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September 30, 2009

Prague Part I

by annie

As usual, we arrived without having done our research. It didn't really matter, though, because Prague is laid out with the tourist in mind. English can be found on signs and menus, guided tours plague the city, and pedestrian signs point towards the big sites. It's a great city to explore on foot, but the metro and trams are also easy to use. Within our first day, we walked along the Charles Bridge, watched the hourly performance of the Astronomical clock, saw the sites of Old Town Square and ate at a romantic vegetarian restaurant and tea house (thanks Sarah!). We spent the next three days running between hostels and couchsurf hosts and cramming in what we could.

On our second day, we walked up the steep hill to the Prague castle and gaped at the village-like grounds overshadowed by the giant spires of the Cathedral. Inside the Cathedral, we shuffled along with hordes of others to admire the stained glass. We decided against a tour of the castle interior, opting instead to take in the views of Prague down below. After lunch, we walked up a steep footpath into a large park overlooking the city. We stopped to rest under a cherry tree, again admiring the city from above. Eventually, we stumbled across a sign for a “Magical Cavern.” This sounded too good to pass up, so we found ourselves at the entrance of a two-story fantasy/otherworld art gallery of artist Reon, fully decorated like a cave. We giggled our way through, stopping to lounge on the olive-green 70's sofas with a cup of complimentary juice. We took way too many pictures. We discussed Reon's portrayal of women at length. We contemplated buying posters corresponding to our astrological signs, but decided against it.

The park had more treasures in store for us- a funicular ride to the top, an eiffel tower like structure to climb and a mirror maze. Later, we walked to the Franz Kafka museum but didn't go in. We trollied around the city a while before stopping in a new neighborhood for dinner.

Also in Prague, we explored a seemingly hardly-used coliseum dating to the 1700s, absorbed ourselves in the Communist Museum (conveniently sandwiched between McDonald's and a casino) and walked the grounds of Vysehrod, a section of town with turned leaves, a cathedral, graveyard and old town all tucked away amidst a large park, yes, overlooking the city.

To sum up Prague in my journal, I simply wrote one word- “YES!”

The pics:

Prague

If you missed our post on Kenmare, click HERE.

September 27, 2009

Kenmare- a vacation from our vacation


by annie

The passengers on our flight burst into spontaneous applause as the plane landed in Prague. They weren't clapping because they were excited to be in Prague, like I was, but because they were so pleased we arrived 10 minutes early. It was surreal for me, partly because the cheers roused me from a desperate sleep and partly because my sense of time has changed over the last 6 months. Time, especially ten minutes, doesn't matter like it used to (unless of course, I'm running with my heavy pack to catch a tram because I -again- forgot about time). We had couchsurfed in Dublin the previous night, sharing the living room with two other couchsurfers, who stayed up watching a silly movie where Robert Downy Jr. plays a black dude. We woke at 5am to catch our flight. And we were already somewhat sleep deprived from an all-out friend-fest in Kenmare to celebrate Brian and Christine's back-to-back birthdays (aka Virgo Ireland Birthday Bash Extravaganza, VIBBE 2009).

Kenmare

We arrived in Kenmare via our helpx host Sean. He was kind enough to give us a lift on his way to a meeting. Jon and Christine scored a brand new, never-lived-in, 4 bed, 4 bath house for us to stay and play in for a week. The rent was ridiculously cheap in exchange for a couple of days work around the house and nearby B&B, who's owner, Siobhan, had agreed to this generous arrangement. Kenmare is a small, picturesque town with lots of Irish charm. It hosts an open market on Wednesday mornings, tons of pubs and B&Bs and links up to the Kerry Way walking trail. The vibe is relaxed and slightly touristic. The week filled up quickly with lazy mornings, outings, birthday celebrations and essential sleepover activities.

What a wonderful week it was! It felt like an oasis, a dream vacation; it was a whole week with people we already know and love to bits! Christine and I maximized our girl time, spending it baking in the kitchen, exploring Kenmare and having tea and scones with cream in the local tea shop. We adored the tea house, with it's 1950's lacy, frilly, pastel décor. We were even more pleased by the delicious scones with jam and fresh cream. Christine gave me a lesson on how to use a sewing machine and I practiced by sewing elastic into the waistband of a skirt I cut off of a dress.

We baked our asses off, whipping out apple cake with homemade goat's milk ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, peanut butter cookies, banana cake and brownies. It wasn't just that we had two birthdays and a potluck that kept us baking, but also that we couldn't waste precious resources- our very own fully equipped kitchen. What a rare treat for four weary travelers to have our own space to share together.

We played lots of cards and I'm happy to report that the Passion Power Princesses dominated the Manfreds (remember the Buddhist friend in Spain who is going to reach enlightenment in October? Yep, Manfred was his name). We indulged in the quintessential sleepover must- movies and popcorn. We shared travel stories, hugged a lot, laughed even more and ate fresh chips and vinegar while pondering why Guinness tastes so much better in Ireland than anywhere else.

We met some great fellow travelers and hosted a really fun potluck on Friday night. We got to meet Jon's cousin and his family, a traveling British couple and a Kenmare native. For Brian's birthday, we walked to the nearby fitness center for an evening of hot tub (ok, lukewarm tub), sauna and steam room. Jon met some guys at the Hemp Building workshop who offered to take us with them to the Skellig Michael islands, an UNESCO World Heritage site and ancient monastery. We tagged along for the ride, but couldn't afford the 50 euro boat ride out to the island. No matter, we had an amazing afternoon exploring giant seaside cliffs, patchwork farmscapes and the coast. It's hard, even with pictures, to describe the magic of Irish landscape. I quite annoyed myself by uncontrollable “wows” blurting from my mouth, sometimes three or four in a row as I surveyed a particular panorama. The land feels old and still, emanating a peace that hasn't always been reflected in the country's history. The green of the moss-covered trees and the hills of pasture is uniquely vibrant. On our way back to Kenmare, we stopped at an old fort and stumbled upon a magical fairy wonderland by a hidden creek.

Dublin

We departed for Dublin the next morning, sad to be leaving Christine and Jon. We only had a few hours to explore the city and chat with our sweet couchsurf host, Rory, who amazingly drove us to the airport at 5am! In Dublin, we walked around the campus of Trinity College, ate at a Hare Krishna vegetarian restaurant and enjoyed Guinness in a pub while listening to a live fiddle and penny whistle. I left Ireland feeling as if I had only scratched the surface in my three week visit. Ireland, I hope to see you again.

Here's some pics from the week:

Kenmare and Dublin


You can read about our goat farm adventures in Ballingeary, Ireland, HERE.


September 5, 2009

I heart baby goats

by annie

"This is so romantic, baby" says Brian as we're standing together in a goat barn in Ballingeary, Ireland, each with wellies (rubber boots) up to our knees, a scrub brush in my hand and a pitch fork in his. "There's nothing I'd rather do with my girl than shovel goat shit" he continues. He's being facetious of course. We grin, a momentary distraction from the weeks-old urine-turned-ammonia burning the hairs in our nose. If that sounds bad, try stabbing a pitchfork into several layers of poo, urine and matted hay, unleashing fumes that have been marinating under the tight seal of newer layers of poo, urine and matted hay. It's the shag carpet of your nightmares. And it makes for quite a headache, which is why we generally limit ourselves to cleaning 2 or 3 stalls per day.

We each have one, and only one, pair of pants that grace the halls of the goat stalls. With such limited clothing in our rucksacks, we cannot afford to risk more than one pair getting permanently stained or perfumed or chewed by curious, smelly goats. These special pants will most likely require more than one wash before suitable to wear anywhere else. Dirt and poo and a mix of the two are everywhere in the barn: on the sides of water buckets, in their water buckets, on their hooves, on the floor, and hey wait, how did that get on my jacket?!

If it sounds like I'm complaining, you've got me wrong. I absolutely adore the goats. They are curious, sweet and gentle, with a nice streak of naughty. They love to stick their heads into all the other goats' food buckets. They rarely go where we ask them to go, at least not without a fight. They are master escape artists. When a female is in heat, the males scream in agony, producing an unsettling sound worthy of a horror flick. Brian calls one of these males, "Rebel Yell" ( after a Billy Idol song). Some of them like to be pet, others want to sniff your face or eat your clothes.









And the babies, they just love a good cuddle and a bottle of milk.


Aside from getting to feed the babies, there are several perks to helping on this farm:
  1. Fresh goat milk. It's delicious in a glass, in cereal or tea, or made into ice cream (vanilla bean and honey vanilla are two flavors we've tried so far). Since I'm allergic to cow dairy, it's the perfect, creamy alternative (stand down, soy milk)!
  2. Sauna. Sean has a very nice sauna in his home that we can use when we want.
  3. Free time. We rarely do more than 1-3 hours of work per day, allowing us ample time to sleep in, read, watch the Irish National Hurling Championships (hurling is a sport, not a vomiting contest) or walk into the nearby village of Ballingeary.












Until yesterday, the weather in Ireland has been intensely rainy. Even the Irish are complaining! Parks are flooded, plains are puddles and days are soggy and cold. Portland winters have suddenly become Little League. Understandably, we haven't done as much outdoor exploring as we would like. It's been a relaxed, mellow time in green, green Ireland!

Click HERE for more pics of Ballingeary and funny goat faces.

In case you missed our adventures in Amsterdam, you can find them HERE.

September 4, 2009

Amsterdam

by annie

It's September suddenly on a canal in Amsterdam. Boats quietly float by, their passengers looking up at me drinking fresh mint tea. An orchestra of church bells rings an elaborate melody. The cardigan is just right, but I know the sun will warm this city by mid-day. A small scooter boat glides by, a father and his two sons wearing bright orange life jackets and eating cones of ice cream. When walking along these canals, it's impossible not to envision oneself living in a houseboat. How romantic!

Amsterdam feels much smaller than it is. Canals and bridges go every which way. Cobbled streets line rows of old four and five story town homes, many of which contain restaurants and shops on the first floor or two. It was in one of these, on Prinsengracht, that Anne Frank and seven others hid for two years above Otto Frank's warehouse and office with the assistance of four helpers. Touring the Anne Frank Huis was the most significant experience we had in Amsterdam. The museum has amazingly preserved the space and tells the story such that it grabs your heart immediately upon entry, where large images of Anne's beautiful face wait to greet you. Even among the massive crowds shuffling through, the raw emotions of their story are completely tangible; knowing that it is only one of millions of tragedies makes for quite the overwhelming experience.

Otto Frank, the sole survivor of the 8 hiders, asked that the Secret Annex remain unfurnished because the Germans destroyed all the original furnishings after the arrest. We walked through the different spaces, learning detailed accounts of how they were used. The windows were still darkened by black curtains. Anne's original diary was displayed in a glass case, her handwriting visible. Aside from hosting the hiding place and information about Anne Frank, the museum strives to promote awareness and equal rights, using Anne's story to inspire a world of equality and harmony.

We spent 6 days in Amsterdam, staying with two different couchsurf hosts and one hotel. We quickly realized that biking was the far superior means of transportation in such a flat city. In Amsterdam, bikes dominate the road and rarely abide by traffic laws. Most people ride on relaxed cruisers, often multitasking. We saw parents riding with babies in seats in front of the handlebars; travelers wheeling a suitcase alongside their bike; old guys on adult sized tri-cycles; locals carrying boxes over handlebars; young women talking and texting on cell phones; passengers balancing sideways on the rack on the back; and giant wooden crates built into the front for groceries or small passengers.

No one wears helmets. Most cyclists don't stop at red lights. Everyone gets along just fine on the road.

Cycling along the canals and beautiful streets, I felt giddy, dinging my "Winnie the Pooh' bell to express my happiness while riding on a rental named "twist and shout." If I knew how to make a cruiser do the twist, I would have. Brian's bike was black, and called "Donnie Darko."

It was quite an adjustment coming from a quiet village in France to liberal Amsterdam, with it's Red Light District and abundant coffee shops openly selling marijuana and pot brownies "to plan your day around." This acceptance of activities typically stigmatized in other places sums up the vibe in Amsterdam- laid back and tolerant. It also makes for good people watching- particularly the large groups of tourists clearly in town to take advantage of its liberties.

In addition to biking, we did our fair share of walking, picnicking in parks, strolling through open-air markets and going to museums, such as the Van Gogh. We had great couch-surf hosts- Hans for 3 nights and Mick for 2. Both were yet another testament to the brilliance of the couch-surfing project. Hans took us in despite being really busy and already hosting others. Mick shared dinner with us both nights over lovely conversation, followed by a thoroughly enjoyable qi gong practice. We felt welcome in their homes, and walked away so glad to have met them both.

We took lots of pics in Amsterdam, so here's a link to some of our favorites: AMSTERDAM PICS.

From Amsterdam we flew to Cork where we will be helpexing on a goat farm. We're excited to be in Ireland, despite the rainy weather.

If you missed Brian's account of our time in Dinan, click HERE.

September 3, 2009

11 days near Dinan, France

by brian

Stephen, who owns a rental house in Vire, agreed to bring us back to Dinan. Having a free ride, instead of trying to sort out the bus situation, was a fantastic break but it also meant we would be helping Stephen prepare his rental for the new arrivals. Annie busied herself with vacuuming, while I cleaned windows and cleared cobwebs. We then ate something and waited for the new guests to arrive. Stephen gave a truncated explanation about the house's amenities to an English family, and after a brief drama involving one of the guests locking herself in a bathroom, we were off.

We arrived in Dinan after midnight and were greeted by 5 dogs who were out of their minds with excitement. The little howler, Jacob- a half beagle/ half yellow Labrador- followed us upstairs to make sure we found the right room.

Ann's house is located in the middle of a small community of very tall, slender farmhouses about 10 km from Dinan. She knows all of her neighbors, especially the nearest ones as she regularly hears from them about the noise made by her dogs and chickens. Though she has a very successful tomato patch the focus of our energies would not be on farming. This was to be more of a homestay situation. Ann was planning a party, and though she wouldn't tell either of us or anyone who rang asking her what was the occasion, we found out from Stephen that it was to be her birthday. Our job was to help with the preparations.

Annie's first job was to get to work on shining up a respectable amount of antique brassware; mostly knick knacks and old kitsch. We both helped out clearing out the kitchen cupboards and restocking the food pantry. Once Stephen was available, he and I started putting together the new Ikea kitchen furniture.

There were a number of perks to staying with Ann and Stephen. This was the first time a host had let us do our own shopping. On the second day we went with Ann to the store and loaded up the shopping cart with whatever we wanted. We were both excited about the prospect of being able to cook for ourselves and not have to take other people's diets in mind. We made soup, stir fry, pasta, pesto and many of our favorite dishes that we'd been missing. I was able to try Ann's meat dishes and she enjoyed a tasty peach/ apricot crumble that Annie dreamed up.

Another big bonus was the freedom of movement. As with our last farmstay there were many scenic places to take an after-dinner walk around the community. To complement that, however, Ann had a scooter and a pair of bicycles that she had purchased, primarily for the use of helpxers. On the bikes we took numerous trips along a canal that ran into Dinan and also the opposite direction- further out into the country, we had a beer at a local pub and saw live music, and rode through farm land. We used the scooter mostly for shopping and for errands.













Ann's house also had a pool and it received regular use. Ann's pre-adolescent neighbor, Cloe splashed around on her pool toys regularly and the rest of us read, sun-bathed and dipped in when the sun was too hot.

Over time we became aware of the tension beginning to build as the big party drew near. The barking of the dogs seemed to make Ann and Stephen more tense which seemed to increase the intensity of the barking. I often found myself in our room or by the pool avoiding the tension and the fresh aromas created by the 5 dogs- who spent much of their time inside. Be that as it may, Ann went out of her way to make sure we were comfortable and well-fed- which we were- and that we didn't work too hard. Both Ann and Stephen were always very cordial and polite; and we very much enjoyed our stay there.

In the final days Stephen and I erected a massive tent which would house the tables set up to feed 26 people. The rain and wind made cameo appearances to test the tent's durability. Ann and Stephen dropped us at the bus station in a little town called Evran and we made our way to Rennes where we would begin our 18.5 hour bus marathon to Amsterdam.

To read about our adventure in Vire, click HERE.