Masters #2

Please hold the applause, we've done this a few times before but I swear this will be the last time.  Well that's unless I have a heart attack the first time I see the student loan bills, then and only then will: PhD have a nice ring to it!  I kid, I kid, I'm never doing this again.  I must admit, I struggled with this last one, for no other reason than a severe lack of motivation and inspiration.  I used up all my scholarly interest long before the dissertation was in.  In true slacker fashion, it was printed 10 minutes before the deadline.  It took a week of all nighters to finish something I didn't love but no sense crying over smudged ink.

I don't know how my procrastination didn't bite me in the ass, I was sure it would one day...luckily, it hasn't yet.  I have officially passed my dissertation with a what I think is a merit worthy score.  So tonight I can officially enjoy a drink as Gwen, BA, MS, MA......

School days are over....FOREVER!!

Now off to celebrate my freedom!

CROATIA #17

It's impossible to not love a place with Tiffany blue water and gelati stands on every corner, despite some rough patches, I loved every second of this place! My companion, Ms Murphys Law herself, made sure to keep things interesting with a series of snafu's. Nothing like starting off the trip with forgetting your ATM card in the machine in the airport only to then leave her wallet on our bus, (over 2 hours away from where we were staying), luckily a sprint up the hill proved successful. But what can you do but drink some local vino and laugh about it?

Like, all our trips, Ashley and I went because it was cheap! £45 was enough to get us Rijeka, only a few miles inland from the Adriatic sea. Croatia's tourist season starts at the end of May, which allowed us to enjoy the weather and afford some 3 star diggs. As cities weren't really our goal this time around, we decided to stay in the small, lesser known Baska on the Island of Krk, a true Mediterrean dream right on the sea. It's become a popular tourist destination for its pebble beaches and beautiful accomodation, but lucky for us, it was empty! A long, bumpy ride through the mountains left us feeling like we would never get on the beach but the ass numbing pain disappeared as we walked down the hill lined with colorful buildings, staring at the bright blue sea. It was ideal, even more ideal if you are on a lovers getaway! But Ash and I are traveling buddies and since it was her last journey before returning Stateside, we decided to go big...lovers getaway big! For once we had no plan or internerary, well nothing beyond laying on the beach, eating mediterranean cuisine, and enjoying massages!

We briefly took joy in our 3 star accomodation, there really is something to be said for actual beds over bunk beds, before heading out to dinner. Since this wasn't our first stroll around the block, we spotted some divine looking grub on the walk into town. Note: A good tourist always makes a mental note of good smelling restaurants and gelati stand locations! Our restaurant selection was everything we hoped for and then some! As one of the only tables in the joint, we got lots of attention from our server and his waiter cronies. I usually don't obsess too much about the food but seriously I would do Croatia all over again just to eat my way through the country. I'm gonna go out on a limb and vote it better than Italy (gasp!) Ash and I are pretty cheap when it comes to eating, merely because we have to be, our budget doesn't factor in Michelin stars. But in a place like Croatia, we can eat till our pants burst with an 9 to 1 exchange! We started with a plate of fresh prosciutto and sheep cheese, topped with local olives and oil. To continue our foodie's wet dream, we ordered steak and local fish wrapped in bacon (yup wrapped in bacon) with fresh meditteranean grilled veggies. Barely able to breath, we polished off more wine before moving on to dessert, which was a tray of traditional goodies. Of course eating 3 desserts is completely unacceptable, unless its in the name of exploration, which of course it was! And if that wasn't enough, we were urged to take 3 shots of the local hooch, some of which taste a little too close to Rocki (the Albanian liquor). When I mentioned this, our waiters were amazed I knew what it was and after explaining, the response was at least I'm not dating a Bosnian. With our bellies busting at the seams, we walked back for a decent wine induced sleep. We awoke in a panic, somehow I still manage to forget to adjust the time zone when leaving England and we were 5 minutes late for Helga. Helga (or some foreign variation of that) and her posse were waiting to give two hungover Americans their massages. Which was my version of heaven (just add proscuitto), I'm not one to do the spa or massage thing but I think I could learn to be after 45 minutes of Helga's magic hands.

After that, there isn't much choice but to relax by the pool and drink a beer, especially when said beers cost 50 cents. There was no urge to sightsee, the mountain backdrop was enough of a view for me. We left only to return to our restuarant for a mid-day feast and then the beach. Our new friends, brought us cold beers out on the pebble beach. Maybe it was the food, the beer, the gelatis, or the sheer relaxation of it all, but we promptly fell asleep, a fact I would take back to avoid the lobster look we sported the rest of the weekend! Thoroughly crispy, we went for an afternoon nap with the constant Croatian breeze. Fully refreshed we decided it was time for more eating and a walk around the village. Our walk was disrupted by our waiter friends, who invited us to join them for drinks. Before we knew it, we were in a one room, local restaurant watching piles of meat being ushered to the table. Very similar to the Albanian style, everyone ate with their hands from central plates piled high, urging us to eat as well. And how can you say no to the hospitality. We were then escorted to another local restaurant for a full meal before meeting up with our new friends at the one and only bar/club. We had no intention of staying out but there was something fascinating about the smoke filled glorified hut where the music came from a man with a laptop and speakers. Like moths to the burning liquor fire on the bar, we danced and drank with our new friends until the early hours of the morning. Which we regreted in the morning as we ran for the 7am bus to Krk city.

Krk is the capital of the island and our last stop before returning to London. It's rests on the coast. as a much larger version of Baska. We walked through the maze of the streets along the water to our hotel higher in the mountains. It was advertised as a romantic hidaway and they truly weren't lying. With 3 infinity pools and a spa surround by the woods, overlooking the sea, it was a Sandels ad in the making. We wandered the city before returning to the pool for another relaxing day. Unfortunately, the downside to traveling off season is many tours, boat cruises, and attractions are closed. But I guess exploring the small islands and caves of Krk is nothing more but a reason to return. Slightly disappointed we didn't know what to do with ourselves after dinner, so unsure, we considered playing Bingo at the hotel. We were about 40 years below the average guest so Bingo was on the calendar. We would have played, except for the fact that not even the early birders wanted in. Talk about irony....the youngest guests at the hotel are the only ones who want to play! So we drank wine in the hotel bar and got a little sappy reminiscing about our various trips around the world.

We often said that we didn't want to go back to London throughout the weekend and apparently the travel gods listened, or Ashley's bad luck returned because we spent the next 36 hours trying to get back home. Nothing like a flight canceled and having to travel across the country to catch another a day later. But the travel nightmare was well worth the trip! Croatia is unexpectedly high on my list!

Prost'in in Berlin

So many times, a friend's visit comes right at the right moment, those moments when I feel completely disconnected from the states. Katie's visit came at exactly that time and because she is the person you can pick up with right away, as if no time has passed, those feelings disappeared immediately. Her visit was made better because we were able to hit up Berlin for a mid-week break.


If there was a country that rounded out the bottom of my travel list, it certaintly wouldn't be Germany. How could a country that is known for celebrating beer, disappoint? Not to mention, it is the culture I identify with the most. Like most Americans, I am a cultural identity mut....but thanks to my Oma, I know spetzel, goulash, and of course beer runs in my blood! And I would have made her proud with the amount of stroudel, sausages, and beer I managed to fit into 3 days!

After a jetlegged induced nap, we braved the bitter cold to see some historical sights, to which there is no shortage of in Germany. My first love in Berlin, are the infamous little green and red men! The walk/don't walk signs are just so damn cute, with the little hats and balled hands still create a clear marking divide between East and West. I love these little guys! Anyway, on to the actual cultural bits! We stopped first at the National Jewish Museum. The original Jewish museum was closed by the Nazi regime, in the 1980s a architectural contest to rebuild began. The new museum, a zigzagged design took over 10 years to open. The design is supposed to be representative of a contorted star of David, with sharp lines cutting through the design. The hallway inside mirror the outside design creating a maze of rooms and lines through the museum, creating 3 intersecting axis' that symbolize the 3 realities of Jewish life in Germany: 'Continuity with German History', 'Emigration from Germany' and finally 'The Holocaust'. The emigration tunnel leads to the garden of exile, an outdoor maze through concrete pillars. The Holocaust tunnel leads to the Holocaust tower, a narrow, endlessly tall, empty silo closed off by a heavy steal door. The door boomed shut with deafening silence in the cold dark room. It's the kind of space that makes you skin crawl with the feelings it provokes, we didn't manage to stay in long but I suspect that's the point. Needless to say, it's a museum that doesn't offer a hit of clarity, instead it only increases confusion and questions of 'how did this happen?'

Even though it also celebrates the Jewish culture, we only lasted about an hour. Next stop Checkpoint Charlie: the 3rd checkpoint that allowed Westerns to cross the border into East Germany. While the original guard house has been removed, a replica stands in its place as a tourist photo op. Across is a section of the wall paying homage to the victims of the Wall, along with their stories of attempted escape. Again, how did this happen? It's amazing the lengths people went to, both the escapees and those that tried to assist, most of which ended in a blood bath. Which all played out for the world to see. It would just be like a wall running through South and North Jersey, of course that would never happen....



And then from one side to another, we went to the Topography of Terror museum built upon the site of the former Gestapo and SS headquaters. The boundary between American and Soviet occupation ran along the site, this section of the wall has never been demolished. I guess it's fitting that the site of torture and imprisionment is now a memorial and museum, well as fitting as possible. The museum focuses on the Third Reich officers and their crimes, through mostly harrowing photos. I think it's a requirement to see photos depicting the crimes in World History, but nothing like this was in my books. But maybe they should be. I don't know what's more disturbing seeing the SS enjoying a nice day at the beach dated during the height of the torture, or the men, women, and children hanging from trees almost as if in a warning to others. Each photo was more disturbing than the last, the evidence of the torture seemed never-ending. And then they put faces and places to something that most of us weren't around for, most of the worst of these so called leaders, escaped public capture and judgement. Just as I'm getting depressed writing this, we decided it was far too much for one day. From the words and stories of the Holocaust victims, to the words and stories of third reich, there is only so much you can take on a holiday.....and for that we decided it was best to skip the concentration camp tour the next day.

In need of a lighter note, it was time to enjoy Berlin for their other contributions to the world....beer. We found a slightly odd looking bar and ordered a feast of comfort food and beer. God, I could eat goulash and spetzel everyday, all day!!!! With our handy guide book, we attempted to find a good night out. I don't know if it was the mid-week or the cold, but it was proving impossible to go out. We followed the music only to be led to a bar of Justin Beiber groupies and passed another place that looked like a prime sport for druggies to OD. FInally after much wondering we found a street of bars/pubs, it was quieter but it would due. On our way to the next cheap guidebook recommendation, we were stopped by two Germans, who asked us where the party was. Ha! Before long, we were in the pub drinking pints, learning some key phrases. I must admit, Katie was much more the natural than I was. Within 20 minutes, they were keen to know our American thoughts on Germany and whether we hated them? There is obviously a clear complex that has been passed down from generation to generation. After a couple pints, we followed our new friends to an electronic club, the same one that druggies go to die, the one that Katie said she would never go to....there we were. But Berlin is known for underground bars and being the hub of all things electronic and trendy. Even without drugs, it was still a good time, maybe it was the beer or maybe it was watching all the people on a variety of drugs dance around unaware of even themselves. Quite an experience with our new friends!

When you only have three days, every hour counts, and it is completely exhausting. So exhausting we forfeited the walking tour to wonder on our own. We saw the Brandenburg Gate (a dividing line along the wall and where trainwreck David Hasselhof performed at the falling of the wall) Reichstag, Bebelplatz (site of the Nazi book burning), Berliner Dom, Museum Island, Potsdamer Platz, Alexanderpaltz and Hitlers Bunker, Ironically now a condo parking lot. We also walked through the Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Europe, a memorial made up on over 2,000 concrete slabs of varying height on a slopping site. Again a very eerie site! I have to give Germany credit there is a lot of honest representation of their past, even if it did take them a little too long to do it, I think it is still better late than never!

Our final stop before heading back to the hostel was the East Side Gallery. It's 1.3km section of the wall filled with over 100 pieces paintings & murals from artists across the world. The pieces representing freedom. I couldn't help but take a photo of almost every one!!! Each painting was completely different from the last. By far my favorite area of Berlin!

The thing I love about hostels is the potential to meet some amazing people. Our hostel in Berlin provided some wonderful Brazilian and Peruvian buddies to have a good German meal with. Us 5 tourists headed to a beerhaus for some sausages and sauerkraut....amazing food and company! One of our new friends joined Katie and I for another attempted night out. Again, finding a place became tricky so we ended up in a karaoke bar, yup I said it a German karaoke bar, sadly not one Hoff song was sung. But we did give it a go after some harsh convincing from the german and irish guys. I guess our voices brought us all together (Not!) because we spent the rest of night (till 5 am) celebrating St. Paddys with the Irish in Germany.

I'm not dead...I'm just lazy

it's been 3 months since my last confession... I wish I could say its because I am simply way too busy to take 20 minutes a day to write but I could always write instead of watching a 7th episode of Criminal Minds. The truth is sometimes its just too daunting to write a story with no ending, and other days I am sick of the characters, and even more of those days I cannot handle the analysis that comes in the wake of writing. But in an effort to get back to reality....


Here's what you missed since the last episode: I aged another year and had some unexplained issues with 27. I drank beer with some legitimate Germans and stood in front of the concrete that divided a nation and the increasingly involved world powers. I've experienced the fun of seeing travel through someone else's eyes. I've laid on the rocky beaches of Croatia. I've slammed the school book shut, hopefully for the last time ever! And once again I am in the midst of making life decisions, but this time not alone.

If there has been one reoccuring theme in all this, it's I want to go back. I have yet to find a country I don't like, even Egypt, with its seedy moments, still offered an amazing experience. I've wanted to re-do it all, go back and see it from another angle or in most cases another city. With the exception of Egypt, I would go back to every place I've been. Croatia, Wales, and Germany are no different...I want to do it all again.

Wales:

I knew it was going to be a trip unlike the rest, mainly because I would have a boyfriend in tow. Without too much dramatics, I was prepared for a make it or break it journey. We were rocky for weeks before leaving....apparently sometimes a firey Albanian and a fiesty American are the oil and water of relationships so alot more rided on this trip than orginally planned. I've traveled with boyfriends twice before, neither my trip to Paris with an arrogant sweater vest doning boy or A booze filled trip to the Bahamas with my partner in drinking turned out well. In fact things got pretty ugly immediately following the voyage. So I'm skeptical about these Sandles-esk getaways.

Beni has never understood my constant obsession with last minute traveling. I can tell he gets tired of the frequent...'I booked a ticket to (insert random country here) and leave next week'. But there are alot of things we still have yet to understand about each other so I boarded the bus excited and slightly worried that I might smother his cute face after a long weekend traveling! We made our way to the hotel (I splurged this time, hostels are really hot beds for romantic getaways) dropped off our bags and started the sightseeing. Cardiff is not unlike England because well let's be honest it is England.  Except Wales is friendlier and filled with more castles, 631 castles to be exact.

We headed off to Cardiff Bay which is similar to the banks of the Thames, its filled with restaurants, bars, and beautiful views of the city. We took advantage of the rare sunshine and boarded a boat cruise around the bay. The captain recommended we get off on the other side for the views, on a clear day you can see the coast of English seaside. Unfortunately it was not a clear day but the views we still amazing. Beni and I sat on the docks, lined with amateur fishermen and their sons waiting for the ultimate catch, with some classic Flake cones before heading back to the other side for cocktails. Got to love, the UK's 2 for 1 cocktaits. Over a boozy lunch, Beni and I talked about some of our common misunderstandings, nothing like a mojita driven therapy session to let the gaurds down. With the typical British rain dampening our parade, we decided it was a great time to head back to the hotel. To keep it classy, we stopped at the off-lincense for supplies: a case of beer, crisps, and a bottle of wine. Afterall what do two people who never get alone time do when given the hotel keys (strictly PG excerpts I promise): Well they drink Corona's in the bath, jump around on the bed, and dance around in their underwear to Jennifer Lopez. OK I'm actually slightly embarrassed about the latter, but I have to pick my battles and Beni loves him some JLo. After tearing ourselves away from the splendure of our Cousin/Brother/Flatmate free zone, we headed out for drinks. We decided it was going to be a low-key night, because the next day was the day I forced Beni to sign up for an all day tour. Low key went right out the window after a bunch of drinks and club recommendations from the Italian waiter that Beni made best buddies with at dinner. If its not an Albanian, it's an Italian with Albanian cousins.....we can't go anywhere! As soon as we got to the club, Beni and I became the people we were before living together....the shot taking, can't get off the dancefloor, nothing but fun couple. It was one of the best nights I have ever had on holiday, made even funnier by random drunk girls repeatedly asking Beni if he was the new Manchester United striker.

Slightly hungover and crabby, I forced Beni out of bed for the big tour. Beni didn't understand why we had to pay someone £40 each to drive us around, he was convinced that we could find someone on the street to take us for £20. The tour had to live up to my hype or else I would never live it down. And while I am impressed by old broken buildings that are glorified as ancient ruins, I was worried Beni would only see structures that would still be standing if an Albanian crew had built them. (I still have to convince him that a popular London restaurant has an open ceiling and unfinished brick work because its trendy not because they ran out of money before finishing the job.) Beni could not have been less impressed with the energetic Welsh tour guide, it was going to be a potentially long day! We started the tour by driving through the preserved Roman town of Caerleon meaning 'Fort of the Legion', first stopping at the Roman amphitheatre. It was as perfectly entact as possible, the green grass covered the missing wooden bleachers, yet it was still a steep drop into the center. All it took was the mention of gladiators fighting to their death for Beni to perk up, he kept asking me if this is just like the movie, to which I of course said yes( I can't burst his man vs. man and sometimes lion to the death bubble.) With the leader sending us on our way to explore, my Albanian gladiater led the way by jumping down from the top into the center of the ring, most of the others including me used the stairs. I stood there shocked as Beni gave his best Gladiator impression, climbing the walls, leaping across from one section to another, and running around like a child. He was further hooked in the Roman Bath house and that infatuation carried over into the museum and the bookshop. He made sure to by a book, most of which he can't read, to show the familia where gladiators died. We continued on across the Usk and Wye rivers, into the stunning Wye Valley patches into sections of bright yellows and greens to our next stop Tintern Abbey. A overhwelmingly massive monastic ruin of the Cistercian monks. While it's considered ruins, much of the main building is still entact. There is something quite peaceful and beautiful about it, far beyond the beauty of the building. The green grass flowed through the openness of the building, with columns and stair cases still standing, it was a perfect spot for exploring. Beni and I layed down in the midst of the monastary with a perfect view of the sky and shade from the hot sun. We lasted a while before Beni started climbing on things again..... With its location far from the medival hustle and bustle, it remain relatively untouched, until Henry VIII abruptly ended their run in the 1500s. The monastary was just another captured pawn in his bloody game of control against the church. The backdrop of the Abbey addes to its splendure, set against the Wye Rivers and forrests, it is an amazing sight. Somewhere along the way, Beni became the social one, possibly because the tour was mostly middle aged women who found him adorable. We ate lunch with some fellow travelors at Beni's request (it's amazing what a holiday can do!!!) and drank some local brew before exploring the forest. Hot and sunburnt, we boarded the bus for our last stop: Raglan Castle deep in the Wye Valley. Ahhh castles, what can I say my love affair with all things drawbridge and princess in the tower related, will never end! Not waiting for the go-ahead, Beni was the first to cross the drawbrigde, by the time the rest of us entered the castle, fit with a moat, Beni was on his way up the first tower. With only a few other tourists, Beni and I climbed to the top of each tower and into each dungeon-like room without so much as a view of another tourist. It was perfect, how often does a gal get an empty castle...never! Again the backdrop was as magical as climbing around the castle. With the day of touring over, Beni was hooked with travel, over a romantic dinner on the water, he told me he finally understood that I did more than drink my way through Europe.

Our final day in Wales was spent exploring Cardiff, with a trip to Cardiff Castle (much more touristy than Raglan) and the National Museum. After Raglan, Cardiff Castle didn't have nearly as much character as I hoped. Don't get me wrong, I'd make good use of that tower if it was mine, but there was something much more corporate about it. It was used and expanded multiple times throughout history, even so recently as WWII when its walls were modified for the use of bomb shelters. The state rooms were filled will beautiful artifacts from different time periods but they didn't keep me from enjoying the other better. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't have to pay £15 to get in the other...I understand they need to make money and what not but come on....

We headed to the museum next, which turned out to be Beni's favorite part. They had a billion stuffed animals of the extinct nature, Beni spent 20 minutes trying to convince me that Albania has Wooly Mamouths and multiple other animals that are big, scary, and originate no where near the country! With a mostly rainy British summer, we spent the rest of the day outside in the parks sipping cider. The next day when we boarded the bus to head back to the Big Smoke, we were both disappointed that we had to return. It was the perfect break from reality and an amazing experience for both of us. Beni is anxiously awaiting the next trip.....