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Prague

July 29, 2016 / kristinewanders

Prague is the bomb. It’s seriously such a gorgeous and photogenic city it blew me away. Back in April my mom and I spent 4 nights wandering the cobblestone streets and taking in the sights of Prague. Instead of going into great detail about what we did I’m going to tell you about the highlights only, and leave you with pictures that I hope will entice you to visit.

We wandered the Old Town Square which is stunning at sunset as is Charles Bridge which is always packed with tourists. Charles Bridge was completed in the early 15th century and crosses the Vltava River which splits Prague in two. It is lined with statues which makes for great photos especially with the castle on the hilltop in the background.

We spent the better part of a day visiting the Castle complex. The castle dates from the 9th century and the complex is a mix mash of churches, palaces, gardens and museums. The highlights for me where St Vitus Cathedral which had abstract stained glass windows that reminded me of Gaudi’s work at the La Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I found the light reflections thru the windows to the floor to be completely mesmerizing, but absolutely frustrating to try and capture their beauty on camera. The Basilica of St George is the oldest surviving church in Prague and has partially preserved frescoes that are worth a look. The other impressive part of the castle complex was Golden Lane which is a series of small cottages that were recreated to feel like they would’ve when they were inhabited. Some of the houses date back to the 16th century.

Prague also has a Jewish quarter known as Josefov where the Old Jewish Cemetery and numerous synagogues are located. The Czech Republic has a lot of Jewish history which I will touch on in a later post when I discuss visiting the Terezin concentration camp just outside of Prague. Instead I’ll leave you with a some photos from our afternoon exploring. Most of the synagogues had beautiful stained glass windows and again I was awestruck by the way the light reflected thru them casting light throughout the rooms. Many, many photos were taken trying to capture this, and let me tell you it’s hard to get them to look as artistic as they did with the naked eye.

So that’s Prague. I’m sure you agree that it’s stunning, and it’s pretty easy to see why people rave about this city. 4 nights was the perfect amount of time to see everything we wanted to and to make a day trip to Terezin to hear about the Czech Republic’s Holocaust history.

Happy Travels……

Brno Czech Republic

July 23, 2016 / kristinewanders

I’ve blogged before about how sometimes while traveling you meet someone who touches your heart. Or you give a little piece of your heart to them for safe keeping because you know that somewhere, somehow in the future your paths will cross. It was one of these connections that led my mom and I to city of Brno in the Czech Republic. This connection had formed years earlier in 2010 when I took my first solo trip from Saudi Arabia to Portugal. I was that nervous type of excited when I checked into a hostel in Lisbon. Unsure of how easily I would meet people, and if there would be anyone my age or coolness level staying there. Looking back I laugh at how nervous I was. Because, the me then had no idea what an awesome trip this would become. How I needn’t have worried. How easily I would make a tribe of new friends.

One important member of my nomadic traveler tribe was a lawyer from Czech named Mira. He and I bonded over our inappropriate sense of humor and our love of hot Portuguese men. We also creatively changed the name of the local beer Superbock to Super…… I’m sure you can guess this without me actually typing it out. We were basically creative geniuses. Anyways, this and a couple of wild nights out in Lisbon bonded us. We spent the next several years as pen pals, sending each other letters and postcards from our travels around the world, as I moved from Saudi Arabia, back the US and later up to Canada. I’m affectionately known as his little Octopussie- in reference to some fresh seafood we saw in a window. You can see why we got along so well.

When my mom and I started planning our European trip I knew that if we were going anywhere in Eastern Europe I had to link up with Mira! This is how Brno became a firm part of our itinerary. In fact, I told my mother is was non-negotiable. So we penciled in 2 nights in a fancy 5 star hotel in Bno. The easiest way to get around in Czech Republic is by bus. The train lines are limited and often no faster than taking the bus. We booked with Student Agency Bus and rode them several times. The buses are clean, comfortable, and they have wifi. Sometimes, but not always they speak English. We took the bus to Brno from Ceske Budejovice which took about 3 and a half hours. Mira met us at the bus station hardly looking any different in the nearly 6 years that had passed since we met. He led us back to our hotel pointing out the sights along the way and then later that evening we met up with him and his partner for dinner at a local Czech beerhouse.

Czech beerhouses are a super fun experience. Often they only serve draft beer, so you can order light, dark, or mixed. I would recommend mixed. Meals tend to be meat heavy often pork or beef with dumplings or potatoes. To be honest I enjoyed the food we ate all throughout Czech. I can’t really recall not enjoying a meal, but to be fair as long as someone else is cooking instead of me I’m a pretty agreeable eater. One of the most favourite things we tried was an appetizer that loosely translates to “drowned bodies” which is sausages and cabbage soaked in vinegar and spices in a jar for a couple days. The proper Czech name of the dish is utopenci, and trust me- it pairs perfectly with beer.

We spent our time in Brno split between sightseeing and hanging out with Mira and his partner Viki. We visited the Cathedral of St Peter and Paul which is a striking 14th century Gothic style Cathedral that sits atop of hill so it’s a great view point of the city. The inside though is much less remarkable compared to other grandiose Cathedrals throughout Europe. So we walked up that hill and then back down and over to Spilberk Park and then further uphill to the castle. The castle is from the 13th century and houses some permanent and temporary exhibits so it’s really more like a museum that touring a castle. We just toured the outside. There are many stunning viewpoints to take photos of the city below looking back towards the Cathedral. Mira and Viki then took us on a city walking tour to parts of the city we wouldn’t have stumbled on, on our own. We visited the outside of the Villa Tugendhat a modernist house listed under the UNESCO heritage sites. We visited a children’s theatre and lazily walked the streets of Brno, all the while my mom taking photos of every possible statue along the way. We then visited The Brno Ossuary which is the second largest ossuary in Europe. It is believed to contain the skeletal remains of some 50 thousand people from the 17th and 18th century. It was rediscovered in 2001 and is now open to the public. As one would imagine it is a somber experience to visit. The area is dimly lit with and skulls and other bones arranged in an artistic way.

Brno is not necessarily a huge tourist city, and yet you could easily spend a couple days exploring what the city has to offer. It also makes a great transit point if you are heading up to Prague. None of that really mattered to me though, because all I really wanted to do was catch up with my old pen pal Mira. Brno could’ve easily had zero tourist sites and yet, I still wouldn’t have missed out on the opportunity to catch up with this dear soul. One other thing I can tell you about Czech is that the people are wonderful. I’ve actually never experienced hospitality like what Mira showed my mom and I over those 2 days. I sure hope that I will be able to return the favour to him at some point in the future!

Next up…….Prague.

Ceske Budejovice

July 19, 2016 / kristinewanders

Ceske Budejovice is the largest city in the southern Bohemian region of the Czech Republic. And as I mentioned in my last post, it is where we believe my maternal grandmother was born. This was news to me as I had always grown up believing that she was German. It appears that she was German in ethnicity but likely Czech by birth and then ended up in Germany before emigrating to Canada in 1954. Oddly, things of the past just weren’t discussed in my mother’s family- and so with secrets or forbidden topics comes misinformation. Anyways, the reason Ceske Budejovice ended up on our itinerary was solely for the purpose of my mom visiting the town where her mother was born. We think. She was born in a town that went by the names of Strodenitz or Budweis which is the current day Ceske Budejovice.

As far as I can tell there was always a huge number of ethnic Germans living in this region of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland. In fact the Germans and the Czechs/Slovaks lived side by side for hundreds of years. Until the second World War when in 1945 all the Germans were forcibly expelled. Ethnic Germans as well as Hungarians who had been living in this region peacefully prior to World WarII were stripped of their Czech citizenship and property. As has happened the world over in places like Palestine and in Cyprus- people lost everything and were not able to return to their homes once the conflict ended. It is believed that between 1945-1947 some 3 million ethnic Germans and Hungarians were deported from Czechoslovakia. My Oma (German for Grandmother) and her family were amongst those displaced. My Oma was fortunate that her family was financially stable enough that they did not end up homeless. She went on to meet and marry my Opa (German for Grandfather) who I always believed was German but have recently learned that he was actually born in Poland. Again of German ethnicity. After WWII he fled to Germany under similar circumstances as my Oma. My mother was born in Germany in 1954 and shortly after they immigrated to Canada.

I so wish I knew this information years ago. I love history and genealogy. I wish I’d asked more questions. I was never especially close to my Oma and Opa. They lived on the other side of Canada and we only saw them when we made the trek out to visit. My childhood memories of them are mostly about us visiting. About how they never ever called me Kristine but rather Kristina with a thick German accent. I remember amazing German baking from my Oma, and how I loved getting her tin of baked goods around Christmastime. And how saddened I was when in her later years she stopped sending these tins out. I remember sitting in the basement watching slide shows of the places they traveled. My Oma and Opa roamed the world. I’m sure my deep rooted love of travel can be traced back to my DNA, directly from my European ancestors who were displaced from their native homes, and boldly continued this sense of travel throughout their lives. I remember loving going to the laundry room at their house. They had souvenirs stickers from the countries they had visited stuck to an heating duct in that room. Memories from the far away lands they had explored. Sadly, I can’t ask my Opa about this new information I have about him growing up in Poland. He passed away late last year, so all the questions I now have will remain unanswered. I thought about him a lot while visiting Warsaw last month. My Oma is still alive, but for her I think the past is in the past so I’m not sure we’ll get any more information than what we’ve already discovered.

My mother and I spent one night in Ceske Budejovice. We booked a hotel right in the main square which was lovely to have the views of the square below from our hotel room. Since it was Sunday when we arrived most things were closed. The afternoon was grey with a light drizzle of rain as we explored the main square and strolled down to the river. We visited a church, we had some delicious food, and we drank some wine. Nothing of any real significance, and yet the time I was there has stuck with me. Mostly the many unanswered questions. The regret of not taking more of an interest in where my mother’s side of the family came from. The disappointment in knowing that many of these question will never get answered. That both my Grandparents were displaced from their native homes as teenagers and I never had the chance to ask them about what that experience was like for them. The sadness of knowing that in the last few months I have visited both of their native countries with no real insight into were they came from.

Since my trip to Czech it’s made me think a lot about a podcast I listened to last year on a train while traveling in Morocco. The podcast was about the organization StoryCorps whose mission is to “preserve and share humanity’s stories in order to build connections between people and create a more just and compassionate world.” Essentially they are making a library of oral interviews. They are extremely thought provoking and moving to listen to. Interviews are conducted between 2 individuals who are involved in each others lives. They are archived at the Library of Congress in Washington DC. How I wish I had thought to do something like this with either my maternal or paternal Grandparents. To have an oral recording of the history of their lives. This fall I’ll be walking the Camino de Santiago with my Pops. For 40 days. And I have so many questions about his life. His history. His experiences. I’m going to take advantage of this time we’ll have together. I don’t want to have unanswered questions. StoryCorps even has an app you can download so you can record your own interviews. “Testing, testing, 1,2,3.”

Cesky Krumlov

July 1, 2016 / kristinewanders

This super cute medieval town was the next stop on my mother-daughter trip way back in April. Cesky Krumlov is about a 3hr car ride from Salzburg. It’s not super easy to get to by bus or train so we booked a fairly inexpensive shuttle and had a lovely Czech guy drive us there. This small village is known for being uber romantic and is often referred to as the Fairy Tale village mostly because it looks like it’s straight out of a fairy tale. I actually feel a little jipped that my prince in shining armor didn’t come and sweep me off my feet while we were there.

We booked to stay at a hotel called the Ruze Hotel- which is super touristy. Like Asian tour bus kinda touristy. The building is from the 16th century and still carries that medieval theme, hence why the tour buses come. Our room was cute, but honestly I was creeped out for the one night we stayed there. I have way too over active of an imagination, and had I been staying there solo I doubt I would’ve gotten any sleep. There were a couple weird manikins dressed in medieval outfits that I swear were watching us every time we left our room. See. Over active imagination. Although I’m sure a normal person who has a normal imagination wouldn’t have any issues getting a good nights rest.

The old part of the town does have a magical feel to it. We checked in and immediately headed out to explore. When we stepped onto the main street there was a medieval parade procession coming down the street towards us. Of course we couldn’t believe that the locals had gone thru all that effort to welcome us and valiantly waved as around 100 medieval costumed people paraded by. Oh wait. It wasn’t actually for us. Duh. It was to mark the first day of the upcoming tourist season. Whatever. My mom and I know secretly know it was to welcome us to the Czech Republic. After our parade passed we set off to explore the town.

The Vlatava river winds it’s way thru the center of the old town and it really does look like a fairy tale village. The cobble stoned streets and the layered red tiled rooftops with the large and imposing castle and bell tower on the hill on the opposite bank of the river make almost every view point picture perfect. The streets are lined with touristy souvenir shops, restaurants and cafes and multiple amber jewelry stores for which the region is known for. You could easily take hundreds of photos here- just ask my mom as she filled all the storage on her phone in an afternoon.

There’s not a ton to do in Cesky Krumlov other than wander the quaint cobblestone streets and visit the castle. The Cesky Krumlov castle dates back to the mid 13th century but has changed hands over the years before being given to the Czechoslovakia state in the mid 1900’s. Today it is a UNESCO heritage site. Visits to the inside parts of the castle are by tour group only, and no photos are allowed. Seriously none, unless you’re very very sneaky. Once you walk through the castle complex you can walk up a rather steep hill into the castle gardens. It was still early in the season so not everything was in bloom, but I can imagine it is colourful and gorgeous in the summer months. Some other travelerss told us about there being a bear in the moat of the castle and truthfully I thought they were trying to pull our leg. Turns out it’s true. There is a brown bear in the moat of the castle as I saw him getting fed the morning that we left. Apparently bears have been kept in the moat since the earlier 1700s. Who knew?!

So one night in Cesky Krumlov was enough for us to take in the medieval village and tour the castle. We then took a local bus to the nearby town of Cesky Budijovice which we believe is the town my Oma (my mother’s mother in German) was born. More to come…

Feeling Very Conflicted…

June 27, 2016 / kristinewanders

I’m currently in the midst of a trip to my 2 homes of Canada and Seattle, and while I’m super happy to be home, I’m also feeling very conflicted. You see this last month I’ve been processing a lot of emotions. My time in Saudi is coming to an end. And while a big part of me is ready to leave, there’s a part of me that feels like I have unfinished business there. There’s still a bunch of places in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia I would like to visit. Farasan Islands. Taif. Hail. I work with a great bunch of people at work, and for the most part I enjoy my job. Truth be told, it is by far the easiest nursing job I’ve ever had. Far easier than any bedside nursing jig I would get in Canada or the U.S.. Since I work on a VIP unit here in Saudi that’s not to say that dealing with VIP patients doesn’t present a whole world of other challenges to caring for this type of patient. But most days I really don’t mind it.

As I’ve already mentioned I will be leaving Saudi in mid September, flying to Paris to meet my dad and then together we will make our way to the village of St Jean Pied de Port which is on the French side of the Pyrenees mountain range. From here we will embark on a 40 day trek/walk to the Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela some 800km away. We are not camping, and will have a warmish place and a bed to lay our heads every night. We will be packing very light. This will be an incredible challenge for me as I’m only taking 2 pairs of clothes and a set of PJs. I’ve decided not to bring my nice camera with me which will be difficult as I love to take photos, but I just can’t justify carrying the extra weight. I am taking my iPad mini though as I want to have a way to blog on a regular basis about this journey. Once in Santiago we will make the decision to walk another 100km to the coastal town of Finisterre which was believed to be the edge of the world in the Medieval times and is still referred to as such by Pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. I’ll then make my way to Paris where I’m planning on staying for a month. Then I’m toying with a couple weeks in the UK and then flying back to North America via a stopover in Iceland. Then comes the difficult part……

After Christmas I may keep traveling for another few months. Mexico is calling to me. As is Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand and Laos. But eventually, I will have to make some semi permanent decisions. So here’s the conflicted part……I literally have no idea what to do after that. This will horrify many of my friends and family alike, but the truth is I’m not leaning any one direction over another. I could go back to Saudi for another year. I could move back to Seattle. I could move to Vancouver. I could do any number of things, and this is the first time that my gut is letting me down. When I try and really think about it, or make a plan, because I know that’s what sane people should do (is have a life plan) I just get anxious. And mostly, that’s when I start to think about doing another year in Saudi because the job is easy, the money is decent, and if I stay another year there, I delay having to make any concrete real life decisions. Which I realize isn’t that healthy. Here’s what I do deep down know though- my days of being a bedside nurse are rapidly coming to an end. I’m becoming burnt out of nursing. The thought of returning to the stress that I left at my previous job in Seattle doesn’t interest me. Nor does the rotating day shift/night shift schedule I would have to work if I returned to bedside nursing in Canada. This I know for sure.

The other thing that I know deep deep down is that I want to set aside time just to be. I want a couple months to spent just reading, writing, and doing yoga. I’m sure to some people this sounds like a hugely selfish luxury. And mostly I’m ok with that because I learned a long time ago that I’m not living this one precious life of mine for anyone else, or to meet other people’s expectations. I’m ok with going against the grain. Doing the exact opposite of what society tells us we should be doing. This coming week marks my 20 year graduation from high school. 20 years. How the hell did that happen? I got an invite to the reunion, but it was too last minute for me to change my travel plans and make the trip to Calgary so I’m not going. But I did spend some time looking at (stalking) the Facebook profiles of my fellow classmates. Many of them that I haven’t thought of in well over a decade. While part of me would love to catch up, a big part of me realizes that I’m truly a minority amongst my peers. To be 37, unmarried, never married, living abroad and childless is by far the minority compared with my fellow high school grads. Sometimes I feel like I’m just adrift in the world- since besides having some belongings in storage I truly have nothing to my name. No house, no car, no home to come back to. And while sometimes when I process that it makes my scared or uneasy, more often then not I think of how fortunate I am. Looking back 20 years that young girl who graduated high school could never, ever have envisioned that she would end up spending 3 years of her life living in Saudi Arabia. That she would visit more than 50 countries, and have a deep yearning to see more. That she would become very comfortable with the uncomfortable. It makes me so very curious to see what the next 20 years will bring.

But enough about reminiscing about the past and talking about the future. The present day me is gearing up for this walk across Spain. Researching hiking poles, and rain ponchos and 3 in 1 shampoo/soap/conditioner. The present day me is soaking up this time being home with my friends and family, and thinking about what I can fit into the 2 months I have left in Saudi. I’m sure that 40 days spent walking across Spain will provide me with introspection and answers for the decisions I’ll need to make in the upcoming year. Or at least that’s what my gut is telling me……

Salzburg Austria

June 17, 2016 / kristinewanders

Back in April I met my mom in Munich for a whirlwind tour of Austria and the Czech Republic. We had only 11 days to pack in Salzburg Austria and then making our way up thru Czech to get back to Munich so we could both fly out. Originally, we had planned to include Slovakia in our itinerary but we decided to cut Bratislava out as if was too much to pack in. The more I travel and the older I get the more I know that I get extremely cranky if I have to move hotels every night and if a portion of everyday is spend on a bus or train. I have become very fond of slow travel. The kind of travel where I get to see the sites but also where I can sit in cafes and sip cappuccinos or have a glass of wine while reading a book or people watching. I’m also not a huge fan of only seeing bits and pieces of a city. If I go some where I want to see all the things I want to see. That way if I love it I can always come back, but more likely than not I’ll be inclined to go somewhere new. I don’t like having unfinished business with a city.

We both arrived in Munich within a few hours of one another. Mom late morning, and me early afternoon. We had decided to bypass Munich all together as there was a festival going on the weekend we arrived and hotel prices were like $400 a night, and also I had been in Munich in the fall for Oktoberfest so I was happy to head for Austria. Conveniently, Postbus has a bus that leaves from Munich airport terminal 2 and goes directly to Salzburg airport. It takes just under 3 hours and they serve wine and beer on the bus so I’d say it’s a pretty great score! The only thing is once you arrive at Salzburg airport you’ll have to grab a taxi or take a local bus to get to the city center.

We had 2 nights in Salzburg, but really only one full day since we arrived late in the afternoon. We decided to get tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus since that was the best use of our limited time. Be forewarned. Salzburg is beautiful. We really could’ve used another day there. I would have loved to explore the surrounding countryside, but alas, we didn’t have time. The hotel we stayed at which wasn’t that impressive so it shall remain unnamed was located very close to Mozart Square- which is a very walkable area, and coincidentally it’s also a stop on the Hop on Hop off bus. So we boarded the bus. Initially we had some difficulties with the headsets given to us. Neither mom or I could figure it out until a kind passenger showed us that what we were attempting to plug the headsets into was actually a screw hole, and not in fact the socket for the headsets. You can’t be smart all the time.

First stop on our quick as lightening visit to Salzburg was Leopoldskron Palace. It’s nicknamed the “Sound of Music Palace” as some of the movies outdoor scenes were filmed here. Am I an awful person if I admit I don’t think I’ve ever seen the movie? Like seriously. Don’t hate me. I always hear girls say how this is their favourite movie. Maybe after being there this will give me a reason to watch it. Regardless, the Palace is striking from the outside. The only thing is that it is not a public building, it’s actually a private hotel. We just waltzed up (not literally although it would’ve been fitting) and the gate was open so we made our own little tour. Only to realize upon leaving that there are signs outside saying no entrance unless you are a hotel guest. Whoopsie. So if you go, maybe pretend you didn’t see the sign like we did and hope that the gate is open!

Next stop was the Hellbrunn Palace, which if you do nothing else this is what you should see. This Palace was built in the early 1600’s and was intended as the day residence for the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg from that time. In fact there was no bedroom built at the Palace to prevent overnight sleepovers. We wandered thru the well manicured gardens and past the large decorative pool which cast beautiful reflections in the mid-morning light from the statues alongside the pools edge. We also passed by the glass Sound of Music Gazebo. If you are a fan this may thrill you, I was quite honestly underwhelmed. The main thing that the Palace is known for though are its trick fountains. Makes you curious right….like what the heck is a trick fountain? Honestly we had no idea, but we happened to arrive when an English tour was leaving so we joined it. As it turns out the Palace’s original owner was quite the trickster back in the day, and he installed many water features throughout the area behind the Palace to entertain, and often surprise his unsuspecting guests. As was common for Palaces of that time there are lovely fountains, but the Archbishop installed hidden jets and streams of water that would shoot out in every direction and soak his visitors. He even had an outside wine bar type area where guests would be soaked as jets of water would shoot up from the base of their stools. Everything is original and water powered. One of the separate grotto type rooms was the “Bird Room” where when you walking in the water moving within the walls gives off the sounds of multiple birds singing and clucking. There were several miniature scenes where the pieces moved- again all powered by water. I found it really fascinating but watch your electronics if you go. Put them away if you don’t want them to get wet. Because, trust me, you’re going to end up wet!

From here we hopped back on the bus and got off at Mirabell Gardens- a very well maintained and colourful garden with the Fortress in the backdrop. We then made our way back towards the hotel and took the funicular up to Hohenzsalzburg Fortress. This fortress is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe and is a great vantage point from which to be wowed by the stunning views of the surrounding countryside. Construction of the fortress began in the late 11th century. The fortress resembles a small city with different levels and courtyards. There are some interesting exhibits within the walls, but really the whole point is to take in the views. We had a late lunch at the restaurant there that surprisingly had good food and wasn’t super expensive given how touristy it was- we only ate there so we could gaze out the windows as the clouds rolled in and changed the lighting on the nearby hillsides while we stuffed our faces.

The rest of our limited time in Salzburg was spent wandering the many churches and visiting St Peters cemetery which is back up the hill towards the Fortress. In this cemetery are catacombs and you can climb up to see the caves of this church that is built into the rock. Mom was not super keen on it, but she rallied and was quite the trooper. She didn’t cry once and actually made it to the top! I was very impressed! We also walked along the Salzach river which cuts through the city. From the opposite bank of the river the nighttime views of the Fortress are spectacular. And that pretty much wrapped up our time in Austria. The following morning we took a shuttle into the Czech Republic where we spent the rest of our trip. More on that soon……..

Florence Italy

June 12, 2016 / kristinewanders

Florence Italy may hands-down be the most romantic city I’ve ever been in. More romantic than Antigua Guatemala and that place was dripping in romance. More romantic than that time my Kiwi sidekick and I crashed other peoples honeymoons in the Maldives. The language is romantic, the people are beautiful and the architecture is straight out of a romance novel. I was floating on cloud nine the entire time I was there. Even though I was traveling solo…..

I quite smartly booked to stay in the center of town at a budget-ish place that had great reviews and balcony views of the Duomo. My room was a single room so it felt a little bit like a monks cell, but then I would throw open the balcony door and take in the awe inspiring view. It literally took my breath away and I giggled like I’d won the lottery for at least the first hour after checking in. Best part- because I was several floors up I was overlooking the street below which meant that the very talented violin street buskers who were playing below gave me my own private serenade. The music, a glass of wine and the magnificent view of the Cathedral and Duomo as my backdrop gave me immense joy. I pretty much skyped or FaceTimed everyone I could get a hold of to show them my good fortune. In hindsight this is kinda a dickish thing to do, but delicious Italian wine convinced me otherwise. It was a delightful start to my 4 nights in Florence.

I took the train up from Rome. Italian trains are easy and decently on time. And pretty fast. In less then 2 hours I was in Florence. I spent my time in Florence taking in the main sites and eating my daily dietary requirement of gelato. I also developed a bit of an obsession for caprese salad and pretty much ate that at least once a day. I’m not really impartial about things. When I like something, then I really like it. Like go big or go home kinda like it. There’s just something about having caprese salad in Italy that makes it taste so much better than at home. To be fair though, I’m currently typing this from Warsaw Poland where…..you guessed it……I had a caprese salad for lunch. I might need a 12 step program.

Anyways, enough about nonsense. So what is there to do in Florence I’m sure you want to know. Like besides eat and drink delicious wine? As you would image there are a ton of churches, squares or piazzas, fountains and museums in Florence. And the top museums get crazy busy so I would recommend having your hotel or hostel call ahead and get you tickets. You’ll pay a bit extra, but basically you’ll be given a set time to go and you just pick up your ticket and bypass the huge line….sometimes for a significantly smaller line or hopefully no line at all. My favourite things in Florence were: the Galleria degli Uffizi which houses the works of Botticelli, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Rafaello to name a few. (The artists. Not the Ninja Turtles just to be clear.) From the Uffizi museum there are stunning views of the River Arno and the Ponte Vecchio the decorative bridge that crosses it. The large Cathedral and Duomo in the center of Florence (the beautiful one I had a balcony view of) is called the Cathedral di Santa Maria which is enormous but not especially striking on the inside, but if you go downstairs there’s a basement museum with well preserved bits of mosaic floor and tomb markers. The Galleria dell’Academia is where Michelangelo’s David sculpture is located. If you do nothing else but sip wine and eat caprese salad you must see the David statue. Seriously. You have an idea of what it looks like in your head, but trust me it is a true work of art. I was mesmerized. The veins and the details especially to his right hand is amazing. I probably spent at least 20 minutes walking round and round. You could bounce quarters off David’s ass. That’s for sure. Although as a medical professional I’m not certain that every bit of him is to scale, if you get my drift. Just off the room that David is located in is a huge room lined with statues and busts which I thought was also pretty dang cool.

The other things I did while in Florence was join a day trip that hit the highlights of Tuscany. Yes, it was another big bus tour, but this trip was much friendlier than the one I did to Pompeii earlier that week. I even met a sweet couple from Texas who were my dinner dates a night in Florence and then when I returned to Rome. So the highlights of Tuscany included a quick trip to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower. Coincidentally, the day of our tour coincided with a day that marked 100 days until the college students graduate and there was a party in full swing. We got there around 10am and the square was packed with drunk college kids. After the obligatory Leaning Tower selfie I was ready to hightail it out of there. Drunk college kids are super annoying when you’re not drunk with them. From Pisa we drove about an hour to the UNESCO village of San Gimignano which is adorable. It’s known for its many towers. Basically the higher your tower the richer you were. We then stopped off for a lunch and wine tasting at a Tuscan winery. It was on this trip that I developed a taste for Chianti. Specifically Chianti Classico which carries a special label as it can only be made in the Chianti region of Tuscany. Lucky for me I found a bottle in the Frankfurt airport and I’ve been drinking it on my trip here in Warsaw. Again, once I like something I really commit to it! Our day tour ended with a visit to the city of Siena. Interestingly, because of the Black Death in the 14th century where almost 3/4’s of it’s residents died, many of the buildings were left unfinished. This is very apparent when you visit the Cathedral and Duomo there and see the massive unfinished arches.

So that wraps up my time in Italy. I have no doubt we will cross paths again. There’s so much left I want to see, and so much more Chianti Classico and caprese salad to be consumed. Arrivederci.

Coffee Mornings

June 4, 2016 / kristinewanders

A monthly past-time for expat ladies here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is to attend one of the Coffee Mornings hosted by one of the many western compounds. These mornings are a great way to meet other expats, have coffee, and shop. I’ve long wanted to attend, but have been scheduled to work or am away traveling every time I’ve been invited before. Until this month. I even got asked to work that day but said “Hells No” because I’d really been looking forward to going. Generally these events are by invite only, although I think really any expat woman can go. As with going to any compound you will need to submit a copy of your Igama or passport to get on the security list and you will need to bring ID with you to get into the compound.

We booked a driver to take us to the compound. Once we passed thru security we boarded a shuttle bus filled with other expat ladies to take us to the recreation area. Outside there were some food vendors selling kababs and such. Inside where rows of tables with outside vendors as well as expats selling everything from crafts, abayas, books, souvenirs, artwork, lotions and candles, pottery, and other knick knacks. There were also a bunch of food stalls including Starbucks, Dairy Queen, and vendors selling fresh vegetables and bread. It was fun to browse the stalls and chat with the other women that attended.

I ended up buying some beautiful pottery from Saudi Arts and Crafts. The pottery is handmade by local artisans and has decorative gold coloured Arabic writing on it. I also bought a unique mosque tea light holder which makes a great souvenir of my time in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arts and Crafts has a permanent store on Ishbilia Compound and for the upcoming month of Ramadan they will be showcasing their pottery at the Sheraton Hotel. Along with the pottery they carry unique jewelry, books, bags, and artwork. Perfect for gifts. If you want to find out about coffee mornings follow them on Facebook to find out about upcoming events!

Pompeii Italy

May 27, 2016 / kristinewanders

Way, way back on August 24, 79 AD Mount Vesuvius erupted and covered the surrounding villages in deep layers of ash, killing an estimated 11000 residents. It is believed that some 25 meters of ash fell on the city over some 6 hours. The town would remain covered under ash until it was rediscovered in the late 1500’s. Excavations in the area didn’t take place until the 1700’s. Artifacts from the time of eruption remain very well preserved due to the lack of air and moisture given that they were covered under so many meters of ash.

Today Pompeii Italy is a UNESCO site and a huge tourist attraction. It is an easy day trip from Rome. I booked into a tour group for the day and ended up part of a large bus tour- with some 50 other people. Normally this is a great way to meet other travelers, but not so much on this particular tour as myself and an older Asian man were the only solo travelers of the group. The bus drove south a little over 2 hours to the port of Naples. The countryside along the way was green with rolling hills in the distance. After a quick stop off and photo session at the port we carried on another 30 minutes to the town of Pompeii. Before touring the ruins we stopped off for lunch as it was included in the tour price. I was seated with a large family from California. They were a couple in their 50’s with their teenage daughter, their older son, his wife and their children and the wife’s father. And one thing was abundantly clear. This family was completely over traveling together. They were irritated with one another, and cranky, and lucky me was stuck in between it all. Thankfully, it was nothing a little mid-day wine couldn’t take care of!!

After lunch we started our walking tour of Pompeii. We broke into 2 groups of English and Spanish and set off with the many, many other tour groups. The tour started at the gymnasium of Pompeii where the gladiators slept in cell like rooms with views of Mount Vesuvius in the distance. Much of the site was under reconstruction during my visit, which meant that a lot of it was fenced off making it difficult to take photos. I was surprised that it didn’t look much different than other ruin sites I have visited. To be honest if I hadn’t of known I never would’ve thought the ruins had laid buried under so many feet of ash for nearly 2000 years.

There were intricately carved original fountains in the street, and because it would flood when it rained there were stepping stones built across the streets so pedestrians could hop their way across to avoid soaking their feet. Spaces were left in between these stepping stones to allow chariots to be able to cross. The forethought put into the design of Pompeii was impressive, and as you wandered the old street it was easy to imagine what it was like when the city was inhabited. We visited a 5 bedroom brothel with faded original erotic frescoes that had some people on our tour blushing. I took it more as a menu of the services one could order should one find themselves in a brothel. Nonetheless they were intriguing, and smartly the brothel was opposite the local watering hole. This only further confirms that residents of Pompeii past were geniuses. Also surprisingly they had running water back at that time, and we were shown some original lead pipes. Sadly, they were not aware that lead was poisonous back then, but honestly lead poisoning was the least of their worries!

Our tour wound thru the streets past a bakery, and past another brothel which was identifiable by the penis shaped carving in the street out front that pointed towards the house. Sneaky sneaky. We visited the male bathhouse which had beautiful statue carvings and an enormous marble fountain. We toured a large house that was likely owned by a wealthy family as it was by far the largest home we saw- some 3000sq/ft with an upstairs level and a colourfully recreated mosaic floor. We then made our way to the Forum which is the main square where the ruins of the Temple of Apollo and Juniper are located with some of the pillars and arches still standing. Along the main square is a small exhibit of artifacts found during the excavations- mostly household items like jugs and jars. I hadn’t done much research before the tour but in my head I had expected to see the skeletons of some of the 11000 residents that died during the eruption. There was the skeleton of a dog that died, but apparently the other skeletons are on exhibit in Naples and in other museums abroad. Sometimes we get an idea in our head about how a place is going to be, and then it ends up being somewhat different. Pompeii was very much like that for me. After spending a couple hours walking around Pompeii it was time to get back on the bus to Rome.

Overall, it was a great day trip. Being one of the only solo travelers normally wouldn’t bother me, but there was an older gentleman on the tour who took an interest in my being solo, and not really in a positive way. He was very sweet and offered to take my photo a few times on the tour but he commented several times about how sorry he was that I was traveling on my own. At one point he even commented to one of his family members and said “poor thing is here alone.” As though I hadn’t actually chosen to take the trip alone. Truth be told, that was the only time during my entire trip in Italy that I felt self conscious of being alone. Normally people comment about how brave and empowering it is for a woman to travel solo as opposed to feeling sorry for me. Honestly it was a bit of a bummer for me. Thankfully I did another day trip when I was in Florence and had a totally different experience!!

Next up Florence…….

Rome Italy

May 21, 2016 / kristinewanders

Back in March I spent 11 days in Italy. Solo. And it was fantastic. When I was planning this trip I knew I was in need of some down time. Granted I wanted to see the sites, and eat delicious food, but I also wanted to do some writing, sip cappuccinos, read, and move more slowly. I wanted to explore, but equally so I wanted some down time. Instead of trying to pack as much in as I possibly could I decided to split my time between Rome and Florence, and allow for a couple day trips to Pompeii and to the Tuscan countryside. I knew I couldn’t fit everything that I want to see in Italy into 11 days, so I didn’t even try to. The older I get the more I appreciate slow travel. Allowing time to immerse myself into a place.

I flew from Riyadh to Rome with a quick stop-over in Athens. I had time in Rome both at the start and end of the trip. On my arrival I booked a cute hotel called the Nerva Boutique Hotel which was very close to many tourist attractions. I’ve found that I’d rather pay to stay somewhere more central (especially when I’m traveling solo) than to waste time on public transport to get to a city center. Also I love being able to walk wherever I want to go from my hotel, and being surrounded by shops and restaurants and cafes helps with gelato cravings. Which trust me you will have daily or several times a day when in Italy!!

My first afternoon in Rome was spent catching up with a girl I met 7 years earlier in Costa Rica and her husband who happened to be traveling in Rome at the same time. They share my love of travel, and it was great to ponder the age old question of “what should I do with my life?” with people who understand how difficult decisions are when literally everything is an option. Move to Mexico for 6 months? Go back to Seattle? Stay in Saudi another year? Try out Vancouver? The options are endless and all legit options which makes trying to choose one all the more difficult. Regardless, it was great to have that first afternoon flow so easily with great company.

My first full day in Rome started with an awesome breakfast at my hotel and a lovely conversation with an American girl who was eating next to me. We connected over my American/Canadian accent and fell into an easy conversation. She invited me to meet her for dinner as her parents were flying in later that afternoon. They would become my adopted family of sorts during my time in Rome. We parted ways and I headed towards the Vatican.

The Vatican Museums are enormous. I bought a ticket ahead of time thru my hotel- and I’m sure glad I did because the lines were insane. So. Many. People. Tour buses, and school trips, and a mix mash of languages compacted within the small lobby. I opted to do the audio-tour and started off. The highlights for me was the Museo Egizio which had a spectacular exhibit of Egyptian artifacts, and made me want to go back to Egypt. The Galleria Chiaramonti which had hundreds of busts and statues lining a long hallway. The Sala Rotonda was a beautifully painted room with a stunning mosaic floor surrounded by huge statues. Then of course there is the Sistine Chapel- which was packed with people and didn’t allow photos. The Vatican Museums are a great way to spent most of the day, but it’s overwhelming. I then headed to St Peter’s Basilica. I walked up to the Dome of St Peter’s which I would highly recommend. The view is breathtaking, as is the climb up which involves a spiraling narrow staircase. After making my way back down I spent some time exploring the Basilica itself which was built by Michelangelo and completed in 1626. It is impressive to say the least, but I would recommend doing the museums and the Basilica on separate days. It’s really quite overwhelming to pack it into one day like I did, and I don’t think I fully appreciated it as my eyes had seen so many beautiful things that day.

I spent another day touring the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. The Colosseum was completed in 80 AD and was cool, but Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum blew my mind. Every direction was a picture perfect view. You could easily spend an entire morning or afternoon here. Wear good walking shoes because you will need them. I knew next to nothing about Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum, which in hindsight it would’ve been helpful to have done some research. I would recommend going as part of a tour as you’ll get the full history of the site. I visited solo, and just referred to my Lonely Planet guide to fill in the blanks. The Roman Forum is a plaza surrounded by old shrines and temples dating back to the 7th century BC. Some of the temples you can go inside, and you can see the remains of pillars and statues dotting the grassy areas. There are some spectacular view points on the way to Palatine Hill looking back towards the Roman Forum. Palatine Hill was a residential area for the upper class. You can buy a combination ticket for all 3 sites. I would recommend bypassing the massive cue for tickets outside of the Colosseum and purchasing tickets further up the road where there are far less people (3 when I went as opposed to hundreds in front of the Colosseum.)

Rome is littered with old ruins, churches and museums. I spent time stumbling across old ruins and visiting museums. And of course eating delicious food and getting my daily fix of gelato. A few of the standout things I stumbled on are the Largo di Torre Argentina a ruin site full of stray cats. Most of them were napping or sunning themselves. I read somewhere that there are some 250 of them. It makes for an entertaining stop-off. The Galleria Doria Pamphilj is an old Venetian palace that’s privately owned and showcases a bunch of art work and statues. The rooms are beautifully decorated and the audio guide gives a thorough history of the family and the building. The Church Chiesa di Sant Ignazio di Loyola is hands down my favourite church I’ve ever stepped foot in. There is a fake fresco painted dome on the roof giving it the appearance that it’s much larger than it actually was. There were 4 very unique paintings on the roof depicting Africa, Asia, America and Europe. The best part though was that there was an art exhibit inside the church. The art exhibit was called “To the Roots of Life” and consisted of different life sized copper sculpted trees lit from the floor in various parts of the sanctuary. They were beautiful to look at and the lighting cast shadows across the floors and walls. I found it mesmerizing and very calming. One afternoon I made my way to Trevi fountain which was packed with tourists and their selfie sticks. I loath selfie sticks.

A few of the evenings I met up with my new adoptive family for dinner and shared some wine and many laughs. Upon my return to Rome from Florence I stayed 2 more nights in Rome. This time though I stayed near the Pantheon. When I say “near” the Pantheon I mean I used some hotel credits I had and booked a room that overlooked the Pantheon and the square below. It was awesome!!! My last 2 days in Rome were spent mostly relaxing. I walked over to the Vatican to mail some postcards. I visited the Castel Saint Angelo an old fortress castle with amazing city views. My last night was spent in the company of a lovely couple from Texas and 4 delicious bottles of Chianti. If that’s not a proper sent off from Italy I’m not sure what is.

Kristine wanders