For those of you who are too busy to travel yourselves (Diana and I often include ourselves in that category), you can follow one of Appalachian Outfitters' employees as she explores Europe. Kate Lasier just graduated from Clemson and she off to see the sights on the continent. Follow her adventures here. Here are her first few entries:
Day 1 (Departure)
Hey Guys,
Well, I am all packed up and ready for my flight and surprisingly my pack only weighs 24.5 lbs! I'm leaving Greenville tonight at 7 pm and am flying to Atlanta. I then leave Atlanta at 10 pm and, if all goes according to plan, arrive in London tomorrow at noon. For those of you who are interested, you can follow me through Europe by going to http://www.appoutfitters.com/. About half way down on the right hand side of the web page there is an icon that looks like a map and says "track me live," by choosing this option you will then be able to see where I currently am and have been. It uploads to a satellite every 10 minutes. You can also read my blog and see a few pictures on the main website too.
Enjoy your week and I will share more information soon,
Kate
Well, I am all packed up and ready for my flight and surprisingly my pack only weighs 24.5 lbs! I'm leaving Greenville tonight at 7 pm and am flying to Atlanta. I then leave Atlanta at 10 pm and, if all goes according to plan, arrive in London tomorrow at noon. For those of you who are interested, you can follow me through Europe by going to http://www.appoutfitters.com/. About half way down on the right hand side of the web page there is an icon that looks like a map and says "track me live," by choosing this option you will then be able to see where I currently am and have been. It uploads to a satellite every 10 minutes. You can also read my blog and see a few pictures on the main website too.
Enjoy your week and I will share more information soon,
Kate
Day 2 (London)
Hey everyone,
Today was my first day in London and I had a blast. The flight over last night went really well and I was able to sleep the entire way, that being said, I haven't felt jet-lagged at all yet! I did your tipical exploring of London at first and then ran into three other backpackers from Clemson and ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. We rode the double decker buses and walked ALL over the place.
Hey everyone,
Today was my first day in London and I had a blast. The flight over last night went really well and I was able to sleep the entire way, that being said, I haven't felt jet-lagged at all yet! I did your tipical exploring of London at first and then ran into three other backpackers from Clemson and ended up hanging out with them for the rest of the day. We rode the double decker buses and walked ALL over the place.
They were really fun to hang out with and I hope to see them again soon on this trip. I believe they were taking the bus to Scotland tonight. Carrying my pack around all day got old really fast and makes me rethink what I really need/want :). I am looking forward to being able to ditch my bag tomorrow in Madrid and go solo without it. So far everyone has been really nice and helpful and I'm looking forward to a hot shower and a bed in about an hour. I hope everyone's having fun in sunny South Carolina. I'll write more later.
Kate
Day 3 (Madrid)
Hola!
Well yesterday was my first day in Madrid and it was a blast. I arrived shortly after 1:00 and after taking 2 trains and getting lost several times, I eventually found my hostel. Who would have thought to look for street signs on tiles on the sides of buildings? Knowing some Spanish would be a plus because not that many people speak English over here and getting directions is really quite difficult. The hostel I am staying at is very clean with 6 beds in a room, 1 shower, free internet, and free breakfast. It´s very modern looking with black and red walls everywhere. At the hostel, I met a fellow solo traveler from London and we decided to travel together for the day. Her name is Julia and she works for the Museum of Design. The two of us grabbed our metro tickets and went to enjoy the beautiful day and explore the city. Madrid was celebrating San Isidaro day, the patron saint of Madrid, so there were street parades and vendors everywhere. People were dressed up in costumes and there were tons of free events to go and see. Julia and I ended up walking the city and seeing the Palacio Real, which is this HUGE palace with amazing gardens and views of Madrid and the mountains. We then made our way through several plazas, cathedrals, and parks. We stopped at the Templo de Debod, which is a 2nd century BC egyptian temple that Egypt gave to Madrid for their help in archeological digs. It was pretty cool. We ended up kicking off our shoes their and taking a siesta in true Spanish style.
Later that night I met up with Miriam´s friend Flo and we went for tapas and beer. The two of us seemed to walk the entire city plus some, but it was well worth it. We started around 8 pm, but I have to say that the Spainards didn´t even show up until about 11 pm. We called it a night around 12:30 and took the metro back to the hostel.
Ok, so here is my gear review so far. I ended up wearing the Patagonia Duway skirt all day in Madrid and LOVED it. It was perfect for traveling around and staying dry in the heat. The Outdoor Research shirts I have been wearing are also an important item that I am glad to have with me. After wearing my pack around all day, I tend to work up quite a good sweat, but once I take my pack off, my shirt is dry within 2-3 minutes! It´s amazing. I also am using a pack towel by MSR and am really enjoying it. It is quick to dry and folds up really small. It definitely beats having to carry a wet moldy towel around all day! More to come on gear later.
As luck would have it, I am currently stranded in Madrid with no way out, but by plane-that won´t be happening. traveling wouldn´t be traveling without some MAJOR problem right? It turns out that you cannot buy a EuroRail pass in Europe unless you are from the EU, so for you future travelers, make sure you buy it before you come over here. This ranks in my top 5 stupidest mistakes ever! Oh well, I guess I will be getting really personal with this country for a while. I am trying to have my ticket shipped to Barcelona, where Miriam has a friend who I am going to meet up with. I have no idea how to get to Barcelona at this point or when my ticket will be there, but it will be interesting for sure.
I´ll keep you all posted on that front when I know more.
Adios for now,
Kate
Well yesterday was my first day in Madrid and it was a blast. I arrived shortly after 1:00 and after taking 2 trains and getting lost several times, I eventually found my hostel. Who would have thought to look for street signs on tiles on the sides of buildings? Knowing some Spanish would be a plus because not that many people speak English over here and getting directions is really quite difficult. The hostel I am staying at is very clean with 6 beds in a room, 1 shower, free internet, and free breakfast. It´s very modern looking with black and red walls everywhere. At the hostel, I met a fellow solo traveler from London and we decided to travel together for the day. Her name is Julia and she works for the Museum of Design. The two of us grabbed our metro tickets and went to enjoy the beautiful day and explore the city. Madrid was celebrating San Isidaro day, the patron saint of Madrid, so there were street parades and vendors everywhere. People were dressed up in costumes and there were tons of free events to go and see. Julia and I ended up walking the city and seeing the Palacio Real, which is this HUGE palace with amazing gardens and views of Madrid and the mountains. We then made our way through several plazas, cathedrals, and parks. We stopped at the Templo de Debod, which is a 2nd century BC egyptian temple that Egypt gave to Madrid for their help in archeological digs. It was pretty cool. We ended up kicking off our shoes their and taking a siesta in true Spanish style.
Later that night I met up with Miriam´s friend Flo and we went for tapas and beer. The two of us seemed to walk the entire city plus some, but it was well worth it. We started around 8 pm, but I have to say that the Spainards didn´t even show up until about 11 pm. We called it a night around 12:30 and took the metro back to the hostel.
Ok, so here is my gear review so far. I ended up wearing the Patagonia Duway skirt all day in Madrid and LOVED it. It was perfect for traveling around and staying dry in the heat. The Outdoor Research shirts I have been wearing are also an important item that I am glad to have with me. After wearing my pack around all day, I tend to work up quite a good sweat, but once I take my pack off, my shirt is dry within 2-3 minutes! It´s amazing. I also am using a pack towel by MSR and am really enjoying it. It is quick to dry and folds up really small. It definitely beats having to carry a wet moldy towel around all day! More to come on gear later.
As luck would have it, I am currently stranded in Madrid with no way out, but by plane-that won´t be happening. traveling wouldn´t be traveling without some MAJOR problem right? It turns out that you cannot buy a EuroRail pass in Europe unless you are from the EU, so for you future travelers, make sure you buy it before you come over here. This ranks in my top 5 stupidest mistakes ever! Oh well, I guess I will be getting really personal with this country for a while. I am trying to have my ticket shipped to Barcelona, where Miriam has a friend who I am going to meet up with. I have no idea how to get to Barcelona at this point or when my ticket will be there, but it will be interesting for sure.
I´ll keep you all posted on that front when I know more.
Adios for now,
Kate
Madrid (cont.)
Behind Palacio Real. This huge palace. I loved wearing the Patagonia Duway skirt and Outdoor Research wicking shirts because it was a hot and sweaty day, but I stayed dry all day and no chafing or under-arm sweat!
In front of Templo de Debod.
Templo de Debod. Brought over stone by stone to madrid from egypt as a thanks for their archaeological help.In "Parque del Buen Retiro". It was a beautiful park; huge. . . reminds me of Central Park, but better-landscaped and cleaner. Went here with 3 other travelers from Phoenix.
Other assorted photos!
Stay tuned for more from Europe!
No comments:
Post a Comment