Backpacking Europe Awards 2009

Best Suprise City - Athens! I had heard so many bad things about it, but it turned out to be one of my favourite places on my trip!

#1 Song I Couldn't Escape From - Black Eyed Peas - I Gotta Feeling. It's a catchy tune, don't get me wrong, but it was EVERYWHERE! Other songs that followed me around were Lady Gaga - Papparazzi, David Guetta and Kelly Rowland - When Love Takes Over, and Mika - Love is Golden.

Best Hostel - I was pretty lucky when it came to my hostels...no horror stories to tell! But probably the best run hostel would be Traveller's House in Lisbon. They had eggs and toast for breakfast, they had different activities going on every night, it was clean, the people were friendly...what more can I say!

Most Random Night - When we were late for the pub crawl in Rome so we just ended up buying some wine and hanging out by the Trevi Fountain all night!

Favourite Meal - I ate sooo much good food on my trip but I would have to say the pizza in Naples was the best! The gyros in Greece were a close second though! (Mmmm...my mouth is watering just thinking about it!)

Best View - This is a tough one! I would say its a three-way tie between the Amalfi Coast, Cinque Terre and Santorini. I had so many "How lucky am I?!" moments when I was there!

#1 Place I Want To Go Back To - This would have to be the Greek Islands. I encountered some bad weather when I was there, plus I went a little too late in the season, so I would love to go back at a better time of year and explore even more of the islands. I've also heard many great things about Turkey so I definitely hope to do a Greece/Turkey trip in the near future!

**So what have I been up to since I've gotten home? Well, I have been busy sorting through my pictures these past few days...man, I took a lot of photos! I've posted some of them on Facebook already so if you would like to have a look, just click on the links below! (These are public links so even if you don't have Facebook you should still be able to view them!)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=136872&id=501456765&l=9c42868f6b

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=133874&id=501456765&l=46e118145b

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=137184&id=501456765&l=e383caa279

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=137304&id=501456765&l=36cccfbbe9

Love, Dianna

What I've Learned...

Since I've returned home the question everyone asking me is "What was your favourite place you visited?" Ugh, that is the WORST question ever because it is SO hard to answer! I loved all the places I went to for all different reasons...whether it be the people, the food, the scenery...every place was so unique and wonderful in its own way! So if you do ask me that question, be prepared for a really long answer!

This was my first backpacking trip and I definitely learned a lot when it came to what to pack and what to leave at home. I was pretty happy with my decisions besides a few small changes I would make for next time! I wish I had brought a laptop with me- probably not the one I own right now because it is pretty bulky and heavy, but one of those small Netbooks would have been great! It would have been so convenient for my blog, for uploading pictures...I'm definitely going to look into buying one if I continue to travel!

Some things I am glad I brought and would recommend to other people:
1) eyeshades - If you're staying in a dorm room people are constantly coming and going at all hours. If you don't want to be woken up by someone turning on the lights, this is a lifesaver! I would also suggest ear plugs if you need things to be dead quiet to sleep!
2) flip-flops - They are not only useful for the beach, but also for those communal showers at the hostel! I fortunately didn't encounter anything too nasty, but better safe than sorry!
3) Hand sanitizer/Kleenex - When ya gotta go, ya gotta go! But sometimes the facilities aren't always the cleanest or they're not stocked with toilet paper or soap...be prepared!
4) ziploc bags - I kept all my clothes in baggies to keep them organized and clean, as well as to make it easier for me to find stuff in my backpack! Lots of people made fun of me but I don't care! I also brought extra bags for lunches and what not.

Some things I didn't really need:
1) sleeping bag - it was suuuper tiny and didn't take up that much space, but I only used it a couple of times. Next time I would just bring a sheet instead!
2) Eurail Train Pass - it wasn't as convenient as I thought it would be! I still had to wait in line to make a reservation for most of my trains so it didn't save me any time. Also, sometimes the bus was cheaper or more convenient but I felt forced to take the train since it was already paid for. And I really don't think I saved that much money by buying the pass vs. paying separately for all my trips.

Hopefully this info helps if you are planning on taking a backpacking trip in the future! I'm still no expert, but maybe one day!

Love, Dianna

Back to Reality!

First day back in the "real world".

It had its highs- like being able to blow dry and straighten my hair, drive in my car, and wear different clothes...and its lows- like waking up to a frigid TWO degrees and having to start my "health" regime. But overall it wasn't too painful! Today was mostly a day of getting settled in (unpacking, laundry, etc) and more importantly- trying to get my pictures organized so I can show them off to everyone! (I took over 1200 pictures...this might take a while!)

Looking back on my trip (I know, its been one day and I'm already reminiscing!) I was pretty lucky. I didn't encounter any major language barriers, I didn't get (too) lost anywhere, I didn't lose my passport, I didn't get bed bugs, I didn't get mugged....or any other horror story that you hear! The only 2 things I lost were my umbrella and my camera case- both easily replaceable! I have to laugh now when people say "Oh my God, you went backpacking through Europe BY YOURSELF?!" because it was the easiest thing I have ever done in my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I met so many amazing people it rarely felt like I was "alone"...some of those people I even plan to keep in touch with in the future! I'm so glad I took the risk, went out of my comfort zone and took this trip- although looking back now, it doesn't seem so crazy after all!

Love, Dianna

Day 71: HOME!

My flight wasn't until 4:15pm so I had a few hours this morning to enjoy a little bit more of London. With the rain holding off (thank you, Mother Nature!) I took a walk down to Notting Hill. I had been there when I came to London in September but I just HAD to go back for one more cupcake at the Hummingbird Bakery. I had forgotten how AMAZING they are...it just about made me want to cancel my flight home! haha

But no, I didn't do that...I was on the plane at 4:15 as scheduled, and back in Toronto about 8 hours later. I can't believe my trip has ended...where did the time go? These last few months have been a blur- so many trains, planes, hostels, new people, amazing food, amazing scenery...how lucky am I?! I'm glad that I still feel "lucky" and haven't taken it all for granted. Not many people get to experience what I have these past 10 weeks, and its something I will never forget!

Thank you for checking out my blog and "joining" me on my journey. I hope you enjoyed my stories....and hopefully I didn't bore you too much talking about FOOD most of the time! haha I plan on continuing the blog...maybe not writing every day, but at least every once in a while to keep you up to date on what I'm up to! And who knows, I could be off on another crazy adventure before you know it!

Love, Dianna

Day 70: Last Day in London!

Why is it that the weather always turns out to be perfect right when I am leaving? It happened in Athens, and it happened today in London! After a windy and stormy day yesterday, this morning I woke up to a beautiful blue sky. Kit, Laura, Mike and myself all enjoyed a lazy Sunday morning with pastries and coffee (well, tea for me!) We then decided to head to the Marylebone Farmer's Market to pick up some food for dinner tonight. We walked there- about an hour!- but I got to see more of the city including Regeant's Park which was quite nice. After picking up our groceries we stopped by a pub for a quick drink (it seems like everything here is punctuated by a drink at a pub...love it!), and then it was back to Kit and Laura's for more lazing around- as well as prepping our meal for dinner! (Well...Kit prepped dinner, Laura prepped dessert...I watched!) We had a yummy meal of beef stew and apple crisp...delicious! It was a lovely, low-key way to spend my last day in London.

I can't believe I will be home tomorrow. I am looking forward to my own bed, shower...and not having to live out of a backpack anymore! But I am also NOT looking forward to getting back to reality and having to figure out my next step. I hate the feeling of being in limbo and not knowing where I'm going next. Hopefully I can figure it out quick so I have something new to look forward to! Once again I'm starting off on another scary, exciting venture...who knows where I'll end up next!

Love, Dianna

Day 69: Hail in Horsham and Lots More Rain in London!

I woke up this morning to the sounds of wind and rain beating against the window...not the best weather to be walking around Horsham! Oh but wait, it gets even better- some HAIL even decided to come down to add to the pleasantness of this Saturday morning. Luckily by the time Mike and I were dressed and all ready to head out, the rain and hail had stopped...for the meantime anyways! First stop: breakfast! Sticking with my theme of eating traditional British food, you can bet I ordered the traditional British breakfast- eggs, sausage, bacon, tomatoes, mushrooms, toast, beans....and black pudding AKA blood pudding. Ya, anything with the word BLOOD in it doesn't sound very appetizing, but of course I had to give it a try! It didn't smell the greatest, but it actually didn't taste that bad! It didn't taste good enough to eat the whole thing though...



After our yummy meal we walked around Horsham for a bit - a very cute town, I must say! We then caught the train back up to London (Horsham is nice, but theres not much to do there!) I didn't realize this but most of the museums and art galleries in the city are FREE, so we headed to the National Gallery for a few hours to enjoy the beautiful artwork (it was also still raining so we thought something inside would be a good idea!). With our feet getting a little tired and our brains becoming overloaded with so much art, we then headed for a pub to meet up with Kit. Getting a little peckish but not wanting to ruin our dinner of fish and chips, we ordered the Ploughman's lunch to share (haha of course it was something British!) The rain seemed to have subsided so we decided to walk around the town for a bit...eventually ending up at another art gallery- the Tate Modern. It was definitely VERY different artwork from the National Gallery but also cool to see!

It was then time for the moment we had all been waiting for- fish and chips! What, did you think I'd leave London without having some??? We went to a restaurant called "Masters Superfish"- according to Kit its the best place to get fish and chips in town! We all ordered the "Masters Special", which is kind of like the Super Sized version. Everyone was doubtful that I would be able to finish it, but I showed them! (I think my stomach has stretched from all the food I've been eating this trip!) And I must say, I have to agree with Kit- it was delicious! It wasn't your typical super greasy fish and chips that you often get places (although still very far from being healthy! haha)


Only 2 more nights in London...can't believe I will be home on Monday!!!

Love, Dianna

Day 68: Seeing the Sights of London!

I figured since I hadn't done much sightseeing in London I should really try and fit some in before I leave on Monday! The same company that runs the free walking tour I did in Dublin also does one in London (as well as a few other European cities) so I decided to join up with that this morning I got to see the sights like a true Londoner- in the RAIN!!!! Besides getting just a LITTLE wet on the tour I got to see some cool sights like Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben (FYI- the tower isn't actually named Big Ben, just the bell inside it!)


After the tour I headed back to Kit and Laura's, but I was only there for a short time. I had plans to visit Mike at his new place in Horsham (about an hour train ride from the city). Unfortunately the train I was planning on taking was cancelled so I was quite delayed in getting there- and with no phone to call Mike on, he was waiting quite a while for me! But I finally made it and we enjoyed a yummy dinner at a local gastro-pub in Horsham. Trying to get in as much authentic British food as I can I had bangers and mash for dinner along with sticky toffee pudding for dessert! Since Mike is still waiting for his stuff to be shipped over from Canada his house is still pretty empty. We ended up watching a movie on his tiny laptop, sitting on an uncomfortable box spring. Kinda ghetto, but it was nice to spend some time with the fam-jam before I gotta go back home!

Love, Dianna

Day 67: Beautiful Bath!

Up before 8am once again....what kind of vacation is this?! I headed out and made it to Bath Abbey for when it opened at 9. Although it is beautiful on the inside, I think I like the outside better! All the carvings and intricate detail was just amazing!


The Roman Baths opened at 9:30 and I was the first person to go through the door. It cost 11 pounds to get in but I must say, it was worth it! It was extremely well done with a free audio guide, plus lots of signs with information. They really made it easy for you to visualize what it looked like those many, many years ago! Unfortunately the one big main bath was drained because they were doing some renovations but I still got the gist of it!


At 10:30 I met up with a free tour of the city. There was quite a bit of history talk, but still very interesting! Bath is a beautiful town- it was nice to just get the chance to wander around the streets and see all the old buildings. Did you know that the whole TOWN of Bath is considered a World Heritage Site? Crazy!


2 hours later when the tour was over I only had a few minutes to grab some lunch and then it was off to Stonehenge. I have to admit the rumours are true- its not THAT impressive....its just a pile of rocks! But its another one of those things that I wanted to say I've seen in person!


We got back into town around 4pm and with all my sightseeing done I just wanted around my hostel until my train back to London. By 8:00 I was at Kit and Laura's for a relaxing night in. Only 4 more days til I'm home!

Love, Dianna

Day 66: Ireland to England!

I am sick of all my clothes! After wearing the same few outfits for the past 2 months I can't wait to wear something different! (who knows if anything will fit, though, after all the yummy food I've been eating!) Its even worse now that its cold out so my wardrobe is getting even MORE limited! And I ama lso sick of my hair- its the same old thing day in and day out! Oh, to get my hands on my hair dryer and flat iron again! HAHA Wow, I just realized what a GIRL I sound like!

So I finally have the chance to chat about something I have seen all over Europe. I find noticed it when I arrived in London back in September and I though it was so odd- the doorknobs are in the MIDDLE of the door! What's even weirder- they don't do anything! There is no keyhole and they don't turn...they're pretty much just there for decoration!

Well today has been a looooong day...of not really doing much besides travelling! Bus, train, plane- I did it all! Oh ya, and a whole lot of waiting, too. The train from Killarney got into Cork around 11am. I then hopped on the bus and got to the airport with about 3 HOURS to spare before my flight to Bristol! (and Cork Airport is quite small so there's not much to do there!) Once I landed it was on to another bus to get to the train station and then one last train to get to Bath. Phew!

Tomorrow is going to be another busy day- although I'll actually be doing something this time! In the morning I will explore Bath and then in the afternoon I'll head over to Stonehendge. Then in the evening its back to London!

Love, Dianna

Day 65: The Ring of Kerry!

The train ride to Killarney last night went pretty smoothly- oh wait, except for the hysterical child that screamed the WHOLE time. I gave up trying to read and put on my iPod to drown out the sound...which did't even help! I had NO idea what was wrong with this child- it was the worst temper tantrum I have ever seen! Either he was in excruciating pain or he was posessed by the devil- those are the only two logical answers! My favourite part had to be when the kid was screaming so loudly even HE was plugginh his ears! haha..well at least he knew how I was feeling too!

Once I found my hostel and settled in I went to the grocery store to pick up some food. I braced myself for expensive prices because thats ALL I've seen in Ireland so far, but I was pleasantly surprised! Usually I just find the cheapest thing and buy it but now I finally had some selection! If you thought I was exctied then, you should have seen me when I found the clearance items! For about the same price that I bought that hot chocolate in Kinsale I got a sandwich, hummus, garlic bread, crackers, chocolate, and kung pow chicken with rice! You can be sure that I'm going back tonight for more! haha

This morning I signed up for a bus tour of The Ring of Kerry. If you picture Ireland in your mind- THAT is what you see! Rolling green hills, sheep grazing in the fields, red cliffs...absolutely beautiful! We stopped in a few cute towns- including a place for lunch where I got to try Irish Stew (I'm not really sure what the Irish part entails...tasted like normal stew to me!)
We also stopped at different places along the road to take pictures- although I wish I had my own car so I could stop wherever I wanted (ah, the breaks of a single traveller!). At the end of our day we also made our way through the Killarney National Park....I kind of wish I had more time here so I could do some hikes through the park, but I'm back to England tomorrow!


Love, Dianna

Day 64: Cork, Blarney, Kinsale & Killarney!

With a busy day ahead of me, I woke up just after 7am. First stop: Blarney Castle! Its set on quite a large property with different trails to walk around, as well as the Blarney House which is quite beautiful (only open on the inside in spring, unfortunately!)...but most importantly is the Blarney Castle where on the roof (which you get to after climbing 100 steep and narrow steps) is the Blarney Stone! I just HAD to kiss it (not sure how sanitary it is, though...swine flu anyone?!) but legend has it that if you do, you will be blessed with the gift of gab (something I thought would be useful if I ever wanted a job in radio again!) But its not that easy to reach...its on the bottom of a wall that you have to lie down on your back and tilt your head all the way behind you to kiss. Kinda awkward but luckily there is a guy helping you out!





I headed back to Cork around noontime- grabbed some lunch and checked out the Old English Market. Not that impressive compared to some of the other markets I've been to in Europe, but I did get a yummy donut/eclair thingie so worth going to! haha I then made my way back to the bus station and headed to Kinsale. Y'know how was so excited yesterday that stores were open on Sunday? Well I think I found the reason why- a lot of stuff is closed on Mondays instead! It was also raining and a lttle cold so that didn't help much either! After walking around for a bit I stopped by a coffee shop to warm up. I thought that a small town like Kinsale would be a little cheaper than Cork or Dublin (both have been super expensive!) but no such luck! I paid 3.30€ fo a cup of hot chocolate...in its defense it was massive and it was homemade, so it was ALMOST worth it! haha


With not much else to do I headed back to Cork. I'm off to Killarney this evening- figured I'd write my blog a little earlier today since I had a few hours to kill before my train! One more week til I'm home! Ahh!

Love, Dianna

Day 63: Continuing on to Cork!

You might have already guessed how the pub crawl turned out- crazy, of course! One of the girls I met on the walking tour yesterday also came out so it was a great night of new friends, a few beverages (no more Guiness for me!) and some authentic Irish boys! (our tour guide was your typical Irish stereotype- short with red hair and freckles!) I had a blast- and fortunately I didn't feel too bad this morning either!

I caught the noon bus to Cork and made it into the city by 3:00. With limited sunlight to spare I didn't waste too much time in my hostel but headed out to explore the city. This was really my only chance to do so because I will be going to Blarney and Kinsale tomorrow, then I leave for Killarney in the evening! After 2 months of enduring Sundays where absolutely nothing was open, it was a pleasant surprise to see most stores were open and the streets were filled with people shopping! Unfortunately a few things were still closed like the Butter Museum (I know, SO disappointed! haha) With the sun starting to set and my feet getting tired (I've pretty much worn sandals my whole trip so my feet are still not used to my sneakers!), I headed home.


Love, Dianna

Day 62: Beer (and more!) in Dublin

Well last night didn't turn out into the crazy party it could have been...I was absolutely pooped by about 6pm so I ended up just making it an early night! 11 hours later I woke up rested and ready to explore more of Dublin!

At 11am I met up with a free tour of the city. It was quite thorough- it was 3 hours long!- but it was very well done. There was a lot of history talk (yawn!) but I also learned a lot of interesting stuff too- like how Irish people hate Bono from U2, and how back in the day church was banned so people had to go to a pub and sneak into a secret church inside (that explains why they love their pubs so much here!) I was also told a few more nicknames for the Millennium Spire- the Pointless Point, the Needless Needle, and the Erection in the Intersection!

I met a few people on the tour so after it was done we decided to go to the Guiness Storehouse. I wasn't planning on going considering I don't like beer, but I figured I was in Dublin- its just something you HAVE to do! It was quite interesting and YES I did try the Guiness! You get a free pint with the tour- I only had a half pint though...and I didn't even finish that!

I'm planning on heading on a pub crawl tonight- since I was such a party pooper yesterday! I went to the grocery store to pick up some wine to enjoy beforehand and what an unpleasant surprise I got! After 2 months of enjoying bottles of wine for 1 or 2 euros, the cheapest I could find here was 5.50! Ridiculous! Hopefully Cork tomorrow will be a little cheaper!

Love, Dianna

Day 61: Dublin!

Another day, another country! After finding my way through Heathrow Airport (man, that place is big!) I made it to my gate and on the plane with no problems. It seemed as though we had barely got in the air and we were already making our descent into Ireland! I arrived in Dublin to some wonderful rain- what else! and a balmy 11 degrees.

By the time I got settled into my hostel the rain had stopped- although it was still cold out! With the sun going down so early I only had a bit of time to explore. I passed by Trinity College, walked down Grafton Street (a pedestrian only shopping street)...and I also saw some famous statues and monuments. The Irish have a thing for nicknaming many of them including the statue of Molly Malone which they like to call "the tart with the cart".

There's a sculpture/fountain of some trumpeters that says "you're a nation again" but they like to say "urination again" instead!

And then there's Dublin's newest monument- The Millennium Spire- that stands 120m high right in the middle of a busy street. Many people call it "the Spike" or also popular is "the stiletto in the ghetto".

On my way back to my hostel I passed through Temple Bar- the name might have given it away but its the main bar district of the city! My hostel is right in that neighbourhood so who knows what could happen tonight!

Although I haven't seen to much yet, I am enjoying Dublin so far! Seems a little pricey (I ended up just buying some groceries tonight which still seemed expensive!)- and I've also noticed a large number of Burger Kings and Subways- worse than home!

Love, Dianna