~I've explained before how the French smoke a lot. Like nothing I've ever seen before. Well an example of how badly they are addicted: I was on a train and it stops in the middle of nowhere for a good 20 mins. Finally someone comes on the loudspeaker and says "Sorry, we've stopped because somebody was caught smoking in car 11, we remind you that you are not allowed to smoke on the train, this is a non smoking train" There was also a family next to us on the train and at every single stop the parents would get out to smoke for the 2 minutes the train would be stopped. Ridiculous
~Inside my apartment building is some kind of school organisation and since school starts soon people have been lined up inside and outside my building to get their books. My apt is on the ground floor and with no A/C I keep the windows open. The bottom of my window is about shoulder height on the sidewalk. Well I can't do this with all these people outside because one, they look into my apartment, and two, they smoke and the smoke goes into my windows and stinks up my apt. Hopefully this stops once school starts.
~I've also explained how business hours in France are, nothing open on Sundays, sometimes Saturdays and Mondays too, or another random day if they feel like it, especially in August. We were in Paris on a Saturday and decided to hit up the jewelry stores and look at rings. We found an entire street of jewelry stores, all closed, on a Saturday, in Paris. I expected this from a small non-touristy city like Grenoble but not Paris. So we found a department store with not so great jewelry just so we could look at something.
~When my friend was in town we decided to get pizza on a Saturday afternoon, after finding out the first 2 places were closed (on a Saturday) we sat down at the first place we saw open and figured we would share one pizza between the 3 of us as a sort of snack. No, not allowed. The chef got angry with us and said we each had to order something. We said, how bout 1 pizza and 2 salads, no. We each have to order a pizza (they're not big pizzas). I explained we weren't that hungry, well sorry, no can do. So we left. The next restaurant wouldn't let us share either. I still don't understand why
~In Prague I met a girl in my dorm the first night who was also a solo traveler and we decided to explore together the next day. She was very nice, but she was from India. We had nothing in common. After one day I became very bored. But then we spent the 2nd day together too. I kept trying to find a way to break away but she kept following. I felt bad, she didn't do anything to me but we were so different, my attempts at humor went right over her head. The 2nd night I went down to the hostel bar (which the Indian girl said was boring) and found a huge group of people from various English speaking countries playing games and hanging out. I had so much fun! But I can see why the Indian girl thought it was boring. Too many cultural differences. On my 3rd and final day in Prague I managed to break free and explore on my own and it was great! She also was going to Budapest after and I saw her there! I tried to hide behind a new friend and we almost walked right into her. I'm sure she saw me. I feel really bad.
~I took a sleeper train from Prague to Budapest. In my 3 bunk cabin was me, a cool Australian girl my age, and a middle aged Russian woman named Olga that spoke NO English. Probably the best part of the whole trip. Olga was the nicest, funniest lady and kept trying to talk to us even though we didn't speak the same language. Offered us chocolate, offered us breakfast of salami, tomatoes and bread, showed us pictures on her camera of her and her friends. We couldn't understand anything she said but she kept talking. It was hilarious. In the morning when we got to the train station we got on WiFi and translated "it was very nice to meet you" and she was so happy. So my first sleeper train was a success, I slept comfortably and the company helped. I ended up hanging out with the Australian girl the whole day and we had lots of fun. We did a pub crawl and met more fun people. It was a great day.
~speaking of pub crawl, if you go to a bar in Budapest there is a bathroom attendant. You need to tip her when you walk in or else you won't get any toilet paper. She gives you a small handful. I don't know what you would do if you ended up needing more.
~So in Prague we took a day trip out to a town called Kutna Hora and visited this bone church. Monks decorated it with the bones of 40 thousand people, 30 thousand of whom died during the plague, if I remember correctly. When you walk in they give you a paper with the history. The first sentence being "this is a holy place and the resting place of 40 thousand people so please be respectful." Well there was this girl and her mom (either Czech or Russian) and she was wearing skin tight jeans, heels, and a tight lacy tank top. She had really greasy hair and fake extensions. Her mom was taking pictures of her in the middle of this church and she was posing all sexy like. Pulling her boobs up in her shirt, poking her butt towards the camera, sticking out her tongue. It was so gross. Someone I told this story to said she was probably taking pics to be a mail order bride haha
~If you go to Prague or Budapest, don't expect the overt friendliness of Western Europe or the US. Communist mindsets linger. I was told this by a person from Prague on my way there. Don't take it personally. They may look like they hate their life and they don't like helping you, but that's just how they are. It wasn't as bad in Budapest except for once we asked 2 different ladies at food stands to help us with the map and were immediately turned away. I didn't even get out the whole question.
~The land on which Budapest sits is full of thermal mineral springs so if you go you must go to a thermal bath. It was so relaxing. The water felt amazing on my skin and my muscles. The minerals have a funny smell and there were so many people I'm sure it wasn't the cleanest thing to do and is probably a cesspool for bacteria but it felt so good. There were 5 different pools of varying temperatures between 28 C and 42 C (82F and 108F) My favorite was the 108 degree one. So hot but so relaxing. There was also a steam room that was 131F and I only lasted about 10 seconds in there, I couldn't even breathe.
~The hot thermal cesspool of bacteria is most likely what got me sick the next day. It really could have been anything but its too much of a coincidence that the next night I had a 101.2 degree fever. Luckily I was in York, England by that time with my nurse friend and being the good nurse she is, she had a first aid kit with a thermometer and tylenol. I didn't let it stop me from enjoying York and the English countryside, I just loaded up with drugs and caffeine and pushed through it. When I got home finally on Thursday I napped for 2 hours, slept 12 hours that night, took another 3 hour nap the next day, slept 12 more hours the next night, and I think the sickness is finally gone today.
Adam is still in Ethiopia until Sept 5th. I have nothing to do all week. I'm going to Geneva with friends one day. I thought about taking a train to Milan but I don't want to spend anymore money this week. I guess I'll have to finally start the job hunt. Who knows what I'll end up doing. I just need something to keep me busy all day while Adam is at work. I'm allowed to work part time on my student visa. So wish me luck.
~When my friend was in town we decided to get pizza on a Saturday afternoon, after finding out the first 2 places were closed (on a Saturday) we sat down at the first place we saw open and figured we would share one pizza between the 3 of us as a sort of snack. No, not allowed. The chef got angry with us and said we each had to order something. We said, how bout 1 pizza and 2 salads, no. We each have to order a pizza (they're not big pizzas). I explained we weren't that hungry, well sorry, no can do. So we left. The next restaurant wouldn't let us share either. I still don't understand why
~In Prague I met a girl in my dorm the first night who was also a solo traveler and we decided to explore together the next day. She was very nice, but she was from India. We had nothing in common. After one day I became very bored. But then we spent the 2nd day together too. I kept trying to find a way to break away but she kept following. I felt bad, she didn't do anything to me but we were so different, my attempts at humor went right over her head. The 2nd night I went down to the hostel bar (which the Indian girl said was boring) and found a huge group of people from various English speaking countries playing games and hanging out. I had so much fun! But I can see why the Indian girl thought it was boring. Too many cultural differences. On my 3rd and final day in Prague I managed to break free and explore on my own and it was great! She also was going to Budapest after and I saw her there! I tried to hide behind a new friend and we almost walked right into her. I'm sure she saw me. I feel really bad.
~I took a sleeper train from Prague to Budapest. In my 3 bunk cabin was me, a cool Australian girl my age, and a middle aged Russian woman named Olga that spoke NO English. Probably the best part of the whole trip. Olga was the nicest, funniest lady and kept trying to talk to us even though we didn't speak the same language. Offered us chocolate, offered us breakfast of salami, tomatoes and bread, showed us pictures on her camera of her and her friends. We couldn't understand anything she said but she kept talking. It was hilarious. In the morning when we got to the train station we got on WiFi and translated "it was very nice to meet you" and she was so happy. So my first sleeper train was a success, I slept comfortably and the company helped. I ended up hanging out with the Australian girl the whole day and we had lots of fun. We did a pub crawl and met more fun people. It was a great day.
~speaking of pub crawl, if you go to a bar in Budapest there is a bathroom attendant. You need to tip her when you walk in or else you won't get any toilet paper. She gives you a small handful. I don't know what you would do if you ended up needing more.
~So in Prague we took a day trip out to a town called Kutna Hora and visited this bone church. Monks decorated it with the bones of 40 thousand people, 30 thousand of whom died during the plague, if I remember correctly. When you walk in they give you a paper with the history. The first sentence being "this is a holy place and the resting place of 40 thousand people so please be respectful." Well there was this girl and her mom (either Czech or Russian) and she was wearing skin tight jeans, heels, and a tight lacy tank top. She had really greasy hair and fake extensions. Her mom was taking pictures of her in the middle of this church and she was posing all sexy like. Pulling her boobs up in her shirt, poking her butt towards the camera, sticking out her tongue. It was so gross. Someone I told this story to said she was probably taking pics to be a mail order bride haha
~If you go to Prague or Budapest, don't expect the overt friendliness of Western Europe or the US. Communist mindsets linger. I was told this by a person from Prague on my way there. Don't take it personally. They may look like they hate their life and they don't like helping you, but that's just how they are. It wasn't as bad in Budapest except for once we asked 2 different ladies at food stands to help us with the map and were immediately turned away. I didn't even get out the whole question.
~The land on which Budapest sits is full of thermal mineral springs so if you go you must go to a thermal bath. It was so relaxing. The water felt amazing on my skin and my muscles. The minerals have a funny smell and there were so many people I'm sure it wasn't the cleanest thing to do and is probably a cesspool for bacteria but it felt so good. There were 5 different pools of varying temperatures between 28 C and 42 C (82F and 108F) My favorite was the 108 degree one. So hot but so relaxing. There was also a steam room that was 131F and I only lasted about 10 seconds in there, I couldn't even breathe.
~The hot thermal cesspool of bacteria is most likely what got me sick the next day. It really could have been anything but its too much of a coincidence that the next night I had a 101.2 degree fever. Luckily I was in York, England by that time with my nurse friend and being the good nurse she is, she had a first aid kit with a thermometer and tylenol. I didn't let it stop me from enjoying York and the English countryside, I just loaded up with drugs and caffeine and pushed through it. When I got home finally on Thursday I napped for 2 hours, slept 12 hours that night, took another 3 hour nap the next day, slept 12 more hours the next night, and I think the sickness is finally gone today.
Adam is still in Ethiopia until Sept 5th. I have nothing to do all week. I'm going to Geneva with friends one day. I thought about taking a train to Milan but I don't want to spend anymore money this week. I guess I'll have to finally start the job hunt. Who knows what I'll end up doing. I just need something to keep me busy all day while Adam is at work. I'm allowed to work part time on my student visa. So wish me luck.
Mail order bride. Job hunt, done.
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