The rest of that travel post

This is part two of a series about my recent vacation. For part one, start here.

Post Venice, we had a scheduled day at sea, which was the opportunity for rest, Chuck Season 3, relaxation, Scrabble in the Crow’s Nest, the formal dinner, and a show to finish it off. All in all a very relaxing day.







Little did we know, we would need it as the next string of days were all full of lengthy excursions that, while entirely worth it, would drain our energy. It began in Greece, with Olympia, the site of the original Olympics. We had a bit of a bus ride to get up to the site from the port for our ship. The site is kind of cool but really relies on your ability to construct imaginary buildings from the rocks that are laying on the ground. It’s cool to think these are 2500 year old ruins but it can be hard to see beyond the rocks. The first picture is actually ruins from a settlement prior to the establishment as the site of the Olympic Games but it seems to be little more than the outline of a house. I don’t want to sound terribly pessimistic about all of this as I would definitely suggest a visit but it lacks the overwhelming reality of other comparable sites from that era.

After a night on board the ship, we sailed to Corfu, an island city off the northwest coast of Greece. Its site to see was a fort built on a hill that rises above the city and water. It is mostly unused, save a few parts that have modern buildings with things going on in them and a church. There was a lot of unused space but it is easy to see how defensible the position was, rising above its surroundings in all directions. In our infinite wisdom, we took on the hike without water resources and found ourselves quite dehydrated. After a water recharge, we walked leisurely walk through the shopping areas of the city getting souvenirs and gifts on our way back to the boat

The trip overnight brought us to the port of Kotor, Montenegro, beginning my shameless love affair with the small infant nation. The first experience that impressed me was looking out the window to see a large mountain towering over us.

Now I show you this photo so you can get some perspective. The mountains loom large but I had no idea how big they really were. I wish I could show you the progression as we drove up a switchback road along the side of the mountain. It’s one of those “we’re still going?” sort of experiences. Apparently, this road was the most difficult project in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and it shows. But once you get to the top…..

It’s soooo worth it! When we finally made the summit of the road, we had a couple of kilometers into a small community to sample some local food, smoked ham and cheese :D. It was quite tasty.

After snacks we continued on our way, seeing more or the interior of the country. We saw the home of Montenegran Royalty during their time as an independent kingdom. After a highway trip, and a short tour of the tourist town of Budva, we returned to Kotor to see the old city. While the city itself is much like the walled cities of the region on its own, the setting makes it infinitely more Lord of the Rings. The walls actually extend up the side of the mountain to a fort part of the way up, although we didn’t have time to go.

Once we were back on the ship, and we began to cast off, we were told to stay on the decks to watch the sail out. We were so glad we did as the country’s majesty didn’t end at the port. We hadn’t realized during the night that when we came into the port we had traveled through a series of channels to a very well protected body of water, but on the way out we saw it all. There were also two islands, one man-made and one natural, that held a monastery on one and a convent on the other. We sailed between them and the shore trading horn blasts for church bells before orienting ourselves so we could pass through a very narrow channel that was the access point to the bay. No matter which way you looked it was absolutely beautiful and looked like something out of a fairy tale. Believe me when I say I have about 200 pictures I would love to post here, but I just don’t have the means.

That night was the World Cup final between Spain and The Netherlands, and as we were on a boat based in Rotterdam, it was quite the festive atmosphere. They decked out the theatre and we watched the game on the big screen.

Overnight we docked in Split, Croatia, although our excursion took us immediately out of the city to a national park an hour or so away. There is a series of waterfalls on a river that forms quite the experience. The really unique thing there is the area immediately upriver of the main falls where the water lacks a defined channel or path, so it meanders through the woods forming pools and little ponds all over the place. It's almost as if you're walking through a perpetually flooded forest. People living here had learned to use this as an advantage and built mills along the river, creating a community next to the falls. It was even the site of one of the first hydroelectric dams, and the nearby city was one of the first to be electrified world wide. At the base of the falls is a massive community meeting and swimming point.

After the park, we traveled to a small town for some lunch before heading into the coastal city of Sibenik to see the church in the old city. It was apparently important for the advancement of structural designs although I was quite tired and less interested at that point.
The bus ride/nap back to Split was enjoyable and we boarded the ship on the second to last boat from land. The evening was the second formal dinner of the trip and so I got to wear my suit one more time, which is good since I hadn’t used it since arriving in Tanzania.

The following day was a stop in Trieste, Italy. Originally, the ship was supposed to head to Ravenna but a few days into the cruise we received a letter from the captain saying they had discovered World War II munitions in the bay, so we were changing ports. Quite understandably, in my opinion. However, Katie and I decided we weren’t interested in walking aimlessly around the city for an hour or two and chose to stay aboard. We were also kicked out of Trieste early as there was some event taking place right below the ship on the shore and they wanted us gone before it began. So we sailed back to Venice and arrived by 6 pm. That night, we spent an extra $20 to eat in the fancy restaurant on the ship. Our meal consisted of a massive steak (mine a 20+ oz Porterhouse!) and sides. It was a fine dinner indeed considering it only cost $20 extra and it was definitely a very expensive meal anywhere in the US.

I failed to take many additional pictures once we returned to Venice, although we did little that was terribly exciting. After making our way to the hotel near the airport, we stored our stuff and caught a bus into the city. We found a nice restaurant for lunch and sat watching one of the many small streets in the city. We walked around for a little longer and then returned to the bus. By the way, I found the opposite side of the city to Piazza San Marco much more enjoyable as the crowds were not overwhelming and the atmosphere was essentially the same. The bus was super cheap and with only a little extra walking, you could still see all of Venice you want, but something for next time I suppose!

The next morning, I had to catch an early ride to the airport while Katie waited until noon. The return flight was relatively uneventful although much much longer than I would have liked. I spent an extra day in Dar before returning to site, which was a much needed recharging opportunity. The bus trip went relatively well as I arrived by 7:30 in the evening. Now I’ve been at site for about 2 weeks and things have been going well. School is getting going and we’re making progress. Hopefully I’ll have things to say for that soon as well!

Wandering the Adriatic

So I have had trouble convincing myself to write things up and be a good blogger as of late but I’m trying to catch up. Here is the first project, and the big news as of late, my trip to Europe to see Katie.

When I first proposed joining the Peace Corps, Katie was a friend who was in the background of my life, although I’d be lying if I didn’t say I had interest. Anyway, as the process of applying to the Peace Corps advanced so too did our relationship. In fact, it was only a week before we officially started dating that I sat in my Peace Corps interview and said I was not in a relationship. Once it became more obvious that the Peace Corps was a part of my future we planned to enjoy our time together but consider taking a step back once it came time for me to leave. As the date drew closer we came to the realization that we really wanted to go through this experience as together as we could and I don’t think either of us regrets that decision in the slightest. I can only speak for myself, but she has been very supportive for me, and often here I find I need almost daily support :P Katie left for school in August and I left for Tanzania in September, so it had been a little of 10 months since we last saw each other face to face. I think we’re still too close to the experience to put time in perspective, but I have a new found appreciation for my grandparents’ generation and the sacrifices they made for wars. It’s easy to hear someone needing to serve overseas for 2 years but I cannot imagine what it must have been like with letters as the only form of communication and the nature of the work was life threatening. My situation seems to pale in comparison when I think in those terms. Regardless, 10 months is a long time and we were looking forward to the gathering for sure.

But naturally, it started off terribly….well that depends what you call the start. Garrett had been visiting me at site and we traveled together to Morogoro to see my host family. They were as accommodating as ever preparing us a feast for each meal and doing way more than any Peace Corps ever considers when preparing a place to sleep. We’re pretty satisfied with a pillow and a blanket if it’s cold. We were given fully made beds with as many sheets as we did or didn’t want and a fan if it was too warm, which I have to admit was closer to accurate. My range of tolerable temperatures has definitely reduced in size enormously as I think my experience here does not push my range above 20 degrees from hot to cold. Anyway, we left the next morning and my family continued to outdo themselves arranging for a ride once we were in Dar es Salaam. So, after the afternoon was spent traveling around Dar grabbing food and relaxing, our good luck was well used up.

The story from KLM is that the plane broke down and the one they sent to replace it was smaller, so I was one of the lucky 96 people who were rerouted and delayed to the next day. The real problem was the fact that I didn’t just get pushed back to the next morning, I got pushed back to the next NIGHT. So I lost a full 24 hours right off the bat. Once the struggle of reframing my next day as one being in Dar began to pass, I started to feel much better as KLM really paid off our burden by putting us up in the DoubleTree with food paid for. While I still would have traded that day in the hotel for one in Venice, I felt somewhat better. So, the result was, instead of a Dar-Amsterdam-Venice itinerary, I had a Dar-Nairobi-Paris-Venice trip. I walked on the ground in both Nairobi and Paris so to some degree you could argue I’ve been to Kenya and France now but that’s debatable. I did however see the Eiffel Tower from only an airplane window and a few thousand feet away! Anyway, after a relatively uneventful set of flights, I arrived in Venice.

We coordinated a water taxi ride from the airport to the hotel, which was crazy expensive for one but a really cool way to enter the city. If you can find a group of 5 it ends up being more worth it because it’s comparable to the Water Bus and takes you straight to the door. After a shower, and a rather lengthy wait to check out, we were finally on our way to the boat.

It was apparently the maiden voyage of the Nieuw Amsterdam and it was quite the ship. We, however, did not get to enjoy the private balcony or big windows in our room. We were on the first floor with the smallest windows. Not the smallest in the picture but the second smallest and yet, it was more than sufficient. Inside the room it took up half the wall so we had no complaints about visibility. Besides, if we wanted to look out, the upper decks provided fantastic views. We eventually made our way upstairs for departure and the boat was tugged out of its stall with very impressive maneuvering on the tugboat’s part.

We began the trip by sailing down the canal between the main city of Venice, on the left, and the barrier islands on the right.

While I have a picture from pretty much every inch of the sail out, I’ll just put a couple...

Afterwards, we made our way to the dining hall and had our first dinner aboard the ship in its massive, two-floor dining room, complete with a bottle of chardonnay. Then the rest of the evening was spent exploring the ship, with the product being the discovery of one of our go to places. Called the Crow’s Nest, it was a library/coffee shop/lounge sort of place that took the top floor at the front of the ship. We decided to head to sleep early as traveling and time changes all rolled into being quite exhausted.

When we awoke we were already beginning to enter the area of Dubrovnik, Croatia. A mix of islands and sailboats greeted us on the way into the port.

After a switch to the cruise’s hired bus we drove into the old part of Dubrovnik for our kayaking excursion, which was based out of the most picturesque little cove I have ever encountered.

After instructions, the ever awkward boarding process, and getting ourselves stuck on a submerged rock we were ready to go! The old walls of Dubrovnik surrounded the city that was once an important regional port. We paddled around the bay and viewed the city from every water angle possible. It is quite a magnificent place. We stopped for some lunch and snorkeling at a small cave before returning to our launch point.

After a quick return to the ship to change out of water (and sweaty :P) gear we caught a bus back to walk through town. It had a massive fire at one point where the decided wood was no longer allowed so the old city is built entirely out of white stone, making it all seem very coordinated if nothing else.

After another light evening of drinks and conversation, we woke the next morning back in Venice. While those unfortunate 3-day sailors disembarked we were put into a “bus” (in Venice, a boat) to take to our excursion to the glass making island Murano.

After a tour of the glass factory and its incredibly expensive chandeliers (upwards of 100,000 euro) we hopped back on the bus to Burano, a small but lovely and more hospitable version of Venice. Apparently, the colors of the different houses are such a valued attribute that you do not have the right to paint your house, but the product is quite attractive. I think Katie and I agreed that any real estate investments made on our part in the Venetian community would be on this island. Dream big!

So that’s part one of the trip. Tune back in later for the rest!

Hello again, so I've once again fell behind in my blogging (surprise!) but I'm here to say I'm very much planning to catch up! I have devoting some time to my blog daily as part of my list this week and I think I have the time and the commitment to do it. And now I have the words written as well, which makes me accountable to more than just some ink on a paper which I can frequently talk my way out of :P Anyway, so much has happened since my last post I'll start with a general overview, because many of these deserve individual posts and I hope to give them.

So, if I'm not mistaken, my last post was pre-girls conference. We, about 15 volunteers, each took a group of girls to Mbeya for a 4.5 day girls empowerment conference. All in all we had almost 70 girls. Topics ranged everywhere from goal setting to social expectations to.......ladies health education. It's interesting to see the way culture affects the empowerment of women and while in theory girls are often "able" to achieve what they dream, the practical side of things tells a different story. I'll go through this week with its own post and pictures but for now I'll leave you with an internet scavenger hunt. There is on the internet somewhere a video of the volunteers dancing "All the Single Ladies" at the talent show.

Following the conference was a few days of downtime which included a hike of Loleza Peak, the third highest mountain in the region. I fully intend to complete the two coming in ahead of it in the future but when that occurs I'm not sure.

Then, Michael Garrett arrived taking the claim of my first international visitor. It was nice to see someone from home and share the wonderful world of southern Tanzania. I was initially unsure of what exactly I wanted to do during the week of his stay but it turned out to be highly successful as we reached the Bridge of God, climbed halfway up Loleza, saw Utengule, and finally Matema Beach. I've realized that in terms of the Mbeya checklist, I really only need a meteorite, a second crater lake, and two mountains to hit the big ones. We were fortunate to share our Matema time with friends including another PCV from Mali! I had intended to add pictures to this section/post as well but unfortunately we did not get to share photos and my camera was mostly inactive.

At the end of the week we traveled to Morogoro to see my host family. They were, as always, the most incredible hosts and went well over the top in terms of sleeping arrangements, food, and service. We got a ride back to the bus stand and then my host brother called a friend who picked us up at the main stand in Dar es Salaam and took us around for the day. But, as all luck must balance out, my attempt to leave the country that night failed. While this trip will be detailed much more (probably too much more) thoroughly in the dedicated post I can say that KLM kicked me off my flight and delayed me almost a full day because of airplane troubles, although they did try to make it up by putting me up, all food and room paid for, in the DoubleTree on the bay :P

When I finally did get out of the country and to Venice, I found myself on one of the most beautiful 10 day vacations I could imagine (locations and girl included!). For those who don't know, Katie and I went on a cruise out of Venice as a graduation gift/vacation/reuiniting endeavor. We traveled Venice to Dubrovnik, Croatia, to Venice (for those poor 3-day cruisers), to Olympia, Greece, to Corfu, Greece, to Kotor, Montenegro, to Split, Croatia, to Trieste, Italy, and back to Venice. Yes, I have been to Montenegro! Have you? :P I've heard of the beauties of Greece for many years but I never could have imagined the beauty in that region of the world, especially Montenegro. It was unbelievable and fairy-tale-esque and I thoroughly reccomend a visit. I could write on this topic forever but that's what the next few days are for.

And alas, now I am back. I'm sitting in my bed, with my three cats curled up and warming my legs. It's raining outside, as it is always here, and I'm debating a Chuck episode. So things are settling back down, which is good. I know there are any number of cliches about knowing more once you leave something, but it is true for sure. I don't know that I have things worked out yet, in fact, I probably never will, being a planner who always wants to tweak. But I do feel much more comfortable than I did 3 days ago, and intensely more comortable than I did a year ago. I think right now (as in the second I'm writing this because these sorts of feelings change every 20 seconds or so for me) I'm more comfortable with the uncertainty of the specifics. We shall see, but after one day back in the classroom, I'm feeling intensely better about the future!

So look for more updates to come. Two specific posts and then hopefully more consistent maintenance after that. Thanks for reading! May God Bless you and keep you :)