i swear, coming to england has been a bigger transitional period than it EVER was going to "foreign" countries. even to the countries like bulgaria where i got off the train and i couldn't read a single thing. basically, i got really accustomed to the fact that i didn't understand a single thing that anyone around me was saying, and i was ok with that. you just walk around, in your own world. NOW, however, i can understand EVERYTHING. i say 'thank you' to store owners, and they UNDERSTAND. welcome to the bizzaro world. worlds cannot describe. people answer the phone all around me, and i can actually understand what they're saying. top this all off with the fact that the drive on the WRONG side of the road, and i'm just confused. (face it, no matter what they say, WE drive on the RIGHT side of the road..haha). i just can't get used to looking to the right first when crossing the road. i swear i'm going to get hit by a big freaking bus by looking left and crossing.
things are good though. its really nice to be with di and george and dede now. we've had a number of lovely meals, much different from the constant barrage of souvlaki and other greek fare that my body was accustomed to. tis quite nice. itsw also quite nice to be sleeping in a REAL BED. i've got a fantastic double bed all to myself, on which i can sprawl out to my hearts content. much better than my last few bedding situations. hmmm, lets see here.. in greece, my bed was the top bunk, and the mattress was a foam pad. not THAT bad, except half the time i'd come back and pass out on the lawn. not quite the most comfortable of sleeping arrangements. and before that, in bulgaria, it was a most uncomfortable STRAW mattress, which not only smelled to high hell, but also was roughly as hard as a rock. and the list goes on and on. the last real bed i slept on was probably the last time i met up with george. haha.
and sight seeing is great when i don't have to think about it. its nice having di around to direct us where to go. to not have to figure out every little detail about where and when and how i'm going to do something, is truly relaxing. today we took a fantastic mini-bus tour out to stonehenge and some other places around the area. small villiages and whatnot. really quite fascinating.
tomorrow i do believe that we are renting a car and are heading off (on the wrong side of the road) to the north. to where, i don't really remember. but thats fine. its not my job to remember, its my job to sit back and enjoy. and enjoy i will.. :-)
oh! and i've got a TON more pictures posted.. up through about halfway through my time in greece, which covers quite the span of time. i'll just post the links to the various time periods here today, and in the coming days i'll post some of my favorites here with a bit of commentary. until then, enjoy...
ALL NEW PICTURES START HERE
pictures from VIENNA, AUSTRIA
pictures from BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (and EGER)
pictures from BRASOV, ROMANIA (and surrounding area)
pictures from BUCHAREST, ROMANIA
pictures from SOFIA, BULGARIA (and RILA)
pictures from METEORA, GREECE
pictures from CRETE, GREECE