So, writing this one from Salzburg hostel. We are currently hanging out in the common room, having just eaten a wiener schnitzel, watching the olympics in german. We are waiting for a 1.30am overnight train to Venice.
So backing up, we have now road tripped West Coast of US with Kat and Roberto.
We left Portland- Ashland :super cute town where we picked them up
Ashland - Napa : LOVED! Napa, and was shown around by family which was amazing - totally spoilt!, free bottle of wine, and free tastings (normally about $35 per person!... THANKS Titus's)
Napa- Yosemite: managed to find a campsite had a fun 3 days, didn't come the best year though, falls were small and flowers weren't in bloom
Yosemite- Vegas: surprisingly fun!
Vegas- LA: LA was so much better then we were expecting! we all had such low expectations, and it was really fun! we didn't go into the downtown so much, but hung around the beaches, we actually want to go back.
Actually the night we arrived in LA was quite funny. We got to LA without accommodation, and arriving at 7.30pm at night that wasn't a great scenario to be in. After pulling up outside a random shop that had free wifi on a main st of Santa Monica, we all sat in the car for about 1-2 hours ringing hostels, motels etc through a very bad Skype line., and our standards were dropping by the minute, we finally secured some accommodation in Ronaldo beach which was about 20 mins out of town (we found out late 1.5hours, in normal traffic!). We were so excited to have found accommodation, we told the guy "yep, we'll be there in 20 mins", and we go to start the car, and yep.... no battery. So we're on a main road, parked on the side of the road. So to jump start the car we need someone to pull up beside us and essentially stop traffic on the main road... no one was really prepared to do that, we were all trying to wave down cars, and went into all of the shops to see if anyone owned the cars parked around us. mostly everyone was very friendly, but couldn't help. Two nice guys offered to help but they didn't have a car so we got them to help push the car to down the street so someone could pull up beside us, then this white- haired, well dressed middle-aged guy rocks up. He comes over and asks if he can help, we say yeh... you got a car? his response.... "no but i can get one for you...." bit of a strange response but we weren't going to say no, so he goes away, makes a phone call then rocks up 5 mins later with a BMW. Kat and i have in the meantime gone to get some dinner for everyone, so it was just the boys. They make some chit-chat and say oh this is our first hour in LA, to which he cryptically replied "THis is my first hour out of jail"... Then he pops open the hood, and then can't find the battery, so one of the guys suggests he checks the boot, and so he does and they find it. so this is obviously not a car he is familiar with. The guys say that when he popped the boot they were seriously expecting a trunk full of drugs, or a body. They get the car started, and then they can't get rid of him, they shake his hand, say goodbye, he just hangs around like they're old mates. When Kat and I got back to the car the guys were genuinely weirded out...they were both like "there was something really strange about that guy"
So then we headed to San Fran for the second time and did the Awesome Alcatraz tour. So so good, the audio guide done by ex-prisoners and wardens was so good. Can see why it books out a month in advance!
We then dropped the car on Vancouver Island and were once again spoiled by Maggie and Norm.
Then off to Vienna, Vienna was ok.... not to sound pretentious, it was just another European City, with no discerning features, a few old buildings and a castle which were great, but we were glad we were only there for one night. It didn't help that it was unbearably hot, so so hot, we spent the day following the shade and places we could buy cheap water! then the train to Salzburg.
And we love Salzburg....!! So so beautiful, with the old town, and it all being overlooked by a massive fortress of the hill. it's smaller then Vienna, and just so picturesque. We spent the day wandering and explored the Fortress, which was really really cool, Dick couldn't stop taking photos! We got stuck in the rain walking home though, which cut our day short a bit.
Today we did the Sound of Music tour, which was a lot of fun, lots of singing on the bus, and getting the 'real' story of all of the places. That was until we stopped for lunch. We stopped in this little town 50km out of Salzburg, where the cathedral is where the captain and maria got married. We had to be back on the bus by 1.05pm. and were told jokingly if you are 2 minutes late you have to walk home. We ran back to the bus (i got lost while dick was buying a coffee) but dick got to the parking lot at 1.05 to see the bus leaving the parking lot. People in the bus were looking at him, so he didn't wave assuming the silly tour guide was playing a joke. Then it kept driving and dick freaked out, running after it waving. then it finally stopped down the road. i also thought it was all a silly joke so didn't run, dick then yelled to me, come on Jordy, we have to go! i ran back, got on the bus and the tour guide was all like ... "oh, we almost had some pedestrians" I looked at him and said... my watch only now says 5 past. to which the douche replied "your watch is wrong then isn't' it"! I sat down and he started his schpeel which began with "thank you everyone for being back on the bus on time" So i yelled at him "thanks for leaving without 2 of your guests"! He looked a bit shocked then jokingly said, 'we were just driving around the block, and we were going to come back and get you'. It really pissed us off, i mean we were on time! on the bus at 6past, 1 minute late, AFTER running for the bus!
That was the last stop, and back at the depot where they dropped us off, i went up to the ticket desk and asked for a feedback form. I managed to get the boss. he asked why i wanted one, and i told him, while i was explaining, the driver came up, and then started defending himself in german, like we were in the wrong. i was very brave and assertive and said " it was really crap, leaving us behind and making us run for the bus, and we weren't even late!" "you only had to run 10m" "THAT"S not the point, we were on time, by YOUR clock, you almost left us behind!" the manager gave him a talking to, and he finally admitted he was in the wrong and apologised.
Later at the hostel we asked some of the other people on the bus what happened and turns out he miscounted, took off, and then the people sitting behind us, was like hey you forgot some people. the bit about him driving around the block was total lie! it just pisses me off, he had the hide to tell me my clock was wrong and it was our fault. DOUCHE!!!
so now that's off my chest... we spent the rest of the day doing more exploring, dick taking photos of me in various sound of music locations rein-acting scenes. he was most obliging.
So now off to Venice for 1 day, then our 1 week stay in Sardinia.... we have just finished up planning the rest of our trip. From Sardinia we are flying to Albania...yes, Albania, i have included links as to why, and mum and dad to quell any fears you may have......
http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/10-11/eight-reasons-to-visit-albania.html
http://www.smartraveller.gov.au/zw-cgi/view/Advice/Albania
Then an overnight bus to Athens, 2 nights in athens, and we have just booked 9 nights on the islands. both places $40 a night... thank you AIRBNB!!!
After doing our sums, we have decided to drop London, and should be coming home around the 1st of September, we haven't booked our flights yet.
Hopefully, i will get some agency work and we will work our butts off for 2 months!!
Thanks for reading this mammoth post,
love you all and thanks for the updates.
xox Jordy and Dick
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