West Fest Weekend Part 2

I’m behind as usual on my posts.  It’s now August and I have so many recaps for July.  This past weekend was a difficult one for me.  I am stressed out but mostly because of the people around me.  Everyone is troubled in their own way and I cannot help them.  I also received some disturbing news which made me sink even deeper.

As we speak, I’m trying to book another trip.  I seriously have to tune out of Chicago for now.  I feel bad but I need this time to myself.  Leaving the country is the only way I can truly escape.  Plus I really don’t have much going on at the time.  I’m feeling overwhelmed.  Right now work for once is ok.  I have to take some days off since I’ve accumulated so many.  I might as well plan a trip.

I need to be selfish for a bit.  If things are truly an emergency people know where to reach me. 

I originally made plans to go to West Fest that Sunday.  But at the last minute some other friends reached out to me and I headed over there later in the evening on Saturday.  We didn’t make it a late night in the end but I had fun.  The next day I went to church and relaxed for a bit before I started to get ready for Sunday’s meet up.  At the last minute one friend backed out and it was me and another girl.  We’re mutual friends of our friend who backed out, hence we’ve never really hung out together.  But we decided to meet up regardless.  Most of my friends have moved away and I need to increase my social circle.  I got ready.

What a surprise Sunday it was!  Turns out my other friend was going to be there with a group of girls later on and at the last minute, my friend who has a baby was going to come into town for it as well!

In the beginning it was me and the girl and we chatted about our travels to Europe.  She’s traveled a lot more than me and I was very much interested in her stories.  Once it got later in the evening, more people showed up and it got pretty hectic.  Not to mention, the texts were coming in on trying to locate everybody.  Lol.  I ran into so many people I knew, but it all happened unexpectedly.  I seriously think people should try to get married at West Fest.  People from your past will come out of the woodworks!  

 

Pop's Birthday Dinner

I am currently reading “Vagabonding:  An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel” by Rolf Potts.  Since I’ve been back from my trip I was in the mood to find information on how to enhance my travel experiences.  For the most part, I’ve been fortunate to visit cities I have always dreamt about, but I couldn’t help feeling if I was traveling “correctly.”  Lol.  As silly as it sounds, I knew I wanted to visit these particular cities for my interests and no one else’s.  But upon listening to others share their adventures with me, I realized everyone had a different approach to visiting new places.  I felt that my inexperience might fall short, and was worried I wasn’t getting the true essence of a new town or city. 

Listening to others and comparing how they plan (or play it by ear) a trip made me realize that everyone has their own method.  It was up to me to customize my own interests so I could get the satisfaction I wanted out of my trips.  Yet there are other factors that come into play.  While it rained on and off in Amsterdam when I was visiting, I had to adjust my discomfort to go along with my plans.  Normally, back home in Chicago, I would stay inside nice and dry and ride out the weather.  Being on a tight itinerary meant having bad hair days and braving the wind so I could visit my points of interests.  I was on my own and I had to get things done!

In Florence however, me and my friend had our moments of disagreements.  Her interests are different than mine, and we sometimes would get pretty frustrated with one another on what to do next.  I felt as if I should have had a day to myself to go to the museums since it’s not really her thing.  I questioned who was getting the most “culture”, but in the end, we both were.  Reading “Vagabonding” made me feel secure enough to know that I was truly experiencing life out of my travels.

Now the issue of time has been on my mind, and I question if I’m getting enough “experience” out of my short stays.  “Vagabonding” introduces the idea of long-term traveling, but I’m still perplexed this is something I could do anytime soon.  For the idea of retirement; yes.  I could definitely see this as a possibility.  It’s grasping this concept now that has me stuck.  In the meantime, all I could do is focus on paying off my credit cards, so in the future I could figure out where my next adventure lies.  I am excited because I have a strong feeling I know where I’m going.  It’s just a matter of TIME.

Speaking of TIME, I landed back from my mini vacation and went to work that Thursday and Friday.  Me and my friends met up for margaritas after work and I told them about my time out in Amsterdam.  I rested up that Saturday and on Sunday, went over my Dad’s house to celebrate his birthday.  My brothers were interested about my trip, mostly because they were pretty surprised I planned everything on a month’s notice.  Reflecting back now, I’m glad I got a chance to tell my stories with my Dad included.  As I’ve gotten older, I realize the time I spend with my parents is precious especially with everyone having a full schedule.  He complained about his birthday cake being small, but to me, this was a big moment for all of us to have him with us.     

The table is ready!

Mexican tamales!

Selfie time with my Pops

Day Four: Florence

I shared a cab with a woman who was heading to the airport as well.  We chatted about our trip in Amsterdam.  She was here for work but took some time to walk around and do some sight seeing.  She loved her trip.  She wants to take her children there one day.  She was flying back to Seattle.  

Once at the airport I got on the wifi and my friend from Italy was messaging me.  She was going to meet me in Florence much later than anticipated.  I wasn't given much details so I got on my flight. 

When I landed in Florence I got a call from her.  She was just leaving her region!  I did not want to be waiting at the airport for 6 hours so she gave me suggestions on what to do.  I was pretty upset but what can you do?  You can't cry over spilled milk.  I did my makeup and ate some lunch at the airport before venturing out into the city. 

I took a bus from the airport which drove me to main train station in the city.  This station was their Union Station.  Luckily there was a place I could place my luggage in storage while I walked around.  That was a nice feature.  

There was a mini mall there and I took advantage of it.  Eventually I got the nerves to venture out of the station.  I was getting nervous because there were so many people around.  I started to walk into some small shops.  I didn't want to venture out too far since I needed to check up on my friend's status.  After a few hours I waited back at the station and my friend finally came after 5pm.  Now it was time to find the place where we would be staying.  Some friends of her boyfriend offered up their place to stay.  They were located right outside of Florence.  We were going to have dinner with them at 7pm.

Once we arrived we settled in our rooms and had a massive dinner.  I was super stuffed!  It was like a thanksgiving feast!  I kept drinking wine and eating and eating that I started to nod off at the table.  I was embarrassed but I haven't ate like that in a long time.  I'm one of those people that starts shutting down if I sit too long after eating so much.  I need to move around or else I get too tired.  

The grand fest!  Everything was delish!

Sheep's cheese

The infamous Florentine steak!  The inside is pretty raw...

For dessert we had this hazel almond cake.

We had a sweet liquor to go along with it.

We talked and talked and then made our way to watch a movie with them in the living room.  I was nodding off again.  Since my friend drove 6 hours to meet me we figured we'll call it a night and begin our day early the next day. 

Day One: Amsterdam

I'm back from vacation although it was short and sweet.  Looking back I did so much considering how long I was there.  I took my time gathering my thoughts and getting my laundry together last weekend.  Now I've been getting nostalgic lately and figured it was time to share my experiences.

I was SUPER ANXIOUS leading up to my trip.  The weekend before I flew out we had a birthday party for my cousin and I saw my family.  I told them my worries.  For the most part people assume I  enjoy traveling since I've been doing it for a while.  I don't think my family was aware of how much anxiety I get beforehand.  It sort of helped talking to them but I was getting too worked up.  Luckily I packed days before I flew out so I wouldn't forget anything.  I had an evening flight so I worked that day.  I rushed home, grabbed my suitcase and off I went to the airport.

I decided to have dinner there before I boarded and took some antidepressants.  I did manage to knockout on my flight to Heathrow but when I landed I was very groggy.  I had a two hour layover and checked in with my friend in Italy.  She advised me that I should eat something before my flight to Amsterdam.  But being hardheaded as I was, I decided to have juice instead.  I was starting to get anxious again and was hoping I would sleep on this short flight too.  Luckily I did manage to knock out but once I landed it was now after 3pm.  Now I was very groggy but I had to figure out where I was going.

I had printed out my google maps with my hotel information.  Of course I didn't know where I was going but I found a train to catch to the city.  It wasn't exactly the one I was suppose to get on but it worked out in the end.  After my train stop, I knew I was off on my map and asked a lady in a flower shop at the station where was I.  She told me I wasn't far from my location and advised I take the metro to get to my hotel.  It seems I had taken a railway train to Amsterdam (but it was not costly at all; €5,20).

I managed to find the metro station and asked which train was M51 and someone directed me to the right one.  Once I got off my stop I still had to walk over to my hotel.  I walked into a cafe/bar and the bartender showed me to the right direction.  She was warm and friendly.  So far so good.  
I'm happy I chose my hotel close to the metro.  There are trams everywhere but at least I can commute my way around. 

Now it was after 5pm once I checked in my hotel.  I decided to shower up and semi get ready.  By the time I got out of my hotel it was after 6pm.  I was hungry but I knew I wanted to eat light.  Up to this point, from O'Hare to my flight food, I ate pretty badly.  I wanted to get familiar of the neighborhood, and it was now dark in Amsterdam since it was nearing 7pm.  I was hoping I could have walked around but being a solo traveler in a new city, I decided to skip the outdoor site seeing til tomorrow.  

I found a busy cafe and settled there.  It was called Coffee and Coconuts.  I used their wifi to message my friend in italy.  I settled on some spring rolls and a glass of primitivo from the region where my friend was located in Italy.  A man sitting nearby me at the bar had asked for a Tempranillo from Spain and we striked up a conversation from our wine selections.  He was very helpful giving me information about Amsterdam since he was Dutch.  He lives in both Amsterdam and Madrid Spain and he compared both cultures.  


Me and my new friend continued the evening talking and went around the corner to Volt eten and drinken.  I decided not to go to sky Lounge but stay there instead with him since I was learning so much.  He smoked so we sat outside of the bar and had beer and wine. 


Since I was still groggy, I took it easy and by midnight we said our goodbyes.  He had a 9am flight to catch in the morning and I wanted to get up early to go to Ann Frank's house.  According to my new friend; it may not be open on the weekends.  Yikes!


Speaking of yikes, when I boarded my flight to London I found a pair of men's underwear and a sock on my seat.  Yuck. I used my gloves to tuck it in the seat in front of me in the back pocket.  Well at my hotel I found another pair of men's underwear in the closet!  What a weird coincidence!  

Calming my nerves at O'hare.

Saw these at Harolds at Heathrow and I'm in love!

The wine menu at Coffee and Coconuts...

Beef brisket spring rolls...

Outside at Voltet en Drinken

Day 2 Athens

The next day I woke up tired because the couple next to my room made so much noise checking out.   The walls of my hotel room are thin and I could hear them slamming their suitcases around, trying to get out of there.  Awe!  The joys of traveling!  I couldn't fall back asleep so I was up since 5:30am.  I decided around 7:30am to head down and have my complimentary breakfast.  That's when I found out about the earthquake that happened in Italy on the morning news.  How scary!!  I contacted my friend immediately to see if she was ok and if anything occurred in her town.  Luckily my friend is way south so it didn't affect her.  I notified my friends and family that I was safe and decided to head to the Acropolis museum early.

As I hiked back up again, I ran into a couple from North Carolina who were walking my way.  They came in from Santorini and told me their stories on how much they enjoyed their time on the island.  They also gave me some insight of the airport there.  I'm glad I asked because their information would become useful later on.  Once I found the museum we separated ways.  

Since I arrived early there were not many people inside.  I found the Acropolis Museum very interesting and even watched a movie on the history of the Parthenon.  I stayed for a couple of hours before I headed out and that's when I came across a flood of people walking in.  Whew!  Right in the nick of time!  It is known that in Europe, most tourists start their day late.  I was pleased I got this out of the way so I could continue to enjoy my day.

Inside the brand new Acropolis Museum

From there I headed towards finding Syntagma Square.  I ended up finding the Zappeion which reassured me that I was on the right track.  I walked through the National Garden and enjoyed the scenery.  I liked that everything was nearby.  It was hot again in Athens but I took my time walking to each location. 

The entrance to the National Garden!! 

The layout of the National Garden...



Gotta love the selfie stick!

Once I walked out of the garden I found the square and noticed a crowd gathering by.  I knew what was happening so I rushed over.  Sure enough, the changing of the guards was taking place.  The military guard announced we were now allowed to take pictures with them after he prepped them up for us.   





That military guard is too intimidating.  I took my picture from afar.

Syntagma Square

Afterwards I was growing tired again. so I slowly made my way back to the hotel.  I had to take a nap.  I was exhausted being up so early and doing so much sightseeing.  

Once I woke up (2 hours later) I knew I had to stay up.  I sat outside a cafe sipping on coffee to wake up since I slept too long.  My stomache started acting up and that's when I knew I had to have some food in my system.  I asked a shop owner where would he eat in the neighborhood and he recommended a restaurant for me.  I didn't want anything heavy like the night before.  I settled for a Greek salad but it was huge.  Again a block of feta cheese sat on top of my plate.  I sat and played with my food if anything.  I was pretty amused people watching during lunch and I didn't want to leave just yet.

The infamous feta cheese topped over my Greek Salad.  It was delish!

After I ate as much as I could I decided to walk it off since I was too full.  I walked back up to Acropolis on a different path and came around a less glamorous view. Graffiti trains zooming by as well as some homelessness.  I still felt safe since I was surrounded by a lot of people.  I continued walking around and eventually headed back down once it started to get a little dark.  I was concerned about the lack of lighting up there.  I quickly made my way back to the same restaurant and went up to their rooftop for a glass of wine.  I enjoyed my evening messaging my friend in Italy and taking advantage of the free wifi. 



Walking further down Plaka...

Grittier side of Acropolis...

Afterwards I went back to my hotel room to freshen up.  My tiredness was catching up to me again. I rested but was still hoping to go out.  I wanted to enjoy some nightlife but was pushing through my exhaustion.  I showered and got ready.  I knew I wanted to take a photo up on the rooftop of my hotel since I knew I'll be checking out the next day.  I went up and there was a group of 8 that had been drinking and were kind of loud.  I didn't want to disturb them.  I took some selfie shots and made my way to the other side of the bar.  There was a family of 4 sitting and drinking.  The lighting was much better so I tried to take a selfie there.  Someone offered to take my picture and from there we striked up a conversation.

They were from New York and were staying in Athens for 2 weeks.  We exchanged stories until they closed the bar down.  I was still tired.  I went for a short walk and then decided to head back to my room.  It was midnight and I knew I couldn't go out even if I wanted to because I was crashing hard.  So much for that...  

The view is simply breathtaking! 

BACK FROM VACATION!!

I'm back from vacation!!  And boy did I make some memories!  Looking back I realized I jumped on 7 flights, two 3 hour bus rides, one 6 hour ferry ride, and one 6 hour train ride, all in a matter of 2 weeks!  Needless to say, this trip was the most challenging for me and my anxiety, but I wouldn't have changed a thing.  I'm still getting my feet wet on traveling in general, and sometimes you learn along the way what works for you and what doesn't.  For the most part, I knew going in that I was going to be planning along as I go and that was a first for me.  I like to have a set schedule on my vacations so I don't miss out on valuable time.  But traveling in Europe can have its drawbacks.  We get accustomed to how things work here in the States, especially with technology being available at our fingertips. We "assume" everywhere else in the world does it the same way, and that's just not the case.  Traveling to unknown territories gets you out of your comfort zone.  Sometimes the experiences can be rewarding, and sometimes it can be out right horrible.  But it does give you a glimpse of yourself that you may never have seen before, and that could be benefiting to you.  Maybe there's some truth to what you've heard about traveling without your essentials.  It ties us down where we might miss out on new opportunities.  I've had people tell me how they would never be able to travel somewhere where they couldn't speak the language.  Challenging yourself is the key to feeling confident about yourself.  If you stick to your routine, how would you be able to grow?  Traveling can also help you educate your knowledge on how the world works, plain and simple.    Learning to live within the basics of life, such as being kind to strangers, or respecting  new customs can make you become consciously aware of your surroundings.  Living in a peaceful environment is something I think we all agree we would like for ourselves, and in order to do that, we must understand one another.

Day One:
I was SUPER TIRED.    My flight to Montreal was at 12:15pm, and because of the issues concerning the lines at TSA being super long, I decided to be at the airport 3 hours before takeoff.  I woke up around 6am as I normally would if I was heading off to work.  I knew my main goal was to sleep as much as I could on the plane heading to Athens.  My layover had me land in Montreal around 3pm and take off again at 6:20pm.  This is the point where I needed to rest the most.  Since I'll be flying "into the future", I would land in Athens at 10:30am.  A 9 hour duration on flight plus the 8 hour time difference would have me starting my day in a brand new city.  I didn't want to run the mistake of sleeping half the day away in a hotel room like I did last year in Paris.  I had a plan!  And this time it would be flawless, (or so I thought).  Sleeping on planes are not necessarily the most comfortable setting you could be.  First of all, I had on my layers since the ac is usually on during flights:  leopard scarf, skinny jeans, converse sneakers to keep my warm as well as my thick cotton cardigan.  I was ready for takeoff!  Except my nerves had me on full blast.  I did my best to have my airline food and get more cozy for my deep sleep.  Luckily I did manage to doze off, but only to wake up to an older woman lifting the window shade to watch the sunrise.  Remember, we're flying towards daylight and this woman just blinded everyone on that flight because she wanted to capture this moment.  People were sleeping at the time.  I could see the sun rays through my blindfolds!!  What can you do right?  It is what it is...

Once I landed the train ride from the airport was smooth sailing.  Of course, getting off the train and looking for my hotel was another question.  I got lost looking for my hotel in 93 degree weather.  I was getting desperate because I knew it was nearby the train station.  I ended up finding another hotel and had to ask for directions.  Who knew the signs of the streets were on buildings and not on posts?  Regardless, I found my hotel and once I checked in, was determined to stay awake.  I went for a latte at Starbucks for a pick me up.  At that point, since I was staying in the Plaka neighborhood, I knew I wanted to checkout my surroundings.  It was unbearably hot in Athens, and once I finished my latte, off I went for my walk!
I immediately went straight for the souvenir shops in Plaka.  I wanted to see what I was in for.  With so many tourists doing the same, in the beginning I was just looking around.  But once I got comfortable, I decided to start making some purchases.  So many cute jewelry.  So many cute leather sandal shops.  So many postcards to decide from.  I was in heaven!



The infamous evil eye!  It's everywhere!!

Strolling through Plaka...

Yes I bought this top!  Made in Greece and perfect for hot summer days!

After a while, the sun wasn't so intense.  It was nearing 5pm in Athens and I started to get the itch to go hike up to Acropolis.  I grew curious to head up there since I was so close.  The view is very tempting indeed!  I  decided to go for it and up I went.  I walked up streets, climbed many stairs, and used my glutes as much as I could.  It was tiring and the heat didn't help either.  I found a family along the way and asked which way to head up.  They had a hunch we head up going right, and I followed them.  They were from Paris and had one day in Athens to do this.

Walking my way up to Acropolis...

Almost there!

We made it to the entrance.  Luckily, the line to get inside was not long.  20€ entry and here we go.  My bucket list was waiting for me!
To my surprise it was super gusty up there.  So many people were taking their seflie shots.  I was giddy that I was doing the same.  I enjoyed my time up there overlooking the city.  I enjoyed listening to other people's conversations and trying to figure out what languages they were speaking.  I understood some Italian phrases.  I was pretty proud of myself and it finally dawned on me that I was up for a big treat in Greece.  I like what I see so far...

Odeum of Herodes Atticus Theatre

Temple of Athena Nike

Whoever invented the selfie stick is a genius!

The hiked down was obviously much easier.  lol.  I did some more shopping for souvenirs.  What I liked about Athens is the free wifi that was available throughout Plaka.  I was messaging my friend in Italy to see if she wanted anything.  My hotel had a rooftop that I wanted to checkout as well.  I  went up for a glass of white wine while I watched the view of Acropolis from afar.  At this point I grew incredibly tired so I went for a nap back in my room. 

My first of many cat sightings!

Heading back down...

The view of my rooftop...

I woke up an hour later and got ready for more shopping but the shops were closing at 10pm.  I decided to walk around the central again and look for a quick bite to eat.  Yeah right!  I sat outside at Karyatis restaurant and ordered a hot plate of eggplant, onions, roasted tomatoes topped with feta cheese.  That's when I knew I was in trouble!  The cheese was amazing!!  But since I am lactose intolerant I had to watch myself.  The host was incredibly sweet and brought over a Masticha shot.  It was a sweet liquor which is usually taken after dinner.  He claims it helps with indigestion.  Hmmm.  At that point, I knew it was time to  head back to hotel since the food was pretty heavy and it made me sleepy again.  Day One accomplished!



Din din



Feeling magical after dinner!  lol