So, Sunday morning I woke up in Germany around 7am. Raymond, Jody and Jeanna were on earlier flights than me, Marc and Bill, so they left for the train station (right across the street from the hotel) around 7:30am. Marc, Bill and I headed there around 8:15am to catch a train to the airport for our flights. Bill was so nice! He took care of my suitcase the whole time, since he and Marc had checked their's through. I appreciated it because it wasn't as simple as we had hoped. We did a lot of back-tracking trying to get the proper tickets and then to get to our platform, but we found our train (which was quite a bit cheaper than the cabs we took the day before) and made it to the airport in plenty of time.
After that, it was just a waiting game. I got through airport security with no problems and waited. I did find a McDonalds in the airport where I had a breakfast of chicken nuggets and fries. It tasted similar enough to our version that I was satisfied, however I paid about 7 Euros for something that would cost me $4 in the States! Oh well, it was still good after not having any fast food for almost 6 weeks! ;)
One thing I found strange was that our gate had an additional security checkpoint, so I had to do the whole routine twice at that airport. Normally, it wouldn't bother me that much, but every time I had to take my laptop out of my backpack, which was stuffed so full, I had to do major rearrangements whenever I put it back.
The flight was a little less than 8 hours. I watched Spiderwick Chronicles and Definitely, Maybe. I could have watched more movies but the other ones I had already seen, so I just read a book for a while. We arrived in Washington D.C. around 3pm. I hate that airport! It was actually pretty organized when we got off the plane because they separated those of us with connections from everyone else, but there were so many of us with connections it was still a mad house. I waited for over 30 minutes (of my 2-hour layover) just to get my suitcase, so I could wheel it across the room after stopping at Customs for 2.5 seconds.
Then, just around the corner from where I dropped off my bag, security made me give them a tiny snowglobe that I had purchased in Montenegro because they said they weren't allowed. I gave the TSA guy a hard time about taking away one of my only souveniers from the country, but he didn't really seem to care. I told him they should update their website to include tiny snowglobes and to enjoy my souvenier. He said he was going to through it away anyway and that I couldn't even put it in the clear plastic bag. Jerk.
So, after the security fiasco, I was fuming and had about 45 minutes before my plane left, so I walked really fast to get to the shuttle which took us to the other terminal. I ended up getting to my gate and sitting down for about 5-10 minutes before I had to board the next plane. This plane was tiny! Only one seat on my side and two on the other. I was surpised when my carry-ons fit under my seat. One guy wasn't so lucky, he ended up getting his carry-on stuck in the overhead bin. They had to call maitenance to come and fix it, then he had to put his carry-on underneath. Despite the 10-15 minute delay while they pried open the bin, we still arrived on time in Indy.
I was off the plane and with my luggage in about 10 minutes from arrival. In fact, I was done and outside while Adam was still parking. We found each other and he helped me get everything to the car. We stopped at the Burger King in Mooresville for dinner and got down to Bloomington around 9pm. I spent about an hour unpacking and we were both in bed, sound asleep by 10pm (4am Croatia time). I got up around 7am today and plan to finish unpacking and going through my mail.
This is all for the travel blog for a while. I hope everyone enjoyed hearing about all of my adventures. I'll probably still add a few photos on here in the next week, but this will be the last entry for a while.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Day 39 - Frankfurt
Saturday I said goodbye to Croatia. My flight left around 4pm that afternoon, so I spent a good portion of the day saying goodbye to everyone that hadn't left yet. Our flight had 6 people from the group and Allysyn's flight left around the same time, so the 7 of us got a big sendoff from the hotel with everyone helping us get our bags into the van.
When we got to the airport, the 7 of us hung out with Matt G. and Stacey whose flight to London was delayed for a few hours. I was supposed to pay extra for the weight of my luggage, but he person I went to was nice and didn't make me pay because my flights had been booked seperately.
Our flight ended up being a little delayed but we arrived in Frankfurt around 6:15pm. It took us a while to get our luggage (for those of us that didn't want to check them all the way through), and change currency, etc. Then we took two cabs to the Hotel Colour. Marc and Bill (both from Pittsburgh) had their own room and I shared a room with Raymond, Jeanna and Jody. It had four twin beds, which was pretty cramped, but it worked.
We all settled in for a few minutes and then went downstairs to redeem our free drink coupon in the hotel lobby. We had a beer that was really good and then ventured out into Frankfurt to explore. We walked for quite a while along a river where I took a lot of pictures. Frankfurt isn't a particularly beautiful city, but it has some charm mixed in with modern architecture which I found interesting.
We eventually made it to an area where our hotel receptionist told us there would be traditional German food. We decided to eat at Adolf Wagner. It was so good! We ordered a pitcher (and this was no ordinary sized pitcher) of apple wine (what Frankfurt is known for) and a platter of pork (supposed to feed a group our size). It was so much food but so good! There were about five cuts of pork...chops, belly, shoulder, ribs, etc. and a sausage for each of us. They served it roasted and mashed potatoes...and of course, sauerkraut. I loved it! Bring me back to Germany any time. :)
On our way back to the hotel, even though we were absolutely stuffed from dinner, we stopped at an ice cream shop. I had a cookies and cream scoop in a home-made waffle cone. It was very delicious. Some of the others had strawberry cheesecake ice-cream with chunks of strawberries in it that looked really good too. As we ate our dessert, we wandered over to a local fair that was going on.
It was so similar to a county fair in the U.S., but smaller size. There was a ferris wheel, bumber cars and some other rides and games. It was cool because it reminded me of home, but everything was in German and the food offerings were definitely different. I didn't have anything to eat there but just walking around and looking at everything was really cool. After that we headed back to the hotel. By that time it was around midnight, so we went to bed pretty soon after that.
When we got to the airport, the 7 of us hung out with Matt G. and Stacey whose flight to London was delayed for a few hours. I was supposed to pay extra for the weight of my luggage, but he person I went to was nice and didn't make me pay because my flights had been booked seperately.
Our flight ended up being a little delayed but we arrived in Frankfurt around 6:15pm. It took us a while to get our luggage (for those of us that didn't want to check them all the way through), and change currency, etc. Then we took two cabs to the Hotel Colour. Marc and Bill (both from Pittsburgh) had their own room and I shared a room with Raymond, Jeanna and Jody. It had four twin beds, which was pretty cramped, but it worked.
We all settled in for a few minutes and then went downstairs to redeem our free drink coupon in the hotel lobby. We had a beer that was really good and then ventured out into Frankfurt to explore. We walked for quite a while along a river where I took a lot of pictures. Frankfurt isn't a particularly beautiful city, but it has some charm mixed in with modern architecture which I found interesting.
We eventually made it to an area where our hotel receptionist told us there would be traditional German food. We decided to eat at Adolf Wagner. It was so good! We ordered a pitcher (and this was no ordinary sized pitcher) of apple wine (what Frankfurt is known for) and a platter of pork (supposed to feed a group our size). It was so much food but so good! There were about five cuts of pork...chops, belly, shoulder, ribs, etc. and a sausage for each of us. They served it roasted and mashed potatoes...and of course, sauerkraut. I loved it! Bring me back to Germany any time. :)
On our way back to the hotel, even though we were absolutely stuffed from dinner, we stopped at an ice cream shop. I had a cookies and cream scoop in a home-made waffle cone. It was very delicious. Some of the others had strawberry cheesecake ice-cream with chunks of strawberries in it that looked really good too. As we ate our dessert, we wandered over to a local fair that was going on.
It was so similar to a county fair in the U.S., but smaller size. There was a ferris wheel, bumber cars and some other rides and games. It was cool because it reminded me of home, but everything was in German and the food offerings were definitely different. I didn't have anything to eat there but just walking around and looking at everything was really cool. After that we headed back to the hotel. By that time it was around midnight, so we went to bed pretty soon after that.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day 38 (continued) - Farewell Dinner Cruise
You knew that a goodbye dinner here couldn't get by drama-free, so I just thought I would provide a little more entertainment. We all met up in for the dinner and it was a completely amazing view of the sunset in Dubrovnik and we were all having a good time. Some of us moreso than others...I didn't realize it at first but J.C. and Josh were already pretty intoxicated when they got on the boat.
The dinner was pretty bad. It was white fish that had probably been caught this morning. They still had the heads still on and a few of us were not very pleased about that. I did eat some of it, but looking at the fish made me lose my appetite. I ate a little bit of salad that came with the fish and some bread.
The real entertainment took place after dinner. We were still anchored in the sea near Dubrovnik harbor and J.C. decided to jump from the boat. It wasn't a big deal, I guess but it ticked off our administrator, especially when Josh asked for her permission to jump off as well. Once J.C. got back on the boat he apologized to her and then ended up falling down the very narrow stairs from the upper deck to the lower deck. At first no one knew what had really happened, but he ended up with a big gash in his leg and possibly a broken ankle.
The boat docked in Dubrovnik and a few of us got out there. I think the mood had dampened quite a bit and there was a group of us that couldn't handle the drama anymore, so we decided to get dessert in Dubrovnik and headed back on Mlini on the bus. I am heading to bed soon so I can get up tomorrow to finish packing and head home!
The dinner was pretty bad. It was white fish that had probably been caught this morning. They still had the heads still on and a few of us were not very pleased about that. I did eat some of it, but looking at the fish made me lose my appetite. I ate a little bit of salad that came with the fish and some bread.
The real entertainment took place after dinner. We were still anchored in the sea near Dubrovnik harbor and J.C. decided to jump from the boat. It wasn't a big deal, I guess but it ticked off our administrator, especially when Josh asked for her permission to jump off as well. Once J.C. got back on the boat he apologized to her and then ended up falling down the very narrow stairs from the upper deck to the lower deck. At first no one knew what had really happened, but he ended up with a big gash in his leg and possibly a broken ankle.
The boat docked in Dubrovnik and a few of us got out there. I think the mood had dampened quite a bit and there was a group of us that couldn't handle the drama anymore, so we decided to get dessert in Dubrovnik and headed back on Mlini on the bus. I am heading to bed soon so I can get up tomorrow to finish packing and head home!
Day 38 - Goodbye Croatia
The day began with our last final. It went ok, everyone thought the questions were a little weird, but it sounds like I said the same things they did. A group of about 12 of us went to lunch at the pizza place because we didn't want to eat lunch in the hotel restaurant again. I had a big beer with my pizza in celebration of completion of the classes.
After lunch I went up to my room for about an hour and started packing. I don't have it all done yet, but I made a good effort and will finish the rest tonight. Then I went for my final day at the beach. It was really hot out today so we spent most of the time in the water. It was a great last day there.
Tonight we have our goodbye dinner cruise starting in a little less than an hour. After that I need to finish packing and get rid of some of my beverages. We are also talking about having a bonfire of our reading material on the beach. :)
My flight leaves tomorrow for Frankfurt around 4pm (10am Indiana time). Then Raymond, Jody, Jeanna, Marc, Bill and I are all staying overnight in Frankfurt. Then I'll be leaving Frankfurt around noon (6am Indiana time, I think), arriving in Washington D.C. around 3pm and then arriving in Indianapolis around 7pm on Sunday! I can't wait to come home and see everyone. This place was amazing but I am definitely ready to go home.
After lunch I went up to my room for about an hour and started packing. I don't have it all done yet, but I made a good effort and will finish the rest tonight. Then I went for my final day at the beach. It was really hot out today so we spent most of the time in the water. It was a great last day there.
Tonight we have our goodbye dinner cruise starting in a little less than an hour. After that I need to finish packing and get rid of some of my beverages. We are also talking about having a bonfire of our reading material on the beach. :)
My flight leaves tomorrow for Frankfurt around 4pm (10am Indiana time). Then Raymond, Jody, Jeanna, Marc, Bill and I are all staying overnight in Frankfurt. Then I'll be leaving Frankfurt around noon (6am Indiana time, I think), arriving in Washington D.C. around 3pm and then arriving in Indianapolis around 7pm on Sunday! I can't wait to come home and see everyone. This place was amazing but I am definitely ready to go home.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Day 36 - Absinthe (and Day 37)
Yesterday class ended early (around 11am) and after lunch I headed straight to the beach. I was out there for at least three hours and we all arranged to head into Old Town at 7pm for dinner. Then at 7pm Jody, Jeanna, Raymond, Matt, Stacey, Katie, Tim V., Parvonay, Jordan and I headed into Old Town.
We had one of the best meals of the entire trip! The restaurant was called Proto and it was amazing. There was an 18 kuna ($3.50) fee just to sit at the table, but we got unlimited free bread and tap water (which is pretty much unheard of in Europe) and a free little cracker with shrimp and something else on it. I ordered a sirloin and it was so good! It was served with peanut butter mashed potatoes and carrots. I also had a few glasses of wine with dinner. I also split a dessert with Katie. It was a caramel creme that was similar to flan, but was much better than the best flan I had ever had. Everyone gave me cash and I put the bill on my credit card.
After dinner we went to Fresh and Africa for a while and met a bunch of people from our group. I decided it was probably my last night to try Absinthe (because I think it is illegal in the U.S.), so I had a shot of it with Raymond, Jody, Katie and a few other people. It was horrible! The alcohol burned my lips and it tasted like black licorice. I had a few more drinks at the bar and a group of us decided to head to another bar.
On our way to the other bar, Carra decided that she wanted to go home. I tried to talk her out of it, but she decided to go anyway. After a minute or two of her being gone Josh and I heard her talking really loudly (to herself, I think) about how she was so upset that we were going somewhere without her. Josh has a huge crush on her so when we heard that, he told me to wait where I was and he went to find her.
After waiting for what seemed like a long while (in reality probably only 5 minutes), I decided Josh had left to go home with Carra so I walked toward the taxis to just go home. I ended up finding them arguing on my way so I made them come with me and the three of us went back to the hotel and I went to bed.
I slept from about 3am until 1pm today. Then I ate a little bit of lunch and went back to bed until about 5pm. I needed the sleep from the lack of it the past few days. We had a "study day" today, so after I had dinner with Jeanna tonight, I've been preparing for our final exam tomorrow. I would like to do really well on this exam because of my first class's grade (although the past three have been MUCH better since that one), so I'm going to finish that up soon.
We had one of the best meals of the entire trip! The restaurant was called Proto and it was amazing. There was an 18 kuna ($3.50) fee just to sit at the table, but we got unlimited free bread and tap water (which is pretty much unheard of in Europe) and a free little cracker with shrimp and something else on it. I ordered a sirloin and it was so good! It was served with peanut butter mashed potatoes and carrots. I also had a few glasses of wine with dinner. I also split a dessert with Katie. It was a caramel creme that was similar to flan, but was much better than the best flan I had ever had. Everyone gave me cash and I put the bill on my credit card.
After dinner we went to Fresh and Africa for a while and met a bunch of people from our group. I decided it was probably my last night to try Absinthe (because I think it is illegal in the U.S.), so I had a shot of it with Raymond, Jody, Katie and a few other people. It was horrible! The alcohol burned my lips and it tasted like black licorice. I had a few more drinks at the bar and a group of us decided to head to another bar.
On our way to the other bar, Carra decided that she wanted to go home. I tried to talk her out of it, but she decided to go anyway. After a minute or two of her being gone Josh and I heard her talking really loudly (to herself, I think) about how she was so upset that we were going somewhere without her. Josh has a huge crush on her so when we heard that, he told me to wait where I was and he went to find her.
After waiting for what seemed like a long while (in reality probably only 5 minutes), I decided Josh had left to go home with Carra so I walked toward the taxis to just go home. I ended up finding them arguing on my way so I made them come with me and the three of us went back to the hotel and I went to bed.
I slept from about 3am until 1pm today. Then I ate a little bit of lunch and went back to bed until about 5pm. I needed the sleep from the lack of it the past few days. We had a "study day" today, so after I had dinner with Jeanna tonight, I've been preparing for our final exam tomorrow. I would like to do really well on this exam because of my first class's grade (although the past three have been MUCH better since that one), so I'm going to finish that up soon.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Day 35 - Recovery
So, I was in a bit of a bad mood this morning with only 3 hours of sleep and a little bit of anger toward some of the stupid decision-making of last night. I am in a much better place now. :) First, I talked to J.C. after class today to let him know how worried I was about the whole situation last night. He was pretty receptive and made sure I knew that he realized the ramifications of what could have happened and felt pretty bad about it.
Next, I went to the beach for about 3 hours for some sun therapy. It was glorious. The weather has warmed up again and the water is also much warmer. I am hoping to increase my tan in the next few days so I will be the envy of everyone at home. ;)
After the beach I had a nice low-key dinner at the pizza place with Matt G. He doesn't really drink much so he was a great sounding board for any additional complaints I had about the night before. By that point, I was really over it anyway. Since then, I've just been checking my email, etc. I'm going to play cards with Raymond, Jody and Jeanna and head to bed early tonight. I am very excited about that!
Next, I went to the beach for about 3 hours for some sun therapy. It was glorious. The weather has warmed up again and the water is also much warmer. I am hoping to increase my tan in the next few days so I will be the envy of everyone at home. ;)
After the beach I had a nice low-key dinner at the pizza place with Matt G. He doesn't really drink much so he was a great sounding board for any additional complaints I had about the night before. By that point, I was really over it anyway. Since then, I've just been checking my email, etc. I'm going to play cards with Raymond, Jody and Jeanna and head to bed early tonight. I am very excited about that!
Day 34 - One of the craziest nights of my life
The day started off normally, like always, with class, etc. Then a group of about 12 of us went to a winery tour (organized by the program, but not funded by it). It was fun and the wine was really tasty. The only weird moment was when Stacey accidentally knocked a glass of red wine on Josh's khaki shorts. We all joked around about it but Stacey took the jokes personally, so I don't think he handled the situation really well.
After the winery, our group walked around Cavtat and walked to the highest point in the town to a masoleum that overlooked the city and the sea. It was really pretty, but I don't know it was worth the hike...it was a LOT of stairs and I got blisters on the bottom of my feet. :(
We got back to the hotel around 5:30pm and I went to the beach for a little while. It wasn't very crowded because it was so late, but a few of the people from our group were there. I swam for a little bit and then Stacey and I walked to Alf's for a cheeseburger.
After dinner I showered up and went down to the classroom to check my email. Down there Jeanna and I decided to go out for a little while. We ended up going to J.C.'s room to hang out with him, Josh and Carra. They were finishing their bottles of wine they bought at the winery earlier in the day. We stayed there for about an hour or two and then met with Matt W. and Katie to walk down to Club 23.
I had a few beers at Club 23 and we left around 2am. That's when the craziness started. On our walk home, we decided to climb on a playground and take pictures. Then J.C. thought it would be a good idea to jump off of a rock into the sea. Jeanna and Carra left, so Katie, Matt and I tried to talk him out of it from above and Josh went into the water and swam over to where he was planning to jump to tell him there were a bunch of rocks there. After what seemed like forever, he decided to change his mind and we all continued on our way.
Then we ended up by the water polo court near our hotel. The guys decided it would be a better idea to jump in there since there are no rocks. After a little while, Katie and I joined them. It was so cold! We didn't stay in very long. I was really lucky because the guys pushed Katie back in after she had gotten out and I avoided it.
While the guys were still swimming, Josh ended up getting an asthma attack. So, we had to rush back to the hotel. Josh tried to wake up Carra, who he thought had his key, and J.C. and Matt went to the front desk in case Carra didn't have it. Josh got the key from Carra and I made sure he got his inhaler. Then, I made sure all of the guys made it to their rooms and I headed to bed around 4am. What a night!
After the winery, our group walked around Cavtat and walked to the highest point in the town to a masoleum that overlooked the city and the sea. It was really pretty, but I don't know it was worth the hike...it was a LOT of stairs and I got blisters on the bottom of my feet. :(
We got back to the hotel around 5:30pm and I went to the beach for a little while. It wasn't very crowded because it was so late, but a few of the people from our group were there. I swam for a little bit and then Stacey and I walked to Alf's for a cheeseburger.
After dinner I showered up and went down to the classroom to check my email. Down there Jeanna and I decided to go out for a little while. We ended up going to J.C.'s room to hang out with him, Josh and Carra. They were finishing their bottles of wine they bought at the winery earlier in the day. We stayed there for about an hour or two and then met with Matt W. and Katie to walk down to Club 23.
I had a few beers at Club 23 and we left around 2am. That's when the craziness started. On our walk home, we decided to climb on a playground and take pictures. Then J.C. thought it would be a good idea to jump off of a rock into the sea. Jeanna and Carra left, so Katie, Matt and I tried to talk him out of it from above and Josh went into the water and swam over to where he was planning to jump to tell him there were a bunch of rocks there. After what seemed like forever, he decided to change his mind and we all continued on our way.
Then we ended up by the water polo court near our hotel. The guys decided it would be a better idea to jump in there since there are no rocks. After a little while, Katie and I joined them. It was so cold! We didn't stay in very long. I was really lucky because the guys pushed Katie back in after she had gotten out and I avoided it.
While the guys were still swimming, Josh ended up getting an asthma attack. So, we had to rush back to the hotel. Josh tried to wake up Carra, who he thought had his key, and J.C. and Matt went to the front desk in case Carra didn't have it. Josh got the key from Carra and I made sure he got his inhaler. Then, I made sure all of the guys made it to their rooms and I headed to bed around 4am. What a night!
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Day 33 - Rainy day
So, it finally rained here. I think I may have mentioned that in my earlier post, but it was off and on all day. After checking emails and such, I went up to my room and just relaxed for a little while. Then, around 5pm I went to Kyle's room where I had some wine with him, Ryan and Tim V. It was fun just chatting with them for a little while. I really like that I can get along with everyone.
We got hungry around 7pm, so the four of us met up with Katie, Jeanna and Matt G. for dinner. We went over to Lanterna and I had calamari for dinner. It was really good! Definitely a lot better than the super-rubbery ones I had in the hotel buffet earlier in the trip. After dinner I headed back to the classroom. I'm going to upload some pics and get to bed pretty soon.
We got hungry around 7pm, so the four of us met up with Katie, Jeanna and Matt G. for dinner. We went over to Lanterna and I had calamari for dinner. It was really good! Definitely a lot better than the super-rubbery ones I had in the hotel buffet earlier in the trip. After dinner I headed back to the classroom. I'm going to upload some pics and get to bed pretty soon.
Day 32 - Beach day!
I woke up around 11:15am, which was so wonderful! I am so glad that I decided not to travel this last weekend. I am loving spending time with people from the program, staying out late and sleeping in! Anyway...I called a bunch of people and we all decided to meet at noon for lunch. Immediately after lunch (around 1pm) we met up at the beach. I was out there for at least 4 hours yesterday. I am getting so tan! I love it!
After we finished up at the beach, I went into Old Town with Stacey, Jeanna, Matt and Avalyn. We had dinner at this really good restaurant called Wanda. I had a spinach tortellini dish (which was pretty small, but really good). The owner really liked us because after we split a bottle of wine among the five of us (about 1 glass a piece) he brought out another one on the house! I don't refuse free wine, so that's how the evening really began.
After dinner we decided to go to Buzza (pronouned Boo-jah) which are two different bars owned by the same guy. What is really cool about them is that they were built on the rocks outside of the city walls so you literally have to go through a hole in the wall to get to them. I wish it had been light outside at that point because the view from there would have been absolutely amazing. I think we'll have to go there again earlier in the day sometime before I leave.
I had a beer at Buzza and then Matt G. and Avalyn left. Stacey, Jeanna and I ended up at Africa, a bar that is almost directly across the way from Fresh. A huge group of people from our program were there. So, we ended up hanging out with them for a couple hours. I had a few more beers and Jeanna bought me a shot (which I think was supposed to be like the one we had the night before, but it wasn't exactly the same). And I bought Josh a beer since he had bought me a bunch of stuff the night before.
After a little while, around 1am, we decided to make our way to this place we had heard about. It was called the Belvedere and was supposed to have a crazy party going on. We walked part of the way there and ran into some Australians who said it was lame, so we decided to turn around and go to Fuego a Latin dance club just outside of the Old Town. Some of the people from our group left but I stuck around with Jeanna, Katie, Matt W. and Casey.
Fuego was insane! Immediately after getting there this guy that said he was from Dubrovnik started dancing with me. He got a little friendlier than I would have liked so I danced with Casey for a while (he is like 6'5'') so I figured the guy would leave me alone after that. He moved on to Jeanna for a few minutes and then she came over to dance with me. Finally he danced with Katie and I think she was more receptive than Jeanna and I were.
At one point I was dancing with Jeanna and split my denim pencil skirt. So, for the rest of the evening, people could see my underwear. At least Fuego was so packed, I'm pretty sure no one noticed. Hopefully when we were walking to the cab for the ride home no one took any pictures! I guess the good news is that I have another thing I brought that I don't have to make room for in my suitcase.
Casey decided to stay at the bar, but the rest of us left. We ran into Christian, another student from George Mason, and his girlfriend who was visiting him this week, and shared cabs for the ride home. We got back to the hotel around 4:30am and thought again about going swimming. Matt W. and Katie went but Jeanna and I went to bed. We are determined to do it one night this week, but it's been cooler here and the water at night is really chilly, so we'll see if it actually happens.
I woke up today around 12:30pm smelling pretty smoky, so I showered and had some lunch and have been checking emails, etc. I don't have much more planned for today, but if something else exciting happens, I will make sure to include it. Also, I should have more pictures up again soon.
After we finished up at the beach, I went into Old Town with Stacey, Jeanna, Matt and Avalyn. We had dinner at this really good restaurant called Wanda. I had a spinach tortellini dish (which was pretty small, but really good). The owner really liked us because after we split a bottle of wine among the five of us (about 1 glass a piece) he brought out another one on the house! I don't refuse free wine, so that's how the evening really began.
After dinner we decided to go to Buzza (pronouned Boo-jah) which are two different bars owned by the same guy. What is really cool about them is that they were built on the rocks outside of the city walls so you literally have to go through a hole in the wall to get to them. I wish it had been light outside at that point because the view from there would have been absolutely amazing. I think we'll have to go there again earlier in the day sometime before I leave.
I had a beer at Buzza and then Matt G. and Avalyn left. Stacey, Jeanna and I ended up at Africa, a bar that is almost directly across the way from Fresh. A huge group of people from our program were there. So, we ended up hanging out with them for a couple hours. I had a few more beers and Jeanna bought me a shot (which I think was supposed to be like the one we had the night before, but it wasn't exactly the same). And I bought Josh a beer since he had bought me a bunch of stuff the night before.
After a little while, around 1am, we decided to make our way to this place we had heard about. It was called the Belvedere and was supposed to have a crazy party going on. We walked part of the way there and ran into some Australians who said it was lame, so we decided to turn around and go to Fuego a Latin dance club just outside of the Old Town. Some of the people from our group left but I stuck around with Jeanna, Katie, Matt W. and Casey.
Fuego was insane! Immediately after getting there this guy that said he was from Dubrovnik started dancing with me. He got a little friendlier than I would have liked so I danced with Casey for a while (he is like 6'5'') so I figured the guy would leave me alone after that. He moved on to Jeanna for a few minutes and then she came over to dance with me. Finally he danced with Katie and I think she was more receptive than Jeanna and I were.At one point I was dancing with Jeanna and split my denim pencil skirt. So, for the rest of the evening, people could see my underwear. At least Fuego was so packed, I'm pretty sure no one noticed. Hopefully when we were walking to the cab for the ride home no one took any pictures! I guess the good news is that I have another thing I brought that I don't have to make room for in my suitcase.
Casey decided to stay at the bar, but the rest of us left. We ran into Christian, another student from George Mason, and his girlfriend who was visiting him this week, and shared cabs for the ride home. We got back to the hotel around 4:30am and thought again about going swimming. Matt W. and Katie went but Jeanna and I went to bed. We are determined to do it one night this week, but it's been cooler here and the water at night is really chilly, so we'll see if it actually happens.
I woke up today around 12:30pm smelling pretty smoky, so I showered and had some lunch and have been checking emails, etc. I don't have much more planned for today, but if something else exciting happens, I will make sure to include it. Also, I should have more pictures up again soon.
Day 31 - Myla
Friday started off pretty normally, with class, etc. After class I walked with a group of people over to the Mercator (grocery store). I bought a few snacks and beverages, which we all decided to drink on the beach. It was nice, but kindof overcast, so we didn't really get much sun. After a couple hours, we decided to walk over to this little stand that sells hamburgers and hotdogs near the Mercator called Alf's (and yes, there is a picture of Alf from the TV show).
As I was waiting for the rest of the group to grab their money, etc., I sat on the back steps of the hotel and this adorable little kitten came by me. She was so tiny and friendly (which is not normal for the cats around here). She let me pet her for a while and then hid under my legs whenever anyone else came nearby.
As I was waiting for the rest of the group to grab their money, etc., I sat on the back steps of the hotel and this adorable little kitten came by me. She was so tiny and friendly (which is not normal for the cats around here). She let me pet her for a while and then hid under my legs whenever anyone else came nearby.
After a few minutes, Allysyn came out and the kitty got into her lap and didn't want to leave. The kitten was even ok with us lifting her up to find out that she was a girl. We had originally called her Milo, but after that we changed it to Myla. I got some really cute pics of her and we're hoping we see her again sometime. I was so sad to leave her when we went to Alf's.
It was worth it though, because the burger was SO good! It absolutely hit the spot. It even sprinkled a little bit while we were eating and I didn't care. It was a really thin patty but it had a lot of flavor and toppings with a big tasty bun. I definitely plan on heading over there again a few more times before I leave. After a little while we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a little while.
Then Stacey and Jeanna came to my room to have a couple drinks before we went to the bars where our group was planning on going. There are two along the way to the Mercator (about a 10 minute walk from our hotel). We went to Vertigo first. It was still pretty early so we just sat around and had a drink. Then we went to Club 23 where we were planning to meet everyone else.
It was worth it though, because the burger was SO good! It absolutely hit the spot. It even sprinkled a little bit while we were eating and I didn't care. It was a really thin patty but it had a lot of flavor and toppings with a big tasty bun. I definitely plan on heading over there again a few more times before I leave. After a little while we headed back to the hotel and relaxed for a little while.
Then Stacey and Jeanna came to my room to have a couple drinks before we went to the bars where our group was planning on going. There are two along the way to the Mercator (about a 10 minute walk from our hotel). We went to Vertigo first. It was still pretty early so we just sat around and had a drink. Then we went to Club 23 where we were planning to meet everyone else.
It was so much fun! I had a couple beers and then Josh kept buying me more beer and shooters. The shooters were tequila with lime juice and tonic water. The bartender has to hold a cloth over the top and hit the glass on the bar to mix the flavors and then you have to drink them pretty fast. They tasted pretty good and hit the spot. A lot of people were going to Mostar the next day, so the fun ended relatively early. Jeanna and I walked back home around 1:30am. We tried calling some people to go swimming with us but no one answered their phones so we both just went to bed.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Day 30 - One month down
I can't believe I've been away for a month now! The time really has flown by for me. I think I'm really lucky because a lot of the people who did a study abroad program the first summer session were pretty burned out by the time they got here. I think this was just the right amount of time to be gone. I've still been able to have an amazing experience, but I'm not so homesick that I can't have fun.
Today was pretty low-key. After class I took a shorter nap (only 2 hours this time) and just chilled out in my room for a bit. The front desk called me around 4:30pm to tell me that I had a letter, so I went down and got it. It was a card from Jenny! It was so great to get something, I was really happy the rest of the day. :)
Around 6pm we had a speaker come in. It was actually the first one of the three that we've had that really interested me. His name was William Montgomery. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Serbia and maybe one of the other countries over here, I don't remember. After he retired, he and his wife have lived here in Croatia but he also spends a lot of time in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Apparently he is still pretty involved because he was interviewed on the news the other day regarding the arrest of the man in Serbia accused of mass killings during the war. He was very frank in his descriptions of the government here as well as in the U.S. He kind-of reminded me of my dad.
After dinner, Jeanna, Matt, Stacey, Karrie and I went to dinner at the local pizza place. I hadn't had it in a little while, so I was actually in the mood for it. The pizza has gorgonzola cheese on it, so it has a little kick. I really think I'll have to find a way to have some of that on my pizza when I get back to the U.S. After dinner, I came down to check my email and do the blog. No crazy going out for me tonight. I need to conserve my energy for this weekend. :) No big plans, as of yet. I figured I need to spend at least one weekend around here and just relax before I head home. Also, I am running out of money, so that's my other motivation for sticking around here.
Today was pretty low-key. After class I took a shorter nap (only 2 hours this time) and just chilled out in my room for a bit. The front desk called me around 4:30pm to tell me that I had a letter, so I went down and got it. It was a card from Jenny! It was so great to get something, I was really happy the rest of the day. :)
Around 6pm we had a speaker come in. It was actually the first one of the three that we've had that really interested me. His name was William Montgomery. He is a former U.S. ambassador to Croatia, Serbia and maybe one of the other countries over here, I don't remember. After he retired, he and his wife have lived here in Croatia but he also spends a lot of time in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. Apparently he is still pretty involved because he was interviewed on the news the other day regarding the arrest of the man in Serbia accused of mass killings during the war. He was very frank in his descriptions of the government here as well as in the U.S. He kind-of reminded me of my dad.
After dinner, Jeanna, Matt, Stacey, Karrie and I went to dinner at the local pizza place. I hadn't had it in a little while, so I was actually in the mood for it. The pizza has gorgonzola cheese on it, so it has a little kick. I really think I'll have to find a way to have some of that on my pizza when I get back to the U.S. After dinner, I came down to check my email and do the blog. No crazy going out for me tonight. I need to conserve my energy for this weekend. :) No big plans, as of yet. I figured I need to spend at least one weekend around here and just relax before I head home. Also, I am running out of money, so that's my other motivation for sticking around here.
Day 29 - Mexican Poison
Wednesday started off as a pretty normal day. It's been pretty chilly outside so no one has been going to the beach for the last two days. Instead, I relaxed for the afternoon and caught up on some reading. Then, Stacey and I went to dinner at Lanterna. We split a liter of wine, so I was feeling pretty happy at that point.
I decided to check my email and stuff in the classroom. I was there for about an hour. Then, around 9pm, a few of my classmates came in and invited me to go with them to one of the bars nearby. Avalyn, Ryan, Tim M., Tim V. and I walked down to the little bar by the Lanterna. I ordered a "Mexican Poison", a really tasty drink with tequila, blue curaco, melon liquor and vodka. We had a good time chatting. I hadn't really gotten to know any of them well before then.
Tim went back to the classroom and found Katie and they came back and joined us. A few people left and a few of the Croatian students came and hung out with us. I had a couple more drinks and our bartender brought us free shots. Midnight rolled around and we all headed to our rooms. I was feeling great then, however I didn't feel great this morning. I'm feeling better now, but I think I'll be taking another nap after lunch today. :)
I decided to check my email and stuff in the classroom. I was there for about an hour. Then, around 9pm, a few of my classmates came in and invited me to go with them to one of the bars nearby. Avalyn, Ryan, Tim M., Tim V. and I walked down to the little bar by the Lanterna. I ordered a "Mexican Poison", a really tasty drink with tequila, blue curaco, melon liquor and vodka. We had a good time chatting. I hadn't really gotten to know any of them well before then.Tim went back to the classroom and found Katie and they came back and joined us. A few people left and a few of the Croatian students came and hung out with us. I had a couple more drinks and our bartender brought us free shots. Midnight rolled around and we all headed to our rooms. I was feeling great then, however I didn't feel great this morning. I'm feeling better now, but I think I'll be taking another nap after lunch today. :)
Day 28 - Bethany heads home
On Tuesday morning, I said goodbye to Bethany around noon. I left the class for a couple minutes in order to do so. Then I had lunch and took a 4 hour nap. It was glorious! I woke up about 20 minutes after Croatian language class, so I headed down there and caught the last hour of the class.
After class, I met up with Raymond, Jody, Jeanna, Matt, Katie and Kelly for dinner. We walked up the hill (I did better on it this time) to the Flamingo restaurant. It was a nice dinner. I got a really good picture of the sunset from the restaurant. Then I checked my email, added some pictures to the blog and chatted with Adam and my mom on Skype for a while.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Days 26 & 27 - Split
Apparently both Beth and I needed sleep because we woke up around 10:30am on Sunday. We took our time getting on our way and headed out into the Old Town of Split around 11:30am. It was great. We decided to get some pastries and then we sat outside and had milkshakes for breakfast. Mine was banana...delicious and nutritious, I'm sure. :)
Then we walked around the Old Town of Split. It is spread out differently from Dubrovnik, which has a main road and small side streets all leading off of that road. Instead, Split is like a maze. Every way you go you end up somewhere different. It was fun walking around, but we weren't able to do much shopping because the stores were closed.
We did go into the Palace of Diocletian, which makes up a large part of the Old Town. They've pretty much just turned it into more shopping. We also walked along the harbor, which is right next to the Old Town. We grabbed a late lunch and then decided to go to the "most famous" beach in Split, which was about a 15 minute walk from our hostel. It was fun but I think "most famous" really means most crowded.
After the beach, we showered and relaxed and had a really nice dinner in the Old Town. I finally had something besides pizza or pasta, which I really enjoyed. Then, after dinner we found another place that served tiramisu for dessert, which we both were craving. Then we were in bed by midnight to prepare for another day of fun and traveling.
Then we walked around the Old Town of Split. It is spread out differently from Dubrovnik, which has a main road and small side streets all leading off of that road. Instead, Split is like a maze. Every way you go you end up somewhere different. It was fun walking around, but we weren't able to do much shopping because the stores were closed.
We did go into the Palace of Diocletian, which makes up a large part of the Old Town. They've pretty much just turned it into more shopping. We also walked along the harbor, which is right next to the Old Town. We grabbed a late lunch and then decided to go to the "most famous" beach in Split, which was about a 15 minute walk from our hostel. It was fun but I think "most famous" really means most crowded.
After the beach, we showered and relaxed and had a really nice dinner in the Old Town. I finally had something besides pizza or pasta, which I really enjoyed. Then, after dinner we found another place that served tiramisu for dessert, which we both were craving. Then we were in bed by midnight to prepare for another day of fun and traveling.On Monday, we woke up around 10am this time. We went to a nice sit-down breakfast in the Old Town and then spent some serious time shopping. It was great! I got some of my favorite souveniers that day. Then, we returned our hostel key and headed to the bus station.
Our bus was delayed almost an hour, which we found pretty frustrating. But, it was worth the wait because four of the guys from my program boarded the bus right before we finally left at 4pm. Three of the four of them were pretty intoxicated, which made the bus ride pretty interesting. We actually had a really good time chatting with them on the 5 hour ride back.
Then, the guys convinced us to go into Old Town Dubrovnik with them for "a drink". The drink turned into two beer towers...go figure. We had a good time, even though we didn't plan on sticking around. Finally, J.C., one of the guys, left with me and Bethany to go home. We grabbed a cab and headed back to Mlini. All in all, I had a really good time. It was fun getting to know some people I hadn't hung out with a little bit better.
Our bus was delayed almost an hour, which we found pretty frustrating. But, it was worth the wait because four of the guys from my program boarded the bus right before we finally left at 4pm. Three of the four of them were pretty intoxicated, which made the bus ride pretty interesting. We actually had a really good time chatting with them on the 5 hour ride back.
Then, the guys convinced us to go into Old Town Dubrovnik with them for "a drink". The drink turned into two beer towers...go figure. We had a good time, even though we didn't plan on sticking around. Finally, J.C., one of the guys, left with me and Bethany to go home. We grabbed a cab and headed back to Mlini. All in all, I had a really good time. It was fun getting to know some people I hadn't hung out with a little bit better.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Day 25 - Mostly Mostar
So...I know I haven't written in a few days, but I've been up to quite a lot, so hopefully I can get caught up soon.
On Saturday, Beth and I got up very early to catch the 8am bus to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After 3 1/2 hours on the bus we arrived. The area around the bus station was a little run down, but after about 10 minutes of walking we were in a friendlier area of town. We had lunch at a little "fast food" place. I use parentheses because you still sit down and order your food and eat it like at any other restaurant, it just means they get it to you quicker, I guess. We had the Bosnian equivalent of gyros and they were pretty tasty!
After lunch we wandered toward the Old Town area of Mostar. It was really beautiful. There were a lot of mosques and we also went in the Turkish bathhouse called Biscevica corner. It was pretty neat checking out all of the architecture in the city. The Old Town mostly consists of The Old Bazar, a shopping area leading to The Old Bridge. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were there because everything was so cheap! We even found a store that took credit cards...that was trouble. ;) We also walked over The Old Bridge. It was very impressive. I don't think that my pictures will do it justice.
After a while in Mostar, we headed back to the bus station and took the bus for 4 1/2 hours to Split, Croatia. On our way, we stopped at a really scary bus station for about 25 minutes. We were planning to use the bathroom, but it looked liks something out of a scary movie (and didn't smell fantastic either) so I just took some pictures and we decided to hold it.
We arrived in Split around 9:30pm. It took us about a half hour to find our hostel. I wrote directions down, but some of the streets weren't marked, so we wandered in the wrong direction for a little while. After asking a few people for directions, we found it. It was a pretty nice set-up. A two bed room with a private bathroom (which smelled bad, but otherwise was fine). The beds were like cement, but neither of us cared. We changed clothes and got some food, then we went right to bed (by that time it was probably a little after midnight).
On Saturday, Beth and I got up very early to catch the 8am bus to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. After 3 1/2 hours on the bus we arrived. The area around the bus station was a little run down, but after about 10 minutes of walking we were in a friendlier area of town. We had lunch at a little "fast food" place. I use parentheses because you still sit down and order your food and eat it like at any other restaurant, it just means they get it to you quicker, I guess. We had the Bosnian equivalent of gyros and they were pretty tasty!
After lunch we wandered toward the Old Town area of Mostar. It was really beautiful. There were a lot of mosques and we also went in the Turkish bathhouse called Biscevica corner. It was pretty neat checking out all of the architecture in the city. The Old Town mostly consists of The Old Bazar, a shopping area leading to The Old Bridge. We did quite a bit of shopping while we were there because everything was so cheap! We even found a store that took credit cards...that was trouble. ;) We also walked over The Old Bridge. It was very impressive. I don't think that my pictures will do it justice.
After a while in Mostar, we headed back to the bus station and took the bus for 4 1/2 hours to Split, Croatia. On our way, we stopped at a really scary bus station for about 25 minutes. We were planning to use the bathroom, but it looked liks something out of a scary movie (and didn't smell fantastic either) so I just took some pictures and we decided to hold it.
We arrived in Split around 9:30pm. It took us about a half hour to find our hostel. I wrote directions down, but some of the streets weren't marked, so we wandered in the wrong direction for a little while. After asking a few people for directions, we found it. It was a pretty nice set-up. A two bed room with a private bathroom (which smelled bad, but otherwise was fine). The beds were like cement, but neither of us cared. We changed clothes and got some food, then we went right to bed (by that time it was probably a little after midnight).
Friday, July 18, 2008
Day 24 - 4th Final Down!
The 4th final exam is done...only 1 more to go!!! Our last class is the one that is 2 credit hours, so we actually won't have our next final for two weeks. It was a relief to be done with the test today. I feel like Tuesday (we have Monday off) will be the start of a new chapter. Hopefully I'll feel that way on Tuesday. :)
After class, today consisted of time at the beach with Bethany and Jeanna. Then the three of us headed into Dubrovnik for dinner. We went to the bus station first and Beth and I bought our bus tickets for tomorrow. We're off on a weekend adventure. I'll keep you posted on that when I get back, of course.
We had dinner at the mexican restaurant again. It has really good margaritas. I had two. I'm not feeling tipsy or anything though, just tired. So, I'll keep this short. Tune in Monday or Tuesday for the next installments.
After class, today consisted of time at the beach with Bethany and Jeanna. Then the three of us headed into Dubrovnik for dinner. We went to the bus station first and Beth and I bought our bus tickets for tomorrow. We're off on a weekend adventure. I'll keep you posted on that when I get back, of course.
We had dinner at the mexican restaurant again. It has really good margaritas. I had two. I'm not feeling tipsy or anything though, just tired. So, I'll keep this short. Tune in Monday or Tuesday for the next installments.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Day 23 - Untitled
I couldn't think of anything today that really popped out as a description of the day. Not much went on. I had class and then took a nap after lunch. I was supposed to get up at 4pm to meet with Karrie and Stacey to study for our final tomorrow. I ended up getting to the classroom around 4:30. I still studied with them for a while, so I think it was beneficial. Then I took a shower, wrote some postcards and put pictures from my camera onto my computer while I waited for Bethany to get back from Montenegro.
Beth got back around 7pm (1pm Indiana time) and we went to dinner at one of the nearby restaurants outside of the hotel property called the Konoba (Restaurant) Lanterna. We both had stuffed chicken, which was really pretty good. It was a nice change from the pizza and pasta and not too expensive. Our meals were about $20 a piece.
Then I decided to come down to check my email and give a little blog update. :) I'm hoping to get some of my pics up tonight and tomorrow before I leave town for the weekend. Beth and I are pretty sure we're going to Mostar, another city in Bosnia that is a few hours closer, and Split, another Croatian coastal city for the weekend. I'll keep you posted once we know for sure.
Beth got back around 7pm (1pm Indiana time) and we went to dinner at one of the nearby restaurants outside of the hotel property called the Konoba (Restaurant) Lanterna. We both had stuffed chicken, which was really pretty good. It was a nice change from the pizza and pasta and not too expensive. Our meals were about $20 a piece.
Then I decided to come down to check my email and give a little blog update. :) I'm hoping to get some of my pics up tonight and tomorrow before I leave town for the weekend. Beth and I are pretty sure we're going to Mostar, another city in Bosnia that is a few hours closer, and Split, another Croatian coastal city for the weekend. I'll keep you posted once we know for sure.
Day 22 - Shopping in Dubrovnik
So, I know I am behind again on the pictures. It's been a crazy week. With Bethany getting here on Tuesday, I haven't spent a lot of time in the classroom so I haven't been able to upload any pictures. I swear, I will get to it ASAP because I think we'll be doing more traveling this weekend. :)
Anyway...yesterday I had class as always and I have never been so tired. I actually went up to my room during one of the breaks and took a 15 minute nap which energized me for the rest of the day. After class I had lunch and headed into Dubrovnik with Karrie to meet Bethany. We met around 3pm (9am Indiana time) and did some serious shopping! And once I got started, I couldn't stop. At least things are pretty reasonably priced at the local shops.
The first store we went in, I bought a pair of shoes and a bracelet. Then I bought a couple of necklaces, some postcards and a purse. I also got a souvenier for my mom that I hope she'll like. I have a few ideas for some other souveniers for some other people, so I'll probably pick those up near the end of my trip.
After shopping we stopped and had a few drinks and an appetizer at the Irish pub from our first night in Dubrovnik. Then we walked Karrie back to the taxis because she wanted to head home. She even offered to take our purchases back to the hotel for us. :) We wandered around for a while and did a little more shopping, then we headed to dinner.
We ate dinner at Oliva a really good air-conditioned pizza/pasta restaurant. I had gotten a lot of recommendations from other people in the program about this place, so we figured we'd give it a try. The pasta we had was really tasty. We also met up with some people from my group: Allysyn, Anna, Ruth and Alex, and had dinner with them.
After dinner, all of us headed to Fresh (the same bar I went to on Friday night). We planned to meet our group there because Ruth was leaving the next day to fly home, due to a family situation. Ruth is really sweet, so I wanted to make sure we were there for a while. I was able to introduce Bethany to almost everyone in the group. As I predicted, she got along with everyone right away.
Bethany and I headed back to the hotel with Kyle and Parvonay (another IU student) around 11:15pm (5:15pm Indiana time) and Kyle wanted us to hang out for a while longer. We decided to be responsible and go to bed because I was still pretty tired and she had to get up early for a trip to Montenegro.
Anyway...yesterday I had class as always and I have never been so tired. I actually went up to my room during one of the breaks and took a 15 minute nap which energized me for the rest of the day. After class I had lunch and headed into Dubrovnik with Karrie to meet Bethany. We met around 3pm (9am Indiana time) and did some serious shopping! And once I got started, I couldn't stop. At least things are pretty reasonably priced at the local shops.
The first store we went in, I bought a pair of shoes and a bracelet. Then I bought a couple of necklaces, some postcards and a purse. I also got a souvenier for my mom that I hope she'll like. I have a few ideas for some other souveniers for some other people, so I'll probably pick those up near the end of my trip.
After shopping we stopped and had a few drinks and an appetizer at the Irish pub from our first night in Dubrovnik. Then we walked Karrie back to the taxis because she wanted to head home. She even offered to take our purchases back to the hotel for us. :) We wandered around for a while and did a little more shopping, then we headed to dinner.
We ate dinner at Oliva a really good air-conditioned pizza/pasta restaurant. I had gotten a lot of recommendations from other people in the program about this place, so we figured we'd give it a try. The pasta we had was really tasty. We also met up with some people from my group: Allysyn, Anna, Ruth and Alex, and had dinner with them.
After dinner, all of us headed to Fresh (the same bar I went to on Friday night). We planned to meet our group there because Ruth was leaving the next day to fly home, due to a family situation. Ruth is really sweet, so I wanted to make sure we were there for a while. I was able to introduce Bethany to almost everyone in the group. As I predicted, she got along with everyone right away.
Bethany and I headed back to the hotel with Kyle and Parvonay (another IU student) around 11:15pm (5:15pm Indiana time) and Kyle wanted us to hang out for a while longer. We decided to be responsible and go to bed because I was still pretty tired and she had to get up early for a trip to Montenegro.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Day 21 - Bethany arrives!
Yesterday I began the day with our 3rd final exam. I finally felt like it went really well. I am hoping this course will be much better for me. After class, one of my classmates, Michael, took me to the airport to pick up Bethany. She was supposed to get in around 1:45pm (7:45am Indiana time) but she got in closer to 2:20pm, so we left the airport about 2:40pm.
Nearby the airport, Mike decided to stop at a local winery. We had a few tastes of wine and bought a couple of bottles. It was really inexpensive and tasted pretty good. After that, we walked around Cavtat, a small town near the airport, for a little while. It was really pretty and had some cute shops, so we may try to come back sometime.
When we got back to the hotel, Bethany took a shower and I went to Croatian class. There were only 3 of us in the class last night, so I was glad I went. After the class, a group of about ten of us went to dinner at the hotel pizza place. Then, seven of us decided to go to one of the casinos in Dubrovnik.
We left for the Golden Sun Casino around 9:30pm (3:30pm Indiana time). It was in the newer part of Dubrovnik inside a beautiful hotel. The place was really swanky looking but it was almost completely empty! It did get a little busier as the night went on, but I guess it doesn't get too busy on Tuesday nights. It was still pretty fun. I lost about $25 Euros (about $40 U.S.) playing roulette and blackjack for an hour or so. Bethany won $30 Euros (about $45 U.S.) playing roulette.
We also had a few drinks while we were at the casino and I am feeling pretty crappy this morning (due to lack of sleep more than dehydration, I think). Hopefully I'll feel a little better soon. I think I'll try to get to bed earlier tonight. :)
Nearby the airport, Mike decided to stop at a local winery. We had a few tastes of wine and bought a couple of bottles. It was really inexpensive and tasted pretty good. After that, we walked around Cavtat, a small town near the airport, for a little while. It was really pretty and had some cute shops, so we may try to come back sometime.
When we got back to the hotel, Bethany took a shower and I went to Croatian class. There were only 3 of us in the class last night, so I was glad I went. After the class, a group of about ten of us went to dinner at the hotel pizza place. Then, seven of us decided to go to one of the casinos in Dubrovnik.
We left for the Golden Sun Casino around 9:30pm (3:30pm Indiana time). It was in the newer part of Dubrovnik inside a beautiful hotel. The place was really swanky looking but it was almost completely empty! It did get a little busier as the night went on, but I guess it doesn't get too busy on Tuesday nights. It was still pretty fun. I lost about $25 Euros (about $40 U.S.) playing roulette and blackjack for an hour or so. Bethany won $30 Euros (about $45 U.S.) playing roulette.
We also had a few drinks while we were at the casino and I am feeling pretty crappy this morning (due to lack of sleep more than dehydration, I think). Hopefully I'll feel a little better soon. I think I'll try to get to bed earlier tonight. :)
Monday, July 14, 2008
Day 20 - Laundry Day
So, this morning I struggled a little bit to wake up. After a few nights of about 6 hours of sleep I really needed some more. So, after class today I took about a 2 1/2 hour nap and then did my laundry in the sink. The reason I did my laundry today is because Bethany was supposed to arrive this afternoon, however her flight through Atlanta was cancelled and she will be arriving tomorrow. I figured it was a sign that I needed to be productive with my time, so since then I've been checking email, updating the blog and studying for yet another final exam tomorrow.
Hopefully nothing will go wrong and I will be picking up Beth at the airport tomorrow after lunch. :) Also, the blogs may be a little less frequent this week since I'll be a bit busier. Oh well, not much happens on the weekdays here anyway. I will say that today is the first day it has been overcast here since I got here. It was nice that it was a little cooler...no rain yet though. Well, back to the studying. At least after tomorrow I'll be halfway done with the school part of the program. Wow, time has really been flying by here! Feel free to leave any comments about anything exciting happening back in the states, aside from the Brangelina babies (I already heard about that). ;)
Hopefully nothing will go wrong and I will be picking up Beth at the airport tomorrow after lunch. :) Also, the blogs may be a little less frequent this week since I'll be a bit busier. Oh well, not much happens on the weekdays here anyway. I will say that today is the first day it has been overcast here since I got here. It was nice that it was a little cooler...no rain yet though. Well, back to the studying. At least after tomorrow I'll be halfway done with the school part of the program. Wow, time has really been flying by here! Feel free to leave any comments about anything exciting happening back in the states, aside from the Brangelina babies (I already heard about that). ;)
Days 18 & 19 - Trip to Sarajevo
So, Friday afternoon the group that I went to Montenegro with solidified a trip to Sarajevo for this weekend. It was a snap decision to go, and I am so glad that I did. It was such an amazing weekend. We left our hotel at 7:15am. Marco drove us to the Dubrovnik bus station and we got an 8am (2am Indiana time) bus to Sarajevo.
We drove along the coast of Croatia for about an hour or so and then hit the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina (another former Yugoslav country). We passed through Mostar, a beautiful city, which I wish we would have been able to see (maybe on another trip) and arrived in Sarajevo around 2:30pm (8:30am Indiana time). Bosnia is incredibly beautiful. Our road went along a river through the mountains. I hope some of the many pictures I took from the bus turned out because I want to remember the views forever.
When we arrived in Sarajevo, it was definitely a shock. This major city of 400,000 people (it had about a million before the war) had a pretty crappy looking international bus terminal, next to a train station (which also wasn't in great shape). Another shock was the amount of people begging for money right off the bat. Often the parents would sit under a tree and send their children to beg for money from people who got off of the buses. Also, not nearly as many people spoke English as in any of the other places I had been in Europe. It was very obvious that this was not a tourist city like all of the others I had visited so far on my journeys.
It took us a few minutes to get our bearings (and our return tickets for the next day) and find the tram which would take us to the Old Town of Sarajevo, where our hostel was located. It was only about a 10-15 minute tram ride. Once we got to the Old Town area, I felt much more comfortable. It looked so adorable! There were so many little shops with crafts and little restaurants.
It took us a little while but we found our hostel. I had never stayed in a hostel before, so it was a bit of an experience. We were split into two rooms (me, Jeanna and Katie in one, Raymond, Matt and Jody in the other). Each room had three twin beds and a private bathroom. It was pretty comfortable in my opinion, but I did notice strange red spots near my ankles the next day (which thankfully are fading, so I'm hoping they were just bug bites or something). We really didn't spend much time there, just enough to drop off our stuff so we could walk around for a while.
We found a restaurant nearby our hostel and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner around 4:30pm (for a very reasonable price, by the way). I hadn't eaten since breakfast (except for a little snack on the bus) so I was starving! I had a mixed grill which consisted of beef, pork, veal and chicken. I ate the entire thing...it was pretty tasty. Next, we just wandered around looking at the shops and some of the major buildings in the Old Town (and just outside of it across the Miljacka River).
Some of the major things we saw were the City Hall (which still has boards covering up the windows), St. Anthony's church (a beautiful red church), Atmerydan Park (where there was a small concert going on), Sefardi Temple (a lovely yellow building), the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Gazi Husrev Bey's Mosque (the most beautiful of the many mosques we saw).
We also saw a few wedding parties going in and out of the various houses of worship. It was really amazing to see the churches and mosques, as well as synagogues, in such close proximity to each other.
After wandering for quite some time, we found the modern shopping district where I bought a few things. We then headed back to the Old Town area and wandered around for a bit there. Then we went back to the hostel, freshened up and headed out to experience the Sarajevo nightlife. We headed back to the shopping district first and found an outdoor bar to sit in.
It was nice to just enjoy the people watching and have a few beverages. I had a bit of a headache so I stuck with Coca-Cola Light (the Diet Coke of Europe), at least initially. I did try a sip of the Sarajevska beer, which tasted like Miller Light to me. Give me an Oijusko any day (one of the major Croatian beers). We also talked about a bunch of stuff. It's been really important for me to get to know all of them and I found out that we have a lot in common.
Next we wandered around again for a while. We went to a bar we saw advertised in the shopping district, called Tabu. It was playing good music and I had an amazing cocktail with Midori and Peach Schnapps but there weren't many people there, so we decided to move on. Jody and Matt headed back to the hostel and Raymond, Jeanna, Katie and I walked around Old Town and found a whole row of bars playing fun music that were packed with people.
We went in one that wasn't too packed and stayed there for a little while. The name of it started with a "B" but I have no idea what the name of it was. It had a map of Bosnia painted on the floor and a saxaphone player who played along with the DJ. It also had an outdoor area. We all loved the fact that the temperature was so cool there in the evening. It felt great and just added to our good moods. We would have stayed at the bar longer, but we decided to head back to our hostel, which was only a couple blocks away, because we had decided to get up pretty early to do more stuff the next day.
The next day, we were woken up by a very loud man right outside of our hostel window at 7:30am. It could have been worse, since we were planning on getting up around then anyway. We planned to go on a tour of a tunnel that had been built during the war by the Bosnians in order to get supplies to the people in Sarajevo when they had been surrounded for 3 years by the Serbian army.
I was the first one ready so I asked our hostel guy to see if he knew where we needed to go. He ended up calling the place and I reserved a private tour for us (for about 14 Euros a piece). We even had some extra time to eat breakfast before the guide picked us up at the hostel. We found a little pastry shop that had some really good stuff for less than $1 a piece. Jeanna stayed back at the hostel because she wasn't a fan of underground stuff and she could check us out of the hostel if we didn't make it back in time.
The Tunnel tour was so great! Our guide picked us up and drove us for about 15-20 minutes to the outskirts of the city (near the airport). On the way he told us about a bunch of the buildings we passed, including "Snipper Alley" where snippers were lined up in hotels overlooking the major street we were driving on. He told us about what some of the buildings had been prior to and during the war. He also told us about some of the ones that had been rebuilt.
We arrived at the Tunnel Museum, a small home in one of the outer neighborhoods near the airport. It had so many holes in the cement from the artillery. The museum hasn't really been funded at all by the government, so it was very small. Our guide gave us a really good description of how the city became surrounded by the Serbian army and how many people were dying in the small area that connected Sarajevo with the rest of Bosnia during the war. So, that's why they decided to build a tunnel under the airport for the army to use for supplies, etc.
We watched a short movie with footage of the fighting in the city and then the building and use of the tunnel. It was about 800 meters long and you had to crouch down to walk in it. Only 20 meters of it was saved after the war ended, the rest of it collapsed (probably because of rebuilding on the airport.
We walked through the part that was saved and then met a woman we had seen in the video. She lived in the house and every day she handed out water to the soldiers coming from the other side. She still lives in the house and posed for a picture with our group. We also saw some pictures in the museum of famous people who had come to the museum, including Richard Gere and Daniel Craig.
After we finished at the museum our guide took us a different way back to our hostel. He took us through East Sarajevo a predominately Serbian area of the city. It was neat because even though they speak the same language as the rest of the people in Sarajevo, all of the signs had different characters. We also went past the mountains used for skiing in the 1984 Winter Olympics (a huge point of pride for the city, even still).
After we got back to the hostel, we got all of our stuff and wandered around the shopping areas in Old Town. I bought a really pretty scarf, two change purses and a necklace for a total of about $16 U.S. I got separated from our group for about 20 minutes, but I found them pretty easily once they came out of the store they were in.
We all walked over to the Latin Bridge, where we had been the day earlier but hadn't realized that's what it actually was. The Latin Bridge is near where Ferdinand and archduchess Sophie, the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, was assassinated in 1914, which was the reason World War I began. There is a marker on the building where the shooter was.
We did a little more shopping in the Old Town and then headed back to the bus station.
We drove along the coast of Croatia for about an hour or so and then hit the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina (another former Yugoslav country). We passed through Mostar, a beautiful city, which I wish we would have been able to see (maybe on another trip) and arrived in Sarajevo around 2:30pm (8:30am Indiana time). Bosnia is incredibly beautiful. Our road went along a river through the mountains. I hope some of the many pictures I took from the bus turned out because I want to remember the views forever.
When we arrived in Sarajevo, it was definitely a shock. This major city of 400,000 people (it had about a million before the war) had a pretty crappy looking international bus terminal, next to a train station (which also wasn't in great shape). Another shock was the amount of people begging for money right off the bat. Often the parents would sit under a tree and send their children to beg for money from people who got off of the buses. Also, not nearly as many people spoke English as in any of the other places I had been in Europe. It was very obvious that this was not a tourist city like all of the others I had visited so far on my journeys.
It took us a few minutes to get our bearings (and our return tickets for the next day) and find the tram which would take us to the Old Town of Sarajevo, where our hostel was located. It was only about a 10-15 minute tram ride. Once we got to the Old Town area, I felt much more comfortable. It looked so adorable! There were so many little shops with crafts and little restaurants.
It took us a little while but we found our hostel. I had never stayed in a hostel before, so it was a bit of an experience. We were split into two rooms (me, Jeanna and Katie in one, Raymond, Matt and Jody in the other). Each room had three twin beds and a private bathroom. It was pretty comfortable in my opinion, but I did notice strange red spots near my ankles the next day (which thankfully are fading, so I'm hoping they were just bug bites or something). We really didn't spend much time there, just enough to drop off our stuff so we could walk around for a while.
We found a restaurant nearby our hostel and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner around 4:30pm (for a very reasonable price, by the way). I hadn't eaten since breakfast (except for a little snack on the bus) so I was starving! I had a mixed grill which consisted of beef, pork, veal and chicken. I ate the entire thing...it was pretty tasty. Next, we just wandered around looking at the shops and some of the major buildings in the Old Town (and just outside of it across the Miljacka River).
Some of the major things we saw were the City Hall (which still has boards covering up the windows), St. Anthony's church (a beautiful red church), Atmerydan Park (where there was a small concert going on), Sefardi Temple (a lovely yellow building), the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Gazi Husrev Bey's Mosque (the most beautiful of the many mosques we saw).
We also saw a few wedding parties going in and out of the various houses of worship. It was really amazing to see the churches and mosques, as well as synagogues, in such close proximity to each other.After wandering for quite some time, we found the modern shopping district where I bought a few things. We then headed back to the Old Town area and wandered around for a bit there. Then we went back to the hostel, freshened up and headed out to experience the Sarajevo nightlife. We headed back to the shopping district first and found an outdoor bar to sit in.
It was nice to just enjoy the people watching and have a few beverages. I had a bit of a headache so I stuck with Coca-Cola Light (the Diet Coke of Europe), at least initially. I did try a sip of the Sarajevska beer, which tasted like Miller Light to me. Give me an Oijusko any day (one of the major Croatian beers). We also talked about a bunch of stuff. It's been really important for me to get to know all of them and I found out that we have a lot in common.
Next we wandered around again for a while. We went to a bar we saw advertised in the shopping district, called Tabu. It was playing good music and I had an amazing cocktail with Midori and Peach Schnapps but there weren't many people there, so we decided to move on. Jody and Matt headed back to the hostel and Raymond, Jeanna, Katie and I walked around Old Town and found a whole row of bars playing fun music that were packed with people.
We went in one that wasn't too packed and stayed there for a little while. The name of it started with a "B" but I have no idea what the name of it was. It had a map of Bosnia painted on the floor and a saxaphone player who played along with the DJ. It also had an outdoor area. We all loved the fact that the temperature was so cool there in the evening. It felt great and just added to our good moods. We would have stayed at the bar longer, but we decided to head back to our hostel, which was only a couple blocks away, because we had decided to get up pretty early to do more stuff the next day.
The next day, we were woken up by a very loud man right outside of our hostel window at 7:30am. It could have been worse, since we were planning on getting up around then anyway. We planned to go on a tour of a tunnel that had been built during the war by the Bosnians in order to get supplies to the people in Sarajevo when they had been surrounded for 3 years by the Serbian army.
I was the first one ready so I asked our hostel guy to see if he knew where we needed to go. He ended up calling the place and I reserved a private tour for us (for about 14 Euros a piece). We even had some extra time to eat breakfast before the guide picked us up at the hostel. We found a little pastry shop that had some really good stuff for less than $1 a piece. Jeanna stayed back at the hostel because she wasn't a fan of underground stuff and she could check us out of the hostel if we didn't make it back in time.
The Tunnel tour was so great! Our guide picked us up and drove us for about 15-20 minutes to the outskirts of the city (near the airport). On the way he told us about a bunch of the buildings we passed, including "Snipper Alley" where snippers were lined up in hotels overlooking the major street we were driving on. He told us about what some of the buildings had been prior to and during the war. He also told us about some of the ones that had been rebuilt.
We arrived at the Tunnel Museum, a small home in one of the outer neighborhoods near the airport. It had so many holes in the cement from the artillery. The museum hasn't really been funded at all by the government, so it was very small. Our guide gave us a really good description of how the city became surrounded by the Serbian army and how many people were dying in the small area that connected Sarajevo with the rest of Bosnia during the war. So, that's why they decided to build a tunnel under the airport for the army to use for supplies, etc.
We watched a short movie with footage of the fighting in the city and then the building and use of the tunnel. It was about 800 meters long and you had to crouch down to walk in it. Only 20 meters of it was saved after the war ended, the rest of it collapsed (probably because of rebuilding on the airport.
We walked through the part that was saved and then met a woman we had seen in the video. She lived in the house and every day she handed out water to the soldiers coming from the other side. She still lives in the house and posed for a picture with our group. We also saw some pictures in the museum of famous people who had come to the museum, including Richard Gere and Daniel Craig.
After we finished at the museum our guide took us a different way back to our hostel. He took us through East Sarajevo a predominately Serbian area of the city. It was neat because even though they speak the same language as the rest of the people in Sarajevo, all of the signs had different characters. We also went past the mountains used for skiing in the 1984 Winter Olympics (a huge point of pride for the city, even still).
After we got back to the hostel, we got all of our stuff and wandered around the shopping areas in Old Town. I bought a really pretty scarf, two change purses and a necklace for a total of about $16 U.S. I got separated from our group for about 20 minutes, but I found them pretty easily once they came out of the store they were in.
We all walked over to the Latin Bridge, where we had been the day earlier but hadn't realized that's what it actually was. The Latin Bridge is near where Ferdinand and archduchess Sophie, the Austro-Hungarian heir to the throne, was assassinated in 1914, which was the reason World War I began. There is a marker on the building where the shooter was.
We did a little more shopping in the Old Town and then headed back to the bus station.
We had a quick lunch at a restaurant by the bus station and headed back to Dubrovnik. The bus left at 2:30pm and we arrived in Dubrovnik a little after 9pm (3pm Indiana time). We took another bus to Old Town Dubrovnik for dinner and then got back to our hotel around midnight. I was exhausted from all of the fun adventures (hence getting the blog entry done this evening) but it was well worth it.
Day 17 - Whirlwind Friday
So...Day 17 was Friday and today is Monday. Sorry I'm so behind on this, but the past few days have been a complete whirlwind. It all started on Friday with our second final exam. I spent much more time preparing for this test, and I do feel better about how I did on this one, but I still wasn't thrilled with the fact that we never really feel prepared to take a final exam after only 4 days of a class. Our faculty advisor is also applying the IU-law curve to our grades so you can actually get a lower grade than what our Croatian professor gave us because the average has to be a 3.1 for the whole class. I feel pretty strongly that it should not be applied in this situation, but not much I can do about it except complaining on our course evaluations.
Anyway...so after the test we had a few more hours of class. Soon after class, I hit the beach for a few hours. It was so relaxing after not being able to go very much this week. I finally feel like I'm getting tan enough that I don't have to worry about burning after being out in the sunshine for more than an hour. I love that! :)
So...after the beach in the afternoon, I joined Karrie and Stacy for dinner at the Mexican restaurant in Old Town Dubrovnik. It was so good!!! They had margaritas and I had fajitas for dinner. It tasted different than in the U.S....the salsa looked like BBQ sauce and had a sweet taste which we're pretty sure was curry added to it. Either way, it was so nice to have something new.
After our dinner, we met up with a bunch of people from our program at Fresh, a really small bar that serves umbrella drinks (with the actual umbrellas - I was so excited!) and 3 Liter towers of beer for pretty good prices. They also serve wraps, so we may go there for lunch sometime.
Anyway...the bar filled up pretty quickly (with at least 20-25 people from our group) and Karrie went home. I convinced Stacy to stay there with me and we hung out for a bit. I started getting free beer from some of my friends who had ordered the towers and even got on the dance floor a little bit.
Anyway...so after the test we had a few more hours of class. Soon after class, I hit the beach for a few hours. It was so relaxing after not being able to go very much this week. I finally feel like I'm getting tan enough that I don't have to worry about burning after being out in the sunshine for more than an hour. I love that! :)
So...after the beach in the afternoon, I joined Karrie and Stacy for dinner at the Mexican restaurant in Old Town Dubrovnik. It was so good!!! They had margaritas and I had fajitas for dinner. It tasted different than in the U.S....the salsa looked like BBQ sauce and had a sweet taste which we're pretty sure was curry added to it. Either way, it was so nice to have something new.
After our dinner, we met up with a bunch of people from our program at Fresh, a really small bar that serves umbrella drinks (with the actual umbrellas - I was so excited!) and 3 Liter towers of beer for pretty good prices. They also serve wraps, so we may go there for lunch sometime.
Anyway...the bar filled up pretty quickly (with at least 20-25 people from our group) and Karrie went home. I convinced Stacy to stay there with me and we hung out for a bit. I started getting free beer from some of my friends who had ordered the towers and even got on the dance floor a little bit.It was so much fun, I wish I could have stayed longer, however I decided to leave when Stacy wanted to around midnight because I had agreed to go to Sarajevo with a group and we were leaving VERY early the next morning.
As it was we took our time getting back. There was this adorable little white dog (like a Western Higland Terrier) by the taxi area that had come to sit by us and I didn't want to leave until I found his owner (who I'm pretty sure didn't exist because he looked a little dirty and didn't have any tags). Finally, we decided we couldn't wait any longer and took a taxi back to our hotel. I went down to the classroom, checked my email and packed for our weekend trip. I didn't get to bed until about 1:30am. It was a long, but fun day. :)
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Day 16 - Is it the weekend yet?
I am having a Thursday slump today. I got my grade back from our first final and it was what I deserved, not what I wanted. ;) So, tomorrow is our next final, so I'm spending more time prepping for this one. Then, I plan on going out tomorrow night and just enjoying my weekend.
As far as activities today, after class I walked to the store (about 20 minutes each way) with Karrie. Then, I really just studied. So, if I don't do better on this next exam, I'm going to be annoyed. I think my game plan is to do that for a little longer and then go to bed early.
One exciting thing about today is that I finally got to talk to Adam on Skype. I couldn't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I had heard his voice. I almost teared up a little bit. ;) I know, I'm a dork. Anyway...I gotta hit the books. Hopefully I'll have more fun stuff tomorrow.
As far as activities today, after class I walked to the store (about 20 minutes each way) with Karrie. Then, I really just studied. So, if I don't do better on this next exam, I'm going to be annoyed. I think my game plan is to do that for a little longer and then go to bed early.
One exciting thing about today is that I finally got to talk to Adam on Skype. I couldn't believe it's been over 2 weeks since I had heard his voice. I almost teared up a little bit. ;) I know, I'm a dork. Anyway...I gotta hit the books. Hopefully I'll have more fun stuff tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Day 15 - Little tipsy
So...today was pretty normal here. I had class, like always. Then I went to the beach for about 2 hours. If I stay in the water I don't feel as hot and I figure I'm getting exercise once I get far enough out that I'm not touching the bottom. My sunburn has faded into a tan and it doesn't look like it got worse, so I think I'm in pretty good shape, as long as I keep up the SPF 55, anyway.
After the beach, we had a speaker come and tell us about how the war and trying to get into the EU has affected the Croatian economy. I found it hard to pay attention, but apparently the guy who spoke to us is like the Bill Gates of Croatia, so it was a pretty big deal.
After dinner a group of about 10 of us went to dinner at the hotel pizza place. I swear, I don't have pizza every time I go there, but I am getting a little sick of it anyway. This time, I split a bottle of wine with a few people, so I'm feeling very relaxed and I really couldn't have cared less how the pizza tasted. There was a stray cat nearby on the patio where we were eating, so I kept throwing little pieces of pizza to him from the table. He reminded me of my kitty. He had the same coloring and was a little beggar.
I really miss my kitty and, of course, the other people and some of the things that home has to offer...like ranch dressing, you can't find it here. And Chinese food. Some of the places here serve hamburgers, I may have to try one of those soon, but I don't think it will compare to one of my dad's. Oh well. I guess I can't live here forever. ;) I did find out there is a Mexican restaurant in the Old Town that a few people went to tonight. Hopefully they'll like it and I can try it sometime soon for a little variety. Alright...off to read for class tomorrow.
After the beach, we had a speaker come and tell us about how the war and trying to get into the EU has affected the Croatian economy. I found it hard to pay attention, but apparently the guy who spoke to us is like the Bill Gates of Croatia, so it was a pretty big deal.
After dinner a group of about 10 of us went to dinner at the hotel pizza place. I swear, I don't have pizza every time I go there, but I am getting a little sick of it anyway. This time, I split a bottle of wine with a few people, so I'm feeling very relaxed and I really couldn't have cared less how the pizza tasted. There was a stray cat nearby on the patio where we were eating, so I kept throwing little pieces of pizza to him from the table. He reminded me of my kitty. He had the same coloring and was a little beggar.
I really miss my kitty and, of course, the other people and some of the things that home has to offer...like ranch dressing, you can't find it here. And Chinese food. Some of the places here serve hamburgers, I may have to try one of those soon, but I don't think it will compare to one of my dad's. Oh well. I guess I can't live here forever. ;) I did find out there is a Mexican restaurant in the Old Town that a few people went to tonight. Hopefully they'll like it and I can try it sometime soon for a little variety. Alright...off to read for class tomorrow.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Day 14 - Nothing new
Nothing new and exciting today. I had class, watched a little TV, read on the balcony, went to our Croatian language class, checked my email and wrote this blog. I'm going to eat a snack, do some reading for class tomorrow and head to bed. I hope tomorrow will be more exciting. ;)
Monday, July 7, 2008
Day 13 - So Sleepy!
This is going to be really short because I haven't really done anything interesting. I had class this morning that was complete torture! I don't mind it usually, but today our internet wasn't working and just the thought of it not being there was enough to drive me crazy.
After class, I went to lunch with Karrie, Stacy and Matthew at the hotel pizza place. Immediately after, I went to my room for a much needed nap. I slept for over 3 hours and headed down to our classroom, checked some email and wrote this.
I'm probably going to just skip dinner and head back to bed after I'm done in here. I'd like to get some of the reading done for class tomorrow, but we'll see.
After class, I went to lunch with Karrie, Stacy and Matthew at the hotel pizza place. Immediately after, I went to my room for a much needed nap. I slept for over 3 hours and headed down to our classroom, checked some email and wrote this.
I'm probably going to just skip dinner and head back to bed after I'm done in here. I'd like to get some of the reading done for class tomorrow, but we'll see.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Day 12 - Trip to Montenegro
I am so exhausted! I have been moving non-stop since Friday afternoon. But, it has been completely worth it. I have seen and done so many cool things in such a short time. Today was one of the best days so far. I went with a small group to Montenegro. It was 7 of us - me, Raymond, Jeanna, Matt, Karrie, Jody (all of us from IU) and Katie (a girl from Delaware). Our driver, Josef, is a taxi driver in Dubrovnik and we hired him on his day off to take us to Montenegro. The price was 300 Kuna, which is only about $65-$70 US Dollars, per person. It was well worth the money.
We started the day really early - we left at 8am (2am Indiana time) and went to a small town in Croatia near the border to Montenegro (which is less than a 30 minute drive from our hotel). We stopped there really quickly so our driver could get our passports ready for the border check. We got through there fine and were on our way!
We stopped for a bit on the way to our first location, Perast (pronouced Paris), a small town with two churches built on man-made islands to take pictures of the amazing views. This country is probably the most beautiful place I've been since I can remember. There are hills covered in trees, crystal clear deep blue water and wildflowers growing all over. I couldn't have taken enough pictures.
Anyway...so we get to Perast, around 11am and Josef decides to stop and let us take a short boat ride to one of the islands and view the Church of Saint Nikola. It was a really small building, but very pretty. And, it had a really ornately painted ceiling. We had to pay extra to go into their very small museum, so the group decided not to do that, but I still left a small donation because our guide was really good and very informative.
After Perast we drove along the coast to our next stop, Kotor. It is a pretty small city, from what I can tell, with an Old Town walled section, like Dubrovnik. We got there around noon and were only there for about an hour and a half, but it was enough to see the major buildings and have a quick lunch. Then, I bought a couple souveniers and we were off to our next destination.
Next, we went to Budva, which was my favorite of the three places. It is definitely a city devoted to tourists with lots of boutique shops and bars. It also had a beautiful Old Town walled area, which was larger than Kotor's. We wandered around there for a while and saw some incredible views of the sea.
After walking around for a little while, we stopped and had a drink at the bar by the beach. I was so excited because they have what I call "umbrella drinks" (fruity cocktails) and I'd been resigned to only having wine and beer for the entire trip. I had a "Sex on the Beach," which is about the sweetest tasting drink ever and it hit the spot. :)
After we walked around Budva for about 2 hours we met back up with Josef around 4pm and made our trek back to Croatia. On the way back, instead of riding around the coast like we had before, we took a ferry from Tivat to Igalo which was only about 10-15 minutes long but it saved a lot of time on our drive back. 
Once we made it back to Croatia, we passed our hotel because Josef wanted to take us to a special place to view Dubrovnik. We drove up the biggest hill (which was huge, by Indiana standards, at least) to an army "fort" used by the soldiers in the war only 15 years ago. It had so many artillery holes, it really brought to life the fact that so many people were fighting so close to where we are staying.
The views of Dubrovnik from the fort were indescribable. I will put the pictures on here soon, but just believe me, they look like a postcard. I am really impressed with my photography skills. That was probably the coolest thing I've done here so far. I will hopefully remember what I did today for the rest of my life. This trip was absolutely worth every penny that I spent on it.
We started the day really early - we left at 8am (2am Indiana time) and went to a small town in Croatia near the border to Montenegro (which is less than a 30 minute drive from our hotel). We stopped there really quickly so our driver could get our passports ready for the border check. We got through there fine and were on our way!
We stopped for a bit on the way to our first location, Perast (pronouced Paris), a small town with two churches built on man-made islands to take pictures of the amazing views. This country is probably the most beautiful place I've been since I can remember. There are hills covered in trees, crystal clear deep blue water and wildflowers growing all over. I couldn't have taken enough pictures.
Anyway...so we get to Perast, around 11am and Josef decides to stop and let us take a short boat ride to one of the islands and view the Church of Saint Nikola. It was a really small building, but very pretty. And, it had a really ornately painted ceiling. We had to pay extra to go into their very small museum, so the group decided not to do that, but I still left a small donation because our guide was really good and very informative.
After Perast we drove along the coast to our next stop, Kotor. It is a pretty small city, from what I can tell, with an Old Town walled section, like Dubrovnik. We got there around noon and were only there for about an hour and a half, but it was enough to see the major buildings and have a quick lunch. Then, I bought a couple souveniers and we were off to our next destination.
Next, we went to Budva, which was my favorite of the three places. It is definitely a city devoted to tourists with lots of boutique shops and bars. It also had a beautiful Old Town walled area, which was larger than Kotor's. We wandered around there for a while and saw some incredible views of the sea.After walking around for a little while, we stopped and had a drink at the bar by the beach. I was so excited because they have what I call "umbrella drinks" (fruity cocktails) and I'd been resigned to only having wine and beer for the entire trip. I had a "Sex on the Beach," which is about the sweetest tasting drink ever and it hit the spot. :)
After we walked around Budva for about 2 hours we met back up with Josef around 4pm and made our trek back to Croatia. On the way back, instead of riding around the coast like we had before, we took a ferry from Tivat to Igalo which was only about 10-15 minutes long but it saved a lot of time on our drive back. 
Once we made it back to Croatia, we passed our hotel because Josef wanted to take us to a special place to view Dubrovnik. We drove up the biggest hill (which was huge, by Indiana standards, at least) to an army "fort" used by the soldiers in the war only 15 years ago. It had so many artillery holes, it really brought to life the fact that so many people were fighting so close to where we are staying.
The views of Dubrovnik from the fort were indescribable. I will put the pictures on here soon, but just believe me, they look like a postcard. I am really impressed with my photography skills. That was probably the coolest thing I've done here so far. I will hopefully remember what I did today for the rest of my life. This trip was absolutely worth every penny that I spent on it.
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