Peat, bathhouses, hairy cows and new friends in Europe

My return to Europe was a personal trip. 
Most of them are for some reason. I just need to get away and there I am... in Europe.  There were some interesting moments though. London reminded me terribly of Toronto, so I got on the first plane out of there and landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. What an immensely wonderful surprise Scotland was. Traveled around the northern Highlands for a while. It was spectacular. Definitely one place to see before you die. The Isle of Sky. I will say no more. Go there.  Also checked out Northern and Southern Ireland. Absolutely gorgeous scenery... the history and tales of these two countries are incredible... and even more... there truly IS magic to be found if you look hard enough.

The famous ``hairy cows`` of Scotland

Writing on THE wall in Northern Ireland.

Joy and I didn't quite make it to the castle in time. Ireland has this very beautiful type of rainshower... it is wondrously sunny WHILE the sky drops rain pellets on you gently. It's hard to get mad when it feels like the skies are caressing you softly.

Harvesting peat.

Local ruins in Southern Ireland.  While up here I could hear the "baaaaing" of the local sheep from the other side of the valley.

Northern Ireland. Very interesting geological formations... the science behind it is good to know... however, the story/legend of how they "really" formed.... what with Patrick's undying love for Fiona... now THAT'S truly interesting!  I love a good storyteller... and to my delight, I was surrounded by  many beautiful and historic tales... it's a Gemini's dream come true.

 One of my last days in Scotland I met a woman from Amsterdam who was studying at the Edinburgh film school. She was on her way to Budapest to do a documentary. Within a week we were sipping tea in a downtown cafe in Budapest. (Since I too was on my way there)

Astrid and I in Budapest.

It worked out great because I met my fabulous roommate Kati through her, as well as helped her with the translations for her film. (Which is now showcasing at both the Berlin and Amsterdam film festivals btw) Astrid (the film director) was thinking of getting a tattoo, so I went with her to a great little studio in Budapest to translate.

One of several famous bridges spanning the Danube.

Locals from a nearby village in traditional costume, singing folk songs.

The folks there saw and loved my tattoo and asked if I would agree to be in the next issue of the Hungarian tattoo organizations' magazine. Hmmm..interesting I thought. Not at all creepy either, which is good. You can never be too careful in Budapest my friends.
If you do find yourselves in Hungary though, make sure you go to the Roman baths. They are divine.

One section of the grand Szecsenyi bathhouse in Budapest.

Bathhouses... mm mmm... what's not to love?

Ran around in Spain and Portugal for the next little bit. The problem was that Europe was going through a cold spell at the time, so nowhere was really very warm, which my Canadian bones were disappointed with. But ah well, there were many beautiful and wonderful people along the way.

Honestly, I have to tell you... I absolutely ADORE Spain. It's a feel good country. I returned three times I liked it so much.  Malaga locals performing traditional songs.

Las Ramblas... the Yonge street of Barcelona.

Ahh... Barcelona...

Seriously... no Hungarians will EVER eat here. lol.

That's hilarious! If you are Hungarian and reading this... then you know why! Ha!

Hanging with the geese in the Gothic Quarter... one of my favourite places to chill out in Barcelona. Actually, I have many favourite places...

I'm sure you all know who is responsible for this...

Overlooking the land from the top of Ronda in the south.

Ronda is well worth the four hour drive from Grenada.

Historical, traditional and unique in many ways.

If you need a "pause," go there for a bit.

Unlike their North American cousins, folks here scratch text into the cacti.

I like it.

This was on the beach right in front of the restaurant and next to the ocean. The fishermen brough a pail of fresh fish every couple of hours, the "cook" skewered and smoked it right there, then a waiter from the restaurant came down to the sandy beach with a plate... and then took lunch/dinner to the customer sitting in the shade about 10 feet away. Now THAT'S both fresh AND local!

Europa 2010:

This was in the midst of "the book" saga. "The book" refers to the graffiti book I was researching, writing, and creating. To say that it was a stressful undertaking would be an understatement.  I am one of those people that can take on a lot and keep on going... (I am a horse, after all...)  but in a rare moment in my life... I was a bit overwhelmed. My nerves were shot... to say nothing of my adrenal glands. 

I told my boss Penny that I was leaving for Europe. To be honest, I had already bought my ticket and made all the arrangements... I needed to go. I was hanging on my by a thread... and Penny must have seen the look of "crazy" in my eyes because she (to her credit) very graciously made arrangements for me to have the time off with absolutely no hassle. At the same time I told her I need to renegotiate my contract; that I need to cut back from a five day workweek to four days. 

In one fell swoop the unheard of happened.

I got everything I asked for.

Toronto companies do NOT let you just cut back your contractually agreed upon work time... not do they let you take off for weeks on end.  But as I said... the look of "crazy" must have been evident because I got everything I asked for. (Thank you Penny and Jill and GGCON! I want to point out that they were also amazing about giving me lots of time to heal when I was going through a health crisis earlier. GGC truly IS a great company to work for.) 

Only a desperate person makes a final decision leaving themselves with no backup or contingency plan... I had gone ahead and made all the travel arrangements deciding that if I didn't get the time off I would quit because I was this close to having a nervous breakdown. I thought I hid it pretty well from most people though. Only my closest friends and family knew I was a "little stressed" though I tried not to let on.

So, off I went to visit my cousin Agi in Belgium. It was so, SO great to finally spend some time with her and catch up. I got to her place in Brussels, put my bag down and was so grateful be there I could have cried. (I didn't... but I could have...)

Agi and I are very similar, though we do not look at all similar on the outside. She even loves cacti as I do! She is just so frank and down to earth and easy to be with. She was going through her own stuff and basically we just hung out (when she wasn't working) and caught up.  I want her to be really happy and doing well.

She actually beat me to New Zealand as she went there to work for a while. She is really amazing... speaks Hungarian, Dutch, German and even taught herself English. (Her English is VERY good).

My fabulous cousin Agi.  We went apartment hunting in Germany together since her company was relocating her from Belgium.  (She was not pleased). After the agent had finished taking us around to see endless places, I suggesting she go with the one that had the really nice bathroom on a quiet side street that was a fifteen minute walk from her office. Two months later she was moved in and enjoying "the nice bathroom." I still don't think she is enjoying Germany though. (No offense to my German friends, it's just not where she wants to be.)

The famous Belgium "Atom" which happens to be next door to a miniature village.

The village even had the Szecsenyi Furdo - which is a very popular bathhouse in Budapest.
I love the Szecsenyi. Bathouses (proper ones) are divine. Ahhhhh...

(Europai Parlament) The European Union.
The name is spelled out in every member country's mother tongue.

I am pointing to the Hungarian one. Hungary joined June 1st, 2005.

Boy have they suffered... and have a long way to go to make concessions and bring themselves up to speed... but they are doing it, painfully, kicking and screaming, but they're forging ahead.

When I was alone, I took the train around to see various parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, Paris and Germany.  I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time by myself... recharging. I also replenished my senses....by eating my way through Europe...which is always the best way to go, in my opinion. Follow the food... lol. 

The Notre Dame in Luxembourg. She sure seems to get around hey? I swear I've seen a "Notre Dame" in nearly every city I've been to!

Agi and I visited Bruges and Oostende on the weekends (The "ocean side"). I also spent time on The Rhine and The Seine.

Beautiful and charming Bruges. It really is just like in the movies.

In Paris I met a wonderful lady from St. Martin. Her name is Marie-Line. She was in Paris for a work conference. I really enjoyed our conversations and feel like I`ve met a new friend. We spent the next three days sightseeing together. It was great to have a friend to run around the city with, also to learn more about St. Martin, where she is from. It was cold and rainy, but so much nicer because I had someone to share it with.

Marie-Line in front of the Seine. We were on our way to the Louvre... which turned out to be closed only on Tuesdays. Guess what day we were there? Yep... Tuesday. Ah well. The outside was lovely, as were the surrounding gardens.  May I just interject here to say how crazy cold it was in Paris? Poor Marie-Line was wearing nearly everything she had brought with her.  Here you see her in many layers. I was doing the same. It was unexpectedly cold weather and we were both shivering as we made our way around Paris.

It was during this time that an Icelandic volcano erupted, emitting so much ash that flight paths around Iceland were marred. My flights both ways were cancelled or grounded or delayed due to this, but eventually I got rerouted to Toronto.  (Sigh...)

My friend Mark was the inspiration behind my going to Bruges. Years ago he introduced me to a movie called "In Bruges." It is about two assassins and their moral dilemma... well... that's one of the story lines.

I clearly remember thinking, "I don't know about this film... it seems rather drab."  This is definitely NOT an action film people... think "Fargo" in terms of speed and evolution of storyline. But it is memorable.. enough so that it inspired me to actually go to Bruges. And what did I think of Bruges? Charming, quaint, fairytale-like... exactly what I needed.