Entries this day: Awake_in_time_for_lunch Productive le-havre-france zzzz_party

Awake in time for lunch

1:22pm CEST Saturday 02 July 2005

I slept from 6:15am to 12 something, totally forgoing breakfast but waking up just in time for lunch. Here on the top deck there are a couple of guys refurbishing things: paint is being chipped off corners and complex surfaces (I guess those are where it collects most during painting and effectively reshapes those surfaces). Another couple guys are redoing the port side steps up to Sunshine Bar, where I am sitting now.

On the port side of the boat is another boat labeled bunkersatsea.com. From my vantage point I have been unable to tell what they do.

Productive

3:18pm CEST Saturday 02 July 2005

I've just been writing for about 2 hours. I'm in the sunshine bar now, about to head back to the internet cafe with my computer so I can use their WiFi and upload all my ramblings.

Still haven't uploaded any pictures yet.

Hmmmm... I have time; I'll make an album now.

4:11pm CEST Saturday 02 July 2005

Okay, I've just put together 97 pictures, which represent all the ports we've been to so far, I think.

To do:

1. upload pictures

2. upload journal entries

3. send Rob Update

4. send two .doc files to Matt

5. (optional) get copy of thumbnail URLs so I can add them to my journal entries. (I can do this later)

4:21pm

I am about to go back to the internet cafe.

7:19pm CEST Saturday 02 July 2005

I uploaded pictures!

le havre france

##05:33 Saturday 02 July 2005

Hello from Le Havre, France! This city of 100,000 features some museums and gardens, and old architecture that I can't name, but reminds me of old paintings. I've written more detail about our Le Havre wanderings in my journal dated July 2nd.

I think the last time I wrote was in Egypt (Port Said) after we saw the three Great Pyramids and Sphinx in Cairo.

After that, we landed in Piraeus, Greece, which was a short train ride to Athens, where I walked around alone. I was pretty much not in the mood for chatting, though I can't remember specifically why. It was probably related to issues regarding plans in Jamaica... but that is a different story. In Athens, after visiting an old church (by 'old' I mean 2500 years, and by 'church' I mean rubble strewn remains of walls) where I was not allowed to take a picture of Francois sitting on the wall, I padded barefootedly around the Acropolis entrance and the Parthenon (I think) though I wasn't allowed to enter either without shoes.

I can basically understand the reason (that I heard later via rumor): the modern Greek culture desires that the ancient greek ruins be treated with reverence and respect. No climbing, funny faces, bare feet, stuffed animals. These are 2000+ year old works of art. Not part of some large playground.

Instead of putting on shoes, I ate ice cream and wrote post cards next to a little kiosk where I had seen a rather large turtle trapped behind a fence designed to keep me out of the Acropolis (not, I imagine, designed to keep turtles in). I took a picture of him with Francois in the foreground. Had there been no other people around, I would have put Francois on the turtle, and then later may have regretted my decision had the turtle become frightened by my antics.

I felt quite better after my day alone in Athens, and after eating another ice cream.

Interesting things in Athens:

1) while sitting outside the train station, I saw two dogs running loose in the street, inadvertantly scaring pigeons and basically being happy dogs. They ran inside the train station, barked for a bit and ran back out and down the street.

2) the train stations don't force people to buy tickets. Bypassing the gates is a trivial matter; I don't know if there is some hidden enforcement that I didn't see.

3) while walking back to the boat, I saw some men with an extremely efficient way of towing illegally parked cars. They simply remove the license plates and put a ticket on the windshield. Granted, this can't really be called towing, but it achieves the same purpose. The car owner must proceed immediately to the license plate retrieval location and pay a fine to get the plates back.

• - -

In Italy, we landed on Sciliy in Catania. From there, I walked around with Niveen, a Palestinian student who has been onboard with Elait, an Israeli student since Jordan. ((They've been telling us the horrors of the Israeli occupation in Palestine: 8 meter wall being built through villages; random checkpoints within the city with rules that change daily, forcing people to lose hours of time every day; propoganda from the Israeli government saying "We need the wall for security against these attacks," when the truth is the attacks are due to the wall and the occupation itself.))

After wandering around the Catania fish market, ogling the huge variety of fish, eating gelati and pizza and various fruits, we convened with Audrey, Allison, Natalie, et. al. near an outdoor clothing market and chowed fresh large red and green peppers stuffed with cheese and basil and olives. Super thanks to Audrey for expanding my brain to a new way of eating a cheap, simple, healthy, delicious meal!

Our group took a train to Taormina, which had been accurately described as a beautiful spot to visit. The view from the top of the hill can be augmented with pay-binoculars for a close up view of the crystal waters and surrounding hills facing the sea.

We had to hurry back, so we took a taxi. But that put us far enough ahead of schedule that we were able to stop by the beach (I'll recognize the name if you say it) for about 10 minutes. The water looked clear enough to drink (though I assure you it's too salty to drink much) and was too cold for me to do more than wade.

• - -

In Barcelona, we arrived on a Sunday, which also happened to be a national holiday. Most of the shops were closed, but La Rambla and the main tourist places were still active. On La Rambla, a street of kiosks and street performers, I was impressed by the ability of a man dressed like the devil: he could leap out of his box and stand on top of it for a photo, then collapse as if falling back into his box. I was unimpressed, however, with his manners. After seeing a couple of people come up to him for pictures, I went up and he was like, "go away" and then he yelled at all the onlookers "go away! move on!"... it was really strange, and I can't imagine it's part of his act. I didn't give him any money.

Niveen and I saw the Sagrada Familia (sp) and cliimbed its 340+ steps to peer over the edges of its spiraling towers and see the continuing construction. The church is really beautiful in its ugliness, and I must give props to the original architect for his vision. I enjoyed running down the tight spiral steps, because it could definitely be described as dangerous, and it made me dizzy. There is no handrail in the center: just a vertical column of a hole about a foot wide.

Niveen and I visited Park Guell, another fair climb to the top of its hill, though escalators are available. (I didn't use them.) From the park, the view of the city featured Sagrada Familia nestled within the smaller buildings, all surrounded by mountains in the distance.

We chatted about life, specifically her plans for the future and my lack of plans for the future.

• - -

In Le Havre, France, I am sitting now on the top deck of our ship on Sunshine Bar. This place will come alive again in about 7 hours, when people crowd the sides of the boat for the departure ceremony. Next stop: Norway!

zzzz party

11:48pm CEST Saturday 02 July 2005

We've left LeHavre. In the middle of a party in Carissa and Adriana's room.

4:09am CEST Sunday 03 July 2005

Tonight during departure, we had a wine and cheese party: all the GET teacher got wine and cheese and hung out in Carissa's room for a wine and cheese chow fest. Greg was hilarious with his fake French accent and Brandt wasn't close behind. Natalie sat in my lap for a good while, and I tried to chew on her ears, but to no avail.

The party moved upstairs after departure, during which I had stood with Petra, giving her premium high quality hugs as needed.

Then to Sports Bar, where we all danced and met (some of) the German international exchange students, who are going to be on the boat until Dublin. I met Emily and Kristen. Kristen is from Phoenix, Arizona, but going to school in Germany.