Granada

1. Granada is BEAUTIFUL. i made a good choice.

2. Night trains are not as bad as everyone says. I had a CRAZY old lady in my compartment that was afraid of the train and was having an anxiety attack and everything, but even with all that, it wasn't bad. I slept well, and didn't hyperventilate from a lack of space or anything.

3. I forgot to write about all the things I don't have pictures of! (a) Munch Museum in Oslo, super fantastic, except for the crazy security. (b) Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Insanely amazing, but the chapel was packed like nothing I have ever seen, which was not pleasant. (c) Picasso Museum in Barcelona...wow! (d) Joan Miro Museum in Barcelona...bigger wow! I love art.

4. I get to meet my family tomorrow! Woot.

Here's The Deal

I got my photos to load on Derek's computer, but his internet is super finicky, so it wasn't letting me upload a bunch of pictures. I got it to work uploading one at a time, so there are a bunch now, from the verrrry beginning of my trip, up thru today. (excluding Rome of course). Enjoy!

Joan Miro Park, Barcelona.

Barcelona, just a pretty wall.

Nice, France

San Gimignano, Tuscany.

Florence Church Made With Pink & Green Marble.

Viegelandsparken, Oslo.

Trondheim.

Trondheim.

Vinjerock.

Hoddevik (we tried to surf here, but as you can see, no waves)

Made a Snowman While Getting a Tan...

Preikestolen

Norway Campsite, Night One

Finally!

There you have it. Rome from a disposable camera. Please don't ask how much it cost me to take and develop a whole 27 exposures, because I might cry. But I'm glad the people at the Vatican were truthful, and that their xray machines really were film safe. And I'm glad I successfully conveyed to a little old French man that I wanted prints AND a CD (and it actually got done in a hour). I can't see the photos as I type, but I think they are of: Palatine Hill/Roman Forum, Colosseum, Pantheon, Sacred Area of Argentina (with a little black kitty), Castel d'Angelo. And once I get to Granada, I'll see about getting either all my digital photos on CD, so I can post them that way, or, even better, get my hands on a Mac, so I can just do it the easy way!

love.jess.

Nice

I'm in Nice...I like France better than I like Italy, I think. Everyone here just sits on the beach all day, but It's not really my idea of beach, so I've just been wandering.

The computers at this hostel are awful though, so this is going to be a bit short.

I leave for Barcelona in the Morning (Tuesday) and will be there for 3 days, and then off to Granada for 2 nights in a hostel before I go to my homestay.

Today, I'm going to try really hard to get my disposable camera photos developed and put on a CD, so maybe, just maybe, I can get them loaded onto this computer.

love love love.
jess

EDIT

I went wandering and found a Canon store.
So my camera has a new battery! (but not a charger, so i have to make this one last until i get to Granada).

AND I ate funfetti gelato!
well, it wasn't called funfetti.
but it looked and tasted like it.
YUM.

Firenze

Hello all,

Sorry it's been so long...again. I was in Rome for WAY too long, and by the end was bored out of my brains...so there was not much for me to blog about. Nina did not end up mailing my camera battery, so I still have no camera. I think she is planning on sending it to my homestay in Granada...so I'll have it then.

Let's see...I'm in Florence now, and will be here tomorrow too. After that, I'll spend Saturday and Sunday in Nice (South of France). And then...Monday & Tuesday I'm not sure. I'll be in Barcelona Wednesday-Friday staying with my new NC friend (nc meaning north monterey county high school, if you are confused) Derek...who has been my HERO in letting me stay with him for a few days while he is there studying. And then to Granada to meet my host family! I'm pretty excited to get to Granada...not only because I am DYING to improve my Spanish...but also because it's already paid for AND I'll get to stay in one spot and stop carrying that horrible backpack around.

I have to PAY for my internet here, but not in Nice, so I will update on Florence when I get to France.

I hope everyone is well.

LOVEjess

ROMA II

So this isn't my picture, as I haven't been able to procure a new battery. However, mine should be arriving any day now (cross your fingers with me). And I stole this one from the computer at the hostel (shhh).

I've met some fabulous people here, and I've been enjoying the city. I mostly wander and have been into about a million churches (i love churches!) which are free (yay!) and you can't take pictures in most of them, so I'm not so sad about my camera. I bought a disposable, and am rationing my 27 exposures very carefully. I'm saving the big sights for next week, when I hopefully have a functioning camera again. Rome is a bit overwhelming...the art and the architecture and the history is everywhere...it's a lot to take in.

I am being eaten alive by mosquitoes, which is not pleasant. This hostel has no AC, so the windows are open 24/7 and the mosquitoes like to attack people in their sleep. I've got 10 bites now...and about as many scars from the mosquitoes in Norway. Ick.

I'm seriously considering taking a HUGE detour to Paris for 4 days. I've emailed my friend there in hopes that he'll be home and offer his couch. We shall see.

And now, off to find postcard stamps, bug spray, and dinner.
Love to all.
Ciao.
Jess.

ROMA

okay okay, i'm sorry! it's been a whole week!

well, i'm alive...i'm in rome...it's beautiful here.

AND...i left my camera battery plugged into the wall charging...in NORWAY!
so, i've failed terribly at this whole photo-blog thing.
but Nina is mailing it to me....to arrive within the week i hope.
and until then...? maybe i can find somewhere to buy a new battery.

bummer #2 is that the vatican is closed for a holiday for the next 2 days...so i think i'll be wandering the streets for a bit...eating way too much gelato. and maybe camera-battery-shopping.

good grief.

love to all.
jess

So there you have it. I'm going to have to re-evaluate my strategy for posting pictures, because my photos don't want to show up on the computers I've tried to use. So these are Nina's pictures...until I get my act together.

In Hønefoss now, at Nina's house. Going to hang out here for a few days, relax, do some laundry...and then to Oslo for my last few days. :)

love love love.

Civilization

Today we hung out in Trondheim...my first city since arriving!
Nina and her friend Rikke shopped like crazies, and since the value of the dollar sucks, especially here, I watched.

We are not going to be going to Lofoten. It looked like the weather would be nice, but it would have meant 15+ hours of driving to get there today, 3 days there, and 2 full days of driving to get back to Nina's house in Hønefoss.

I'm still trying to figure out how the heck to get my pictures loaded onto this computer...so bear with me.

Love to all.

Well...

apparently i'm completely useless without my mac, because i cant seem to get my pictures to show up in this computer. i PROMISE some before i leave norway next week. i'll definitely be able to use nina's computer to upload some.

we've been on the road since i got here...drove up the west coast thru the fjords...which are absolutely unbelievable. it's amazing. we've had record heat for norway...and only got rain 2 days ago. i love sunshine!

we went to vinjerock thursday-today(sunday), a music festival in the mountians, at a national park. the best of scandinavian rock, outdoors, for 4 days. not bad. we camped right there, and could hear the music from our tent, even when it was raining.

we're debating a long 15 hr drive tomorrow to the lofoten islands in northern norway, but we're pretty exhausted, so we'll see.

happy belated birthday to big brother ian!

i'm having a fabulous time, and am thinking of you all. :)

eric padilla: seriously, do not visit norway unless you plan on staying forever, i know you will. hope the birthday pickles and beer were fantastic.