Mar 2006

So I went to Pompei a few days ago, and my clothes got really dirty. My hostel has a washing machiene so I handed over my dirty clothes over to one of the people that works there and she washed them. I was not aware that they don't have a drier there. So I hanged my wet clothes out on the balcony. That was yesterday morning. With the 2 solid days of rain, needless to say, my clothes were still wet. My other clothes are dirty simply because I haven't had a chance to wash them since leaving Canada. So I'm sitting at a laundry mat in Naples only wearing the Canadian Olympic team t-shirt my mother gave me before I left and a towel.

This reminds me of the time when Christella and I had to dry all of our clothes at the Laundry Lounge after we waited in line all night for a Hanson concert outside the Docs. It rained and hailed all night and we only had the clothes on our backs. So we took of as much as we could without getting arrested and stuck 'um in. Is there anything those guys won't make me resort to?

Other than that, I'm doing just dandy. I wish it would stop raining though. Then I might actually be able to enjoy my time here. I spent the last two nights watching movies back at the hostel. The hostel that I'm staying at rocks. The people that run it are all really nice and helpful. I'm considered the 'good Cananadian' there. The guy that runs it asked a girl from B.C. about the 2010 winter games and the Vancouver mayor. She had no idea what he was talking about. So he called her a 'bad Canadian'. He thinks that I'm a good Canadian because I knew about the 2010 games and Vancouver's quadripalegic (I don't know how to spell it)mayor.

Until next time.

-Ashley

Hey everyone, I'm in Italy. It was chaos getting here. I had to take two trains to get to Patra, to get the Ferry. Then I had a 16 hour ferry ride(I had my own cabin, so it wasn't so bad). Then I had to take 3 trains to get from Bari to Naples. When I got off the ferry in Bari, it was hailing really bad. But when I arrived in Naples, it wasn't so bad. I hated my hostel in Naples, so I changed it to another one. Its called 'Hostel of the Sun'. Its pretty nice.

I went to Pompei today. It is the ruins of the anciet city after a volcanic eruption some 2000 years ago.

I'm pretty exausted. I went there with two Austrailian guys and two American guys. The Americans were sooooo annoying. They kept telling me to visit upstate New York. No thanks. Tomarrow, I'll probably go to one of the Catacombs that they have here.

Ciao!

-Ashley

So I was supposed to leave for Italy today. But that was before I ever knew about 'Carnival!'. Its pretty much the Greek Mardi Gras. So when I tried to get a ticket to Patras (where the ferry docks are), they were sold out because everyone in Athens was heading there. There apparently is a bigger one out in Patras. I had know idea. There were people walking around town in costumes earlier that day, but I assumed it was the Greek Holloween or something.

Anyway, I'll be sad to leave Athens. I really like it here. The weather has been AWESOME! The people are wonderful. And they have really cheap knockoff merchandise here. I bought 2 pairs of sunglasses for 10 euros! One was "Chanel" and the other was "Gucci". Thats cheaper than the regular sunglasses I usually get a Shoppers Drug Mart.

Today, I climbed another big ass mountain. This one had some sort of monestary on top of it. When you get to the top, you can see all of Athens. I'll post pictures some other time. I'm running out of time.

Until next time!

-Ashley

Hey everyone. Still on my crazy journey through the unknown. I haven't been eating much of the local cousine lately. I've been trying to spend my cash on sights and souvenirs instead. But since tonight is my last night here, I'm going all out at the restaurant nextdoor to my hostel. Souvlaki, Baklava, Ouzo, The works! And to answer my dear aunt's question; yes I do miss all of you guys back home.

See you in Italy!

-Ashley

I'm still in Greece. The weather here is beautiful. But its kind of odd. Most of the locals are wearing winter jackets and I'm in a tanktop. I saw the Parthanon yesterday. Its quite a sight to see. When you're at the top of the Acropolis, you can see out to the ocean. I'm kind of glad that my mother didn't end coming with me to Greece. It is VERY easy to get lost here. A compass is a must. Earlier I said that the middle east is not the place to go to when you are trying to quit smoking. Well, Greece should be avoided if you are a prude or a recovering sex addict. The ancient Greeks were quite inventive when it comes to sexual practices. I bought a calender and a pack of playing cards with various positions that they used. And they are EVERYWHERE.

Before that, I was in Egypt. Not a fan of Cairo, I must say. I've never seen poverty as bad as I have recently seen in Cairo. I spent my second day sitting by the pool at my hotel. Here I am infront of the Sphinx. I'm not that photogenic.

Cairo is encredibly bad when it comes to driving. Worse than Montreal and New York City combined. On my way to the airport to leave Cairo, the driver GOT OUT OF THE CAR in the middle of traffic to talk to someone. He just parked it in traffic with cars coming from all angles. I didn't tip him.

Bye!

-Ashley Churchill