the general direction you want to go, you might eventually end up at your destination.
restaurant, two GIANT pelicans wandered up and just stood there like they were reading the menu with us! Then they walked into the restaurant with a third pelican, straight into the kitchen like they owned the place - I got the impression they were regular guests. So of course we stayed there, if for no other reason than to be able to say that we’ve dined with pelicans. And the cats! Apparently all the islands of Greece are known for their abundance of (surprisingly well fed) stray cats. There were a few wandering about while we were waiting for our food, and I made the mistake of petting a couple of them. Then as soon as my dinner came, I was suddenly every cat’s new best friend! It was hard, but I did manage to resist their best “I’m cute and pathetic; feed me” faces. The city center of Mykonos was originally set up to confuse invading armies, and they must have done a good job! There’s absolutely no rhyme or reason to it, with narrow winding paths and stairs that randomly go up or down. If you know the general direction you want to go, you might eventually end up at your destination.Our next stop in Greece was Santorini, after a much more pleasant ferry ride. We stayed at a small hotel owned by a doting couple who always made sure you had whatever you wanted and who gave you coffee or homemade wine every time you came into the lobby. Mom and I took a tour our first full day that took you by boat all around the island and made a few stops along the way. Santorini is shaped kind of like a crescent moon, with a small island in the center that is actually an active volcano - that was our first stop of the day. You could climb up to the top of the volcano, which gave an amazing view of the main island, and you could see smoke and steam rising out of the cracks in the volcano. The smoke was very sulfuric, making it yellow, so the rocks around where it came out of had a yellow/green tinge to them. We also stop
ped at a “hot spring” which was actually just an area of volcanic rock where the water was much more shallow, making it warmer, where you could jump of the boat and go for a swim, then to a tiny little village for a delicious seafood lunch. The beach at the village also had pumice stones floating in the water which you probably aren’t supposed to take, but we were tourists - we didn’t know any better! Our last stop was on the northern coast of the island in a village called Oia (pronounced ee-ya) to watch the sunset over dinner. Most of the ports in Greece are at the bottom of cliffs with steep roads or paths leading up to the villages, so driving is only occasionally an option to get up to the top. The other choices are either walking, or riding a donkey. I’ll never ride a donkey again, but it was fun and I’m glad I did it, even though I think my donkey was suicidal! The path leading up is a series of switch backed staircases that the donkeys ran up, and mine kept getting as close to the outer edge as he possibly could! I’ve learned that I’m definitely not a fan of riding donkeys, but at least now I can cross it off my list of things I’ve done. Most of the beaches in Santorini have black sand, but there’s one beach known for it’s red sand, and one known for it’s white sand. Mom and I never did make it to the white beach, but we did go to the red beach, which was quite small and not so crowded as some of the others. That could be because you had to climb up one side of a cliff and down the other to get to it, but I thought that part was fun. Mom wasn’t so keen on the idea.
ped at a “hot spring” which was actually just an area of volcanic rock where the water was much more shallow, making it warmer, where you could jump of the boat and go for a swim, then to a tiny little village for a delicious seafood lunch. The beach at the village also had pumice stones floating in the water which you probably aren’t supposed to take, but we were tourists - we didn’t know any better! Our last stop was on the northern coast of the island in a village called Oia (pronounced ee-ya) to watch the sunset over dinner. Most of the ports in Greece are at the bottom of cliffs with steep roads or paths leading up to the villages, so driving is only occasionally an option to get up to the top. The other choices are either walking, or riding a donkey. I’ll never ride a donkey again, but it was fun and I’m glad I did it, even though I think my donkey was suicidal! The path leading up is a series of switch backed staircases that the donkeys ran up, and mine kept getting as close to the outer edge as he possibly could! I’ve learned that I’m definitely not a fan of riding donkeys, but at least now I can cross it off my list of things I’ve done. Most of the beaches in Santorini have black sand, but there’s one beach known for it’s red sand, and one known for it’s white sand. Mom and I never did make it to the white beach, but we did go to the red beach, which was quite small and not so crowded as some of the others. That could be because you had to climb up one side of a cliff and down the other to get to it, but I thought that part was fun. Mom wasn’t so keen on the idea.After four days in Santorini Mom and I spent our last night together in London, where all we did was wander around town a bit and do some shopping on Portobello road. After a tearful goodbye the next day, Mom flew home and I took the bus to Manchester, which due to lack of funds is my new home for the next few months. My first two weeks were spent in a hostel, where I met some great people who had also just moved to the area - Jesse and Kristal, a couple from New Zealand who are based in Manchester for now but are in the midst of traveling around the world, and Javier, Jaime, and Oscar, three guys from Spain who are here to improve their English. The five of them all got a house together, so now I have friends in the area to go visit. My friend Laura who I met at the Tent in Munich also lives in the city, and she got me a job almost right away at a sand
wich shop in the city center. It was only part time, but it was enough to get me by until I found a full time job - I now work as a waitress in an Italian restaurant called Pesto with Javier and Jaime, and a lot of other cool people. What I love about Pesto is that there are 22 nationalities working there, so even though I’m not traveling at the moment, I still get to be around a lot of international people which helps to relieve my itchy feet a bit. I’m living in a suburb of Manchester at the moment called Chorlton, in a house with three other people, all from the UK. In the picture from left to right, my roommates are John, Dave, Tom, and their friend Sam. I don’t mind living in a house full of boys, and they are surprisingly clean, but Kristal and I tend to commiserate over how both our houses smell of boys. They’re good guys, though, and I’m glad I found housemates who aren’t slobs, or crazy, or both.
wich shop in the city center. It was only part time, but it was enough to get me by until I found a full time job - I now work as a waitress in an Italian restaurant called Pesto with Javier and Jaime, and a lot of other cool people. What I love about Pesto is that there are 22 nationalities working there, so even though I’m not traveling at the moment, I still get to be around a lot of international people which helps to relieve my itchy feet a bit. I’m living in a suburb of Manchester at the moment called Chorlton, in a house with three other people, all from the UK. In the picture from left to right, my roommates are John, Dave, Tom, and their friend Sam. I don’t mind living in a house full of boys, and they are surprisingly clean, but Kristal and I tend to commiserate over how both our houses smell of boys. They’re good guys, though, and I’m glad I found housemates who aren’t slobs, or crazy, or both. So here I am, back into the working world and saving money again until I can afford to go somewhere else. But on my list of things to do before I die (which, as nerdy as it is, is an actual list of things that I keep with me) I can now officially cross off living in another country, and I am enjoying myself, so I can’t complain.
