Welcome to TaCaGo Talk Transat Holidays!

Hello New Visitor!

I am assuming you are from Transat Holidays and wanting to read my travel blog from my trip this past summer to Europe!

You have a few options. You can scroll down to the end of the Europe section and work your way backwards...definitely stop on the following SidePonyNation teaser video if you choose this route.

Alternatively, you can follow this link: http://tacagotalk.blogspot.com/2010/05/eurotrip-2010-dam-straat-im-in.html

It will take you to the beginning of my EuroTrip blog beginning in Amsterdam and you'll have to work your way forwards. Still make sure to check out the SidePonyNation teaser video!

Either option works great and you'll have a good time no matter what!

Hope you like what you see and I can't wait to travel with Transat Holidays!

Oh and if you haven't seen it yet, do make sure you check out my application video!



Talk soon!

Love and Kisses,

TaCaGo

SidePonyNation wants to Tease you!

Side Pony Nation from V. Khamphilavong on Vimeo.

We're such Teases!

Is your skin just the worst right now?

Hey Friends,

When I arrived back in Ontario after 3 months in Europe my skin, I am shamed to say, was a mess. Berlin was our last stop and it was hot and dusty there, sweat mixed with hot post-soviet-ruled dust just couldn't help but get all up in and occupy my pores...get it occupy....like Russia did.

Anywho, when I arrived back in my beautiful but humid as fuck city my skin got even worse, on my face, neck, back (a.k.a backne) and chest. I started a strict regimen of exfoliation, cleansing and moisturizing, but the bacne persisted. I then turned to tea tree oil derived from the Australian native tea tree. This stuff "has beneficial medical properties when applied topically, including antiseptic,antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral action, and is also believed to have beneficial cosmetic properties" (Wikipedia) ...ya this stuff is good.

The tea tree oil helped, but it has such a distinct odour that sometimes it was too much to take on its own....I needed somthing that was tea tree oil "infused".

I headed down to 799 Queen street and met up with Ann from TVAL for a bit of a consultation. TVAL specializes in Mineral make up and also organic personal hygiene products like deodorant and delicious enough to eat soaps. www.TVALskincare.com

I have oily skin as it is, so I need something that could clear away that oil, but still not completely dry out my skin! I opted for the Cleansing Gel with Cucumber & Rhubarb and even got Ann to add some tea tree oil to the gel. They make all their own products in small batches at the store, so it was no problem adding more hand selected ingredients. It's pretty cool knowing what everything is, and the benefits of it to my skin before I rub it all over my face. The cleansing gel is 240ml and costs $18.

For lotion I opted for the Oil-free lotion with Strawberries & 2% Salicylic acid (sounds scary, but has been proven in the fight against acne and blackheads). The lotion is very light, and doesn't require a lot for full facial coverage, which is good because the tiny 60ml bottle will run you $16 a pop. It smells like delicious and sweet strawberries, almost making me think it was too scented to be used on my face, but the smell is refreshing and Strawberries are rich in Vitamin C which has smoothing and toning properties which help to reduce enlarged pores (the bottle told me that).

I've been using both products for about two weeks and my skin has never looked better. It's well balanced right now, not greasy or dry... goldilocks would have loved my face.

Get your own face fix-its and other fun stuff (mineral make up, organic soap and deodorant) at their tdot location at 799 Queen Street West (near bathurst), or online at www.TVALskincare.com.

Love and kisses and clear faces,

TaCaGo

Confessions of a 24 year old

My first post in a while, so I thought I'd make it juicy....

I'm turning 25 in September, here are 10 confessions before I'm 25...

1. I'm not sure of what I want to do with my life: but I think it needs to be fun....so hopefully that works out for me... A wise woman said, " If you love what you do, you'll never work a day in your life!"

2. I flirt incessantly... with guys, with girls, older men, younger men, lesbians, everyone, if you've met me, we've probably flirted....but I think thats what they call Charisma..

3. I love being on that new shit...I think I'm just competitive...first

4. If we hang out a lot, it's probably cause you have something I want (creativity, motivation, intelligence... a hot bod) ...you are who your friends are after all...

5. Backpacking Europe was something I've always wanted to do...and I just did it...I'm not sure if it changed me though or if Ive settled back into my old self....Ill keep you posted.

6. I want to fall truly, madly deeply in love...sigh..

7. I'm trying to not care what people think...but I'm just so darn considerate.

8. I'm very honest...guilt eats me up from the inside out...it's the worst.

9. I dance in front of the mirror in various forms of undress all the time... I'm my own private dancer.

And number 10.....drum roll please ba da da da dumb

10. I'd rather a dude think I'm funny then hot...just kidding ha ha...

I'll start posting more regularly, I just needed to break the ice!

Love and Kisses,

TaCaGo

EuroTrip 2010: Supa Deutschland, Supa Deutschland...!!! (12)

Hello friends,

This is my last post from the road as I am currently on a plane 30000ft in the air returning to my beloved Canada. After 2 and a half months of travel I am ready to be back home, especially since the last two weeks were just about the wildest party weeks of the whole trip. This had much to do with World Cup Fever and the fact that I was staying with my girl Steffi from Uni, and her family in Wuppertal for the last leg!

When Melody and I arrived in Wuppertal Steffi was waiting for us, and then the party got started...it was Canada day afterall. Our other Canadian friend, also named Mel, was visiting Germany too, so we all went for some happy hour cocktails...yes we serenaded the whole bar with a lovely bilingual rendition of Oh Canada! And then we found ourselves happy like children on a playground near Steffi's childhood home for the later part of the evening. You haven't truly experienced German nightlife until you receive noise complaints from cops, so we were getting an authentic experience that first night when the cops were called to the playground to have our rowdy bunch quiet down. It was quite funny, and I think the cops were even a bit amused at the 7 24 plus individuals standing before them...I'm sure they

thought we were very sober.

The next day Melody and I headed to SummerJam!! This is a huge reggae festival in Koln that went from July 2-4th. Damian Marley and Nas were headlining and Nneka, one of my fave acts was playing, it was also a chance for Mel and I to break out the tent one last time and also a chance for us to take in some German Subculture. I had no idea there were so many rastas in Germany and I have never seen so many dreads in my whole life....The grounds were a sea of tents and it was a really cool experience as Lollapalooza was the only other comparable festival I had been to and it wasn't camping. We had a really small tent so were able to sneak in behind some larger tents and get a really great spot. The day was spent soaking up the sun and taking in the sweet rythms of reggae music, while also trying the many delicious foods present at the festival....mmmm afrikan, yes please!

That saturday we left the festival grounds as we were promised an incomparable time at the Germany vs. Argentina game with Steffi and all her friends at the Koln arena. We were told it was going to be insane....and oh my gawd it was. Not only cuz the mass amounts of people,or the fact that Germany won, but also because of the torrential downpour that soaked us revellers. It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip and I'm glad I got to share it with my German Steffi!

Germany won and the crowd was erupting with joy! Melody and I left the group in Koln though because we had to go back to the festival as we wanted to catch Damian Marley and Nas. Man oh man that was an epic show. Just the thought that we were listening to Bob Marleys son live was epic, and he even performed some of his dads songs which was very awesome. Also Nas performed some of his old songs so the show was really great end to a sweet party day. Then we went to a reggae tent and danced the night away with some nice French boys!

Post festival Mel and I went back to Steffi's in Wuppertal to repack for a week as we were hitting up Prague then Berlin before we parted ways and I would finish up the last few days of the trip at Steffis.

In Prague Mel and I saw the many cool sights, Karls bridge, the castle and we did the free walking tour. Being in this part of Europe is super interesting because there is tons of war history and cities that were once rubble were completely rebuilt post war. We also took in the last few games of the World CUp at the public viewing with some new American friends we had met on the train. It was disappointing that Germany lost to Spain because it meant they wouldn't be in the final, and it would have been really sweet to be in Berlin for the deciding match, but in the end Spain deserved it, and Koln was a good taste for me of what the party would have been like!

After Prague Mel and I found oursleves in our last stop on the trip, so surreal that we had come so far! We rented a room in an appartment from a 24 year old yoga instructor in Berlin named April, and basically were right near everything.Berlin has such an intricate metro line it was easy for us to get around. Berlin is such a sprawling city and it was so interesting learning about the Wall and how Germany and Berlin itself was divided into 4 post war. Also, it finally hit me how unjust the wall was, it was basically put up over night, meaning people woke up in the East and couldn't go to work in the West, or see their friends and families, or lovers...and this lasted for 28 years! The iron curtain to me is one of the most shocking human rights violations I've heard of and it took place in my lifetime, it became very real to me. It was also very convenient sightseeing with mine and Mel's friend Matt from highschool and his brother Peter, a history major. I learned a lot that day from both brothers about history, and they learned a lot that night about how to party in Berlin from me and Mel! (Mostly Mel and her friend-making abilities on the subway!)

Berlin is a cool city and there is graffitti and an underground youth scene like no other place I have been. Parties go all night, and the Doner is the best I've ever had. Berlin is one of the cheapest/poorest European cities. The government is trying to commercialize it for tourism, but it must be difficult with such a strong young and leftist group of young people residing there. Mel and I walked blindly into a Peaceful protest against Commerciallizing the beach bar area along the Spree river, complete with naked men climbing fountains, lots of tattoos and dreadlocks and alternative lifestyles and of course the daytime electro love fest party, also cops in riot gear, but not super necessary, more for show.

Berlin has been called "Cheap but Sexy", and I'd have to agree. It is a city full of starving artists who live cheaply, drink plenty and express their ideas through their craft (my kinda place). The people are very political with strong opinions due to the very recent history of being shut off from Western civilisation for 28 years, as well post war feelings are still resonant. This was apparent all over Germany though. The only time you will see German flags is during World Cup, and man oh man do you see a lot of them. But as soon as World Cup was done, the flags were all down. Its unfortunate that Germany is scrutinized for being too Patriotic as it brings up past indiscretions for many people, but with new generations I'm sure this will change and Germans will be able to freely express their patriotism all year round, like us Canadians...a flag on the backpack perhaps?

On our last night, Melody and I partied till the wee hours when she had a 630 train back to Zurich to catch, and I had a 4h train back to Wuppertal. In true Melody fashion, she checked the wrong time of the train and had to wait on the platform for two hours to catch the actual train she was supposed to be on. Alternatively, my last train which was supposed to have no changes, ended up having two and being very late as the air conditioning on both due to the extreme heat in Germany was shot. Its funny that Mel and I each had a hiccup with our last trains, but we had such great luck this whole trip it was nothing we couldn't let rolls off of us

.

It was bittersweet saying goodbye. Melody and I are both ready to go back home and get back into the swing of things, cuz you know we both need to make some cash...badly. But we were sad to be leaving eachother because we never know when we will see eachother again. We never have trouble making it happen though, and I am also in my mind planning a Vancouver trip this winter to see her as she's moving there in August...and I could use some big mountains in my life again...and some Melody of course.

These last few days at Steffi's parents have been truly wonderful, as her parents are like the most generous and hospitable people Ive met. Im going home well rested, clean, and with a full bag of clean laundry! And of course the fondest of memories of my time with my German family!

I should be touching down in 4 hours and my dad will be waiting for me at the airport which makes me super happy!. I cant wait to see my friends and family and reminisce and give gifts and let the trip sink in, because right now its all a blur to me really...but i guess its good that ive written all these blogs then haha! See you all soon!

Love and kisses as always!!!

Tanya

Eurotrip 2010: Switzerland...cheese, chocolate and neutrality! (10)

Hello Friends!

This past week has been tough as Melody and I have been on Vacation from our Vacation!

After leaving Budapest we headed to the wholesome, clean, and beautiful country of Switzerland. We walked around Zurich when we first arrived and picked up a fondue pot at the Broken Haus (Wicked second hand store in Switzerland, good quality stuff for cheap). Switzerland is a very rich country, minimum wage is 18 swiss franc an hour, and the Swiss Franc is basically on par with the Canadian Dollar, but cost of living, except at places like Broken Haus, can be insane. But you can definitely live cheaply here if you try, so maybe an option for yall that want to make some quick cash fast?

After collecting the fondue pot and picking up my Switzerland pin at Broken Haus it was off to Zug, where we would stay a few days at Melody's boyfriends apartment. A chance for us to recharge our batteries for our last two weeks of this amzing 11 week adventure!

(View of Zug from Stoffel's balcony)

Stoffel showed us a lovely time while we were there. Our first night we went to a neighbouring town (all small towns are connected easily by train) and went to the Jodlerfest. We saw pipers (a la Ricola commercial) and Jodlers and lots of traditional outfits, and ate traditional Swiss food....not the healthiest, but definitely very yummy...I'll take potatoes and cheese..and of course beer, anyday. Then The three of us watched as Switzerland got kicked out of the World cup, but alas I was going for Portugal anyways...rats.

The next day Stoffel took us on a hike to a limestone grotto near his home. The limestone is a mineral which has created underground stalagtites and stalagmites in the rock crevices...it looks gross and liquidy, but really its rock...pretty friggin cool.

That night Stoffel took us on a bus, a train then a tram to the outskirts of Zurich. We then walked 15 minutes out of civilization and came to an underpass...but I heard music, and saw lights, and a bar and graffitti, and a DJ! Sick, secret, Swiss underpass rave! The music was electro and went all night, we left at about 6am, but didn't get home until 8am the next morning. The next day was spent sleeping and lazing around in our own stench...it was quite fantastic.

A vacation is not complete without a few chances to head to the lake, which being great Ontario girls, Mel and I did without protest. We also made sure to fit in some excercise with a 3 hour bike ride to Luzern...we took the train back though. What was amazing was that we were literally able to go to a bike depo, give a passport, receive two bikes, bike all the way to Luzern from Cham, lock the bikes up, see Luzern, grab the bikes, get on the train with said bikes, head back all the way to Cham and return the bikes that night, and it cost us nothing!! It helped that we had eurorail for the train, but the bike rental was free and there was no fee for taking the bike on the train. Did I mention there was a bike path from Cham to Luzern which is 30km away? Man I love bike friendly Europe!

(Me and my Swiss army knife at the Swiss army knife store in Luzern)

Our last days in Zug were spent doing intense laundry. Somewhere in between Greece and Italy Melody and I had a bout with bed bugs. Apparently, someone didn't tell us to not let the bed bugs bite. In Venice Mel woke up with bites, and then a few days later in Hvar I found some on myself, not as bad as hers and very differently shaped. We summed it up to getting them on the ferry ride back over the Adriatic, and Melody did a lot of research so we could insure we would not be carrying them with us. We inspected our bodies (bites can take up to 9 days to show up depending on the person, which exlains why mine showed up after hers, as well they can take many different forms, which is why ours looked so different). At Stoffel's we made sure to leave our bags qurantined until we could wash everything in very hot water, bags and all. We are now content and certain we are deloused and the endearment "goodnight don't let the bed bugs bite" holds a much more literal meaning to me now.

Having scrumptious home made dinners, a comfy bed, beautiful scenery, television and (my favourite) constant reliable internet access, was a delight and perfect Vacation at Stoffels. But Mel and I are now back on the road heading on a train from Zurich to Dusseldorf, more precisely Wuppertal to see and stay with Ze German,...My dear friend Steffi, who has also brought our friend Mel from Canada. It is Canada Day after all so will be great to spend it with other Canadians and of course "almost Canadians" like Steffi!

I have really liked Switzerland and it reminds me a lot of Canada by it's countryside and friendliness. It's a little wholesome though, even the creeps that hang out at the train station, weren't really that creepy. And fun fact, they don't speak Swiss here! They speak Swiss german, swiss french, or swiss italian, depending what region you live in...who would've thunkdt?

I have two weeks left and will be spending the weekend at a reggae fest in Koln, then I am very excited to be heading to Berlin!

Have a very Happy Canada Day Friends, and I will see you in two weeks!

Love and Kisses,

Tanya!

Eurotrip 2010: In Europe, NOT spending Euro’s...Kuna and Forint instead (9)

Hello friends,

This evening I write to you from a very nice train. It’s an Austrian one, and it’s headed from Budapest to Vienna as Mel and I are making our way to Zurich Via Vienna. When in Switzerland we will get a bit of a break because we will be staying with her bf Stoffel in Zug for a week before finishing up our last two weeks in Germany.

This past week began on a bit of a low note due to weather, but ended on a high note due to a pleasant and unexpected surprise in Budapest. After leaving Greece, Mel and I headed back over the Adriatic to make our way to Croatia via Italy. There is no easy way to go direct from Greece to Croatia with Eurorail, and we still hadn’t been to Venice, so we were alright with backtracking. As soon as we left Greece we wanted to go back though. The weather changed completely.

We have been so lucky with weather this whole trip because we’ve had so much sunshine, so we can’t complain, but we had to dig into the bottom of our backpacks for our warm gear so we could comfortably travel again. We stayed in Venice for a night and it poured rain. The good thing was that the campsite we were staying in bumped us from a tent into a sweet bungalow so we didn’t get soaked! Because we were desperate to find the sunshine in Croatia we only had one day in Venice and took an overnight train to Zagreb. I enjoyed Venice though, and it was cool to see all the canals and water. Melody and I shopped a lot to find the perfect Murano glass jewellery. There were so many beautiful things to see, from the masks to the jewelery, to the glassware, that we kind of lost track of time and didn’t see as much of the city as we could have. What can we say we love to shop, also it was pouring rain so we didn’t feel too badly about it. The sky did open a bit after our canal-side lunch and we were able to wander and get lost in the labyrinth that is Venice.

From Venice we headed overnight to Zagreb, arriving at 4:18am, and we waited around to catch an 8am train to Split. Our plan was to head to Dubrovnik where we had booked an apartment, but after arriving in Split after an overnight train and another 6 hour ride, we were not interested in taking the 4 hour bus all the way to Dubrovnik to only stay a day or two. I cancelled the Dubrovnik apartment and the man didn’t charge me at all, which was very nice so please do stay at the Petra House if ever in Dubrovnik. I don’t know if it’s any good, but if you need to cancel they are nice about it!

In Split we found a hostel (after turning down the many nice old people looking to rent us their apartments for the night). We stayed at the Snooze and Booze and were content to Snooze and Booze and beach while we were in Croatia. We were there for the beach’s and the party, so sightseeing wasn’t on our list of top things to do. Imagine our displeasure when we checked the weather for the next few days and realized that rain was on forecast EVERYDAY! Even in Hvar, our next stop; which prides itself on receiving 2750 average sunshine hours a year!!!! Our first day in Split was overcast, but we went to the beach anyways, didn’t swim or anything, but spent a few hours at a café drinking cappuccinos and having girl talk; always a good time if you ask me, and although Mel and I have spent the last 9 weeks completely together we never seem to run out of stuff to talk about.

That night we were going to take it easy even though it was Friday because we knew the next day in Hvar we were going to have a big night at the famous club Carpe Diem. We ended up going out though because many locals we talked to told us WE HAD TO go out on Friday in Split. Mel and I both got dressed cute but casual, wearing flats for a low key night….we were not prepared for what we encountered on the way to the bar.

We hit up the same spot as the night previously, but knew we were in for a treat because there were swarms of people walking the same way we were, and we got excited…too bad we had only brought 50 Kuna (about 7 Euro) which would buy two beers and hadn’t pre-drank at all. I knew what one of my tasks for the night was “get free drinks”. I wasn’t prepared for the other task which was, don’t get stepped on by the beautiful giant Croatians.

Mel and I are Dancing Queens so took over the dance floor right away…we worked up quite a sweat and made it known that Canadian girls know how to work it. The bar played a lot of top 40 American music at first, and it was funny to watch people sing along to the songs that they had no clue what the words were saying. Later in the night they played actual Croatian music and I had the opportunity to dance with a very attractive Croatian football trainer/player named Marin…sigh. He told me that the Croatian music they were playing was emotional for him and his friends because the musician had recently passed. We danced for a while and then I told him that "I'm sweaty”. To this he looked very uncomfortable and said "No No, your not." And I was like ya “I’m sweaty” and he said, "No, You’re just my girl tonight”. At first I was a tad confused, but then I realized though his English was good, their was still a language barrier that caused him to think I was saying, “I’m Slutty”. I cleared that up pretty quickly, and we both laughed about it after, but kudos to him for his response....What if he took it as an open invitation to invite me to spend the night?...that would have been awkward.

Melody and I hung out with Marin and all his really nice friends the rest of the night and the drinks were free flowing. Our low key evening ended when the music stopped and the sun came up. Those are the best nights though, when you go out with no expectations or anything and you are blindsided with fun. The next night however was one of those nights with high expectations, no motivation and lots and lots of Rain.

Melody and I stayed at a lovely apartment hostel on Hvar island, with a room all to ourselves and very beautiful veranda. The first night in Hvar was low key, but we did get to meet up with two Aussie girls Olivia and Jane who we had partied with in Split two nights before. The first full day in Hvar was supposed to be rainy, but to our complete delight the sun was out and it was warm. We walked to Hula beach club and rented two chairs for 50 Kuna each and basked in the sun on our last beach day and last swim of Ocean water for a while. It turned out great and we made use of Mels water proof camera and the fact that Europe is A-ok with toplessness! The next day it was back on the Katamaran to head to Zagreb for the night via Split.

The Katamaran was scheduled to leave Hvar at 1:45pm arrive in Split at 2:45pm and then we would catch a train at 3pm to go to Zagreb. 15 minutes was cutting it close, but the train station and port were super close so it was doable. When boarding the Katamaran it was real shaky and inside was worse so Mel and I waited off the boat until departure...foreshadowing? On the boat they were playing the Korea vs. Portugal game so I was happy to find a seat close to watch…only problem was all those pesky people who kept getting up and standing in front of me while they asked the bartender for a barf bag… It was crazy! I mean due to the choppy water from all the bad weather this boat was skipping on the water and was sooooo wobbly and everyone on the boat just looked nauseous. I don’t get sick really but I was feeling nauseous and hating my life, but it was the worst when the woman in front of me started making use of her bag. Like if I don’t see or smell puke then Im good, but as soon as I see or smell it that’s it! I didn’t Guelph though, I’m a lady…and I had a wicked game of football to occupy and take my mind off the fact that everyone around me was spewing their guts out. Forza Portugal!!!!

The domino effect: Rainy in Hvar, Mel and I leave Hvar, Water is choppy we both become nauseous, Katamaran is 15min late due to weather, Mel and I run for train, Mel and I miss train, Mel and I take bus to Zagreb, Mel and I Nauseous whole night in Zagreb. Upside: I still had fun, the hostel was wicked and showed us a nice chill time, we had Szechuan! I highly reccomend the Funk Hostel in Zagreb.

The train from Zagreb to Budapest was great as Mel and I were able to sleep most of the way until a large group of Hungarian school children boarded on their way home from an overnight class trip. 4 girls came and sat in our 6 person car with us. We smiled and Mel and I laughed to ourselves because the sweetest girl was wearing a sweater that said BITCH! down the side, and we just knew that her, nor her parents had any idea what that meant. The girls ranged in age from 12-14, and when they started playing music on their phone a familiar voice tickled my eardrum! JUSTIN BIEBER is truly and international success! Tweens everywhere love him! We bonded over Justin and I told them he was Canadian and that we were too. The girls didn’t speak English really, but they knew and loved many of the tween musicians and of course my girl GAAAAGAAAA!

Before we knew it Mel and I were celebrities on the train, I felt like Selena Gomez. The kids were taking our pictures and taking pictures of us. The whole group of children had matching bandanas and they were going from car to car signing each others as their class trip was coming to an end. We signed the bandanas of the 4 girls in our cart (I got real good at drawing an 11pt maple leaf) and before we knew it our car was packed with all these Hungarian kids wanting us to sign their bandanas. It was super cute and made us pumped to be heading to Budapest.

Mel and I didn’t originally plan to go to Budapest but it got added into our itinerary somewhere along the way, and boy am I glad it did. Another one of those things that you have no expectations for and then get blindsided by an amazing time. Our first day was spent taking in the sites on the free walking tour. Our guides Agnes and Balag were locals and full of spunk and really interesting information. I don’t know much about history but felt like they truly gave me a lesson. It was very cool learning about Hungary's communist past as well as religious past, and quite surreal being in a country that sided with Germany during both World Wars. Hungary used to be a huge country, but due to wars lost much of its land and people, many of which can be found elsewhere in the world. Hungary was controlled politically communist until the late 80's and the people are very happy to be a free and independent country.

When they became free the people had almost nothing so the UK sent over large amounts of clothes and charity shops were set up all over the city. Budapest is a bargain shopper/vintage lovers Dream!! Mel and I spent the rest of the afternoon tracking down the best shops in the city, most of which can be found by looking for the Union Jack on store signs! Yes, we shopped and at one point I spent 7000 forint!!! (but thats only 25euro, so it was great because I got 3 shirts and a pair of pants and shorts). I have no idea how I'm going to get on the plane, I'll probably have to wear everything I own so my suitcase isn't overweight.

Our last day was spent at the Spas and Baths and it was lovely and cheap! I got a full body massage by a man with amazing hands named Baros. I was a little nervous at first because he was young and kind of cute and he touched me in places that,...well you know what I mean. It was my first massage ever and it was amazing, definitely a must do in Budapest!

After feeling relaxed and nicely pampered at the Spas, it was back to breaking our backs with our backpacks cuz we had a train to catch! We are now on an overnighter to Zurich where we will be staying with Stoffel.

Croatia and BudaPest are both places I must go back to. Mel and I felt a bit shortchanged in these places; Croatia due to the less than average weather and Budapest because we felt like we didn’t have enough time there. Both are places I must go again! (to dance with Marin and get felt up by Baros).

Now I will try to sleep as we arrive at 7:20am. I have bumped my flight back a week so will be arriving back in Canada on July 14th, so let's play together then!

Love and Kisses,

TaCaGo

EuroTrip 2010: Let's ride!... (8)

Hello my friends!

I am on a Ferry watching the Italy vs. Paraguay World cup match and I’m heading to Italy, so hopefully they win so the country will be in good spirits when I arrive!. We left Santorini last night after 4 of the best days of my trip. I loved Santorini and am honestly really sad to be leaving Greece. Of course I am happy because we are heading to Venice and then Croatia, so my beach days aren’t over, but they certainly are numbered.

We arrived in Athens on the 8^th and stayed for two nights near Omonia station. Great location, 10 minute walk to the Acropolis and right in the middle of other sites such as Prostitutes and junkies shooting up, and as Melody so unfortunately encountered, grown men jacking off in the early evening on public street corners (Ya this happened, ask her about it, she loves when the scene replays over and over in her head lol). The location worked well for us though. Because it wasn’t safe for us to be out of our hostel after 10pm we were home both nights pretty early so could have early mornings for sightseeing.

Our first night in Athens was really very fun. Melody met Elsa and Stathus on her travels to Hawaii. They are a happy and fun Greek couple who love to travel. In Hawaii they raved to Melody about the beaches she would encounter in Greece in comparison to Hawaii, so Mel was super stoked to be here finally. We contacted them and to our delight they planned a night time tour of Athens for us on their Motorcycles!!!

(Authentic Crete food and drink after motorcycle tour with Elsa and Stathus)

Melody and I were pumped and were able to take in the sites with two locals showing us the way. We ended up in their neighbourhood Exarchia, which is a really cool neighbourhood that reminds me of Kensington Market but on a larger scale. They told us that they liked living there because it was a very informed area full of people with ideas and people who were able to discuss and take action on issues; I was inspired by the revolutionary feel of the place. Before going to Athens Melody and I, like many misinformed westerners were worried about the protests and violence happening in Athens due to the Greek economy. Fortunately before deciding to nix Athens we had talked to Elsa who told us that the only issue is there can be remnants of tear gas in the air, but because she is active in the protests she would have extra masks for us to use if necessary!….but no protests were scheduled while we were to be in town, and anyways I had packed my own masks…you know for all that microscopic razor sharp volcanic ash that was going to be in the air…. Hahaha (I am a worrier and the daughter of a worrier…. thanks mom!)

Elsa and Stathus took us to a park in the area called “Your parking, Our Park”. Literally, it used to be a junk yard which the government had promised the community would be transformed into a beautiful park, as the area and Athens in general is lacking in park space. Well the government never put their words into action, so the community got together and basically cleaned the area and made their own park…revolutionary no? There is a playground for children, public gardens, a lot of sitting space and mosaic work.

It was very lovely at night, and really cool during the day when Melody and I went and checked it out later. We felt like we were seeing a part of Athens that not many tourists get to see, and of course that was due to Elsa and Stathus our exceptional hosts!. I really appreciated the neighbourhood and the park as it made me even more confident that my schooling in Recreation and Business studies was the right choice. Parks and public spaces are key in building community and safe neighbourhoods. Public space is used inappropriately in so many places. In Canada we have so many parks and public spaces, but many are underused and people are afraid to get out there and get to know their neighbor. But in Athens the people were starved for a public space to get together, so they took it upon themselves to make it happen. I just felt very inspired and I think I may need to go back to school and continue my education!

They next day Mel and I headed to see some more ruins, Greek Style! The Acropolis really is a site to see, but like many old European buildings it’s in a constant state of restoration; kinda ruins a picture for you. We wandered the streets and made sure to eat a Gyro (with French fries of course), and I also purchased my third pair of shoes….which I love. We made it an early night though because we had a big day of going to the most wonderful place in the world ahead of us.

We arrived in Santorini after a long day of ferry travel and were greeted by a smiling Greek old man who was delighted to take us to International Youth Hostel Anna in Perissa, the south east town of Santorini. This is where we saw our first white houses, but they would not be our last.

(the black beach)

We signed up for the Traditional ship boat tour for our first full day in Santorini. We got on the boat around 11am and started our journey with about 60 other tourists to the Santorini Volcano, the hot springs, the fishing island of Thirassia and we would end our tour watching the sunset in Oia (the place you see on postcards or when you google Santorini). At the first stop of the tour we learned that Santorini had really only been a tourist destination for the last 20 years. It was purely a fishing village until the volcano erupted its last time in 1958. After the island was decimated the Greek government went to Santorini to help rebuild and they brought with them infrastructure; Santorini now had electricity! It was completely rebuilt with tourism in mind and now 75% of the inhabitants make a living off tourism, the other 25ish% are in construction.

The next stop was awesome because we got to jump from the boat into the water and we had to swim about 5 minutes to get to the hot springs which were a copper red (white bathing suit top was a bad choice). We made friends with some American kids on a grad trip from Northeastern (for credit, so jell) and we got some fun pics of us with the-I’m gonna say “nutrient full”-mud all over our bodies. Not sure if we were supposed to rub it on us, but it seemed like a good idea at the time, and it was! The swim back to the boat was cool, literally! When we swam from the hot spring back to the Aegean sea there is a change in water temperature and colour ...and that temp change makes my nipples hard just thinking about it.

For lunch we stopped for 2 hours at the fishing island of Thirassia, but rather then eating fish, Mel and I took the much more budget friendly route of souvlaki platter for 2 and a coca-cola for 5 euro each….much more economical, and sooo filling!

Then it was off too Oia (pronounced EEyah) for the sunset. Now this wasn’t just any sunset, this was the most incredible sunset I have seen in my life. On this trip alone I have seen some fabulous sunsets, like sunsets I’ve literally written home about. But usually there is something on the horizon that blocks the sun, but nope not from Oia. The sun was a bright fiery orb and the world seemed flat as the orb sank below the surface of the horizon, never to be seen again….(until the next day). It really was amazing, see for yourself.

Also, we rode donkeys to get to Oia, and it was sooo funny. But truthfully I was a little put off by it because my donkey was real little and he was last and the guy kept whipping him and I didn’t like that he was doing it and it was also a tad scary because we were so close to the edge and there were like 50 donkeys, and its really hard to take pictures with one hand and hold on to the reins with all your might with the other…but I survived.

(My donkey, I called him Donkey)

Instead of island hopping as was originally planned Mel and I realized that we’d rather stay on Santorini for our whole time and really get a good feel for it, rather than spending hours on ferries and not feeling like we saw any islands. So the next day we spent the morning laying on the black beach (black due to volcanic rock), and in the afternoon Mel and I rented an ATV and did some intense island touring with our new American friends from Northeastern, George and Jonathan. At some points we were rolling with a sick ATV biker gang of 12 deep. We rode to the highest point on the island, and then headed to Kamari beach for the last of the sunshine and to do a little cliff jumping (I jumped twice and I was so scared, but you should have seen the little kids that were jumping, and the heights they were going from, like how do you have no fear?)

(Mel and both must learn how to jump without plugging our noses)

We ended our ATV adventures with a wine tasting at Santo winery and yes we saw another amazing sunset. This wasn’t the end of the night for Mel and I though, I mean it was Saturday after all. We had some drinking and dancing to do….and what better place to do it then at Beach Bar….the name says it all and it was really fun. Not as wild or crazy as something you might find on the party islands of Mykonos or Ios, but good enough for Mel and I because where we go a party is inevitable!

The next morning was our last day on the island because we were taking an overnight ferry back to the mainland that night. We kept our ATV for a few more hours and headed to the Red Beach which was probably the hottest beach I have ever been on and it looked and felt like what I imagine mars would look and feel like…RED HOT! Then we drove on some wicked fun windy roads to the middle of the island to the town of Thira. We said a farewell to our American friends with a promise to have a Boston-Toronto reunion soon and then headed into town to do what else but take pictures and check out the shops. Oh we also ate some more Gyros….!

I am sad to leave Greece because the people were just sooo friendly. I was at first worried about the language barrier and had practice sessions with fellow Canadians on the ferry here on how to pronounce “Meh Late Anglikah?” properly. Because Greece is a tourist hotspot their signage is for the most part both in Greek and English….ya the saying it’s all Greek to me is very accurate. I loved seeing the revolutionary side in Athens and being around people who cared about their government and who were excited about being involved in the issues. In Canada we don’t have that excitement about issues, at least where I hang, and the youth aren’t taking issues into their own hands. Maybe this is good and it means that we’re on the right track and all is gravy, or maybe we just don’t care? But it would be nice to actually feel enthusiasm and interest towards how my country is being run, like the Greeks do. Maybe I need to expand my own knowledge, or maybe Steven Harper needs to shake it up a bit. He should start by legalizing public drinking!….not public drunkenness, but being able to drink in public is something you can do all over Europe, and you’re bound to find people getting together in one of the many public squares chatting, and having a good time with each other. We have our pre-drinks, but if you want to go out you need to have money, and that’s something I’m just not going to be rolling in when I get home. Public drinking is something I am down for! Who’s with me?

Ok, rally when I get back! I’m working on pushing my flight back a few days so I can finish all the days on my Eurorail pass…Ill keep ya’ll posted though and let you know when I’ll be back. As always feel free to msg me and comment or send some love my way….I miss ya!

Love and Kisses,

T