architecture Keyword
Quebec
Prague was in my opinion the most beautiful city in Europe. It was like a fairy tale and I didn’t think I would find a city that could top it in the beauty stakes. That was until I found Quebec.
Quebec (or Quebec City), the capital of the Quebec Province is quite a small town with a population of around a million. Its’ skyline dominated by the Old Town built high on the hill in a location advantageous to defence. It is a walled city, in fact the only walled city north of Mexico on this continent. Quebec is clean, beautiful and interesting. While it lacks the nightlife of say Montreal, what little it does have is pretty rocking.
I had a great time walking all over Quebec. I spent the majority of my time in the Old Town, or down at the port. I rested my weary feet in fountains and bathed myself in the blazing sun. At night I couldn’t stop staring at the buildings and streets that glowed with lighting that seemed straight out of a movie.
At the moment the city is hosting it’s Summer Festival with Cirque de Soleil for free almost every night and the “Moulin a Image” a huge multimedia presentation across a ridonkulously big screen (actually the side of a massive silo). Thousands of people flood into the city each night to see either of these two spectacles and to eat at the hundreds of restaurants and cafes that lie scattered through the old town.
On top of all this the Hostel I stayed in, located in downtown was very cool. Totally relaxed, open and friendly with our hosts Pierre and Skippy, the little Jack Russell that would come in and sticky beak in on the rooms. It was a small hostel though, and the 2 toilets and showers sometimes struggled to cope with the demand. I am just glad that I am an early riser and beat the rush.
I only had 3 days in Quebec and there were a few things I would have liked to see that I missed out on. I could have spent a long time just soaking up the atmosphere. Oh well, just means I will have to go back.
Ventimiglia
My visit to Ventimiglia started with the first ever photo of me in all my gear, and ended with a new understanding of my family and our history.
Arriving on the train from Nice (I haven’t written anything about my time in Nice mainly coz I don’t have time) I stepped onto the platform to be welcomed by my Granddad, Toto and my Mum. From that moment each day was a lesson in eating, meeting members of the family and struggling with Italian.
Much of my mum’s side of the family lives in this area of Liguria, which is only 7km’s from the French/Italian border. The City contains around 30,000 people, split down the middle by a river and is very popular with tourists wandering along the French riveria.
The city very beautiful. Portions are very old, and worked into the hills and cliffsides while modern buildings appear occasionally. Being reasonably small and dense the city retains a bit of a small town feel with everyone knowing each other and walking through the streets you can hear shouts of Ciao between the inhabitants constantly.
Moving out of the city center you can find beautiful old suburbs such as where some of my relatives lived, perched high in the mountains that surround the town.
The appearance of three intruders from Australia was quite an event. Every meal we were offered were huge and every minute of my 2 and half weeks in Ventimiglia was planned and crafted to meet someone or see something new. I ventured into mountain towns, scootered to hidden beaches, ate dinner and swam perched in a mountain cottage. I wandered markets and watched the sunset across the pebbly shore. I made new friends and loved every minute of my time in this small town. It was the true Italy, and I can’t wait to go back.
Cinque Terre
One of the best things about busabout is the freedom it provides in finding neat little places for yourself. Each major day of travelling has an optional halfway stop. At first I was a bit reluctant to try these stops, but with every pickup along the route of people who took time out of their trip to try one all I heard was glowing praises for the small towns and tales of adventure.
So, as I was heading up to Nice, I decided to take a few days out of my travels to see Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre, Italian for “Five Lands” is on the Italian Riviera. It is a group of five small towns cut into some pretty rough coastline. Originally home to a heap of fisherman the towns now thrive on a rich tourism driven economy.
Cinque Terre single handedly changed my opinion of Italy. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life, and its people are friendly, helpful and interesting. As I decided on Cinque Terre at the last moment I had no accomodation booked, and spent much of the first day catching the train between the towns, walking with my backpack guitar and gear up and down millions of stairs looking for somewhere to stay. When I eventually did find somewhere it was in the southern most town of Riomaggiore, sharing a double bed in an apartment with one of the Busabouters I met: Chris which was a little awkward as Chris was a dude, but a little just friends spooning never hurt anyone.
My days were spent wandering the gorgeous towns, taking in the amazing architecture and walking the hike that winds along the coast between towns. When I wasn’t walking I was at the beach in Vernazza, which had crystal clear water and was great for swimming.
I can’t recommend enough a stop at Cinque Terre. I wish I could have stayed there forever.
Prague
Being sick while traveling is never fun. It gets in the way of everything, and when you’re on a relatively tight schedule it can stuff with a lot of plans. I got sick in Prague which was unfortunate as I really wanted explore the city. I could have stayed in bed, nursing a throbbing headache, aching muscles and running nose, or I could fight it. Through a constant haze of the flu, I did force myself out into the streets to see the capital of the Czech Republic.
Prague is an unusual place. It oozes beauty. Every building is stunning. The winding, cobbled streets scream to be explored. You can practically taste the history of the place, but it doesn’t smack you over the head with it like some other cities. Prague is subtle, gentle and gorgeous.
Wandering the streets of the city are the Czech people. A race stuck in the eighties. I am not sure if it is by choice or if they just got forgotten when the universe was handing out the “please remove the mullet and stone wash jeans” memorandum. Eighties music pumps in every venue and pastels, pinks and fluoro are worn without humor or irony. Decor, signage, advertising are all throw backs to a time when perms were fabulous and greed was good.
At night the city transforms. Glittering lamp lights chase the creeping dark into corners and down streets. A warm blanket of tungsten covers the city. All sense of time disappears as the city heaves with people strolling the cobblestones and enjoying the evening at terraces and bars.
I heart Prague. The small taste I got has left me hungry for more.
Kunsthaus Tacheles
Kunsthaus Tacheles is by far the most awesome place in Berlin. It is a Art cooperative, situated in a condemned building in one of the more ‘alternative’ parts of former soviet Berlin.
The Tacheles building was one of the first “department stores”. Built in 1908 it has seen many owners and usages (including a short period of nazi occupation), but it was heavily damaged in WWII and was slated to be demolished with portions removed in 1980. The remaining structure was scheduled for demolition in 1990. Just before this could occur however a group called Künstlerinitative Tacheles worked to have the building listed as a historical site, and succeeded.
Today the Tacheles houses interesting and confronting independent artists, studios, cool clubs and bars and some very strange characters. They are continually fighting redevelopment and I believe that everyone should experience this magical place before bureaucracy gets its dirty hands on it.