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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Nov 06, 2011 07:00 PM Malaga in the sun
I have been to Malaga for the first time in 1971, then in 2005 starting to my transafrican journey. But it is still nice to see again the old places.
I spent the night at cozy, old-fashioned Hostal Larios - perfectly located at the beginning of Larrios pedestrian mall. I pay 30 euro for single with shared bath. They offer free wi-fi internet.
The cathedral is just 200 m away, Alcazar - the castle is just next to. I had a pleasant morning walk around the old town with old churches and narrow streets. Strong sun, 20 deg Celsius. Malaga is famous for its sweet, dark and thich wines. The bottle cost 5-6 euro.
I see my ship in the port. There is a private "Portillo" bus (2 euro)going to the maritime terminal from the tourist office at Plaza Marina - just nearby. But as a backpacker I prefere to take a pleasant walk to the port passing Plaza de Toros.
The ship is sailing in the afternoon. Tomorrow we will have a day at see. And the day after we should reach Madeira. I am afraid about the weather - the Madeira forecast for Wednesday says: chance of rain. We will see! I have a feeling that it is the end of free internet on this jouney...
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Nov 05, 2011 07:00 PM Four flights to Malaga
Early wake-up. I reached Gdansk airport only 30 minutes before flight departure but it was still enough to check-in for the LOT flight to Warsaw... 50 minutes in the air and I landed in Warsaw. Close to the information desk in the departure hall you will find free wi-fi connection! Then I boarded my senond flight Warsaw - Madrid. Also LOT.
Four flights to move from Gdansk to Malaga? Sounds strange, but for the budget traveler the cost is main factor. Reliability is also important for me because my ship will not wait for the dalayed or cancelled flights... LOT + Spanair was the offer the best solution...
Barajas airport in Madrid is wide and pretty well disorganized - we were waiting 40 minutes for the luggage. If you plan quick connection you can have the problem. At the Spanair desk I checked again my luggage for Madrid to Barcelona and Barcelona to Malaga flights. Departure from Madrid was delayed, also the second flight from the brilliant terminal in Barcelona. Spanair is not low-cost airline but do not expect any free water on their domestic flights. A cup of tea will cost you 2.50 euro!
In Malaga airport like years ago I catch the same city bus no.19 to get to the center. It cost 1.20 euro now but still is the best solution. I found my hostel on Larios street, Welcome to Malaga!
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Nov 04, 2011 07:00 PM To the Caribbean! By ship will be cheaper!
Could you believe? The one-way flight from Europe to the Caribbean is more expensive that the voyage aboard the ship! Of course you have to know when and where buy your last-expensive inside cabin, and have the companion... :)
So I set out on another voyage! You know how much I like the islands, particularly those ones in the warm climate zone. It will therefore travel to new, unknown islands. At the beginning I fly cheaply to Malaga, Spain. There, I get on the ship, which with stops in Madeira and the Canary Islands sails across the Atlantic to the Caribbean. It will be great chance to escape the wet and cold European autumn, but I also know that I am going to the Caribbean in the hurricane season :) Please keep you fingers crossed! Thank you!
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Oct 07, 2011 02:00 PM I am so happy to be the Distinguish Member (for a month!) :)
Wow! I am the Globosapiens Member of the Month again... What a pleasant surprise!
It was worth to go to in the evenings to look for the internet cafe in some outback places!
I will thell you the true: sometimes after the long and tiring day on the trail I have the temptation just to take the shower and go to the bed... But I know that my friends worldwide are waiting for the news from the trail...
It is good to have such friends!
Thank you so much to all of you who sent me congratulations. I promise to pack my backpack within a month again, so you will be able to read the new portion of my adventures.
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Oct 04, 2011 02:00 PM Back to Gdansk!
I took the long-distance bus from Ouranopolis to Thessaloniki - they offer 5 departures per day and there is no need to buy ticket in advance.
In Thessaloniki I had a problem how to get from the Chalkidiki Bus Station to the airport. Someone suggested a taxi, but it is not the solution for the budget traveler like me. I found out that the best way is to take the bus 36 to IKEA terminal and then bus 79 to the airport. Your single ticket (0,80 euro) is valid for unlimited transfers within 1,5 hours!
Malev flight was on time, but the temperature on the plane - freezing... I like Hungarians very much but they serve only little snack and a glass of juice during the flight - bring you sandwich with you!. It was also cold on the second flight Budapest - Warsaw. As a result in Gdansk I was already sneezing... But what an interesting voyage!
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Oct 03, 2011 02:00 PM Four days without the ladies... Depressing!
I took a walk via Xeropotamu Monastery to Daphni, where the ferries with the supply for the Republic of the Monks arrive. Waiting for "Agia Anna" I recognized that since four days I did not see any single lady... So sad!
The Monks here poetically call the Athos Peninsula "The garden of the Mother of the God" But this is the garden without flowers! (Dear ladies - you are the flowers of our life, aren't you?) The monks are very strict. They say that even female animals are not allowed in their republic...
Sun was shining when we sailed along the coast to Ouranoupolis. On the departure from the republic there is customs control! I expected it rather on arrival - to check if somebody is not smuggling into Athos female cat or chicken :)
Our ferry sailed at 3.45 pm. I paid for the ride aboard - 7.80 euro. Then I enjoyed again the views the huge Russian Monastery of St. Panteleimon, Xenofontos and others. At 6 pm we approached the jetty in Ouranoupolis. A group of ladies were waiting at the coast for their husbands - pilgrims coming from Athos. They were smiling and waving hands... Thanks God! I am in the normal world again!
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Oct 02, 2011 02:00 PM The capital: one street 200 m long!
Today I was walking from Sravronikita Monastery to the "capital city" of Mount Athos - Karies. Along the trails there are arrows pointing the destinations but the text is in Greek... Do you remember alfa, beta, gamma from the lessons of maths? It is the time to refresh the knowledge!
After 1,5 hours of the walk I reached Karies. The capital of the Monk's Republic has in fact one street where the only shops of the republic are located. There is an old and famous church with a another holy icon and close by - the building of the "government" - in fact the council of 20 abotts from 20 monasteries. I took my chance to take the pictures of the monks here. They normally are not happy to be photographed... :)
Then I was walking through the mountains to the Monastery of Xeropotamou - it took me some 2 hours. Not so pleasant walk since it was all on dusty, gravel road - they build such a roads on Athos recently, changing the landscape. Sorry.
I had enough time to drink one more ouzo+water+lukumi at the monastery gate and then it was already the time to go down to the jetty in Dafni (some 40 minutes walk).
Little ferry "Agia Anna" arrived on time (3.45 pm) to take me back - along the picturesque, sunny coast to Ouranoupolis. My 4-days permit is over. I am happy and satisfied: I had a chance to visit one of the most isolated and exotic places in Europe. Great architecture, strange behaviours :), wonderful landscapes - it is all on Athos!
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Oct 01, 2011 02:00 PM Holy icon, coastal walk, romantic castles...
The next monastery on my Athos trail was Ivirion where I had a chance to see the holy icon of Our Lady of the Gate. They believe that this icon sailed from the Constantinopole by the see to be find here in the Athos water by the fisherman... Long story...
They offered me a meal when I was resting in the shady courtyard. The meals are similar every day: a plate of maccaroni with little cheese on the top, tomato salad, bread, water, apple, sometimes also a glass of local wine... The problem is that you must eat fast. They start the meal on a signal. Silence. No talks. One of the monks is reading a holy story in Greek. When he will finish it means that the meal is over! So hurry up! I missed today my desert ( a piece of watermelon)!
From Ivirion I took a walk along the coast to the other two picturesque monasteries: Pantokrator and Stavronikita. Great views, ang the monasteries are lovely - like medieval castles... I spent the night in the little,cozy Stavronikita. They do not have electricity here. Praing with the oil lamps like thousand years ago....
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Sep 30, 2011 02:00 PM Non-snoring dorm please!
There were some 20 pilgrims sleeping in the monastery. Two foreign tourist were treated as the Greek pilgrims... The monks encouraged us to wake up fo the 4 am liturgy. Sorry, I did not. Why? The Greek fellows were snorig loudly all night and I slept a little bit only. When they went to the church it was a good time to sleep in the silence...
But all hospitality is free of charge here: since one thousand years when monasteries were founded the monks accept pilgrims fo the night, offer simple meals (they eat only twice a day, no meat or eggs) and pray...
This was my hardest day: the rough trail to Megiste Lavra Monastery goes at the bottom of Mt Athos. I was a bit afraid if I will manage this 6 to 7 hours mountain walk... I did!
The begginning was the hardest part - almost 2 hours uphill with all my stuff... Then from the cross located on the ridge I enjoyed great view... After hours at the end of the trail from the little pass I saw down there unexpected Romanian Monastery. It was great temptation - to make a detour (1,5 hours) and to visit this place. It was worth. But when I reached Lavra after 8 hours on the trail I was really tired, true.
No shop to buy food or drinks! And to get the afternoon meal in the huge, ornate reflectory you must go first to the church to attend the service. It is very, very interesting but my reception after this hard walk through the mountains was so... so...
Finally after all ceremonies I got my plate and my bed. Lavra is a big monastery. Ane chance for the non-snoring dorm?
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Sep 29, 2011 02:00 PM Republic of the Monks - day one
(posted four days later)
It was still dark at the Ouranopolis jetty when I was looking there for somebody with my travel permit to Mt Athos. They are not well organized... Finally I found a gentelman in the car speaking with the people through the window. We (all men) were staying in the long line. He checked my passport, asked for 30 euro fee and gave me this valuable paper...
I embarked little ferry "Agia Anna" they charged from me 9,80 euro for the trip to Agia Anna jetty and we departed soon. Everybody was waiting for the sunrise to see the scenery. After an hour I saw the first monastery on the coast. Few people including the monks in black disembarked and we sailed onward. Second monastery, the third. Some of the like castles on the coast. The main port is Dafni - all suppy for the republic goes this way. But I sailed further, knowing from the literature that the most picturesque landscapes and monasteries I can see after Dafni. It was true...
Disembarking at little Santa Anna jetty I was surprised. -Where is skete (sub-monastery) Agia Anna I am booked for the night? They showed me a little chapel up on the hill some 250 m above the sea level. Uff... It was sweaty walk up and up. But at the little monastery courtyard friendly monk treated me on traditional way: I got a glass of spring water, glass of ouzo (local alcohol), lukumi cake and a little cup of the strong coffee! I got my bed in the 6-bed dormitory and in the afternoon I took a walk to the monastery of St Paul. Back in Agia Anna we attended the service in the church and then we got a simple meal. What a view from this eagle's nest!
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