Post-Thanksgiving Post

I have been neglecting this blog...as a couple of you have gently pointed out to me. So, I am going to try and redouble my efforts to post more often.

We were in Paris for Thanksgiving. "We" refering to Mandy, Mandy's sister (Bridget), and me. Thanksgiving plans were in the works the moment we set foot in Paris. The first plan was sushi... but that was scrapped when we gave in to our craving a day before Thanksgiving.

It was a great decision on our part.

From our previous dining experiences, we pretty much knew that getting a typical Thanksgiving meal was going to be impossible. The French have not yet embraced any of the typical thanksgiving foodstuffs... which makes me doubt thier international culinary claims.

We ate at Ambassade d'Auvergne and I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to eat food in Paris. It was DELICIOUS. Despite a slight language barrier, our waiter was so helpful and polite and generally AMAZING.

I got jugged venison. You might ask, "Jenny, what is jugged venison?" Answer: I am still not quite sure. I only know that it was delicious. It came to the table in a small pot and it tastes as if it was cooked in crock pot with mushrooms and onions and other vairous deliciousness. At one point I am pretty sure I ate marbled fat. It was heaven. I ate the WHOLE THING. Upon seeing this, our waiter just gave an approving nod.

I got the chocolate mousse for dessert. Apparently our waiter loved us... because he brought the whole mixing bowl to our table and just let us have at it.

After a few experiences with less than satisfactory proportions-- this was like a Christmas miricle.

In Conclusion: When you can't have a "proper" Thanksgiving feast, stuffing yourself to the gills is enough to simulate that post-Thanksgiving feel.

I felt like I was going to explode at my chest.

It was awesome.

Let me blow your MIND

I told my mom that we were going to rent motorbikes and putter about on Santorini and I got this in response:

Jennifer Ruth Chalikian,
BE SURE YOU RENT BIKE HELMETS FOR YOUR EXCURSION TOMORROW NO MATTER HOW EXPENSIVE THEY MAY BE!!!!!!!
Love,
Your Mother

I haven't been addressed by my full name in a while :) No worries, though, because we both wore helmets the entire time. We didn't actually get motorbikes because you need a motorcycle licence even for vespas/scooters. We did, however, get some sweet ATVs... which might have been better. They re tough/sturdy little things.



Anyway-- if you can, rent a bike or an ATV if you go to Santorini. They have buses but a) they run every two hours and b) they aren't a bike or an ATV. It really was the best way to travel the island. Around the island- there seem to be two different roads: one along the coast and one up further along the cliffs. Both are gorgeous and we got to meander through the island. There are a thousand different things to see and EVERYTHING is gorgeous on Santorini. We got to see the sunset by the bay and it was amazing.

It cost 10 Euro to rent one for the whole day and probably about 4 Euro to fill up the tank. After Mandy stopped driving like a grandma-- it was great! :)

We took a ferry from Athens to Santorini. After boarding the ferry, we were directed to what looked like an auditorium. We slept on the floor. We looked like homeless vagrants-- but no regrets!

Right now we are in Santorini during the low season (right now-- all of Europe is in their "low season"). The plus side is that hostels and villas basically cut their prices in half. We are staying in a villa for 15 Euro each. A lot more of the restaurants are closed-- but there is enough open that you can still have your choice of where to eat. I highly recommend traveling during low season.

The weather is PERFECT. We have to put on a sweater after the sun sets-- but otherwise, it is IDEAL. The weather report occasionally flashes in the background when we are getting ready and the weather in mainland Europe looks abysmal. After leaving Greece we are basically going to cry bitter tears upon being thrust back into the cold.

TOMORROW WE ARE RENTING MOTORBIKES! THere are black and red sand beaches at the south of the island and Oia is at the north. Santorini has buses but the bus scheduel seems too erratic for our ambitious scheduel.

Also-- I think it would be awesome to ride a scooter for a day.

Dracula: Master Decorator

As I said earlier, Brasov was our base so we could take day trips to Bran and other surrounding cities in order to see all things Dracula-related.

It was about a forty minute bus ride to Bran where Bran Castle (also known as Dracula's castle) is located.



This is probably the spookiest part of Bran Castle (and I'm pretty sure it's only because of the creepy branches in the shot). The inside is pretty austere with white walls and a plain, though wildly creeky, wood panel floor. For being Dracula's Castle-- its almost dissapointingly adorable.



In reality-- most guidebooks (and most Romanians) freely admit that Bran Castle has very little historical ties to Vlad Dracul (the real life guy who was the inspiration for the fictional character). Some even question whether Vlad was even ever at the castle. Nonetheless-- its called Dracula's Castle... even though it is not really his castle. In short: Romanians are marketing geniuses.

Photo of the Day: St. Stephens Basillica in Budapest

Climb every mountain? CHECK. Next up: fording every sea

Right now we are in Sofia, Bulgaria. Didn't quite think we would ever travel to Bulgaria but here we are. The way the train system is set up, you have to pass through Sofia in order to get to Greece and we both felt it would be easier to break up the trip. 10 hours sitting on a train is much more palatable than 17 hours on a train.

We just came from Bucharest which has earned the dubious title of worst city I've ever been in. When you aren't trying to avoid roaming packs of wild dogs-- you can probably watch someone around you have a mental breakdown. Bucharest is in rich supply of crazy. Plus I got food poisoning there. Urgh.

Romania itself wasn't a total loss. The first city we stayed in was Brasov. It was to be our base in our hunt for Dracula. Before we went to Bran (which is where Bran/ Dracula's castle is) we walked around Brasov-- which is adorable.



We ate at "Casa Romanesca" which would come to be a daily haunt due to my ADDICTION to thier schnitzel. Plus the waiters would teach us Romanian words and offer me shots that tasted like poison (but apparently aid with digestion).

The HIGHLIGHT of Brasov, however, was the tiny fact that Mandy and I CLIMBED A FRIGGIN MOUNTAIN. BAM! In Brasov, they have a "Hollywood"-type sign that overlooks the city.



We took the "Serpentine Trail" and it was really nice. When we got to the top we could see all around Brasov-- which is beautiful. Romania has some beautiful countryside and plus all the leaves are changing. PLUS we can now brag that we climbed a mountain. I'm putting that on my resume.



The ONLY downside was that apparently in Romania-- the sun doesn't set so much as it just suddenly ceases to exist. Romania has the fastest sunsets ever. Neadless to say, we descended the mountain in virtual darkness. Luckily I brought a flashlight (and luckily Mandy has freakish cat eyes that can see in the dark...cos she was about 500 feet in front of me). Anyway-- did I mention we climbed a mountain?