Sunday, August 17, 2008

Barefoot on concrete

Sometimes you need some fresh air. I don't know what it is about walking barefoot, even on the cement blocks which carve out the neighborhood, that I enjoy so much. Maybe it makes me feel a part of the world again. Sometimes you get lost in your own thoughts and the metaphysical bubble in your head gets too big, and you need to reconnect. Maybe its the opposite, feeling the hard ground beneath your soft steps helps you forget the world you live in and helps you form a bubble of your own- in which only you and the sensation brushing up your body with every step exists. Walking out and making the darkness part around you and it lets you wonder the land but still hugs your path, it is comforting to look down and see your naked feet, unfolding flashes of light beneath you- blink by blink- on the grey cement.
Toes and heel pushing off the ground, it might almost look like you're helping the world spin with every stroke. And I guess that's why it seems so scary to stop or slow down, would I fall off? or simply realize the world I imagine around me isn't at all what I thought it would be. Its getting clearer and clearer how little say people have in the world. My feet are tired of spinning the world without getting what I want out of it. With every step my feet get dustier and dustier... you figure out the metaphor

Monday, July 21, 2008

At the airport again...and I thought my trip just began yesterday

For the next eighteen hours this is my life. For the next eighteen hours this is my life. I train my eye to loose focus as it stares out of the three meter airport window out onto the arriving flights. My shoulders slumped; my head cocked, or rather fallen to the side I realise nothing is in focus. I am most probably only a few walls away from you but I might as well be miles away. And when the chimes of the airport wake me from my emptiness i stand up and follow the zombie herd to the passage way. No, of course not, they are not all zombies, some are quit happy: maybe they are just launching their own voyage, or going off to vacation, or reuniting with loved ones, but to me, I only see empty.For the next eighteen hours those airport chimes will be watch and I will train my ears to speak the language.
Life is a river, yes, and chapters are opened and closed as the river bends, and all of this has been pleeded to me, but to process this I have naively failed. Cant a river finally find its fill and be satisfied enough to stand still?

Why is happiness something we find in the ripples of the river and not the sand which is the foundation and what carries the river throughout its journey?

Enriched, I have absorbed so much, changed in some ways and reinforced my character in others. What makes me different from someone who has only read about Europe in books and websites: about every monument and every square and can recite to me the importance of each? Experience, thats what. The people that I have been have been unforgetable, the smiles and the giggles I will hear for all my life; the nuisances and the nuances have taught me to be patient and open; the joy, the hardships, the drinks, the debates, the adventures, braving the unknown, standing up for things that are right and things you believe in, and helping someone see something in a different light as they do the same for me. Not to mention I got to steel a pen from the Flying Pigs, and you couldnt do that by reading a book now can you !! And now thats all behind me..and now poof! and im home. Poof and im home!

Sunday, July 20, 2008

An Aside...

Just a bit of a warning, please dont expect my last entry to be a happy one haha, so prepare to be deep, depressed, or get out of my kitchen hahah.

Rio Duoro, Porto (Portugal)- Last stop

To watch a city get dark while sipping on sweet wine, to watch the swarms of seagulls grow and drape the simmering sky and the sky breaking cathederal tower in the distance. The pastel rooftops, bleached my the ages of the sun, break the silence of the sky as the river running beneath echoes the violin and accordian blowing the symphany of old dirt stained fingers. I dont know this city but I feel at home amoungst the twinkle of the water and the twighlight of the sky.
The glimmering lights of the night remind the day that it is time to set, as me and my friends watch the shift change, spectators of a tradition as old and as inevitable to the universe as breathing is to us. Inhale..exhale...day...night...And just as the day can only last for so long, so can this moment. Thats what makes this voyage so incredible and so painful. As amazing as it was to be here, you must maintain this philosophy in your mind. Hard not to get attached. Heavier and heavier is the sand in my sand watch, pooring faster and faster as the sun sets inch by inch. With every next beat of my heart and every desperate breath that I take, I know that this does not last.
This city will remember my face, as the faces of all the locals, the travelers, the seagulls, the builders, the wreckers, the layers, the finders, and that is all that will be left of me here... a footprint.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Dachau Consentration Camp-The Vastness

Walking through the metal gates and bars that form the words "Arbait Macht Frei"..closing your eyes as you stomp through the pathway with the group you only hear the grinding of the rocks beneath the souls of your feet, an though the wind blows a chill that offers no comfort, the air is still. Still as the hearts of those who have been here. The heavy breaths around you resonate only for a second, and then are lost in the vastness of the yard, as lost as the prisoners once their souls were color-coded and then removed. These breaths are carried to the sky where the birds circling above, chirping of love and laughter, only taunt you as you sweat in shackles stained with innocence. The drizzle is appropriate, the drops they are not any heavier than the tear shed that has washed the soil for years, and the drops are not received with no more concern than those tears. The walls here do not glimmer and are cold and still; shameless as the eyes that befell and glared down towards whimpering hands-drawn out in plea. Cold as the walls the eyes were.
Out of the windows you will not find hope, only fear, and sunlight only meant in was time for more suffering, more tears blood and sweat- rest will come another time.
Bald floors without fuzz, as bald as the heads were shaved, as their dignities were shaved, as their humanity! Stepping on the bald floor and you feel as all that mentioned breaking underneath you.
The black and white posters are good reminders, and give a sample, but you do not hear the sharp voices and the pang of humiliation, you do not feel the warm blood dripping down as your bones are shattered, you do not feel the mass desperation as you push just one more inch so your life is spared; you do not see your father die or your mother wounded, or your child disappear- you only see a poster, and you say "wow, poor them".
The term "skin and bones" is rarely used as such an accurate description, but when a dandelion found on your work field is your salvation from hunger, and you must share its petals with your loved ones, the term has a much graver meaning. When your despair has eaten away any smiles you had hidden, and any laughter left in the glimmer of your memory, when your despair forces the only pure ounce of energy you've absorbed from that dandelion, to put your one blood stained knee in front of the other and crawl what remains of you across that white border line, because that is your only way out, only hoping that the screams of your people will bring help from beyond the walls, and the people of Dachau will carry your freedom. And as the bullit penetrates the back of your neck-home.
When you consider that, thats when you can respect life, and the breath you breath, and the people that make you smile.
As you walk out, past the barbed wired fence, leaving behind bad senses, a smooth river escorts you and bids you a due, as if trying to erase your goosebumps and trying to wash away what you've seen. Humming a sweet lulliby. But then at your last glance, to the left, you eye catches a sobering glimpse of the graves and ashes of thousands unknown, inscribed "Do Not Forget", and then you know no river of time can ever subdue the pain of this place.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

People are you serious??

thanks for txting me that you read my blog, but can you people please write down a thought.. maybe even a full sentence :)

Saturday, June 14, 2008

No cows have been harmed

Italy... what can I say... more impressive than the David and the Sisteenth chapel are the men and the beautiful words they bestow upon us as we wonder blushingly through streets. They are enamored with our giggles and our "charm". They truly are gorgeous and have no shame or pride to stop them from approaching you on a whim- making eye contact is a dangerous skill to possess.
Whats more unforgettable is the food... cliche I know, but even after hearing about the power of the pasta I was still beside myself. I try to order chicken, or even steak.. but what my mind says "steak" my mouth utters "penne con scoglio" (ahh penne with seafood!!) i cant get enough, for some its coffee, for me its italian seafood! So much better than even the finest Staten Island can offer hahaha...
Visiting Rome was a dream come true, as Robbin Williams said in a movie once (ten points for those who know) I know what the Sisteenth Chapel smells like now, no longer going my an image I saw once in a textbook.
Napoli, famous for its food and amazing warmth was the most inviting... amoung some of the free treats from italian men were free taxi rides, free shots, free train tickets, AND getting away with not buying a ticket for a train (a fine of $60 WHICH IS NEVER WAIVED- except for us O=) haha). We were escorted everywhere we went and even at the slightest of brow furrowing, help was offered from every angle.
Scaling Mt.Mesuvious was not only challenging and thus fulfilling but also breathtaking! And consecutively so was Pompeii... YES we saw people that were mummified in ash- the most touching was one man that was in a squatting position who was found hiding in a closet. The ash settled 30 meters high(no clue what that is in feet but pretty damn high)
Yesturday was Tuscany.. there is nothing sexier than getting coaght in the rain amoung the streets of tuscany, armed only with our smiles and our whimsical laughs to shield us from the drizzle as it soiled the cobble stones paths on which we frolicked! Wine at an authentice Enoteca (winery) was supperb and the perfect side dish to the hillsides of Siena.
And today...
THE DAVID.... not even the most sturnest of "NO PHOTO" could have detered me from capturing the most powerful man ever emortalized my Michaelangelo! How many masterpieces can I witness... as the door in Marians bathroom stall truthfully and insightfully stated "today you have witnessed the greatness within us".. it was inspiring (well if you ignored the fact that you were peeing hahah)
Im very satisfied with Italy, it has beaten my expectations to a hundred degrees.. aimlessly walking through these ancient streets is more magical than anything I have yet seen or experienced! Dont mean to rub it in you laborers hahaha..MWAH!! Please leave a simple comment even... dont be shy :)

Saturday, May 31, 2008

Just so you know:

Its very easy to txt me or call me... def keep in touch.. heres the number:
THANK YOU FOR THOSE WHO HAVE TXTED AND/OR CALLED :)))

Dial: 011-33-628-676-676

Friday, May 30, 2008

Oh yea...

Oh and I have to say it was nice to afford some things.. so we did a bit of shopping on the Charles Bridge.. and rubbed a statue for some wish making on that bridge as well

Prague.. Pastels and sandstone

So Prague is beautiful as everyone has warned me.. quite a difference from the party essense of restless Greece. We can finally flush toilet paper, which you wouldnt understand how liberating it actually is until you stay in Greece for eight days! They have some weird traditions.
Its our third day here, we have already gotten a full tour of the city along with some info about its history. Today we walk to follow our own hearts intrigue. There are so many things to see, but we feel we need to see the Jewish Ghetto again and some of its Synogogues and its cemetary; we also want to see the Communism museum and then we're off for a second look at the Prague Castle and its Royal gradens. We've already seen a chapel where Royalty used to be married in.. WOW. hahah. makes me want to be Catholic for a second; but then we walked through the ghetto where on one day over 5000 Jews were killed for the hell of it. So then I remember why its not so cool to be Catholic haha.

As a side not I LOVEEEE the prague transportation system.. if you love the honor system but dont love honoring it, you'll LOVE Prague.. where EVERY trip is freeeeeee

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Wow, ok.. so right now im in prague.. let me say thank you to those who have commented haha Fred way to make me laugh out loud and look like an idiot hahah... Raika spasibo balshoya ya tak obradavalas shto ti napisala.. and dave, PICK UP YOUR FONE SUKA!!! hahahha

PLEASE READ THIS>> ITS GOOD STUFF!! Take it one paragraph at a time, and leave comments :)

Upon arrival to our hostel in Athens we realized right then and there NOT to trust the words of this hostelbooker.com.. by "free internet and locker storage" they mean "we dont have any of those", by convenient location they mean "if you want to have number one prostitute in all of kozakstan" because it was junky town, REAL shady, but in athens i also learned that i appear to be a cat to the local men because they kept "ksss ksss kss-ing" at me... I even got a real deep and slow "MEOOOOWWW" once, was exciting! The jew change shape into cat! lol
The ruins were amazing though so it was worth it, got to see all important stuff in one whole day and on our own self-made tour. Athens deserves no more than one day, a couple we met actually walked around aimlessly for a whole day (about 12 miles) cuz they were so bored, AND IT WAS ONLY THEIR SECOND DAY!!! so the next day we decided to go off to mykonos.


Mykonos was pretty intense, we got a little bungalow on the beach for 5 euros a night - no electricity or bathrooms (have to walk for that) and it was actually pretty nice. Two things we learned: Mosquitos LOVEEEEE your ears, they love to buzz by them ALL night long, making sure to lull you to sleep ever so genly even through your ipod- o ipod can come between your ear and a mosquitos mission!
Second: it is ALWAYS awesome to think that you need to climb a cliff in order to get to this secluded beach only to find an hour later as your stiff hanging off a rock that there is a 5 min path that leads right to it about 10 feet away from where you are! GREAT!! we asked how to get to this beach and were told to find our way through the cliff, thinking this meant there was no ACTUALL way we decided to look for our own, an hour later we see a couple just strolling by without any cares as we're grasping the cliffsfor our lives and swetting perfusly!!! well it was def wworth it! Way to go Marian on the survival..
So in Mykonos they dont go out til 2:30 am and stay out til 8 am... breakfast gets served at 2 pm!! haha, so the beaches are empty til then :) but when the zombies start crawling out of their holes, the beach is amazing, blasting house musinc and spreading lounge chairs with silk fabric to shade the sun for those who still cant seem to open their eyes! We tried to keep this schedule, but having minimal beach time we stayed oout til about 5:30 and woke up at 9:30... BOTH DAYS.. we got a ride from the hostel oweners and workers and they showed us around the town.. we got in for free, and free drinks all night..house music is amazing there- when it plays- otherwise you here a random mix of 80's music just to emphasize the eighties attire everyone wears GROSS>.. so you hear a sick beat and then you hear purple rain, NOT KIDDING- AT A CLUB!! lol...

Despite everyones disapproval we decided to go see other islands... Santorini was next..
the hostel was in town this time and only about 30 min from the beach.. luckily we hitched all the rides in this town thanks to yours truly! oh yea... no bus for this chick! The "black sand" beaches turned out to be not sand but rocks, hence the black part, but the water was sweet! A bunch of Albanians captured me and took to to a cliff to jump off of, and you know me, once im on a cliff theres only one way to get down! BY TAKING A PICTURE OF ME DOING SOMETHING AWESOME!! Marian managed to snap a few good shots through shaking hands and tear-blurred vision, haha sorry Mar' hahaha. Met some really cool people, and bartenders are crazy.. they all offer crazy wild sex, and after 400 offers we just stopped mixing with the locals and by the end of the last day hung out with kids from long island ahhaha... they said we're too old to be on facebook!! THAT WAS AWESOME!! theyre 21 btw.
We made it to Ioa which is a city known for its spectacular sunset.. and it was! Except for there was a bit of a seperation thing that happened, enough to cause some panic- but eventually it brought us closer and we're all alive!!

Ios was the last stop and unfortunatly we only had one and a half days to devote to it. This was truly the BEST island.. it was by far so overwhelming with beauty that i can only hope that you feel a fraction of it when i show you the pictures... Most of the time I just wanted to exist... not speak or think, but exist amoungst the buzzing and the chiming of the mountain. we rented quads and took the most scenic 1 hour drive to Homer's tomb which was by far more than we could have imagined to expect from a quad ride. We actually were stranded on a mountain top for 30 minutes because my quad stalled, and for the first time, as i was taking in the view, i didnt ming the buzzing of the bugs- im on their turf, their home, and i was welcomed Some people said they were disappoint because it wasnt Grand enough for them... if they knew anything they wouldnt expect St.Peter's cathedral... Homer died in times of B.C... he was a philosopher, not a king, and the peace that you feel and the aura that surrounds you surpasses what gold on marble can show you.. When you stand, alone, as the sun is setting to the far right, and the hills recite an orchestra of bells from every direction, you feel nothing less of grandeur! I wish we had stayed at this island longer!
The day that we were leaving we took one more drive in the opposite direction enjoyed some more awe0-insipring views and layout out on a beach left untouched just for us... all the lounge chairs in the world and no one to collect a fee :) we enjoyed the overbearing heat for no more than an hour and headed back with only an ounce of hope and on ounce of gas.. and there, with Homer's miracle we made it back to town (an hour and a half) on absolutely NO GAS! you know what they say, everytime marina makes in on an empty gas tank, an angel gets its wings hahaha

we're now in prague after an 8 hour ferry ride and a 4 hour flight and just finished breakfast! We are waitin for our tour to begin to see some of the city... please stay tuned for pictures on my facebook and for the LOVE OF GOD LEAVE COMMENTS

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Holy shit

Wow, so I've completely tried to avoid this panic thing that has just set in... the lights are low in the house and the only thing i hear other than myself typing is the loud roar of winnies snore.. and what do I think about that? well i think im gonna miss that damn dog! Makes me feel like I dont even wanna see Europe. Well it might be the panic attack talking though. So my fingers are numb from typing emails and confirmations and now this blog, my throat is dry, my eyes are heavy, and all my mind keeps telling me is that it will definitely not let me sleep tonight haha. Its almost 2 am, a good time to give winnie a bath? well anyways, i think i should head up and finish the packing- yes thats right, im not close to being done yet.. thanks for those who have cared enough to show up to the party, and for those who helped out..especially sean, you silly irish boy. (I wrote man but decided to change it to boy- but then decided I wanted you to be aware of that insult haha) .. ok next time i write it will be in Greek

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Before I leave

So Saturday night.. excitement is building...as you know I do nothing unless its last minute so tomorrow as usuall I will have EVERYTHING to do haha. But dont worry, I can check "create blog" off from the to-do list... phewww what a load off (no pun intended).

So I guess just getting familiar with this blog thing and setting it up for you guys.. i mean you need to be prepared for the best blog ever created in history!! This is serious... shits gonna hit the fan :) well.. when you guys finish checking your notifications on facebook and find yourself sitting at the desk, bored out of your gord..heres a thought to ease your delicate state of mind: you can always log into this blog and relish in the fact THAT I AM IN EUROPPEEE SUCKKAAAASSS hahah.. yea i said it!