Too much information??

So I can't resist telling you this personal anecdote. Brace yourself.

I haven't had my period since Halloween. My body is simply adjusting to a number of factors, so I never know when it's coming (remember my cheersing to immaculate conception in December? No scares of any sort). Heather gave me permission to tell you that she hasn't had hers in some time either. I woke up this morning however, and was greeted by Aunt Flo! I Skyped Heather right away to tell her...and she was just about to tell me the SAME THING! SHE TOO GOT HER PERIOD THIS MORNING! We had a good laugh, and couldn't get over how in-tune/in-sync we really are. Soul sisters, without a doubt. Dare I even say it: blood sisters? Ok, maybe that's going too far. I apologise to the gents reading this....

It's a nasty day. Ice pellets. I ventured out still, to get groceries at Peter and Paul, the grocery store beside M1. Waiting for the bus on my way back home, this sweet old man started talking to me (in Polish of course) but I was able to tell him what time it was and when the bus would be coming, and that I'm a teacher from Canada. He rambled on about how I must be cold, and waved me over to stand with him and some elderly women by a fence, a little more shielded from the wind. The old women fussed over me; one even brushed the snow off the back of my coat from where I had been sitting on the bench. It was really endearing.

My power plant men in Kozienice brought me a big box of chocolates yesterday! They remembered my birthday! Before Christmas, we had been practicing saying different dates, and one of the exercises was to say your birthday. They asked me when mine was. MY STUDENTS ARE THE BEST! My 14-year old brat students I teach on Fridays (I haven't mentioned them much, if at all, as they are a piece of work, very low level), were learning appearance adjectives yesterday. Good-looking and beautiful were in the text. I was using celebrities as examples, so they would understand. Then the boys - who rarely participate or seem to care what is going on, start saying my name as I am thinking of more examples. I couldn't help but smile, even though I think they were mocking me, knowing them. Haha

I think that's all for now. Hope you're having a great weekend!

Everything's coming up Milhouse!

Woohoo!!

My spirits are significantly higher today than they have been this new year! I think I'm snapping out of my funk! Potentials reasons for this turn of events:

-My 8/9 year olds were really excellent today...better than they've ever been behaviourly (they're a very excitable bunch...funny the directors' children are in this class...hmmm).
-In one of my adult classes, I got a new student and he is very easy on the eyes, and the class was a fun and saucy one.
-I found 100 zloty on the ground (NOBODY was around, otherwise I would have tried to find the owner) - this will fund both Heather and me getting to and from Warsaw, plus accomodations for my birthday weekend, which we have decided will be January 16. We are contented with an upcoming weekend of watching movies and eating Chinese food...it's for the best as we've been on the go for SO long (especially Heather with her sister here).
-CBC's Vinyl Cafe: the two most recent episodes were about Christmases away from home, and letters sent in from Canadians living abroad. Very heart-warming and endearing stories, indeed.

Until next time...

Radom is out of milk

Since Sunday. Ok so maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but the places I've checked it's nowhere to be found...well, 2% that is, which is the lowest you can find here (unless of course you settle for that really long shelf-life stuff which Heather convinced me is slightly disturbing, and I'll have to agree). I do crave the occasional bowl of cereal though with my too-creamy milk. Alas, it will have to wait.

Thank you so much for the birthday greetings from around the world, near and far. I definitely felt the love. Thank goodness for technology eh? I appreciate keeping in touch! My day was pleasant enough. There is still lots of snow here (which I dodged during my travels and we really couldn't have asked for better weather!) and it was beautifully sunny. A perfect winter day, in fact. Some of the Polish teachers I work with remembered my day and got in touch with me or did a little something small. My teenage boys in Kozienice remembered too (though I'm not surprised) and sang for me and brought me a box of chocolates. Strangest 16-year old boys I know! Haha I loved it though. And the secretary in Koz, though she didn't know it was my birthday, had knit me something over the holidays and gave it to me yesterday. SO THOUGHTFUL AND SWEET! Once again, I thank you!

I haven't really gotten out of my post-travel funk...and the theft of my camera seems to be when it started. I still keep thinking of some of the really cool and artsy photos I took, as I had been to the cities before and wasn't taking pictures of things I'd already seen, or rather I was trying some new things out. Waiting for our train in Bratislava, us girls had fun creating a shadow series. Our long and lean bodies posed against the railroad tracks - Charlie's Angels, the can-can, candid, a bird, and a heart. I am grateful though that it was just a pickpocket, and I wasn't mugged or put in danger. The thought even crossed my mind that whoever took it perhaps needs it more than I do...needs the money to feed themselves or clothe a family. Next time maybe they'll leave the memory card untouched?

It goes beyond the camera though...I've been on such a high, for the passed 5 months or so. I guess I've just been reflecting lots, trying to figure things out, missing people, and it's finally all hitting me at once. And oh the thrill of travelling again! How I adore having everything I need on my back. Soon enough though...Spain in February! And my students keep me going, for sure. I love that part. And thank GOODNESS for Heather! I think I am just over Radom. I'm much more of a big city girl.

Big hugs to all!

Twenty ten!

Happy New Year everyone!

I am safely back in Radom, after a most FANTASTIC eastern European holiday. I was sad to end my travels, wanting to keep going, wanting to meet more wonderful people, but being back at my flat is not as bad as I thought it would be. I've posted separate entries for the cities that I visited over the holidays, so that it's not as overwhelming to read!

All the best for 2010! And now back to reality, or something.

PS...I editted the comments setting...so I think it should be easy to leave comments now!

Budapest has soul

How I adore Budapest. Leaving it yesterday morning left me with a knot in my stomach...the kind of feeling that really aches when you have to say goodbye to something or someone you truly are connected to. I also attribute the sadness to the end of my travels/return to work, losing my camera, and nostalgia.

The Hungarian people are so warm. With every encounter, not only were they friendly, they were more than willing to go out of their way to be helpful.
Crossing to Great Hall Market

Ok. So we got to Budapest December 28, mid-afternoon. We left our Pest-side hostel as soon as possible, to head to the Christmas markets (Oh! Before the market, we stopped at my favourite pastry shop...mmm). How WONDERFUL they were. The vendors all had lovely items - very authentic. Scarves, pottery, jewellery, clothing, candles, soaps, woodwork...and of course food. We spent much time taking it all in. I should mention that this is when Heather fell in love with the candied almonds...which we returned for SEVERAL times. We had dinner there, and sat beside a friendly Hungarian couple. They were visiting the city, as they had moved to London, England in 1956. We headed back to our hostel to get a good night's sleep, after dealing with some changes in plans...
Christmas market!!!

We changed hostels. We thought it would be great to stay on the Pest side, with all the events and NYE related parties, etc. The hostel we had booked however, was not to our taste. We were the only ones there, it was smelly and too warm and not clean. We put up with it for one night (as we had paid a deposit when we booked it) but relocated to the Buda side, where I stayed last summer (2008), at the Backpack Guesthouse. Neither location was really central, so we opted for the place I was familiar with and KNEW would be clean and full of great people and just really awesome.

Ah, and what relief it was to return to my Buda-side haven. Andrea, who works there, greeted us with welcoming hugs. She totally remembered me! What a nice feeling that was! The family-feel and the familiar smell of the place was very comforting and reassuring indeed. We were in the Bob Markey room. We had awesome roommates from Croatia and Italy.
Snapping pictures from Pest

We had a fantastic Pest-side day after settling into our new digs - Great Hall Market, the Christmas markets again, St Stephen's Basilica, and Parliament. We also checked out three bars we were contemplating for New Year's, and stopped into one of them for a drink. It was SO cool. Very open and alternative, dark corners and comfy chairs. We chatted with some cool folks there.
Foggy day at Castle Hill - me at Fisherman's Bastion

The next day we stayed on the Buda side and went to Castle hill. We took the funicular up - it was the foggiest day I've ever seen. So unfortunately as we rode up, we could not see the Pest side. But, it was still a beautiful day...very mystical and magical looking. It appeared as though the Chain Bridge was floating into nothingness...Fisherman's Bastion looked really spooking with the bare trees around it. The lamp-posts around the city are particularly lovely too, so old-fashioned, so in the evening their light shining through the fog is especially gorgeous. We braved our way through the underground labyrinth and succeeded in finding the sun in the room of courage. It was super fun to run around in the dark! We went to the Lukacz bath house afterwards...sooooooo relaxing. It was really neat to go in one of the outdoor pools, in the evening light, on a foggy day. Returning to the tram stop, the fog was just breaking and we could see Parliament across the Danube, but just barely. I wish you could see what I saw! We cooked a pasta feast for dinner at the hostel that night, and chatted with new friends in the common room.
A hint of Parliament, from Buda
The floating Chain Bridge

New Year's eve day we went to City Park to walk around, and I visited my Grandma's apartment. We returned to the Christmas market, on a jewellery hunt, then hiked part way up Gellert Hill for a night-time city view. We had a simple bread and cheese dinner at the hostel, before heading out. We met up with Adam, a guy we met in Vienna. There was a lot of walking around the city before we finally settled on a place, near the Opera house. All we did was buy our wrist band before we headed back to the Octagon for the fireworks display at midnight. It was so cool to be in such a crowd, on a mild night, in one of my favourite cities. We split a bottle of champagne. It started raining just after midnight. Spirits were high...until my camera was pickpocketed. I'm still mad at myself, as I left it loose in my coat pocket for the first time. I always put it away or have it around my wrist...and I should know better in a crowded place. I had a good cry, over the 450 pictures I lost. It unfortunately put a big damper on my night. However, the night was still young and we made it back to our beds at an early 6:30am..! The venue we ended up at, Instant, was verrrrrrrrrrrry wicked indeed. There were three levels, and it had an underground look. There was a stage for live music, there were about 5 bars, 8 rooms, really really awesome! My feet were not the happiest, so I wasn't able to bust a move in my truest fashion.
The Elizabeth Bridge from Gellert Hill

New Year's day, I took it easy. Cathy and Heather left for Prague, but I stayed in Budapest. I hung around the common room, reading, writing, and chatting with new friends. I cannot get over my love for this hostel. Just like my last visit, I was minority as an English speaker - Croatians, Dutch, Italians...a great melange. Great chats with great people. I didn't want to leave...

My journey back to Radom was a wopping 14 hours of trains. I read lots, slept some, had a 2 hour stop over in Breclav, Slovakia. I made some more friends in Warsaw...three guys that sat in the compartment with me. We played cards, as I had a deck. They wanted me to grab a drink with them in Warsaw, as I thought I had an hour wait until my train to Radom, so that was the plan. But then there was a train I could catch just when we got in to Warsaw, so I took it as I was exhausted. They have my number though, so more people to meet up with in Warsaw! Then on the train to Radom, I met a guy from Krakow, so now we're in touch too, for meeting up. He had a friend visiting him from Geneva, so she said that if I'm ever going there to call her up too...!

So many wonderful memories...definitely an amazing holiday!! The images are in my mind...how I wish I could share them with you!

(Pictures from Heather)

I heart Bratislava

Heather and I have the t-shirts to prove it.

Walking through the streets of Bratislava, looking for our/a hostel, we were sadly reminded of Radom. Not such a good start. We dropped our things at Patio Hostel and headed for the centre. There really doesn't seem to be a whole lot to do. We passed a souvenir shop and I jokingly suggested we buy I heart Bratislava tees. We wandered, looking for food (because our days were clearly centered around eating). We found this AMAZING underground pub/restaurant, where we feasted on savoury crepes. The pictures I took, you would never know we were in a pub. There was an old radio player and other knick knacks on shelves against the walls. There were armchairs and cushioned benches for seating. It was really cozy and dimly lit...it felt like we were in an old-fashioned dining room or parlour. Our Polish language came in handy actually, as it's similar to Slovakian! That made me feel a sense of accomplishment, or something. Haha

After lunch we went for hot chocolate...the kind that you spoon because it's literally hot chocolate. Mmmm...bitter with cherry. So rich. Oh. And we totally bought the shirts then.

We decided to make Bratislava our rest and recuperation place. We could have stayed an extra night in Vienna instead, however the common room always kept us up significantly later than we planned. So after our food stops, we walked to a point where we could see the castle and the UFO tower over the bridge, along the Danube to take some night photos, we got groceries, and headed back to our hostel for an early night in. We had some Brazilian, American, German, and Indian guy roomies. They were a singing bunch too, so Heather and I didn't feel so bad about our constant need to break into song. Such a good sleep.

WE HAD BAGELS FOR BREAKFAST THE NEXT MORNING!! The small things count. You can't find bagels in Radom, or in many places in Poland for that matter. (Not that we've discovered anyways.) Next stop...Budapest!

My first Christmas away from home...

...and I've returned a changed person.

I've always been a whole-hearted believer in having a white and snowy Christmas. Now I have a different opinion - a beautiful snowy Christmas is perfect when you're inside by the fire, drinking cocoa or baking in the kitchen. A mild Christmas of about 10 degrees and sunshine is perfect for meandering the festive streets of Vienna and enjoying the Christmas markets - taking in the scents, sounds, sights, feelings, and tastes.

Like any travelling I do, there is always some transportation hiccup. As always it works out. The morning of our departure, December 23, Heather, Cathy and I were frantically trying to come up with plans B, C, and D, to get to Warsaw to catch our train to Vienna. You see, a piece of train track was stolen between the Radom and Warsaw station. Heather called a local bus company to reserve seats on the bus to Warsaw. They kept hanging up on her because her Polish was too broken for them. So at 7am we were calling/waking up our Polish friends for them to call and reserve us seats. Then I called another friend of ours, to see if she could drive us, but the roads weren't looking so great. ANYWAYS, we pulled ourselves together and were able to catch a bus (not the one we called for), and make it to Warsaw in enough time to eat lunch, and find Cathy a new winter coat. MAN we're good.

As usual, we were our perky, excitable selves, laughing lots on the train. Without fail, we met a new friend/contact in Warsaw for our future weekend visits. Yey! The final half hour or so, as we trained through Austria, was spent singing Christmas carols in the corridor of the train. A woman came out of her compartment to commend us...haha. She was Canadian, of course.

We stayed at hostel Ruthensteiner, the same place I stayed last summer. It was so filled with holiday cheer. We were especially lucky to have the room we did - everyone was so awesome and silly and upbeat. The first night all 8 of us were going to sleep around the same time, and we started telling jokes and talking about having a "Twas the Night Before Christmas" reading.

Christmas eve day, Cathy, Heather and I walked around the city - stopping into various churches and going INSANE with food intake at the Christkindl markets. SO YUMMY! We had hot chocolate with Baileys in market mugs, which we were able to keep. The chocolate came from a chocolate fountain. Sausage and candy apples and nuts and baking....ahh. Heaven. We went to mass at a big church on the main street. There was a small market out front, so I had amaretto punch before the service started. It was cool to be part of it in a different language. We sang Silent Night in English though. On our way back to the hostel we grabbed schnitzel for dinner!

Christmas eve we spent at the hostel in the common area, which is very large, equipped with a bar (and a cutie bartender!), and was filled with people. Heather and I may have ruined the evening for many, with our BELTING out of carols all evening long. There was a woman playing the piano, so we were picking out many tunes. SO GOOD! In the morning we woke to some chocolates left out for each of us in the room...SANTA CAME! It was too funny as the first thing out of Heather's mouth that morning was, "where are we going to eat?"

Christmas morning was relaxing, spent having a leisurely breakfast over light-hearted (HA!) conversation - the Holocaust and relations in the Middle East were among the topics. We grabbed a slice of pizza for lunch, then met up at the movies (Where the Wild Things Are) with some roomies from our hostel. Then we ventured to the Vienna State Opera house to take our chances for standing room seats to see the Nutcracker that evening. WE GOT IN!!!!!!!!!!!!

I SAW THE NUTCRACKER IN VIENNA ON CHRISTMAS DAY AT THE OPERA HOUSE!

It was a dream come true. When we got in I felt like we were a bunch of kids, running around the stairs and hallways of the massive building. So stunning. And the performance was wonderful as well (save a couple modern takes on the toys). AHHH! I feel so lucky to have experienced that.

Christmas dinner? We definitely ate from a kebab stand. Hahah We spent the evening in the company of each other and the other hostel residents, once again.

Boxing day we went to part of the Hofburg Palace, seeing the Sisi museum, silver collection, and imperial apartments (not without having an apple strudel and hot chocolate breakfast to start the day)! Heather and I decided that we would like to register at the palace, as we found our perfect china patterns. Either that or we'll start coming up with a plan to break in and steal our favourites. Shhh...don't tell anyone! The international food market was closed, so we ended up eating Vietnemese for a late lunch/early dinner. Then we had an early night in, writing and reading and being cozy.

The morning of the 27th we set out for Bratislava...!

As much as I missed home, I was truly blessed to be in the good company I was for Christmas this year. I feel so loved! Cathy, Heather and I took time to tell each other some warm and fuzzy thoughts, so that was a treat. The city was alive with Christmas spirit; the lights were beautiful. A true delight.