Washing up on Corfu

After the hellacious boat ride, T and I would have been happy to have gotten off that ferry in the Gobi Desert. Fortunately, we landed on Corfu Island instead. We rented a cute little VW and headed up the mountains to an area we'd read about called Paleokastritsa. Legend has it this is the beach on which Odysseus washed up after his travels. And what a lovely place to land! Our hotel had a marvelous view out on to the bay with a backdrop of mountains.
We enjoyed traditional Greek cuisine for about 2 days before all we wanted was a pizza. At one dinner, there were traditional dancers breaking plates and setting fires. Many questions arose as we watched, but all in all it was entertaining.
The two highlights of our Corfu expedition are as follows:
ONE: We drove our little car up to the northern point of the island and went to Sidari beach. Though the beach wasn't the greatest, there is an interesting rock formation there that locals call the Canal D'Amour. It's believed that if a couple swims through it, they will remain together forever. So we did. And even better, we swam out to a rock made of.... we're not sure... but it was a cross between mud and rock. So we broke pieces off and covered one another from head to toe in the mud like we saw some other locals doing. After allowing it to dry, we swam back and it took a good two showers to get clean, but it was awesome.
TWO: T did some research and found that there's a beach on Corfu that many consider to be one of the most beautiful on Earth. It also happened to be one of the most difficult to find, and after paying 4 euros to park, we realized a half mile hike down a steep dirt road lay ahead. Sweating like a couple of Albanians, we were relieved to arrive at what truly was a gorgeous beach, and we headed down the stairs. But there was a catch... the closer we got, the more all the beach's glory came into focus. We had arrived on maybe not the most gorgeous, but certainly the most NAKED beach on Earth. We couldn't exactly turn around at this stage, so we kept on and did our best to avert our eyes from what can only be described as the most wieners one might ever want to see outside of a Braves game. NOTE: Mom, Lynn... fear not, we were by far the most modest people on the beach.

***I regret to say I cannot upload my pics on this computer, so I will add them to this post whenever I am able to next.

8-1-07 PICTURE UPDATE

Oh what a night

This titular reference is to what T and I consider to be the very lowest of points on our trip- the overnight boat ride from Bari, Italy to Corfu, Greece. Words cannot describe the horrors aboard this boat, which we like to refer to as the SS Scum Sauce. The ferry was headed to Igoumenitsa, Greece- one of the only ports to get to Albania. Now, I hope no Albanians are reading our blog, because T and I hate you. I'm not kidding, this was a boat full of the smelliest, rudest, loudest, smokiest, most horrible people we have ever had the displeasure of knowing.
Though we paid a pretty penny for a seat on this 11 hour journey, actually getting to that seat was quite the battle. There were people splayed out on every square inch of floor space, luggage blocking our paths every which way, and an old gross lady's feet and greasy head regularly falling onto our seats. While we could not get to our 2 seats, there were Albanians stretched across 4 and 5 seats a piece.
So T and I tried to sleep on the upper deck under the stars (on top of one of the engine covers), but it was too cold in the wind and everything was wet. We also tried sleeping in our seats, but a supersonic snorer prevented that. The only wink of sleep we got was in the bar where many people in our position, blocked from their seats, finally passed out in the chairs in this smelly littered space while listening to the bongs and bells of the neighboring "casino," AKA 4 electronic gambling machines. T tried to help me out by reminding me that RLance and TMeyer did this for months throughout Asia, and I knew they were really hardy guys. Inspired by them, I was tough, and I only cried a little bit.

Video Update

Now that I have harnessed the power of the video blog, here are some of our favorites from the trip thus far.

From the Eiffel Tower at midnight when the lights come on...


The Cult show in Barcelona...


Barcelona street performer...


San Raphael Jazz Fest...


Tavoli Fountains in Rome...


Crazy waves in Capri...


View from our scooter in Anacapri...


Hanging on balcony at Bussola di Hermes, Anacapri...


Walking home, Anacapri...

K and the Kliff- First attempt to video blog

Belinda Carlisle was right...

... heaven IS a place on earth. It is called Capri, a lovely island off of the Amalfi coast. T and I arrived in a dreamlike, sleepy state. To get to Capri, we took a train from Roma to Napoli, and then a ferry, past Mt. Vesuvio, to the island. The seas were very rough, causing the girl in front of us to throw up, and I would have started a chain reaction if it weren't for T's tale of peril with the Meyers on a small plane (supposedly piloted by a preteen) in Zambia. It's a good one.
We decided to stay in the moutains beyond Capri Centrale, as that area is outrageously expensive, but we preferred it to the wildly touristy area. Anacapri sits about 800 meters above sea level and is a network of tiny little streets and homes with iron gates and hand painted tiles stating who lives where- ie Casa Antonio. Even the electrical lines are marked by these ornate tiles.
It was very confusing the first night when our taxi driver dropped us off a good distance from the hotel saying in broken English that cars cannot go any further into Anacapri. So we roamed the streets in the dark until finding an old lady to point us towards our hotel, Bussola di Hermes, the compass of Hermes. We were delighted to find a clean and colorful room- not to mention the vending machine sold cheap Italian beer.
By day, Anacapri has a bustling town center full of shops and markets, delicious food, and loud Italians. We rented a scooter to get a lay of the land the first day. For as brave as I am, taking that thing around the treacherous corners, practically nose diving down the mountains, dodging careless pedestrians, dogs, buses, and other more experienced moto riders, was quite an adventure. But T took good care of me even though he wanted to ride like the wind (and might have had I not been using his thighs as my imaginary brake pedals).
There are several beaches that we visited each day. Unlike the sandy beaches we are accustomed to, these were mostly cliffs and boulders with waves crashing into them. There were a few places with sand/stone, but it was hard to get a spot there.
Our favorite spot was near the famous Gratta Azzurra, or Blue Grotto. We camped out each day waiting for the waves to calm down enough to go into it. While waiting, we enjoyed jumping from the cliffs into the pristine water. By day, large boats take tourists near the miniscule entrance of this cave, then load them onto small row boats where they have to lay flat inside them in order not to knock their heads on the way into the cave. After 5, the boats pull out, and the brave few take their chances swimming through the 3 by 3 jagged hole. We, of course, took the swimming route. Once inside, the waters are extremely calm and the tiny bit of sun that shines inside is enough to light the deep water from far beneath. Our best words for the color it produced was neon sapphire. It was absolutely breathtaking.
We loved Anacapri so much, we stayed 5 whole days and loved every minute of it. The half way mark of our time has passed though, and we have lots to do, so we left yesterday. We first shuttled down the mountain to the harbor, then took a hydrofoil to Napoli, a cab to the train station, a train to Bari via Caserta, a public bus from the train station to Bari's port--- all to find out it was a national holiday yesterday and no ferries were running to Greece. C'est la travel. So we're camped out in Bari waiting for the ferry that will take us overnight to our next destination, Corfu. Update to follow.
Much love to all.

Our first view of the island

OMG, a clean shower WITH a curtain- and an SOS pull for the record

T celebrating our arrival while wearing new tie from street in Roma

Day one, exploring Capri via Moto

One of many stops to enjoy the view down below
T, AKA Cool Rider (that one's for you, Torsi)
Looking down from road

Enjoying some Limoncello with Monkey

On a surprisingly comfortable rock in Marina Grande

On Faro beach, too choppy to swim this day
Sunset from our balcony

Monkey and I on the chairlift to highest point of the island

T getting high

Atop Capri
From the peak of the island where the chairlift drops you- about 1,200 meters up
View to Marina Piccola and Faraglioni (3 rocks)

T on our balcony

Outside the Gratta Azzura Enjoying Faro "beach"
After our beach day
On Via Vigna, leading to our hotel

There are many cats roaming around Capri, and this is T with one of them

View of Mt. Vesuvio from our ferry to Napoli

The start of a 10 hour travel day, still looking pretty good

Accidental Roman Holiday

Rome wasn't built in a day, but we were here for one. So here's the deal. We had ruled out visiting here and were really wanting to go to Firenze. We were on board an overnight train, sharing a cabin with two Spanish ladies, and everything seemed to be going fine, save the fact our door was broken and we couldn't get the lights to turn off. Our ticket clearly stated our station was called SMN, and the train dude checked our tickets twice. Turns out SMN was not one of the stops, though, and we sadly discovered this while watching Firenze pass us by via the train window. And worse yet, the next stop was not for another 2 hours-- hence our Roman excursion. We had all of our Firenzian ducks in a row, too- hotels, restaurants, maps, etc.

Being the flexible kids we are, we adjusted and found a hotel here in Rome. T and I struggle to find the exact words to describe our general feelings about Rome. Suffice it to say we think Rome is uh, uh, uh, how do you say, a SHITHOLE. Granted we have seen some beautiful and archaic things, and some neighborhoods have been far nicer than others, but really we think it's a general dump. There is graffiti on every square inch of building up to about the 8 foot unreachable mark. This includes structures like the Colliseum. They charge ridiculous amounts to view everything- approx 25 euros a couple to stand and look at various ruins- when really you can walk around and view a whole city in ruin for free.

But no worries, we're off to greener pastures. We're headed to the isle of Capri today where we have found what looks like a great quiet spot in the mountains called Anacapri. Our plan is to just chill out and stop moving for a few days. Internet access is questionable, but we'll do our best. Much love to our peeps!!

******NOTE: If you didn't know already, all these pics are clickable and are better when viewed enlarged.

Train from French Riviera to Italy

Enjoying the top bunk and Anna Karenina

Sunflower fields from the train

Palatine Hill

T and an aqueduct
The Colliseum
Colliseum

Monkey atop the Spanish Steps- AKA Roman frat party sans togas

Piazza di la Republica
Piazza Monkey
The real monkey truffle- that's truffle gelato
T touching the Tiber- AKA getting scabies

Me and Monkey hanging with some adorable Austrian girls- Lisa and Lisie

In our jaded opinion, the prettiest place in Rome- the Tavoli Fountains
Love and waterworks
More fountains
Monkey also loved the fountains

Our typical question section a la Roma...

An emergency shower pull? What happens if I fall down near the toilet instead of in the shower?

Seriously, how do you use this thing?

Am I washing away my foot dirt or my sins?

If one stands still for long enough in Rome, will he get spray painted too?

Can you count the amount of soccer balls littering this section of the Tiber? We did, there are 4 in the pic, and 5 in all. Gorgeous.