Today, another day trip with a guided tour in a small bus and another 10 people. Guiding in Spanish, I try to understand what I can (it's getting better)..
Driving over the first chain of the Andes, after that and before the second and main mountain chain, it's relatively flat. Stop in Upsallata.
Beautiful mountains. Beautiful views. View on the highest mountain in America and second highest chain/peak after Mt. Everest: Aconcagua.
Penitentes. A skiing resort. How nice to walk in snow, enjoy the sun, breathe good cold air, watch people slide down the hill with sledges!
Puenta del Inca. The Incas spent some time here and already discovered this natural phenomenon; a bridge over a well of thermal water. Area later discovered (exploited) for a hotel, now it's just looking.
2014.07.18 - Cacheuta
Our first organised trip: Cacheuta. A touristy place in the Andes: first a hike through the rocks and the valley, with three times abseiling (12, 7 and 40 m- that's new and fun!), then two hours in the thermal baths Termas Cacheuta. Nice mountains, those Andes! .. Pictures will follow!
2014.02.12 - to Mendoza
Nope, the flight did not have entertainment. But it was calm, the food was quite ok, and it felt shorter than 13 hours. I think the times where I think long distance flights are cool or thrilling are over.
Welcome to Santiago de Chile! From 9 am to 2 pm, it should have been, but the flight to Mendoza was delayed, so I left at 4 pm.
Boarding begins, soon I will see my sweetie. And then there is the FIFA final tomorrow ...
Welcome to Santiago de Chile! From 9 am to 2 pm, it should have been, but the flight to Mendoza was delayed, so I left at 4 pm.
Boarding begins, soon I will see my sweetie. And then there is the FIFA final tomorrow ...
2014.07.11 - Layover in Madrid
Hola! Just home from from 10 months abroad, and away again? Yes. I haven't seen my sweetie for 2.5 weeks, so it's time to visit her in Argentina. (long distance relationship after that...)
Anyway! 15 hours layover between my flights Vienna-Madrid and Madrid-Santiago de Chile-Mendoza. 15 hours to explore Madrid. Spain. I should learn the language anyway.
Subway to Nuevos Ministerios, Plaza de la Republica Argentina (because there's Argie in the name), walking further down the Paseo de la Castellana, deciding not to stand in line several hours to get into Prado museum, Parque del buen retiro, streets around La Latina (pretty!), lunch, Plaza Mayor, Catedral de la Almudena & Palacio Real (big), the whole Gran Via, (then I found an Apple
Shop - Wifi! Finally!), then I spent approximately 1 hour to find a supermarket. Then I finally found a really small carrefour express- I wanted to buy bread and such things, proper food for the evening and the next day. But the shop just had chips and stuff like that. So, my diet for the next 30 hours: the fruits I had bought before and unhealthy stomach fillers.
One quick stop at the cool park two stations away from the airport.
Madrid seems to be a really nice city! Really cosy. I am probably hard to be impressed with big churches and buildings (standards from Vienna). Would be worth to come here for a more detailed tour. That time I'll book the Prado beforehand to skip the queue.
At the airport, I was 2.5 hours too early, but as it turns out: I need the time, it's alone 30ish minutes to get from terminal T4 to "T4 satellite" - by an own internal train. Now time to charge my devices .. Nope, not even enough time for that.
23.20: I was the third in line for boarding but I wasn't allowed because I'm in the wrong group. Whatever. I am tired and just had nose bleeding for almost 40 minutes. I hope I can sleep in the plane... Or watch some good movies, something chill.
Anyway! 15 hours layover between my flights Vienna-Madrid and Madrid-Santiago de Chile-Mendoza. 15 hours to explore Madrid. Spain. I should learn the language anyway.
Subway to Nuevos Ministerios, Plaza de la Republica Argentina (because there's Argie in the name), walking further down the Paseo de la Castellana, deciding not to stand in line several hours to get into Prado museum, Parque del buen retiro, streets around La Latina (pretty!), lunch, Plaza Mayor, Catedral de la Almudena & Palacio Real (big), the whole Gran Via, (then I found an Apple
Shop - Wifi! Finally!), then I spent approximately 1 hour to find a supermarket. Then I finally found a really small carrefour express- I wanted to buy bread and such things, proper food for the evening and the next day. But the shop just had chips and stuff like that. So, my diet for the next 30 hours: the fruits I had bought before and unhealthy stomach fillers.
One quick stop at the cool park two stations away from the airport.
Madrid seems to be a really nice city! Really cosy. I am probably hard to be impressed with big churches and buildings (standards from Vienna). Would be worth to come here for a more detailed tour. That time I'll book the Prado beforehand to skip the queue.
At the airport, I was 2.5 hours too early, but as it turns out: I need the time, it's alone 30ish minutes to get from terminal T4 to "T4 satellite" - by an own internal train. Now time to charge my devices .. Nope, not even enough time for that.
23.20: I was the third in line for boarding but I wasn't allowed because I'm in the wrong group. Whatever. I am tired and just had nose bleeding for almost 40 minutes. I hope I can sleep in the plane... Or watch some good movies, something chill.
2014.06.20 - Stavanger
This was the last trip in Norway, who knows for how long.
Coming home from Longyear, I had one day of break for unpacking, washing clothes, getting Uni things in order. The next day (06-20), we flew to Stavanger and actually walked from the airport to the city, which took us 3 or 4 hours, also because we made breaks and took pictures of the nice landscape. In the afternoon, our couch surfing host picked us up from the city centre and took us to his amazing flat, a 30 min walk away from from the city centre.
On 06-21, we explored the city, visited the oil museum.
On 06-22, we went to Preikestolen, maybe one of the most famous touristy sites in Norway. And as it was a Sunday, there was an awful amount of tourists everywhere. Nevertheless it was great view up there - the last time I was here, we saw the fjord for 5 min, after 1h25min of waiting for the clouds to go away.
On 06-23, we intended to go to Kjerag, but ended up not going for different reasons. There has to be something new for the next visit.
On 06-24, we took the train home.
Home to Oslo.
Oslo, home for one more night.
Then it's going to Austria....
My two semesters in Oslo are over now.
Coming home from Longyear, I had one day of break for unpacking, washing clothes, getting Uni things in order. The next day (06-20), we flew to Stavanger and actually walked from the airport to the city, which took us 3 or 4 hours, also because we made breaks and took pictures of the nice landscape. In the afternoon, our couch surfing host picked us up from the city centre and took us to his amazing flat, a 30 min walk away from from the city centre.
On 06-21, we explored the city, visited the oil museum.
On 06-22, we went to Preikestolen, maybe one of the most famous touristy sites in Norway. And as it was a Sunday, there was an awful amount of tourists everywhere. Nevertheless it was great view up there - the last time I was here, we saw the fjord for 5 min, after 1h25min of waiting for the clouds to go away.
On 06-23, we intended to go to Kjerag, but ended up not going for different reasons. There has to be something new for the next visit.
On 06-24, we took the train home.
Home to Oslo.
Oslo, home for one more night.
Then it's going to Austria....
My two semesters in Oslo are over now.
2014.06.17 - a glacial walk
At 9.30, we were picked up by our guide - it was just the two of us and the guide, a girl from Canada. We walked up the hill, another cosy Sunday walk up, next to the glacier right next to the city. On the way, we almost stepped onto a female Ptarmigan, we just saw her head sticking out of the snow. On the top we shared snacks and made ice cream (fresh snow with cranberry syrup). We built a snowman, snow angels, and found fossils, and had beautiful weather (snow fall and no wind at all).
At 15.30, we arrived home and had a two course meal before we celebrated our last evening in Longyearcity with a cider.
At 15.30, we arrived home and had a two course meal before we celebrated our last evening in Longyearcity with a cider.
2014.06.16 - Easy day
Today, we did not have booked a tour. But after yesterday's walks, that's just right. So we got more time to look for the arctic fox (we didn't see it a second time) and visit the museum, look around in the rest of the city and write post cards. After checking out the menu at at Mary-Ann's Polarrygg where they serve all kinds of meat that is locally available for mainland prices we went to the "Russian" restaurant and had some delicious burgers. In the "evening" we met a phd student from unis for a chat and a drink. So we are connecting to the locals and we start being recognised by people on the street ;) so after 4 days you are almost a local here.
Situations of the day:
Religion wars are like adults fighting about who has the cooler imaginary friend
Jesus was the first reported zombie
You should only eat zombie steak well done, otherwise it could jump up and try to eat your face
We know why it is forbidden to burry people in Svalbard.... Point a: you can't burry then deep enough so the can return to easily out of they graves if they become a zombie. Point b: if they would be a vampire they would have two whole months where they can walk around without being stopped by sunlight.
In reality people here do not carry their rifles around all the time because of polar bears. It is because of the zombies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Situations of the day:
Religion wars are like adults fighting about who has the cooler imaginary friend
Jesus was the first reported zombie
You should only eat zombie steak well done, otherwise it could jump up and try to eat your face
We know why it is forbidden to burry people in Svalbard.... Point a: you can't burry then deep enough so the can return to easily out of they graves if they become a zombie. Point b: if they would be a vampire they would have two whole months where they can walk around without being stopped by sunlight.
In reality people here do not carry their rifles around all the time because of polar bears. It is because of the zombies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)