In October of 2003 I was lucky/crazy enough to travel around Europe in true backpacker style, following the end of my workterm in DUblin, IE. Oh, BTW...backpacker style= lack of luxury. I hostelled it around the Continent, ate bread, cheese & chocolate (to keep my strength up), hoofed the great cities of Europe by foot and loved every single minute of it. I'll not forget these five weeks of my life - the sights, the adventures, the fellow wanderlusts I was lucky enough to meet...it was an amazing way to end my adventures in Europe..my 2003 adventures that is! As y'all know, I'm heading back over to live it up in Edinburgh, Scotland. And yes, I most certainly intend to do the travel thing again..minus the cheese & chocolate this time..contrary to popular belief they really aren't good for the figure :)

Here is my email account of trainign it aroud Europe in the fall of 2003. Keep in mind that I haven't edited these emails..they were written when I was exhausted, they were written on computers with screwy keyboards, they were written when I had to pay by the minute...suffice to say, they aren't always logical or comprehendable..Enjoy!

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OK, so this email is just a wee bit conffuzzling..Ya see I wrote yall when I was in Paris, but apparently my abilities to copy and paste were a bit ....er..jetez..so the first part of the email below was actually written on Saturday past, while the rest is being written today..Tuesday. So just ignore any repetition and give me leeway :)

FROM PARIS

Hello All,

First let me apologize in advance for typos because this keyboard is set up different..ok enough about that, on to first impressions of Paris....

I AM IN LOVE!!! This city is tres beau everything from the streets lined with trees; to the small chic shops and outdoor cafes/creperies...oh and of course the people. Yesterday I visited many places with my friend, Amelie, including the Arc d Triomphe, where we managed to get lost, Notre Dame, Chatelet, St Eustache (beautiful church in park...not in guidebook). Also many other places I cannot recall the names of because Amelie say them in French. Also got suckered into buying caricature of myself..apparently my
hair is funny!! Today I am visiting The Pantheon, Montmarte, Pigallo (where the Moulin Rouge is) and the Eiffel Tower!!

I am staying with Amelie and her family near Versailles. I have been practicing my French and also sampling many French foods including crepes made by Amelies father, croissants, raclette (sp).S o far I have resisted temptation to buy clothes and art ..except that damn caricature!!!

Well, must toodle on now as am with Amelie et friends. Will write again from Suisse. Again, sorry for shortness and lack of wit..will blame on keyboard and heat in this cafe is like sauna so cannot think


Bonjour,
Shan

FROM SWITZERLAND

Well, it is my first full day in Switzerland and I think I love it even more than Paris, perhaps because it is a much slower pace and I have no set itinerary for the day. My final days in Paris were wonderful. I visited the Eiffel Tower twice..once at night where we saw it light up like a Christmas tree (it does this for 10 minutes each hour) and on Sunday when we climbed the stairs to the second level..that's right we climbed the Eiffel tower. I
also saw Le Louvre, although it was much too large to be taken in a couple of hours..I did make the obligatory visit to see Mona Lisa, only to find her being photographed by tonnes of tourists...

So I made the trek to Switzerland yesterday..a full days travel on the TGV, Swiss trains and cograil. the hostel I am staying in is nestled in the Mountains.....a town called Gryon, a steep, steep climb by cograil..but worth it a million times over. The view is beyond description and the hostel itself is like a home away from home, with sock feet only, lots of musical instruments to play, video rentals..and other guests from Oz, the States & Canada. Today I joined with two fellow hostellers to visit the nearby town of Montreux and the famous Chateau Chillon. The castle and town are both magnificent. Not to worry, for those chocolate lovers back home, I made a short stop at a Swiss Chocolate shop :) Hmmmm..so I guess that is all for now..will write again from Montpellier.

Take care and tell me your news,
Shannon


P.S: JIM, my camera has been acting up. Once it started rewinding after only
17 pictures and I had to take the last film out because it just wouldn’t
rewind...any thoughts or suggestions? Thanks so much

P.P.S. - I want more email :)


BACK IN FRANCE

Bonjour!

First, thanks to everyone who has written me emails it is great to get updates (and be grateful that I was not in IE when hailstorm hit!) . Hope you can make sense of my replies..sometimes I am a bit dazed and confused when on the Net.

OK... so here I am in Montpellier. Have been here since last Thursday and depart for Nice tomorrow. Montpellier is a beautiful medium-sized city on the South Coast of France, just off the Mediterranean. I have been staying with Sarah (from PEI) while here, which has been really nice. Only the second face from home I have seen since leaving the Island in April. It has been a fairly quiet, but thoroughly enjoyable week... have done lots of wandering around the town ( Yes, Rae I did get lost and wished I’d had you there!). The weather has been beautiful and Montpelier is a very picturesque town with palm trees lining the narrow streets, open markets where you can buy a good bottle of red wine for five euros, and many musicians/dancers bringing the streets to life with their songs and movements.

Here are a few of my observations about French people/culture:

1. They really, really, really like eating . . . particularly the following, slightly sinful foods: cheese, sliced meats like sausage, nutella, chocolate, crepes, more cheese with bread and to enrich the tastes of all these glorious foods they drink red wine like it is water.

The cheese is to die for here.. generally it is not pasteurised, which makes it nice and soft and delicious.. they don’t even refrigerate it!

Chocolate seems to accompany everything.. when you order a hot chocolate it is served with one or two little pieces of chocolate.

I had the chance to see crepes made from scratch.. it seems quite easy and certainly something to be tried in the future

On Sunday I had a chance to partake in a traditional Sunday afternoon lunch with Sarah. We visited her boyfriends grandpas house and joined in a four hour meal. It began with an aperitif at noon time.. this is an alcoholic drink of your choice along with crackers, peanuts, etc. Oh dear.. I seem not to have the tolerance for the very strong drinks they have here.. guess that comes with time eh Sarah :) Next is the main meal, in this case couscous which was sooo filling, this is followed by bread and cheese and finally a
dessert is served up.. oh, and then you can finish up with a digestif (more liquor). It was grand and I certainly enjoyed meeting the lively French family.

It is such a mystery as to how this nation is so thin... there are very few fat people on the streets..and they are normally tourists from NA! This is a wine, cheese, bread and chocolate loving nation that seems to have managed to maintain healthy weights..perhaps due to lack of preservatives and so called diet foods? I do not know, but it perplexes me!

2. France is a dog loving country! Honestly; I have never seen so many dogs.. wiener dogs, wolf dogs terriers, Dobermans.. even met a lovely Newfoundland dog. And it seems commonplace for dogs to go into stores with their owners... small ones can even accompany their humans to restaurants. Of course, this means great quantities of doo doo on the sidewalks.. apparently the French are as adverse as anyone to picking up after their
dogs

3. Music seems an integral part of life. Perhaps this is because I am staying with musicians and have listened to the piccolo and cello being practiced in the apartment...but I think appreciation of music is greater here..particularly classical music. Of course, mainstream music from US, Canada and England has made its way onto the radios here... is quite the mix

4. Shopping here is much different than in NA or IE, there are tonnes of tiny specialty shops and the vendors are so friendly... it is nice to go into a store and be greeted with a smile and a Bonjour!

5. University is very very cheap here... about 300 Euros per year!!!! I guess the French government has their priorities right :)


Well, those are just a few observations...There is so much more I could say, but as I tend to ramble I think I should stop now!

Oh, but wait, I forgot to mention a few other highlights of the past week!

On Monday Sarah and I went to Carcassonne, a smallish town about one and a half hours away. This is where she lived last year when teaching English. Its claim to fame is that it contains the largest fortified castle in all of Europe. It is not something that can really be described..you have to see it to believe it. It is a double walled city, with people actually living inside the walls. Of course the majority of buildings within are restaurants, tourist shops and the such. I went to visit the Museum of Torture..OMG, what absolute maniacal practices we used to do! Anywho, parts of the castle date from the third century, other parts from the twelfth! A spectacular sight..

I forgot to mention the conclusion to my Swiss Alps retreat... ah it was soo lovely. Tried hiking up a mountain...admittedly didn’t make it to the top, but trampled my way thru snow, mud and field of water! Was so rejuvenating to be in this natural, unspoiled landscape after city dwelling for so long :)

Emma - thank you so much for the company, chats and chocolate sharing :) Hope
your birthday was a ball, sorry to hear the Chateau was not all it was cracked up to be, but am sure you made the best of it!

Right, so I guess that’s about it.. tomorrow I head off to Nice for a stopover on my way to the city of Rome...Italy here I come :)

Hope everyone is having a ball of a fall and that you all have ghoulish plans for Halloween!

Raeanne and Becky R., just know that I am absolutely envious of your date with J.M. hope you have a fab time. Rae take Becky to Oh So Good :)

Keri, what do you think about the possibility of being an English Assistant in France ..that could be our adventure.. will have to talk to you about this asap because applications are at Christmas, but it comes highly recommended by Sarah...

Boisis and hugs,
Shannon


FROM ITALY


Ciao from Rome,

So here’s the thing..It’s my last day in Rome and by all accounts I shouldn’t be writing this email because I am suuuppppper tired and lacking any sort of ability to make complete sentences/sense..but...I get free Internet access at this hostel and who knows when that will be the case again..so here goes.

Well, I left lovely Montpellier early Thursday morning and made a stopover in Nice. As it was only a stopover on the way to Rome I wasn’t expecting a lot..other than a nice nights sleep in a bed. Well, it turned out to be an absolutely lovely town. The French Riviera in October...all the beauty, none of the huge throngs of people overrunning the town and beach. Nice is a collage of pastel colours..the buildings are immaculately clean, as are the streets, palm trees and fountains are at every turn. The beach was lovely...deserted due to dipping temps it was certainly a sight for an Islander who has missed being near the waters. . . .

The following morning, which came much much too soon, due to rather late night of French beer sampling (note..French should stick to wine) I hopped on train bound for Rome. So here I am in Rome having just filled my two days with sightseeing and more walking than I care to think about. What did I think of Rome?

Well, first I must admit to the most embarrassing thing..I didn’t go to Vatican City :( This wasn’t by choice at all..just that the Chapel wasn’t open this weekend and I’m leaving tomorrow morning.Sigh, well one good reason to return I say!

OK, so now that I’ve got that said ...Rome has lived up to my expectations, perhaps even exceeded them. Yesterday I visited the Colleseum, Roman Forum, Palatine Hills, Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and did a lot of walking. All of it was amazing, I am not even going to try to describe any of it, is something you will have to see for yourselves! My favorite sight of the day was actually the Trevi Fountain. My visit to the Collesseum was definitely enhanced by the walking tour I joined, learned a lot about
the structure itself, the Gladiator fighting, etc.

Today I went on a 8.5 hour walking tour of the city with an American girl staying at the hostel. We made our way to more piazzas, the Pantheon, Old Rome, the Botanic Gardens, Caste ..Angels (yeah, I don’t remember exact name) and did tonnes of walking...Never have I been in such a confusing city..we got lost about five times just trying to make our way back to the hostel. In any case, it was an absolutely gorgeous day for walking..sun shining and only needed a tank top for most of the day. The Piazzas were lovely as were the rest of the sights, but I think I liked walking along the Tiber river and some of the less touristy areas of Rome, just enjoying the architecture, the colours and the history. The worst part..I'e discovered there is bitter hatred between my feet and my shoes...its just not a loving relationship

My big excitement for the day!!!!!!!!!! My first star sighting!!!! Naomi and I had decided to get off the beaten track a bit and were walking down a rather narrow street when we just happened to walk by this blond haired guy in a blue tee and red shorts who was walking his dog (but talking to a couple at the moment we passed). It struck me that he looked very familiar and when we got within earshot I heard the unmistakable voice of OWEN WILSON (I hope you know who he is..you should).... I know, I know..its not that big of a deal..certainly wasn’t for New Yorker Naomi, but eeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! Probably
my first and last sighting :) Apparently he is shooting a film here at the moment, as I found out upon return to hostel...so I was not mistaken.

OK..well am soooo exhausted now...will write more next time I have access, money and time. Haven’t tried much Italian food yet or got a real sense of Italian culture-..too many tourists here..but will write about these later.

Hope all is well and that you are all enjoying the warm November weather :)

Shan

FROM AUSTRIA

Hallo!

Well, have made my way North since last checking in from Rome. Spent two nights in Florence, one in Venice and so far, two nights in Vienna. Everything continues to be amazingly wonderful and am having trouble digesting the fact that my trip is more than half over :(

Before I go into any long yadda yaddas about the cities I’ve visited, want to thank those who are emailing me and apologies for not sending personal emails back all the time..I swear I have paid more for Internet than I have for food on this trip. Anyway, so here is my weak attempt at replying to you all:

Schem - dont give up on the job hunt and if you are interested in the French thing than just be super persistent..Sarah went to Mount A and that is where she found the info out...I hope everything else is going well..plan for some time in PEI at Christmas ..cause I will definitely be around

Keri - yes he is cute! I am returning to PEI on Nov 24 so we will have to catch up soon after!! That being said, am only in Ireland for one day now so chances of getting your license plate are slim..will do my best though... is there anything I can get you instead...say from Germany or Amsterdam?

Paula - I agree completely and in attempt to maintain perfect health am eating as much chocolate as possible. How are you settling in to your new home?

Adam - Thanks for all the tips on travelling.they came in use. Will have to catch up in December. Totally agree..Switzerland was my fav country so far...

Danielle - Hope I see you at Christmas...what about a mini reunion...would be great :)

Sahra Sister - Why have I not heard from you? Are you coming home before
Christmas? I hope so. I hope you are getting my emails

FLORENCE

In terms of sheer beauty I think Florence took the cake. It was a stunning little city..just my size. The buildings were all light pastel colours and muted reds. The narrow cobblestone streets led from one architectural marvel to another. Most amazing of these was the Duomo, the fourth largest church in the world...it was absolutely amazing. I fell in love with the Ponte Vioche. (sp?). It is the only bridge in Florence to have survived WWII. Built in the twelfth century it is a pedestrian bridge with shops all along each side.
Since the fifteenth century only gold and silversmiths could occupy the shops..so it was basically a bridge lined with jewelry of an exquisiteness that cannot be described.

I visited a few galleries, including the one housing the original statue of David...wow. They are restoring him to his best self..kind of like a lot of people today do..but without the botox and plastic surgery..is a bit more difficult than that! Also climbed to the Piazzale Michelangelo where a replica of Davis stood and the view of Florence was unparalleled.

Oh, but did I mention the shops that line literally every street??? I have never seen so many little stores selling leather purses, boots, luggage, pashmina scarves.Honestly.there is absolutely no shortage of horse material in this country!! On Tuesday I was pleasantly surprised to find the streets in the main centre were lined on both sides with vendors selling their wares..again handbags, scarves were prevalent. Anyway, was great opportunity to do my only stint of splurging so far :)



VENICE
In Venice I met up with Naomi from New York and we headed off, wandering toward the famed Rialto bridge and St. Mark’s Square. Both were spectacular sights..luckily the tourist numbers had dwindled so we were able to enjoy the sights minus the pushing and crowding. St. Marks square was magnificent....just like in the Italian Job!!! I could not get over the number of pigeons though..and they were not afraid of people..I began to see
them as rats with wings. Right, so after a wander into the Basilica and around the square we decided to make our way back to our hotel ...just a simple backtrack of the way wed come right? Ha..except it was dark and the street signs in Venice are of no use whatsoever. Right...so after two hours of wandering we somehow made it right back to St. Marks Square, where we quickly hopped on a Vaperetto....honestly didn’t believe you could get lost in a city like that..next time will take compass or GPS

Venice was lovely..it really is just as you would picture it with tiny canals, gondolas , tiny streets meandering every which way..I could probably have spent another day there but one must move if one wants to cover 8 countries right?

Oh - BTW - the weather in Italy w as fabulous the entire time I was there.. sunny and warm..like late August in Canada or Ireland. I couldn’t believe it was November.

VIENNA - Well, that is where I am right now..Austria, not exactly top on anyone’s vacation list..but I don’t know why not. It is a great city..certainly a contrast to the old count is a contrast of old and new, a city that takes pride in its history, but seems to welcome the new just as readily. Well, admittedly when I arrived in Vienna I wasn't so sure I was going to enjoy it but that was due to my having a horrible cold. My first day here was also my first day of yuck weather..it was drizzling and gray. Nonetheless I set out, intent on enjoying my precious time in Vienna. I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art..interesting...wandered around and checked out many of the famed buildings. I headed back to the hostel in mid afternoon and decided that I would go to the Opera tonight...That was my main draw to Vienna - you can go to the Opera for only 3.5 Euro if you don’t mind standing. We went early and were lucky enough to get orchestra area so we could see the entire show. It turned out we got a 2 for 1 deal as both a ballet and Opera were performed.


ONWARDS - Tomorrow I leave for Grunau...tiny lakeside town near Salzburg..haven for backpackers, skiers, fishers, etc. Basically the wilderness. The closest place on a map would be Wels or Linz. From there it’s Salzburg and then Germany.

Must run..write often,
Shannon

FROM GERMANY

Hallo!

Well here I am with only one week left in my journey around Europe. Presently I am staying with my German friend Rieke in Hamburg, but oh what a journey it was to get here....

So to make a short story long (and quote Becky R), here is how the last week went down.

My second day in Vienna was lovely. I toured to city and took in some of the sights. Again I decided to head to the opera for the evening. I was not so lucky to get a good standing place this time because it was a famous opera ...La Traviatti ..or something like that...well anyways it was the opera from Pretty Woman..but unfortunately there was no Richard Gere or private jet...just 2 Euro tickets and sore feet!


On Sunday I left Vienna and headed for what was to be my second city break in the trip. I was craving some rural scenery, rest and relaxation. The plan was to go to the Treehouse Hotel in Grunau. Grunau is a tiny town nestled in the mountains...absolutely gorgeous views, quiet and peaceful. Well, the Treehouse ended up rivaling the Swiss hostel...it was absolutely amazing ...the location, the rooms, the staff, the wood fireplace and the delicious food!! It was also very quiet when I arrived..I was the only guest. well my plan was to stay for perhaps three nights then head on to Salzburg. I would do some hiking, horseback riding, sleep in and enjoy the mountain air. Got all I had expected plus more..most notably Circle of Death and fab company from Georgia :)

Well, as it happened the Austrian train workers decided to go on strike Tuesday..something that is not common for Austria. So I naively thought it could only last a couple of days and decided that worst case scenario was I would miss Salzburg..didn't really matter cause I was having a grand time in Grunau. Friday came and I was all packed and ready to go to Hamburg..having woken up at the crack of dawn..OK, OK it was eight oclock..but seriously early for me...only to discover the trains were still not running. There seemed no way out of the freaking middle of nowhere....desperate times called for desperate measures

Thank goodness for Georgia . . .finally made it out of Austria...8 hours later and 42 Euros poorer each ..we were on our way to the German border via taxi. Took an overnighter from Munich to Hamburg and arrived Saturday morning. Have been taking in Hamburg sights and sleeping a lot. Leaving on Tuesday for Amsterdam, then out of Brussels and back to Dublin on Saturday. Hope to have more adventures to tell you before then..preferably not regarding transportation :)

Ok...so again..my poor attempt to reply to you all in one foul swoop:

Jen - we will talk, drink and sing karaoke when I return. Can’t wait to see ya, thanks for the fabulously long and detailed email :)

Keri - 42nd Street Lounge next week:) Baha Beachbums

Becky R & Raeanne - Rieke says hello!

Ok..at this point I have forgotten other emails..will have to go reread and reply later. Sorry..lack of sleep and influence of certain drinks has affected my memory!!

Danke,
Shannon

FROM BELGIUM

Well..this is my final email from Continental Europe and my last day before returning to Dublin!

What to say about this part of the continent... The changes from Southern Europe to Northern Europe are so very pronounced. The architecture, the climate, the customs. It seems to me that the farther North you go the greater the influence of American culture. Chain stores begin to outnumber the independent specialty shops and everywhere there is Coca Cola and Justin Timberlake.

Well, Amsterdam was most certainly an amazing city to see... Despite its reputation for the red light district, there is so much more to this Dutch city. Amsterdam’s centre is laden with canals, the streets stretch out like bicycle spokes from the middle. It is so very picturesque and easy to orient oneself. Spent only one night in Amsterdam due to high costs of accommodation but saw and smelled plenty! Amsterdam is the best place for museums. The Anne Frank Haus was the best I’ve been to. I also went to the Heineken Brewery and was expecting a rather boring tour around the place..was pleasantly surprised by interactive displays, rides and history of advertising..plus three glasses of the good stuff and souvenir glass. Definitely worth the money..will forward on photos that we took there :)

Amsterdam by night was crazy. honestly could have sworn I was in Scotland. Was wandering around with fellow Canadian and kept seeing men in kilts..thought maybe the Dutch had picked up on the Scottish fashion trend. When I first heard a group of kilt-clad men talking I was certain that my first conclusion was correct, because there was no way these men were speaking English. Well, as it turns out they were in fact from the Bonnie Land and I simply still cannot distinguish the accent...a big football match against the Nederlands had drawn them out onto the streets.. the noise and energy was fabulous. Assume they won because the next morning there were still many kilts and Scottish flags to be seen.

The red light district was a sight in its own..not as large of an area as I had expected but definitely hopping. It was early in the night when we walked around but there were plenty of people already out..most in kilts.. and women in their windows. Plus there was something in the air!

OK...so I spent yesterday in Bruges, Belgium. It is a smallish sized city about an hour away from Brussels. It seems to have been put in a time capsule from medieval times. It was a lovely town, best experienced in the summer I would presume. I should not say what I wanted to sample most..is too sinful.. but on totally unrelated note, Bruges seems to have as many chocolate stores per capita as Dublin does pubs. It was like seeing works of art in every shop window and some would not let you enter unless you were
buying!

Today I am in Brussels, namely because this is where I am flying out from tomorrow. The best of Brussels has got to be: Belgian Waffles, Friendly Belgians and Belgian chocolate. Manneken Pis wasn’t really that amazing..tiny statue of boy peeing... and a copy at that. In any case, Brussels is definitely reminds me the most of a North American city..high glass buildings, neon signs and lots of suits.

Right..so that’s all I wrote folks. Singing off key from Belgium...the end of my seven country, fourteen city, thirty seven day adventure... Here are highlights of my travels :

Best Country - Switzerland
Best City - Florence
Best Food - France
Best Chocolate - Toss up between Belgium and Switzerland
Best Museums - Amsterdam
Best Sights - Everywhere!! Seriously.. is something to be seen in every
corner of Europe
Best Hostel - again a toss up between Swiss Alps and TreeHouse in
Austria..will have to revisit for conclusive decision on this one :)
Best Value for Money - Vienna Opera for 2.5 Euro
Best people to stay with - Amelie, Sarah and Rieke..thank you all so
much!!!!

Could go on and on but time is running out.. so will see most of you soon
and write to everyone else in the near future.

Be happy today,
Shannon