At last I come up for air, gasping, still gasping...in big gulps...
surpsingly not much has changed in the last month and half...
Unfortunately my writing abilities have failed miserably in the last two and half weeks of our trip, simply there were no words, energy or desire to attempt or bother adequately describing the experience. Since Paolkastriska (another ship ride), I have been through Italy (endless kilometers of tracks), the South of France (namely Nice, VilleFranche, Eze, Monaco, Marseille, Lyon) after which I returned to Paris to fast the longest one-day fast I've ever done in my life (i had to start on the 5:15 am train and ended it 11:45 pm Parisian time) traveled to London (by yet another train), went back to Dublin (by plane), took a 3 hour train ride to Galway (they have cereal!)followed by a two hour bus ride in the most beautiful country I've ever seen (Western Ireland)to a little Gaellic village called Clifden (my future summer locale), from where we hitch hiked to Cleggan to go horse back riding (along the cliffs and beaches) and took it all back to Dublin for one last night of Guinness and fun (and left while it was freezing, pouring 15 degrees outside).... (apologizing for the profoundly horrid run-on).
Needless to say when I retuned to the States (after three stop overs and no on-board entertainment) to my cheering family and friends I was thrilled to go to Parksville for a little brain-quieting... I will stay here, alone (with ice cream, books, coffee and Crispex), for the week and finally attempt to put everything properly to paper (I've kept a log but it needs a bit of polish), still and organize the many sounds, colours, tastes and impressions floating in my cerebellum.
While some people believe I enjoyed every aspect of this trip to the umpteenth degree, to the point that I sounded unrealistic (i belive the term was 'gushing Kate Holmes'), I can only say that this trip, amazing as it was, was extremely challenging, not so much physically (although running with a 35 pound back pack to make a train/bus/plane does make you a tad sore and eating avocados, tomatoes, Coke Cola Lite, grits and peaches tends to have interesting gastrointestinal ramifications) but mentally...then the 'stress'(or form of) is balanced by unbelievable high in the overt assertion of one's independence, once you're home, taking a shower that's actually relatively hot, for longer that 45 seconds, with shampoo AND conditioner, your body and mind suddenly feel the strain of six weeks of excessive movement. It was a brilliant trip, a wonderful experience, an amazing challenge... Ladies and Gents i am officially ready for Survivor.
Now, in my nice long week ahead of chicken raising, bike riding, lake dwelling, swimming, pretty much the full exploitation of summer...all the best- and shavuah tov... rest, peace, and a beautiful summer week to all.

Palokastritsa: Paradise

Yassoo friends.
How can one describe complete paradise, worse...how can one ever leave it? Having rented our little beach house (complete with electric stove) Rose and I have finally reached the full expression of our holiday. It's quiet here, so quiet that I finally realize how much I've missed solitude. No more hissing busses, honking cars and English speakers...from my deck I hear the Sea, listen to the gentle rise and fall of the tide. Not a single distraction to disturb the calm, not a car, radio or watch...it's crystal here, from the water to the sky, it's all so unadulterated by civilization, I rejoice having not seen a single McDonalds. Having a fully supplied cucina, we have decided to cook something for Shabbat. Making it my personal mission to find us a cooking utensil and kosher food products, I hiked to town (which consists of three shopes and a cafe) and ended logging on at my neighbor, Vassilias' internet. Having consulted AskMoses.com on the exact stipulations with koshering an electric stove, I decided to locate a pot. No pots and pans in this entire strip of island. In the end I walked 17 kilometers to Goovia where I found a store with a pot/knives/1 fork/1 spoon to buy...of course they didn't take credit card. With 7 Euro I got my food stuffs hiked back (got one motorbike ride and a few hitches {in Greece people are wonderfully nice}) and got back in time to cook some lentil/Barilla pasta soup. Yummy. Still trying to find out if Heinz products from the UK are Kosher....
Shabbat was quiet, we read and read until our eyes closed. Finishing up our last back of Waswas, cuz Rose cooked eggs (I am actually eating them...) and I needed to choke them down somehow. Tomatoes, onions and lemons (we pick them fresh) here are quite the bomb (better than Italy) and we pick peaches from our fruit tree, cut them up, and stick them in our freezer, suck on them all day at the beach (where there's about 10 people). Our neigbor/landlord Vasilias (he's the funkiest 60 year old i've ever met) and his brother Kostos, are letting us use their internet, play with their cats, and use their motorbikes... we're the first Jews they've ever met (they were both born/lived up the hill, total locals) Rose is currently explaining to them why we are such crazy vegetarians...
Life here is glorious.... hmm... will i ever leave??
Si Abo
the Greek equivalent of ti amo (the second Greek wordI know.)
india

Greco Land

I must say that after all the places Rose and I have seen, Greece is by far the nicest. We are staying here for just over a week, and have rented a little cottage at the beach. We have been staying for the past three days at a youth beach/resort/hostel in Agios Gordis and have decided to rent a lovely little place in a much quiter, nicer, un-touristed area called Pateokastritsa. We found it when we took our rented motorbikes up the mountains, beaches and all around the island. One day when i have 80,000 spare USD (which is the going rate apparently) i am going to buy a place here.. everywhere you turn is blue, green, and torqouise water, hills and lush green mountians. On our bikes we saw animals and wildlife, and incredible foliage. The people here even let us eat grapes, lemons and peaches from their fruit trees!! I am so glad we decided to come here. People here are very nice depite no one speaking a single word in English. Yesterday we had a mini celebration as we found Kellog's Corn Flakes and Green Giant string beans in the agora or market we are trying to find out if the Heinz products from UK are kosher. The best thing they sell here is corn on the cob roasted on an open pit with salt...and of course the ever-present reliable Coca-Cola Lite. Currently i am so sunburned i look like an enchilada, although this will probably turn to a deep chocolate by tomorrow. In case you are wondering about my partner, Rose is mochachino on our coffee-tanning scale. So with our trusty mopeds, quiet unpopulated beach island, and cheap English books, Rose and I have finally hit the vacation part of our trip. We are having the time of our lives.... Air Canada extension highly expected. Shabbat Shalom to all. Be happy. Be well. Be safe.

Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Ferrara, Firenze, Venice, Brindisi, Korfu

I am playing beat the clock as i have 7 minutes left on my internet time. Its been awesome, crazy, exhausting and wonderful. In a nut shell,Vienna was alright, the best part was the incredible hostel we stayed in, language makes you shiver a bit, and the palaces, opera houses, and MOZART!! is unbelievable...but not one of my faves...eventho they have a delicious homemade bakery...
Prague was nice always, third time there being a charm. It rained a bit so we went to see on of those infamous black light shadow shows..it was more funny then good...running tights tend to make me giggle.
In Ferrare money belt got stolen so went to get a new passport in Florence...proud to be an american...guess anon, things happen.
Shabbos in Venice was really beautiful. We got there half hour to Shabbos and met my couginas!! surprise and nice treat. Sat. night missed the train hanged out for gimmel tammuz and went to burano. left to brindisi and am now waiting for ferry overnight to greece.
am having an amazing time
feel bad cant write mre
will have to publish journal, its been getting mor nuts an crazy.
hope everyon is havin the summmer of a lifetime.
i love summer.
i think i amgong to follow the season around for the rest of the year.
ti amo.
hin

Kobenhaven. the land of the Danish

Family do not panic, Rose and I will call on Monday from Prague, phone cards to America in Danmark were wayy too expensive. Believe it or not we managed to be in Kobenhaven in time for the annual jazz festival and Roskilde. Uncannily weird but fun.
Shabbat was nice. This was a great place to spend the weekend as its quiet, clean, safe (no one locks their bikes up) chilled place to be. Itøs a walking city, so Rose and I spent our day walking around in circles. We were invited out Friday night for a Shabbat meal, and Shabbat day ate our revolting bought Houmous (gross. gross.) matzah and packaged frozen deli meat (i am vomitting by now) today. as a result we are only eating kommkommers, or cucumbers.
The danish language makes me think of herring pastries, every time i hear the word ødanishø i begin to salivate and picture chocolate pastries with white sugar... the words sounds so slavic thoø so i am stuck with an image of herring in there too...
we are off to the countryside as the city makes us antsy after a while, heading in the evenutal direction of Praha, one of my favorite cities ever. We went to this place called Christania, its a throwback to the hippie era, literally the place has a burnt statue of Liberty adn police there 24 hours monitoring drug etc. presence...actually it reminded me of Purim at the Moshav.
Got to go run and catch our train to Koge (pronounced Kolchahhacg) or Helisnore (the Hamlet castle from Shakespeare is from there) and go see a Danish fishing village....ugh. pastries and herring again....
more later. i miss you all. have fun in Parksville (if you are there) eat something for me.