The Amazing Race

I haven't been able to keep up with my blog as much as I would like to.  I do not have constant access to a computer and much of the time I need it to do research and buy tickets to ride donkeys across the sea.  So much is happening and I have been keeping a log in my journal.  I have stories I need to share about such things like my turtle, my angels, my rocks, my hidden caves... It goes on and on and on.  In time with patience and perseverance I will explain my adventures and share my joys.  One Love.

Castles in the Sand

Going up the hill to see the castle is Nafplio, Greece's first capitol.

My dream home, come on over, don't forget your boat.

Peek-A-Boo

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"In heaven, everything is fine..." (The Pixies)

Hidden Treasures

Athena and the Turtle

As I was walking through the Byzantine Quarter all alone on a sunny day I found this guy and he started coming after me full speed ahead.  It was a moment and then...

I stopped in a park down the way to write about my thoughts in my journal and I hear rustling from behind me getting closer and closer so I take out my headphones turn around and this guy is right at my feet.

I went to a little cafe by the Acropoli and this art exhibit was up.  An artist couldn't have depicted me better if they tried.

"My Thoughts Exploding into a Million Colours"

I find this sadly beautiful.

Yes this is my blog so things are naturally going to be about me.  It is my place to by self-involved. If you don't like it you have all the power in the world to not read it.

Love Street Art

Love Peace Serenity found in Santorini after I had a moment by the Sacred Rock in Athens asking Athena for strength.  I am not one to follow religion but I have always been enthralled in Greek Mythology and there is something about Athena that has taken my soul and lifted it high with strength and courage.

Santorini and Me

Stranded on an Island! Life is good.

Exarchia

It took us a lot longer to get to Greece than expected.  It was my longest travel day thus far but so well worth it!  I left Roma at 2:something on a Wednesday and arrived in Patras, Greece the next day around 2:something as well.  From Patras we had to get to a bus station to travel to Athens.  The bus ride was about 3 hours and it was the most beautiful scenery that I have seen so far on this journey of mine.  Mountains to the right of me the sea to the left and here I am stuck in the middle!  

Actually the train ride from Rome to Bari reminded me of the mountain train ride at Wonderland.  It was spectacular... But Greece killed it, sorry; the Greeks love competition!

So after the bus ride there was a train ride.  Thankfully we met some little brothers on our way to Athens.  One was from Argentina and he joined us on our journey and the other is from Greece and he helped us find Athens.  People are great.

We arrived in Athens hours later than expected but we still managed to find our apartment that we rented for 3 nights and it only cost me 9.50 Euros a night!  Airbnb is where it's at; I got two turn tables and a micro-phone.  The ad for the apartment said "tiny studio with view of Acropolis".  It was accurate.  We were on top of a building with a wonderful view of the Acropolis; Our home was a room with a little bathroom.  Half of the apartment was outside.  It felt like we were camping on a roof in Athens.  Special special special.  I was all out of clean clothes so I had to wash some stuff in the sink and hang it on that balcony.  Funny stuff my friends, funny stuff.

So we went to the Acropolis on Friday.  As we were walking we pass the cutest little used/vintage store.  We go in and look around; I buy a necklace for 1.20 Euros.  There was an extremely funky version of Seven Nation Army playing on the radio; I heard it in Rome too but I think Adam Levine was singing along to it in that version.  Anyway the girl working there told us to go to "Exarchia".  We thought it was a bar or a club... It is an area.  We found it later on that night.  I tried to upload a video but it is not working of course; maybe another day.  

Exarchia is a neighbourhood and there is a square where people hang out.  It is peaceful despite the news.  There was a campfire in the middle of the city; how magical is that?  It is a place of Anarchy let's be honest here.  But it is the good kind of Anarchy.  The kind of place where police don't bug you and you can meet people and talk politics and a sweet old man will sing me a song.  The dogs run free and mess around it is so cute.  Some say it is dangerous but this is my experience of Exarchia:

Cuddle Time

I had been for-warned of the Greek men before coming to Greece and I must state that we have had no problems with Greek men.  Everyone has been super kind and so freaking unbelievably nice and truly looking out for us and our safety.  Not only that, before coming to Greece I would randomly buy an apple at a market; I did this pretty much everywhere else I've been to so far.  But in Greece when we passed through a market and I asked for one apple the man laughed and said to take it.  We go for dinner and the waiter gives us free drinks.  We change apartments today and the sweet woman who owns the place with her husband just brought us dinner while I am writing this.  They expect nothing in return.  It is truly remarkable in this land of philosophy and art; the first place I can really see myself living.

A Little Taste of Athens

For some reason this reminded me of my dad...

                                                               Stroke the fuzzy...chair?

Me Amore <3

My tree is actually Greek... Hmmm I learn something new everyday!

Athens is covered head to toe in Graffiti and street art.

Café de Flore

On March 7th I took a train from Roma to Bari.  I am travelling sans technology other than my music machine and camera so to make plans to meet a friend is totally oldskool right now.  I say, "Going to be here around 7 I sure hope you'll be there too!"  So I get off my train and I am in a warm southern part of Italy; I see trees that look like giant pineapples and I sit and wait.  I get up and walk back and forth. I think to myself, oh I hope she comes...

VOILA!  There she is and I am so happy I could cry.  We hug and it is just after 7 and we know the boat for Greece leaves at 8 so we jump in a cab and get to the boat just on time.  We buy "deck" tickets which truly meant that we were supposed to sleep outside on the deck... Luckily it is slow season so we sleep on a chair or a floor or wherever.  It was a long boat ride and we bought some wifi for a few hours but it ran out pretty quickly.  So Pamela suggests that I watch this film on her computer.  I watch.  I love.

It has been a very long time since I have watched a movie that I absolutely love and it was so perfect for the moment; the acting remarkable; storyline gripping; climax actually there for a change!  Everything I wonder about at the moment is touched in this movie.  I am so happy she shared this film with me I really needed that.  Something Special Happened That Day.

Le Slow Computer tesing Le Patience

This wasn't the pic that I truly wanted to share at the moment but "that'll do pig... that'll do..."

Roma

I am trying so hard to share this video from last night.  I arrived in Rome yesturday.  I decided to just start walking and look for the Colliseum.  I found it and I was immediately moved.  Around the ancient ruins I am geting that familiar feeling; de ja vù if you please. 

It started raining it felt so great.  I have been blessed with such amazing weather since arriving two weeks ago it was refreshing to feel the rain.  The rain makes new.  Washes over.  Gypsies (my new name for anyone trying to sell me crap or hand me papers) kept trying to sell me an umbrella and I wasn't having it.  The rain made the smell of the ruins come alive.  If I could upload a smell I would insert it here!
So I am walking listening to my music and then I can kinda here something so I pause my mp3 player and sure enough, guitar in the rain.  The first street performer I gave some coins to.  I kept walking and climbed some fantastic steps and felt like the king or the emperor of the world.

On my way back the man was still playing his guitar in the rain across the street so I stopped for a minute.  I stopped and noticed a bit of a shrine.  Beautiful flowers and a bike and a message.  A woman had been killed at that exact spot while riding her bike.  I read the message and the guitar man broke out into Stairway.  How moving; how magical.

I have footage I wish to share.

Today I continued to explore and I felt that good 'ol feeling while walking through the gardens.  Rome is something else.  To be able to walk through the streets and find ruins everywhere you go is just spetacular.  I love it.  But alas, I leave tomorrow.

"Bittersweet" is the word of the week.  If you hear the word I invite you to scream like in Pee Wee Herman!

"It's bitter baby and it's oh so sweet"

Venice

I am having trouble uploading pictures to my blog ;(  I really wanted to share the photo of my puffy foot!  I am in Venice and it is so boring and there is not much to do here.  So I am taking this time to relax and chat live on fb and catch up with uploading photos since there is a free computer here with interweb.

At my hostel here in Venice I feel a bit like the queen as I was givin the best bed in my dorm it really is quite sweet.  The woman who runs the hostel is so sweet and she feels like a mother even though she is one year younger than me.  I've yet to have some gelato but it has been taunting me from all the windows.

The local Italian men are so stupid here.  I was walking around yesterday and some twerpy dude shorter than me just put his arm around me and tried to walk with me and take my picture and he didn't even know a word of english.  What a freak.  I had another strange experience in Paris where I dude sat one step higher than me along the water and started throwing crumpled up napkins at my head.  He kept pretending it wasn't him but I'm not that dumb.  Every time I looked away he tapped my back so I just ignored him and he just tapped me more; he is lucky I didn't throw him off the canal. 

Will a boy please explain to me why they're so stupid?  Why they think that if you smile at them or engage in a 5 minute conversation that it means you will partake in something further.  Intentions my friends; get some good ones please before I scream!  Anyway not all my experiences have been bad; I've made some great Australian male friends who never tried to expect more from me and I love them for it.

I've met a few good females on my travels too who share so much of my interests and values it is so refreshing.  I must admit I am truly looking forward to seeing my girlfriend, Pamela, this Wednesday.

Tomorrow I leave Venice for Rome and stay there for 2 nights.  From Rome I will be heading down to Bari and hugging my buddy and setting forth to Greece for the weekend!  Awww I cannot wait to get out of these lonely cities and see some beautiful scenery!

Where I'm At

I wish I had a recorder for my thoughts it would make keeping a log a heck of a lot simpler.  I've always been able to find comfort in music; I seem to relate better to songs than the people I encounter on my path.  I can relate to everyday people on a specific subject but not on everything and anything that truly matters.  The subject today is... (DUH DUH DUH) love...

I see so many couples together (having been in Paris and now Venice) loving, holding, kissing and I am not jealous.  I would much rather be alone than with someone because when you are with someone they have the power to fuck your shit up.  They have the power to take what is good and great and wonderful and happy and rip it to shreds.  I feel like a wounded bird; as much as I loathe to admit this.  I feel like I've been trampled on a few too many times.  When you love someone and give them your soul they then have the power to take it and squeeze it until it hurts so much you start nurturing the thought that perhaps life isn't all it's cracked up to be.  At this point in my life I would much rather be alone and sad then with someone and be miserable.  I'd rather be the master of my destiny than to let someone in and have them change everything I ever set out to do and more. 

I see the happy couples and I am not sad.  I remember a time when I hoped that love would fix everything but instead learning that it only complicates my journey in life.  I used to think that love should only make life easier; for me it has been detrimental to my existence.  I either love too much and I cannot have it or I give it my everything and he says it is not enough.  I do not want love to hurt; I want love to heal.  I don't want to feel like a goddamn wounded bird... like my wings have been clipped or my soul compromised. 

I am giving life my all from now on.  I am now here to tell those whom I love how much they mean to me and those whom "suck ass" to go and fuck themselves (pardon le french).  "I've got love in the face of fear".  At a point in my life I thought that I would have loved to of travelled with a partner but things do not always work out the way in which you want them to; I cannot let these things in life destroy me because if I did I would be making the biggest mistake of all.  The point is to push on through; to take all the bad and claim, "no more!".  To not let it effect you to the point of no return.  We will all experience hardships but we must make the choice to persevere.  I may be wounded but I am not broken forever.  I just need a little time to heal.  To make my wrongs right.  To grab a hold of life and shake it so hard that it has no choice but to EXPLODE!  Explode into a million colours and songs. 

Lesson of the day:  I would rather be alone and a tad sad than be with someone and be filled with miserable regret.  I am standing up from now on for true happiness and life and love.  You can expect the truth from me.  You can expect me to share my time and my experiences.  Expect me to invite you on my adventure; expect that I will not be upset in the slightest if you decline.  I am happy.  I am loved. I am alone.  I am growing and learning everyday.  I will give only my best to everyone and I will expect absolutley nothing in return and be totally content.

I am gratefull for my family and friends; they fill my life with so much laughter. 
xoxoxoxox
one love
peace out from Venice