|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||
 |
|
|||||||||||||
HOME
Join me on an ongoing adventure in both inner journeys and outward experiences. The HOME link above will take you to my main site, where you will find a lot more to explore. If you would like to add your own comments (readable by all visitors), just click on the COMMENTS link below any entry. If you want to send a private message to me, click on the menu item CONTACT LIZ above, or send email to liz@whereisliz.com
Thursday, June 26, 2003
Greetings from behind the former Iron Curtain... Prague, crown jewel of the Czech Republic. I am here after two refreshing days in lakeside Hallstatt, Austria, and a long, uncomfortable night train. While the gray days of communism seem distant in the tourist-crowded commerce-driven main streets, traces of the past remain for those paying attention.
Today I went to the bus station to see about buying a ticket to tiny Cesky Krumlov. The ticket agent, a man who seemed as if he had sat in the same seat behind the same ticket window for the last fourty years, patiently wrote out by hand the stations and times of the buses. In his calloused hand he held the stub of a pencil, his writing was small and clear, the pressure of the pencil dark enough to be read, but not so dark as to waste the lead. As he finished, he neatly tore the blank excess away from the scrap of paper, wasting nothing.
Comments []
Saturday, June 21, 2003
So much has happened since my last dispatch! From Ferrara I traveled to paradise itself, a little town called Finale Ligure on the Italian Riviera. I stayed in a 14th century brick castle perched on the hills above the glittering turquoise blue coast. Utterly lovely, the water was as warm and clear as a swimming pool. I spent three blissful days developing tan lines and cooling off with some of the best gelato in Italy.
Then I took a night train to Rome, and did a blitz tour of things I had not done the last time I was there: two churches, two big museums, and to finish things off, an evening at the opera.
The next morning I took the train to Assisi, home of Saint Francis, an angelic little town atop a Tuscan hill (much more about this treasure later).
A night and day later I found myself in Padua, an ancient university town (Galileo taught there), to see frescos by Giotto, among other delights.
A day later I was in Vienna, Austria, waltzing around this town of beautiful buildings and fantastic museums (much more to say about this, too!).
Too soon (two days) I moved on to where I am now, the Mozart-infused little city of Salzberg. This afternoon I will see if the hills are really alive, as I take the Sound of Music tour. From here I will have to decide if I go to a small village in Austria (Hallstatt) or make the jump to Prague. With just about a month left to go, and so much more to see and do, I am really moving now!
Comments []
Monday, June 09, 2003
Ciao from Ferrara! This charming city, south of Venice, is home to more bicycles (160,000) than people (134,000)... They are everywhere: good basic sturdy bikes, and upon them every type of person: young, old, formal, casual, fit, not-so-fit... It is a delight to stroll the city's cobblestoned historic center, nearly free of cars, with streams of silent bikes flowing by.
Not many tourists appear to have discovered this little gem... the cathedral is alive with the faithful, with whispers of confessions and absolutions, the flickering of hundreds of candles. Not much of touristic interest is open on Monday, so I am content just roaming the streets, losing and finding my way, discovering a cooly splashing fountain, a swing in a shady park, a bench from which I can watch the little children feed the pigeons.
Tomorrow perhaps I will head west, to Italy's Riviera -- Liguria -- where blue waves beckon...
Comments []
Saturday, June 07, 2003
So much to tell you! With the French transit strike showing no signs of ending, I was rescued from Toulouse by a group from the University of Arkansas (Go Hogs!), who managed the miracle of a chartered bus, and kindly invited Bret, Katie and I to come along with them to Geneva, Switzerland.
In air-conditioned comfort, fortified by a lot of wine, cheese, bread, cherries and other assorted delicacies, the nine hours of travel time passed in delightful company. Arriving in Geneva on the last day of the G8 Summit, and the first day of the World SARS Convention, it was challenging to find a room, but the three of us finally located what must have been the last triple in town.
In the morning, we parted ways, Bret and Katie continuing on to Germany, I spending the morning exploring Geneva, and later hopping the train to Lake Como, Italy.
Tonight I am in the La Primula hostel, on the shore of Lake Como in Menaggio. This piece of paradise is one of the best hostels I have ever enjoyed, with clean, comfortable accommodations, delicious food, and helpful, friendly staff, and interesting guests. I could happily stay here for a long time, but the rest of Italy calls, so I must decide from here where to go next. But I know one thing for sure... I will be back.
Comments []
Tuesday, June 03, 2003
Well, the train strike has me wriggling in its iron grip... I am currently stuck in Toulouse, with only a small hope of getting as far as Marsailles tomorrow. I arrived in Toulouse last night near midnight, with Candace and two nice Americans, Bret and Katie from Wisconsin -- all of us wishing we were somewhere else.
As we tried in vain to get a phone to work, so we could find a place to stay for the night, the railroad folks were busy closing the station down around us. Finally a rail official took pity on us, Follow me, he signaled, and with no other options available, we did.
Like a row of ducklings, he lead us around to one hotel after another, all fully booked. On the fourth or fifth try, a hotel manager explained that he had two rooms that had been reserved, but the people had not arrived... we were saved!
Comments []
Sunday, June 01, 2003
A quick HELLO from supposedly sunny San Sebastian... where the fog has only attempted to lift for about twenty minutes today, and the sounds of thunder roll across the bay this afternoon. Some people stubbornly intent on getting their beach holiday have donned suits and recline on towels in the sand, anyway.
News last night of yet another transit strike in France set off a wave of fear that swept through the Madrid train station like a bad case of SARS. Rumors that it may last for four days or longer mean that getting through France is critical now, if I want to see anything more of Europe. So my stay in San Sebastian will be short -- I have a reservation that will take me across the border into France, and then I hope to catch a train through to Milan, Italy. Where to go from there, I will figure out in the next 24 hours. Any suggestions?
Comments []
