One day, I went to a spa where people could swim, but I chose to relax in the hot tub and saunas. During the week, I visited a different winery where Roland and I tasted the wines in tank with the winemaker. The winemaker there lived in Calistoga for two years and we talked about different wineries and breweries that he remembers.
At Fuleky, we pressed the small amount of aszu that they picked this year. It only made half a barrel of wine and it won't be the highest quality, but at least I got to see what happens. On my last day of work, my boss gave me five bottles of great wine to take home with me. I would have liked to be paid in money, but wine is good too. I left behind some clothes because the wine was more valuable. I even declared it on the customs form for $300, but no one asked me any questions.
For my last few days I visited the town of Eger, which has a historical area with old buidlings built in the Baroque style. The inside of the basilica was quite impressive. There was a castle to walk through and the northernmost minaret from the Ottoman empire.
I spent my last night in Budapest drinking wine with a couple of Australian guys because I had too many bottles to fit in my bag. I think it was appropriate that I was drinking wine the night that I had a phone interview for a harvest job in New Zealand.
I only slept one hour before I had to catch the 4am train to the airport. The first flight went to Frankfurt, then on to Las Vegas. I enjoyed watching the landscapes pass by beneath the plane. Norway was covered in snow and had a lot of lakes. Greenland was amazing. There were icebergs, snow-covered mountains, dramatic valleys, and one building with lights on for some poor researcher in the middle of nowhere. While lining up with the runway in Vegas we passed over Hoover Dam and saw the snow on the mountains around the city. The airline, Condor, got bad reviews online, but I was quite happy with them. There were no personal video screens in the plane, but it was also very inexpensive.
In Vegas, the hostel I stayed at was not as nice as the ones in Europe, but the staff took us out to the Stratosphere and we wandered around Ceasar's Palace for a while. I even met a Hungarian guy and we both know the same person in Tokaj. Although, I will give the hostel a good review for the free pancakes in the morning. It was exactly what I needed.
At the airport I had to take 4 pounds out of my bag, but the flight to Santa Rosa went well and now I am happily back at home. At this point I feel like I should have some sort of conclusion with what I learned on my trip...
While there are cultural, social, economic, and other differences most people just want to live a happy life with food, shelter, family and fun. The places I can recommend going to are New Zealand, Fiji, Turkey, and of course Europe. I want go to Egypt again only to dive in the Red Sea. I would not go back to South Africa because I didn't like the people. I feel like I saw Hong Kong in a few days and there's not much more to do there. Hungary got a bit dull after a while, but I would go back to see all the nice people.
Whoever is reading this: I hope you enjoyed it, but I'll be glad to be finished because writing this blog was like doing homework!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
November in Hungary
Working at Chateau Dereszla has been pretty easy and involves a lot of tasting. The people are very relaxed and friendly. Having a few fluent English speakers around is helpful too.
I spent a weekend in Budapest to feel the excitement of a city again after being bored with the village life of Tokaj. Roland from work took me with him to a party of his old college friends, then I stayed at a hostel and talked with the other travellers. I was surprised that everyone there spoke English at least passably. It was another instance of me feeling lazy for not knowing another language that well. While in Budapest, I visited the House of Terror, which was the headquarters of the Nazis and the Communists. It has been turned into a museum now, showing off the disturbing things that happened there including the cells for prisoners in the basement.
Back in Tokaj, I visited another winery which had the best wines in tank and barrel that I'd tasted here so far. The cellar was a new building, but the hotel was a 200+ year-old manor house. It was cool. Speaking of cool, one day everything was covered in frost. It was very pretty, but not as warm as I would like. This is easily the coldest growing region I've worked in. But I have just two more weeks here before I fly home. Hopefully I won't be covered in ice by then.
I spent a weekend in Budapest to feel the excitement of a city again after being bored with the village life of Tokaj. Roland from work took me with him to a party of his old college friends, then I stayed at a hostel and talked with the other travellers. I was surprised that everyone there spoke English at least passably. It was another instance of me feeling lazy for not knowing another language that well. While in Budapest, I visited the House of Terror, which was the headquarters of the Nazis and the Communists. It has been turned into a museum now, showing off the disturbing things that happened there including the cells for prisoners in the basement.
Back in Tokaj, I visited another winery which had the best wines in tank and barrel that I'd tasted here so far. The cellar was a new building, but the hotel was a 200+ year-old manor house. It was cool. Speaking of cool, one day everything was covered in frost. It was very pretty, but not as warm as I would like. This is easily the coldest growing region I've worked in. But I have just two more weeks here before I fly home. Hopefully I won't be covered in ice by then.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Back to work...sort of
The harvest has been winding down, so it is not very busy at Fuleky. Lisa took a trip to Prague, then to Austria to visit her family. Gyuri also went to Austria, so the guys at the winery said it was a holiday for us. We were free of the boss.
For the weekend, my coworker Bertie invited to his house for lunch. I ended up staying for eight hours. His family was very kind to me continually telling me to eat something. We shared photos and talked about our respective countries. He was frustrated because most people in Hungary are poor. The wages are definitely way too low, but they still had a decent (but small) house, car, laptop, and photo equipment (his hobby is photographing birds). Their house cost $10,000 but Bertie fixed all the electricity, water, heating, and painted it. They have enough, but nothing more. They certainly don't have as much as in the US, but they still have a first-world standard of living. Bertie's friend was there as well and he spoke good English, but without him we used Google Translate quite a bit. I'd hate to think what I'd do without it! Use a book?!
I walked around the town of Tokaj, but it was quiet because of a holiday. They celebrate November 1st as the Day of the Dead. They take candles and flowers to the cemetery in remembrance. However that meant that all the stores were closed and I couldn't buy groceries. The hours here are inconvenient without Safeway and 7-11.
At work, the guys let me try Eszencia, which is the sweetest type of wine in Tokaj. It is only free run juice from the botrytised berries, creating incredibly concentrated flavor with only 2-3% alcohol. It was intense. They sometimes add it to tanks of aszu to raise the sugar level.
On Friday, I went to the parent winery called Dereszla. Roland gave me a tour. His English was great because he's been to Australia, New Zealand, and California. We tasted out of some barrels and the winemaker, Edit, said I could work there starting some time next week. They dug a lot of caves into the hillside, which made it seem big, but it is still a relatively small winery (350 tons). At least I'll be able to say I worked at five different wineries in one year.
For the weekend, my coworker Bertie invited to his house for lunch. I ended up staying for eight hours. His family was very kind to me continually telling me to eat something. We shared photos and talked about our respective countries. He was frustrated because most people in Hungary are poor. The wages are definitely way too low, but they still had a decent (but small) house, car, laptop, and photo equipment (his hobby is photographing birds). Their house cost $10,000 but Bertie fixed all the electricity, water, heating, and painted it. They have enough, but nothing more. They certainly don't have as much as in the US, but they still have a first-world standard of living. Bertie's friend was there as well and he spoke good English, but without him we used Google Translate quite a bit. I'd hate to think what I'd do without it! Use a book?!
I walked around the town of Tokaj, but it was quiet because of a holiday. They celebrate November 1st as the Day of the Dead. They take candles and flowers to the cemetery in remembrance. However that meant that all the stores were closed and I couldn't buy groceries. The hours here are inconvenient without Safeway and 7-11.
At work, the guys let me try Eszencia, which is the sweetest type of wine in Tokaj. It is only free run juice from the botrytised berries, creating incredibly concentrated flavor with only 2-3% alcohol. It was intense. They sometimes add it to tanks of aszu to raise the sugar level.
On Friday, I went to the parent winery called Dereszla. Roland gave me a tour. His English was great because he's been to Australia, New Zealand, and California. We tasted out of some barrels and the winemaker, Edit, said I could work there starting some time next week. They dug a lot of caves into the hillside, which made it seem big, but it is still a relatively small winery (350 tons). At least I'll be able to say I worked at five different wineries in one year.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
From one harvest to another
On my last day of work, I made a white wine blend then said goodbye to everyone at the winery. Edouard drove me to Budapest where I stayed in Alain's apartment. Alain came to Budapest the next day and we went out to dinner and agreed to keep in contact. He wanted to see Hungarian grape varieties in the US, and I later learned that one of them is being tested at UC Davis right now so that it can be planted in the US when it is approved. He also suggested that I work in the Cote du Rhone in France next year because he knows someone there.
Friday morning, Edouard drove me to Fuleky Winery in Tokaj. It is actually in a village called Bodrogkerestur, but it is easier to say Tokaj to refer to the region. When we showed up we toured the very small winery (500 case production) and tasted wines in barrel, tank, and bottle. It was a good lunch. Tokaj is much prettier than Villany because there are more hills and color in the trees vineyards, and two rivers converge next to the village. Edouard explained that Tokaj has been famous for hundreds of years, but under communism the quality of the wine decreased, so since then there has been outside investment and high quality wine is being made again.
Most people at the winery speak some English, a few speak French, one also speaks Spanish, and of course there's German and Hugnarian. Sometimes I hear four languages in a minute of conversation. A very useful tool to help us understand each other is Google Translate. It will even speak the other language!
I met two winemakers from a larger winery called Dereszla which works with Fuleky sometimes. Both winemakers speak very good English and one even worked in Santa Rosa at Copain custom crush for a harvest. They said I may be working at Dereszla sometime later because it is not very busy at Fuleky.
For dinner one night, we went to Buffalo Bills which was exactly as it sounds. An American-themed restaurant. The best name for a meal was the "Chuck Norris Favorite". We were with the vineyard manager from Dereszla who had also worked in Sonoma County. When he said Healdsburg, I said Bear Republic, and he smiled because it is world-famous.
On Monday I picked aszu berries (the botrytised one) from among the healthy berries in the clusters. There were not very many. It took the two French guys and me three hours to pick enough for one bottle. When we finished, no one arrived to take us back to the winery, so we walked for an hour. There has not been great communication so far, and not because of language issues. That night I ended up with a cold, then spent the next day picking normal grapes on Tokaj Hill.
I went to the doctor for some good drugs and spent a couple days off work to rest. Yuri kept trying to get me to drink wine or schnapps, but I know better. He made sausage and potatoes for dinner and called it healthy.
Friday morning, Edouard drove me to Fuleky Winery in Tokaj. It is actually in a village called Bodrogkerestur, but it is easier to say Tokaj to refer to the region. When we showed up we toured the very small winery (500 case production) and tasted wines in barrel, tank, and bottle. It was a good lunch. Tokaj is much prettier than Villany because there are more hills and color in the trees vineyards, and two rivers converge next to the village. Edouard explained that Tokaj has been famous for hundreds of years, but under communism the quality of the wine decreased, so since then there has been outside investment and high quality wine is being made again.
Most people at the winery speak some English, a few speak French, one also speaks Spanish, and of course there's German and Hugnarian. Sometimes I hear four languages in a minute of conversation. A very useful tool to help us understand each other is Google Translate. It will even speak the other language!
I met two winemakers from a larger winery called Dereszla which works with Fuleky sometimes. Both winemakers speak very good English and one even worked in Santa Rosa at Copain custom crush for a harvest. They said I may be working at Dereszla sometime later because it is not very busy at Fuleky.
For dinner one night, we went to Buffalo Bills which was exactly as it sounds. An American-themed restaurant. The best name for a meal was the "Chuck Norris Favorite". We were with the vineyard manager from Dereszla who had also worked in Sonoma County. When he said Healdsburg, I said Bear Republic, and he smiled because it is world-famous.
On Monday I picked aszu berries (the botrytised one) from among the healthy berries in the clusters. There were not very many. It took the two French guys and me three hours to pick enough for one bottle. When we finished, no one arrived to take us back to the winery, so we walked for an hour. There has not been great communication so far, and not because of language issues. That night I ended up with a cold, then spent the next day picking normal grapes on Tokaj Hill.
I went to the doctor for some good drugs and spent a couple days off work to rest. Yuri kept trying to get me to drink wine or schnapps, but I know better. He made sausage and potatoes for dinner and called it healthy.
Sunday, October 16, 2011
One last week in Villany
I did not go to Tokaj a week early, so I have spent one more week in Villany. The highlight at work was learning bad words in Hungarian. "Baszd meg" is my favorite. I finally got paid a big wad of cash. It was about 100,000 Forints, which sounds impressive, but it's only about $500. The Japanese intern and I both made white wine blends to see who could make the better one. Alain will make his own and decide which one he wants to use. Mine had good aromatics, and Tasuku's had better roundness and mouthfeel, so I suggested blending the blends.
We had sushi for dinner. You can guess who cooked. It was all good, but salty because soy sauce goes on everything. There were pork raviolis, fried chicken, and pork steaks. Alain opened a 10-year-old Tokaj wine that was amazing. They used to prescribe it to cure illnesses. I would be happy to drink it to feel better.
Then this morning New Zealand beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup, so I was happy. It was a bloody game making it fun to watch. I also learned some more Hungarian this weekend, but it seems to get more and more complicated the more I try to learn.
By Friday I should be in Tokaj.
We had sushi for dinner. You can guess who cooked. It was all good, but salty because soy sauce goes on everything. There were pork raviolis, fried chicken, and pork steaks. Alain opened a 10-year-old Tokaj wine that was amazing. They used to prescribe it to cure illnesses. I would be happy to drink it to feel better.
Then this morning New Zealand beat Australia in the Rugby World Cup, so I was happy. It was a bloody game making it fun to watch. I also learned some more Hungarian this weekend, but it seems to get more and more complicated the more I try to learn.
By Friday I should be in Tokaj.
Monday, October 10, 2011
End of a harvest, beginning of another
We harvested the last grapes of the season, and work slowed down after that. On Friday, I was looking for cheap flights and I found such a good deal that I bought a plane ticket back home to Santa Rosa on December 1st. I will be happy to see friends and family and they are excited that I am coming back home. As an added bonus, my flight includes a 23-hour layover in Las Vegas. As soon as I told my friends, they wanted to meet me there.
I visited a pool/spa in a nearby town which was very relaxing after the harvest. Alain enjoys rugby, so we watched New Zealand beat Argentina to reach the semi-finals then had lunch. He said he knows a guy in the South of France where I might be able to work.
Alain gave me a book about Tokaj, so I have been reading that and earlier today he said I can go to Tokaj later this week, rather than next week. So I need to finish the book and prepare for another harvest.
I visited a pool/spa in a nearby town which was very relaxing after the harvest. Alain enjoys rugby, so we watched New Zealand beat Argentina to reach the semi-finals then had lunch. He said he knows a guy in the South of France where I might be able to work.
Alain gave me a book about Tokaj, so I have been reading that and earlier today he said I can go to Tokaj later this week, rather than next week. So I need to finish the book and prepare for another harvest.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Festival!
Work has been slowing down recently and the last of the harvesting will be done later this week. One night while a crossflow filter was processing wine, I heard a loud pop and saw a wave of wine flying through the air in my direction. It mostly missed me, but it was still a funny moment. I guess a lot of pressure built up in the machine and that was the result.
The way it looks now, I will go to Tokaj on October 20 to harvest there and stay until I want to leave. Unfortunately, they will not be making much of the sweet aszu wines because the weather was too dry, but it should still be a good experience. Alain put me in contact with a winemaker in Australia for the harvest in February of next year, and he also asked me where I would like to work in France. He knows people in South America, Hungary, Australia, and France. He's a very good guy to know.
My parents sent me a package full of good American stuff like peanut butter, so I can make PB&J's again. It made me happy.
This weekend is the Villany Wine Festival. There was a very good parade, live music, dance troupes, food and wine. It has been a lot of fun, and I even met some other Americans. One of Alain's friends, a French guy, slept at our house Friday night and brought us a bottle of Bordeaux as a thank you. He was a fun guy, but he woke up to watch a rugby match and France lost of Tonga, which is embarrassing for anyone who cares about rugby. He sells corks in and around Hungary.
Yesterday I saw the small wine school in town, went to the parade, and of course had some wine in the evening.
The way it looks now, I will go to Tokaj on October 20 to harvest there and stay until I want to leave. Unfortunately, they will not be making much of the sweet aszu wines because the weather was too dry, but it should still be a good experience. Alain put me in contact with a winemaker in Australia for the harvest in February of next year, and he also asked me where I would like to work in France. He knows people in South America, Hungary, Australia, and France. He's a very good guy to know.
My parents sent me a package full of good American stuff like peanut butter, so I can make PB&J's again. It made me happy.
This weekend is the Villany Wine Festival. There was a very good parade, live music, dance troupes, food and wine. It has been a lot of fun, and I even met some other Americans. One of Alain's friends, a French guy, slept at our house Friday night and brought us a bottle of Bordeaux as a thank you. He was a fun guy, but he woke up to watch a rugby match and France lost of Tonga, which is embarrassing for anyone who cares about rugby. He sells corks in and around Hungary.
Yesterday I saw the small wine school in town, went to the parade, and of course had some wine in the evening.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
The peak of harvest
I worked the night shift for the busiest week of harvest. Four days in a row of 15 hours at work wasn't exactly fun, but I did get to see the sunrise on my way home. A couple times, I was still working when the morning shift arrived. The good news was that most of harvest was finsihed. But just when I needed sleep, I had to wake up early to go get my work permit ID card from Immigration.
The weekend was relaxing. I went to Pecs for shopping, learned some Hungarian words and basic verb conjugations, and saw some statues created by local artists on the hill near Villany. I discovered two good imported beers; a dark Czech beer and one called Kaiser from Austria.
Yesterday, we worked early but couldn't finish the harvest before a big storm blew in. The horizontal rain drops hurt when they hit us. I visited the doctor again for strep throat that won't go away, so Alain gave me the rest of the week off to recuperate. The only thing left to harvest is a bit of Syrah for rose this week, then we wait two weeks for red grapes.
I received an email from Alain's winemaker friend in West Australia and she asked for my resume, so hopefully that will work out for February. I will probably go to Tokaj for one week in October, then back to Villany, then back to Tokaj for the late harvest sweet winemaking called aszu in November.
The weekend was relaxing. I went to Pecs for shopping, learned some Hungarian words and basic verb conjugations, and saw some statues created by local artists on the hill near Villany. I discovered two good imported beers; a dark Czech beer and one called Kaiser from Austria.
Yesterday, we worked early but couldn't finish the harvest before a big storm blew in. The horizontal rain drops hurt when they hit us. I visited the doctor again for strep throat that won't go away, so Alain gave me the rest of the week off to recuperate. The only thing left to harvest is a bit of Syrah for rose this week, then we wait two weeks for red grapes.
I received an email from Alain's winemaker friend in West Australia and she asked for my resume, so hopefully that will work out for February. I will probably go to Tokaj for one week in October, then back to Villany, then back to Tokaj for the late harvest sweet winemaking called aszu in November.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Harvest time
As a good start to the week on Monday, one of the rotary tanks turned over on its side while filling and spilled about a ton of grapes onto the floor. Luckily the boss was not around, and we shovelled most of it into the press. Most people probably don't want to know that the grapes that made the wine they drink were once on the cellar floor, but it was clean, trust me.
Alain wanted to try flotation which involves a special pump to produce "micro bubbles" to push the large particles up to the top of the juice in the tank so that the clear juice can be pumped out. This takes only a few hours and can be done as soon as the tank is full, instead of two to three days for cold stablization. I don't think it works as well because the juice is not as clean by the end of flotation, but Alain wants to try a different company's pump to see if it is better. When I came back in the evening to watch flotation, the new guys had dumped quite a few grapes and a lot of juice out of a rotary tank, so I stayed to help clean up, but Alain saw the spill this time. He also have me a big roll of delicious salami. Hungarians are proud of their tasty pigs.
When I got to work at 7am, Alain was still there from the previous night. He got a lot done, but it made me question my desire to be a winemaker.
Task and I went to Budapest for a wine festival on the weekend. Winemaking is important during harvest, but wine tasting is more important. I met the winemaker for the winery in Tokaji where I will be working in November. He was a friendly, fun guy but a harsh critic of other people's wines. There was good sausage, and Hungarian song and dance with traditional costumes. Unfortunately I was not very impressed with most of the wines. However, Toakji was special. The wines were mostly good and they are different. I guess that's why they charge so much for a bottle. Back to work this week, but on the night shift this time, from 3pm to finish.
Alain wanted to try flotation which involves a special pump to produce "micro bubbles" to push the large particles up to the top of the juice in the tank so that the clear juice can be pumped out. This takes only a few hours and can be done as soon as the tank is full, instead of two to three days for cold stablization. I don't think it works as well because the juice is not as clean by the end of flotation, but Alain wants to try a different company's pump to see if it is better. When I came back in the evening to watch flotation, the new guys had dumped quite a few grapes and a lot of juice out of a rotary tank, so I stayed to help clean up, but Alain saw the spill this time. He also have me a big roll of delicious salami. Hungarians are proud of their tasty pigs.
When I got to work at 7am, Alain was still there from the previous night. He got a lot done, but it made me question my desire to be a winemaker.
Task and I went to Budapest for a wine festival on the weekend. Winemaking is important during harvest, but wine tasting is more important. I met the winemaker for the winery in Tokaji where I will be working in November. He was a friendly, fun guy but a harsh critic of other people's wines. There was good sausage, and Hungarian song and dance with traditional costumes. Unfortunately I was not very impressed with most of the wines. However, Toakji was special. The wines were mostly good and they are different. I guess that's why they charge so much for a bottle. Back to work this week, but on the night shift this time, from 3pm to finish.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Work, wedding, and wine
Before the first day of harvest, I spent my time organizing and cleaning things as well as taking samples from vineyards. One day Alain took me to his house for lunch and I tried a Hungarian cold fruit soup that his wife Aniko made. It was very good on a hot summer day. Then he showed me his pride and joy in the garage: a 1967 tractor. Not a John Deere though. Alain also said he met Paul Hobbs in Villany once and Paul seemed dismissive towards him. Could it be ego?
On the first day of harvest, we crushed a Hungarian variety called Irsai. I sat back and let two of the cellar hands do the heavy lifting and cleaning while Alain showed me how to do paperwork and spreadsheets; it felt weird. The hostess at the pension where I was staying made dinner for me of meatballs with cabbage and bread which went well with a Bordeaux/Hungarian blend that Alain gave me.
We started one morning by tasting three different tanks of rose so we could make a blend. Tough work. Later while we were taking samples from vineyards, one viticulturalist invited me to his wedding in two days. Alain got me a bike for the short commute during harvest and moved me to a different pension where I would stay until November. Before I left the first pension, the hostess gave me delicious spaghetti to take with me. She may not speak English, but I like her. The new place was quiet and comfortable. There are screens on the windows (which is rare for some reason) because of the mosquitoes outside. This one is a granny unit behind a family's home. There's no free food, but there is free wi-fi, even though I actually get a better connection from the winery's network next door.
For the first day of harvest, we arrived at 5am to put the picking bins onto a truck, but the grapes didn't arrive until after 1pm! There were of course issues with the must pump and press because they were being used for the first time in a year. While "the guys" worked in the cellar, I learned paperwork and did the math for a blend. They even put a computer in the bottling room for me.
On Saturday, we went to Pecs for food, work stuff, and wedding clothes. Alain was generous enough to have the company pay for everything. The wedding was very nice with excellent food, good wine, and dancing. I found one family who spoke English, so they could translate for me. I tried two more Hungarian specialties: Palinka and Unicum. Palinka is a type of schnapps, which was quite good and went down easily. The Unicum is an aniseed drink like Uzo or Pastisse and the flavor is very strong. The next day I didn't leave the house.
This past week has been a long one. I worked the longest day of my life: 18 hours. It didn't feel so bad though because I wasn't doing much heavy lifitng. The next day was just as long, but we ended by having a tasting for some representatives from a large supermarket chain who were looking to buy rose. They weren't very friendly, but once they left, Alain, Lutz (winery manager), and their business partner Villy (supplies the money) continued to drink with me. We were at the rich guys house with 15 open bottles of wine on the table when Villy opened a bottle of Palinka. He didn't speak any English but he was a fun guy. Another local drink is dry rose with CO2 added to make it bubbly. The other intern arrived while we waited there and we had a "welcome" shot of Palinka. He is from Japan, studying at Montpelier University in France, and just worked a harvest in Tunisia. His name is Tashk and he is fluent in both English and French, which helps everyone. After 30 minutes back at the winery, we went to dinner at Maul restaurant. After dinner, we went down into the musty cellar with a glass of Merlot port that was very concentrated, tannic, and cigar-y.
Alain is not the most well-organized person I've met, so we spent some time catching up on the winemaking and I think everything is in order now. I came down with something that looks like strep throat, I put together the washine machine, and tried to go to the grocery store, but they close at 1pm on Saturdays and don't open on Sundays, so I had to go to the small convenience store. I don't like the lack of options here.
On the first day of harvest, we crushed a Hungarian variety called Irsai. I sat back and let two of the cellar hands do the heavy lifting and cleaning while Alain showed me how to do paperwork and spreadsheets; it felt weird. The hostess at the pension where I was staying made dinner for me of meatballs with cabbage and bread which went well with a Bordeaux/Hungarian blend that Alain gave me.
We started one morning by tasting three different tanks of rose so we could make a blend. Tough work. Later while we were taking samples from vineyards, one viticulturalist invited me to his wedding in two days. Alain got me a bike for the short commute during harvest and moved me to a different pension where I would stay until November. Before I left the first pension, the hostess gave me delicious spaghetti to take with me. She may not speak English, but I like her. The new place was quiet and comfortable. There are screens on the windows (which is rare for some reason) because of the mosquitoes outside. This one is a granny unit behind a family's home. There's no free food, but there is free wi-fi, even though I actually get a better connection from the winery's network next door.
For the first day of harvest, we arrived at 5am to put the picking bins onto a truck, but the grapes didn't arrive until after 1pm! There were of course issues with the must pump and press because they were being used for the first time in a year. While "the guys" worked in the cellar, I learned paperwork and did the math for a blend. They even put a computer in the bottling room for me.
On Saturday, we went to Pecs for food, work stuff, and wedding clothes. Alain was generous enough to have the company pay for everything. The wedding was very nice with excellent food, good wine, and dancing. I found one family who spoke English, so they could translate for me. I tried two more Hungarian specialties: Palinka and Unicum. Palinka is a type of schnapps, which was quite good and went down easily. The Unicum is an aniseed drink like Uzo or Pastisse and the flavor is very strong. The next day I didn't leave the house.
This past week has been a long one. I worked the longest day of my life: 18 hours. It didn't feel so bad though because I wasn't doing much heavy lifitng. The next day was just as long, but we ended by having a tasting for some representatives from a large supermarket chain who were looking to buy rose. They weren't very friendly, but once they left, Alain, Lutz (winery manager), and their business partner Villy (supplies the money) continued to drink with me. We were at the rich guys house with 15 open bottles of wine on the table when Villy opened a bottle of Palinka. He didn't speak any English but he was a fun guy. Another local drink is dry rose with CO2 added to make it bubbly. The other intern arrived while we waited there and we had a "welcome" shot of Palinka. He is from Japan, studying at Montpelier University in France, and just worked a harvest in Tunisia. His name is Tashk and he is fluent in both English and French, which helps everyone. After 30 minutes back at the winery, we went to dinner at Maul restaurant. After dinner, we went down into the musty cellar with a glass of Merlot port that was very concentrated, tannic, and cigar-y.
Alain is not the most well-organized person I've met, so we spent some time catching up on the winemaking and I think everything is in order now. I came down with something that looks like strep throat, I put together the washine machine, and tried to go to the grocery store, but they close at 1pm on Saturdays and don't open on Sundays, so I had to go to the small convenience store. I don't like the lack of options here.
Saturday, August 20, 2011
To work
On my last day in Budapest the tickets for tours of Parliament were sold out, so I went to a Belgian beer bar instead. Beer or government, which one is more fun? I also walked around Margaret Island, which is a big park. I tried an interesting pastry called Flodni. It is supposed to be a traditional Jewish food, and since I stayed in the old Jewish neighborhood it was easy to find.
In the morning, Alain's friend Peter (also a winemaker) showed up at 5:50am to take me to his winery in Szeksard (about an hour from the winery I work at in Villany). He was a lot of fun to talk to. He told me about growing up in Hungary. There were Russian soldiers on the streets to enforce communism, and later he saw rockets flying through the air across the border in Croatia. He also had a good impression of Tito in Yugoslavia because his people were free, unlike the Hungarians. When Hungary joined the EU it didn't change much inside the country, but Hungarians could go work elsewhere in Europe easily. Peter drives to Budapest once or twice a week to sell his wine.
The winery has caves lined with bricks, but Peter doesn't like it because there was a lot of Brettanomyces and other bacteria in there. The lab is nice and clean though and they have a great machine that does all the analysis with one small sample. From the winery Alain's wife Aniko drove me to Pecs to go to the immigration office which went well, but we have to go back one more time. I even had my fingerprints taken.
I got back in time for a big, meaty Hungarian lunch and worked in the afternoon helping on the bottling line. Everything in the winery is new since it is still being built, so I have to be extra careful not to break or scratch anything. I also learned there will be another intern here in September. He's Japanese, studying wine at Montpelier University in France, and is currently working in Tunisia. It sounded strange to me too.
Alain took me to a pension (similar to a B&B) where I'll live for two weeks. The hostess doesn't speak any English, but she does my laundry and makes me food, so I'm happy. Breakfast of bread, cheese, and meat is provided.
Two days this week the electricity was cut off at the winery, so I studied some Hungarian, visited the town of Mohacs where I tried the local brew, and also to Pecs where I walked around taking photos of the cool old buildings. I tried a local pastry that Alain said was made from the same plant as cocaine, but I didn't feel anything special. On Wednesday we bottled and Alain brought me clothes, shoes, boots, and a cell phone.
Yesterday I used a power drill putting 64 screws into each wooden bin at the winery, but I still didn't finish. My body hurt by the end of the day from the crouching and bending. I guess I'm not in great shape after three months of holidays. Go figure! After work Alain, his business partner, and a full-time cellar hand, and I went for happy hour at their favorite restaurant. They know the owner so they didn't even pay for the bread, cheese, or wine when we walked out. They even talked them into giving me a free dinner, which was delicious duck. They also had bread baked with tomato and a smokey Hungarian cheese. While we were sitting outside, we noticed the rain was coming and we saw the wind come right down the street toward us blowing dust and grass everywhere, so we went inside. It was a strange weather experience for me. Later I went to a winery/bar for a glass of wine and the guy didn't even charge me for it. Maybe it's a locals' discount?
Alain brought me a bike, apricots, and two bottles of wine, and took me to the winery to help him with a couple things. He told me to remind him to send an email to his contact in West Australia for a job next harvest. He's been very generous. I read my book and walked around town with the rest of the tourists because today is a National Holiday celebrating one of their revolutions. There are people dressed up and there will be live music. What else is great is I can walk down the street drinking a beer. My night is planned.
In the morning, Alain's friend Peter (also a winemaker) showed up at 5:50am to take me to his winery in Szeksard (about an hour from the winery I work at in Villany). He was a lot of fun to talk to. He told me about growing up in Hungary. There were Russian soldiers on the streets to enforce communism, and later he saw rockets flying through the air across the border in Croatia. He also had a good impression of Tito in Yugoslavia because his people were free, unlike the Hungarians. When Hungary joined the EU it didn't change much inside the country, but Hungarians could go work elsewhere in Europe easily. Peter drives to Budapest once or twice a week to sell his wine.
The winery has caves lined with bricks, but Peter doesn't like it because there was a lot of Brettanomyces and other bacteria in there. The lab is nice and clean though and they have a great machine that does all the analysis with one small sample. From the winery Alain's wife Aniko drove me to Pecs to go to the immigration office which went well, but we have to go back one more time. I even had my fingerprints taken.
I got back in time for a big, meaty Hungarian lunch and worked in the afternoon helping on the bottling line. Everything in the winery is new since it is still being built, so I have to be extra careful not to break or scratch anything. I also learned there will be another intern here in September. He's Japanese, studying wine at Montpelier University in France, and is currently working in Tunisia. It sounded strange to me too.
Alain took me to a pension (similar to a B&B) where I'll live for two weeks. The hostess doesn't speak any English, but she does my laundry and makes me food, so I'm happy. Breakfast of bread, cheese, and meat is provided.
Two days this week the electricity was cut off at the winery, so I studied some Hungarian, visited the town of Mohacs where I tried the local brew, and also to Pecs where I walked around taking photos of the cool old buildings. I tried a local pastry that Alain said was made from the same plant as cocaine, but I didn't feel anything special. On Wednesday we bottled and Alain brought me clothes, shoes, boots, and a cell phone.
Yesterday I used a power drill putting 64 screws into each wooden bin at the winery, but I still didn't finish. My body hurt by the end of the day from the crouching and bending. I guess I'm not in great shape after three months of holidays. Go figure! After work Alain, his business partner, and a full-time cellar hand, and I went for happy hour at their favorite restaurant. They know the owner so they didn't even pay for the bread, cheese, or wine when we walked out. They even talked them into giving me a free dinner, which was delicious duck. They also had bread baked with tomato and a smokey Hungarian cheese. While we were sitting outside, we noticed the rain was coming and we saw the wind come right down the street toward us blowing dust and grass everywhere, so we went inside. It was a strange weather experience for me. Later I went to a winery/bar for a glass of wine and the guy didn't even charge me for it. Maybe it's a locals' discount?
Alain brought me a bike, apricots, and two bottles of wine, and took me to the winery to help him with a couple things. He told me to remind him to send an email to his contact in West Australia for a job next harvest. He's been very generous. I read my book and walked around town with the rest of the tourists because today is a National Holiday celebrating one of their revolutions. There are people dressed up and there will be live music. What else is great is I can walk down the street drinking a beer. My night is planned.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Two more cities before I start work
I arrived in Vienna Monday afternoon. The train station was big a bit confusing and the banks closed at 3pm, so I couldn't exchange any money. I wasn't pleased. I had a delicious Pale Double Bock beer from the supermarket across the street and picked up the book "Lost Horizon" which was an interesting tale about three Westerners getting stranded in Tibet and being able to choose between going back to society or having all the time they could want with no modern distractions.
I went to Schonbrunn Palace, but I just walked around outside because I couldn't handle the crowded line of tourists and it was expensive. The grounds outside were very beautiful. A lunch of pork schnitzel and local beer calmed me down. I didn't enjoy walking through modern Vienna with its bright lights, ads, and expensive shops covering the old-style buildings.
The Hofburg Palace was very nice, less crowded, and affordable. I saw a lot of royal silverware, gold plates, and centerpieces, and I learned quite a bit about Franz Joseph's wife Elizabeth. Walking around the center kept me busy looking at all of the cool buildings. Stephansdom Cathedral was very ornate and impressive, even though I'd been seeing a lot of Jesus lately.
The next day I went to see a strangely designed public housing building. The architect believed that God hated straight lines. It was blue and had all sorts of rounded shapes for pillars and balconies. I wouldn't want to live there though just because of all the tourists taking pictures. I visited the Military History Museum which included items from as far back as the 30 Years' War. The highlight was undoubtedly the car in which Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated along with his shirt that still had blood stains on it. A bit macabre, but it made the history seem more real than just reading it in a book.
I ate lunch overlooking the Danube and saw the famous ferris wheel, but then it started to rain, so I went inside for a nice black and tan beer at a local brewpub. The touristy brewpub wasn't very good. Taking the subway was a breeze and nobody ever checked my ticket.
My train travelled through the countryside to Pecs, Hungary (sound like Paitch), but I had to use Skype to text the winemaker, Alain, to pick me up because he misunderstood my arrival time. But everything went well after that. On the ride to Villany (sounds like Vill-ahn-yuh) he said he has a contact in West Australia for a possible harvest job there and he would give me the keys to his apartment in Budapest for the weekend! The accomodation for the night was a nice pension (hotel-ish). Most of the countryside I saw was flat with lots of crops, mostly corn, but the hills near Villany had some nice forest on them and everything was green. I had stuffed cabbage for dinner, which is Ottoman-inspired like much of the food here.
Alain and his colleague Nordy looked at vans to buy for the winery and dropped me off at Alain's apartment in the center of Budapest. The neighborhood was used as the Jewish Ghetto during WWII. I found an English-Hungarian dictionary and went to a large park which has Heroes Square. I went to Kaiser's Supermarket (I love the name) for food and enjoyed looking at all the old buildings.
Today I walked across the Danube to a WWII bunker inside Gellert Hill. It had good photos of Budapest in the 1940s, and told about the Jewish part of the city as well as the battles fought. Then I went to the castle, saw the cathedral, walked around the parliament building, and took the second oldest subway back home. There are lots of statues, fountains, and buildings to photograph while walking around. The architecture is amazing, especially Parliament. All in all, a good day of sightseeing. And here I am in Alain's very nice, modern apartment sipping a Pilsner Urquell. It's too bad I have to start work in a few days.
I went to Schonbrunn Palace, but I just walked around outside because I couldn't handle the crowded line of tourists and it was expensive. The grounds outside were very beautiful. A lunch of pork schnitzel and local beer calmed me down. I didn't enjoy walking through modern Vienna with its bright lights, ads, and expensive shops covering the old-style buildings.
The Hofburg Palace was very nice, less crowded, and affordable. I saw a lot of royal silverware, gold plates, and centerpieces, and I learned quite a bit about Franz Joseph's wife Elizabeth. Walking around the center kept me busy looking at all of the cool buildings. Stephansdom Cathedral was very ornate and impressive, even though I'd been seeing a lot of Jesus lately.
The next day I went to see a strangely designed public housing building. The architect believed that God hated straight lines. It was blue and had all sorts of rounded shapes for pillars and balconies. I wouldn't want to live there though just because of all the tourists taking pictures. I visited the Military History Museum which included items from as far back as the 30 Years' War. The highlight was undoubtedly the car in which Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated along with his shirt that still had blood stains on it. A bit macabre, but it made the history seem more real than just reading it in a book.
I ate lunch overlooking the Danube and saw the famous ferris wheel, but then it started to rain, so I went inside for a nice black and tan beer at a local brewpub. The touristy brewpub wasn't very good. Taking the subway was a breeze and nobody ever checked my ticket.
My train travelled through the countryside to Pecs, Hungary (sound like Paitch), but I had to use Skype to text the winemaker, Alain, to pick me up because he misunderstood my arrival time. But everything went well after that. On the ride to Villany (sounds like Vill-ahn-yuh) he said he has a contact in West Australia for a possible harvest job there and he would give me the keys to his apartment in Budapest for the weekend! The accomodation for the night was a nice pension (hotel-ish). Most of the countryside I saw was flat with lots of crops, mostly corn, but the hills near Villany had some nice forest on them and everything was green. I had stuffed cabbage for dinner, which is Ottoman-inspired like much of the food here.
Alain and his colleague Nordy looked at vans to buy for the winery and dropped me off at Alain's apartment in the center of Budapest. The neighborhood was used as the Jewish Ghetto during WWII. I found an English-Hungarian dictionary and went to a large park which has Heroes Square. I went to Kaiser's Supermarket (I love the name) for food and enjoyed looking at all the old buildings.
Today I walked across the Danube to a WWII bunker inside Gellert Hill. It had good photos of Budapest in the 1940s, and told about the Jewish part of the city as well as the battles fought. Then I went to the castle, saw the cathedral, walked around the parliament building, and took the second oldest subway back home. There are lots of statues, fountains, and buildings to photograph while walking around. The architecture is amazing, especially Parliament. All in all, a good day of sightseeing. And here I am in Alain's very nice, modern apartment sipping a Pilsner Urquell. It's too bad I have to start work in a few days.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
One week, three countries
Neda and Sasha took me to see a secret WWII hospital in the mountains near the border with Italy. It was intentionally built to be very difficult to reach, which is why it was never discovered by the Germans or Italians. The cabins of the original hospital were washed away in a flood in 2007, but they were all rebuilt. There were different cabins for the living quarters, surgery room, quarantine, etc. There were posters of Tito and Stalin, and a letter from Dwight Eisenhower thanking the staff for helping a wounded American pilot. The hospital treated Yugoslavians, Italians, and a few Poles, Austrians, and two Americans. They had to sneak the supplies in without buying things from the locals, so the Axis couldn't track the movement of goods. There were defensive bunkers all up the valley, and the area was attacked twice and defended successfully both times. I really enjoyed the trip.
For lunch we stopped at a Serbian restaurant that had all sorts of meats to choose from. I tried a beef patty cooked in cream, pork loin, and pork/veal sausages, as well as a good salad. When the bill came out, there were three tiny mugs of schnapps on the tray with it.
I left Slovenia heading for Venice. I ended up taking train, bus, taxi, and another train to get there with a five hour gap in between. When waiting for the bus to cross into Italy a driver said he wasn't going to Italy and we should wait ten more minutes, but he was lying, so the retired Australian couple next to me bought me a beer while we waited for a taxi to pick us up. They worked on movies before retiring. She was in casting for Mission Impossible 2 and The Thin Red Line among others and he was a cameraman for Pitch Black and Mad Max as highlights. They said I should look them up if I go back to Australia. Very nice people and they didn't let me pay for the taxi.
When I finally got to Venice, I stayed at a hostel outside of the actual town because it was much cheaper, only ten minutes away by train, and a good hostel. They had a ping pong table and I went to dinner with a few other guests at a nice little pizzeria full of locals. The spaghetti was good and the tiramisu was great. The waiter didn't speak much English but he understood "pasta". When two of us showed up the next evening with groceries and two bottles of wine he looked at us, smiled, and came back with a corkscrew. The wine was less than $10 and good which is the most affordable item I'd seen.
Venice was an incredible city. I'd never seen anything like it and was blown away by all the cool buildings and narrow alleys, great park, and huge cathedrals. I had a great salami sandwich and would definitely go back some day. I could walk around for days. I saw one of the many instances of an old man seeing two younger women walking by and saying, "Bellisima! Mi bella!" I heard one girl say it was flattering even if they say it 15 times a day.
I travelled to Graz, Austria by bus and Fabian, who I met in Fiji, picked me up and took me to his apartment. The mountains in northern Italy were beautiful. I got my own room for the weekend. We had some wine for happy hour then went for pizza and beer nearby before walking around the center of the city. I even tried a girly beer: radler of beer + lemonade, and it was good. The architecture was similar to Ljubljana although Fabian said, "Graz is nothing really special."
We went to a wine region south of town to spend the night, stopping at a small lake for a swim on the way. Most of the wineries were on ridges with great views of the green, forested valleys and steep vineyards. We got a tour of a small cellar and tasted through several white wines. Dinner was a big plate of bread meat and cheese with a few veggies thrown in for appearances, and dessert was delicious cakes. The wines were all good and affordable, $11-16. We enjoyed the wine and views all evening.
In the morning they served breakfast of another plate of good thick bread, meat and cheese. Fabian drove us to Maribor, Slovenia only 15 miles away where we saw the oldest grape-producing vine in the world: 400-years-old. Other than that the town was unspectacular, deserted and a little run down. I did taste a good wine though and got to show off my knowledge of the language after staying there for a week already. Fabian had never stopped in Slovenia, only drove through it. On the way home, we stopped for coffee in a castle and for a swim in another lake. It was a good week.
For lunch we stopped at a Serbian restaurant that had all sorts of meats to choose from. I tried a beef patty cooked in cream, pork loin, and pork/veal sausages, as well as a good salad. When the bill came out, there were three tiny mugs of schnapps on the tray with it.
I left Slovenia heading for Venice. I ended up taking train, bus, taxi, and another train to get there with a five hour gap in between. When waiting for the bus to cross into Italy a driver said he wasn't going to Italy and we should wait ten more minutes, but he was lying, so the retired Australian couple next to me bought me a beer while we waited for a taxi to pick us up. They worked on movies before retiring. She was in casting for Mission Impossible 2 and The Thin Red Line among others and he was a cameraman for Pitch Black and Mad Max as highlights. They said I should look them up if I go back to Australia. Very nice people and they didn't let me pay for the taxi.
When I finally got to Venice, I stayed at a hostel outside of the actual town because it was much cheaper, only ten minutes away by train, and a good hostel. They had a ping pong table and I went to dinner with a few other guests at a nice little pizzeria full of locals. The spaghetti was good and the tiramisu was great. The waiter didn't speak much English but he understood "pasta". When two of us showed up the next evening with groceries and two bottles of wine he looked at us, smiled, and came back with a corkscrew. The wine was less than $10 and good which is the most affordable item I'd seen.
Venice was an incredible city. I'd never seen anything like it and was blown away by all the cool buildings and narrow alleys, great park, and huge cathedrals. I had a great salami sandwich and would definitely go back some day. I could walk around for days. I saw one of the many instances of an old man seeing two younger women walking by and saying, "Bellisima! Mi bella!" I heard one girl say it was flattering even if they say it 15 times a day.
I travelled to Graz, Austria by bus and Fabian, who I met in Fiji, picked me up and took me to his apartment. The mountains in northern Italy were beautiful. I got my own room for the weekend. We had some wine for happy hour then went for pizza and beer nearby before walking around the center of the city. I even tried a girly beer: radler of beer + lemonade, and it was good. The architecture was similar to Ljubljana although Fabian said, "Graz is nothing really special."
We went to a wine region south of town to spend the night, stopping at a small lake for a swim on the way. Most of the wineries were on ridges with great views of the green, forested valleys and steep vineyards. We got a tour of a small cellar and tasted through several white wines. Dinner was a big plate of bread meat and cheese with a few veggies thrown in for appearances, and dessert was delicious cakes. The wines were all good and affordable, $11-16. We enjoyed the wine and views all evening.
In the morning they served breakfast of another plate of good thick bread, meat and cheese. Fabian drove us to Maribor, Slovenia only 15 miles away where we saw the oldest grape-producing vine in the world: 400-years-old. Other than that the town was unspectacular, deserted and a little run down. I did taste a good wine though and got to show off my knowledge of the language after staying there for a week already. Fabian had never stopped in Slovenia, only drove through it. On the way home, we stopped for coffee in a castle and for a swim in another lake. It was a good week.
Monday, August 1, 2011
I took a train to Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. To do so the train crossed the border of the EU, so I got several stamps for the day trip. The city was nice with plenty of Baroque architecture to look at and a huge cathedral. The prices were similar to in Slovenia (unfortunately), and there was the same strong cafe culture for all the tourists. Neda told me that there are local prices and tourist prices, especially along the coast. I visited the Zagreb city museum, had a local beer and a good pastry because bread seems to be the local specialty. I saw a lot of backpackers including some sleeping in the train station.
Neda and Sasha made apple strudel so I could have more traditional Slovenian food after my sausage and saurkraut two days before. Then I went to a free concert in the city with their daughter Maya. As she introduced me to some of her friends, most of them immediately switched to fluent English, making me feel a bit slow. The band was good even though I didn't understand any of the words and I tried another local beer.
I saw the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit that is in Ljubljana right now. It was very nice and had a video about his life. I had yet another local beer before I went back and booked two nights in Venice and three nights in Vienna for the following weeks before I go to Hungary.
Neda and Sasha made apple strudel so I could have more traditional Slovenian food after my sausage and saurkraut two days before. Then I went to a free concert in the city with their daughter Maya. As she introduced me to some of her friends, most of them immediately switched to fluent English, making me feel a bit slow. The band was good even though I didn't understand any of the words and I tried another local beer.
I saw the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibit that is in Ljubljana right now. It was very nice and had a video about his life. I had yet another local beer before I went back and booked two nights in Venice and three nights in Vienna for the following weeks before I go to Hungary.
Friday, July 29, 2011
From Ottoman houses to beautiful mountains
I took a bus to Safronbolu and found a place to stay that was an old Ottoman house. The village is famous for being the only one left that is still intact from Ottoman times. It is very unique for the architecture and is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. It felt like an old town because there were no modern-looking buildings. The old mosques and caravanserai looked in place among the houses. Someone also told me I needed to buy Turkish delight there, so I did and it was delicious. I bought some to take with me to Europe.
I got to Istanbul in time to visit a Turkish Hamam (bath house), which was on my to-do list before I left. It was an interesting experience even though the scrub and massage were a bit painful and I inhaled soap suds. I bought some bakalava to take with me and had one last look at Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque before I got on the plane the next morning.
I felt comfortable finding me way to the airport. My flight was delayed an hour due to heavy traffic, but the airport at Ljubljana (Lew-blee-ahna) was nice and small and I found Neda and Sasha without a problem. I met them in Fiji and they invited me to stay with them in Slovenia when I got to Europe, so I took them up on the offer. They are retired and have a nice house 15 outside the capital, Ljubljana.
The buildings look similar to those in Austria and Switzerland (said Sasha) and each village has a church. I had a big lunch and a big beer to celebrate being in Central Europe, then visited the city. The buildings were built in the Baroque style, so very different from the Ottomans! The castle on the hill was disappointing because it had been completely renovated and built upon with glass, steel, wood, a restaurant, etc. It wasn't like the ruins I've been seeing recently. I managed to find a brewpub that had Flying Dog, from Maryland, on the list for a taste of home.
Yesterday Neda and Sashs took me to see a medeivel village with a museum for an idea of how people lived back then, and to Postojna cave, which was amazing. It has the largest amount of space inside open to the public, about 3 miles. A small train took the hundreds of tourists deeper inside where we could walk around. There were stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, and they have their own local animal called a human fish. It looks like an albino salamander, and it can live for years without eating anything, and lievs to be 90-years-old. In the evening I walked around the city again.
Today, we went for a drive through the mountains in the northeast of the country. The borders of Slovenia are one to one-and-a-half hours away in all directions, so it's easy to get around. We stopped at Lake Bled, a small alpine lake that looked like a miniature version of Lake Tahoe, then I saw a big ski jump that was the tallest in the world until recently. I asked how far away Italy was and Sasha said, "Very far, maybe 2 or 2.5 kilometers. We will go to Italy." So he drove across the border and made a U-turn back into Slovenia so I could say I've been to Italy. We saw the source of an emerald-colored river that was inside a cave and had a lunch of sausages, saurkraut and beer. It hit the spot. The drive was really beautiful and we stopped for photos several times. I went into a fortress used during WWI and WWII in a strategic valley near the border with Italy and Austria. Rommel even passed through during WWI. The last stop was at a turqoise lake while we watched a downpour of rain from a cafe. All in all, not a bad day.
I got to Istanbul in time to visit a Turkish Hamam (bath house), which was on my to-do list before I left. It was an interesting experience even though the scrub and massage were a bit painful and I inhaled soap suds. I bought some bakalava to take with me and had one last look at Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque before I got on the plane the next morning.
I felt comfortable finding me way to the airport. My flight was delayed an hour due to heavy traffic, but the airport at Ljubljana (Lew-blee-ahna) was nice and small and I found Neda and Sasha without a problem. I met them in Fiji and they invited me to stay with them in Slovenia when I got to Europe, so I took them up on the offer. They are retired and have a nice house 15 outside the capital, Ljubljana.
The buildings look similar to those in Austria and Switzerland (said Sasha) and each village has a church. I had a big lunch and a big beer to celebrate being in Central Europe, then visited the city. The buildings were built in the Baroque style, so very different from the Ottomans! The castle on the hill was disappointing because it had been completely renovated and built upon with glass, steel, wood, a restaurant, etc. It wasn't like the ruins I've been seeing recently. I managed to find a brewpub that had Flying Dog, from Maryland, on the list for a taste of home.
Yesterday Neda and Sashs took me to see a medeivel village with a museum for an idea of how people lived back then, and to Postojna cave, which was amazing. It has the largest amount of space inside open to the public, about 3 miles. A small train took the hundreds of tourists deeper inside where we could walk around. There were stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, and they have their own local animal called a human fish. It looks like an albino salamander, and it can live for years without eating anything, and lievs to be 90-years-old. In the evening I walked around the city again.
Today, we went for a drive through the mountains in the northeast of the country. The borders of Slovenia are one to one-and-a-half hours away in all directions, so it's easy to get around. We stopped at Lake Bled, a small alpine lake that looked like a miniature version of Lake Tahoe, then I saw a big ski jump that was the tallest in the world until recently. I asked how far away Italy was and Sasha said, "Very far, maybe 2 or 2.5 kilometers. We will go to Italy." So he drove across the border and made a U-turn back into Slovenia so I could say I've been to Italy. We saw the source of an emerald-colored river that was inside a cave and had a lunch of sausages, saurkraut and beer. It hit the spot. The drive was really beautiful and we stopped for photos several times. I went into a fortress used during WWI and WWII in a strategic valley near the border with Italy and Austria. Rommel even passed through during WWI. The last stop was at a turqoise lake while we watched a downpour of rain from a cafe. All in all, not a bad day.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
The Black Sea Coast
I walked through another valley and stopped for a rest in a cave house. One guy took a nap in one. Some Australians knew how to play "Oh heck!" so we played a cutthroat round before dinner. I went out with three other people for a shared dinner with pide, musaka, pottery kebab, stuffed eggplant, and red wine followed by a beer and nargile while the power went out (I'm too lazy to explain what all of these things are, so you may have to do some research).
I spent a day reading The Girl Who Played with Fire before I caught an overnight bus to Trabzon. I got food with a guy from Oakland and he ordered the Goreme (town we were in) kebab. It had mushrooms held upright to make it look like the strange rock formations we saw in the valley around us. We gave the restaurant extra points for that dish.
The 5am sunrise from the bus was beautiful but I would have appreciated more sleep. Overnight buses aren't my favorite way to travel. I made it to Sumela Monastery up in the mountains, originally built by Greeks in the 4th century. It is carved into a cliff overlooking a steep valley with a rushing stream at the bottom. I tried to imagine how peaceful it must have been a thousand years ago before it was swamped by tourists. The frescoes inside were colorful (restored several times). The tourists were mostly Turkish and a nice family invited me to sit and eat with them.
For my stay in Trabzon I decided to try Couch Surfing. I looked for someone in Trabzon on the couch surfing website who could host me for two nights and we met for dinner before he took me to his apartment. He and his two roommates lived like students (22 to 25-years-old), but I appreciated that they had an extra bed instead of just a couch. My host is an electrical engineer and he studied and couch surfed in Spain a few years ago. I visited the Aya Sofya Museum (old church). It had more colorful frescoes with different depictions from the Bible, and a view of the Black Sea. The bazaar felt much more authentic because it wasn't designed for tourists like the one in Istanbul. I didn't see very many foreign tourists and they stood out when I did see them. That must be how I looked because most people gave me a second look as I passed and one guy walked up to me in the downtown park and started a conversation because he liked to be nice to tourists. He studied in Sweden and everyone was nice to him there, so he wanted to return the favor and even offered that I could stay at his place that night. That attitude was a nice change of pace from the first half of my trip when people hassled me and weren't always friendly. My guidebook mentioned that most of the cheap hostels operated as brothels and as we walked around, my host pointed out where I could pay for time with a Russian girl (And no, I did not). The city also had a Russian bazaar and I didn't know that the Russians controlled the Trabzon between 1916 and 1918. There was definitely a different feel to the place compared to Western Turkey. The people also seemed to be more religious, but still not so strict with their behavior and their dress. It was a very good experience that I would not have had if I stayed at a hostel.
Overnight there was a loud, long thunderstorm that brought rain, so I caught some sleep on another long bus ride. The scenery was amazing with green hills and mountains along the blue sea. Unfortunately I didn't book ahead for my two nights in Sinop, so I was stuck paying too much last night ($45). The room was nice and clean but the breakfast was the worst I've been offered so far and the staff wasn't very helpful. I paid 2 Turkish Lira for a Chicken kebab sandwich and 7 TL for dessert of baklava; a delicious way to spend my money. I walked down to the pier for sunset to eat my baklava and saw hundreds of jellyfish swimming around it.
I was happy to leave the hotel and talked to a guy from a pension (cheap motel) who hepled me out even though I ended up staying somewhere else. After I went to the beach for a swim, I wandered around looking for a place to stay and stumbled upon a great place for $15 for my own room. I have noticed that fewer people speak English here, but my guide book has been useful to ask about an available room.
I spent a day reading The Girl Who Played with Fire before I caught an overnight bus to Trabzon. I got food with a guy from Oakland and he ordered the Goreme (town we were in) kebab. It had mushrooms held upright to make it look like the strange rock formations we saw in the valley around us. We gave the restaurant extra points for that dish.
The 5am sunrise from the bus was beautiful but I would have appreciated more sleep. Overnight buses aren't my favorite way to travel. I made it to Sumela Monastery up in the mountains, originally built by Greeks in the 4th century. It is carved into a cliff overlooking a steep valley with a rushing stream at the bottom. I tried to imagine how peaceful it must have been a thousand years ago before it was swamped by tourists. The frescoes inside were colorful (restored several times). The tourists were mostly Turkish and a nice family invited me to sit and eat with them.
For my stay in Trabzon I decided to try Couch Surfing. I looked for someone in Trabzon on the couch surfing website who could host me for two nights and we met for dinner before he took me to his apartment. He and his two roommates lived like students (22 to 25-years-old), but I appreciated that they had an extra bed instead of just a couch. My host is an electrical engineer and he studied and couch surfed in Spain a few years ago. I visited the Aya Sofya Museum (old church). It had more colorful frescoes with different depictions from the Bible, and a view of the Black Sea. The bazaar felt much more authentic because it wasn't designed for tourists like the one in Istanbul. I didn't see very many foreign tourists and they stood out when I did see them. That must be how I looked because most people gave me a second look as I passed and one guy walked up to me in the downtown park and started a conversation because he liked to be nice to tourists. He studied in Sweden and everyone was nice to him there, so he wanted to return the favor and even offered that I could stay at his place that night. That attitude was a nice change of pace from the first half of my trip when people hassled me and weren't always friendly. My guidebook mentioned that most of the cheap hostels operated as brothels and as we walked around, my host pointed out where I could pay for time with a Russian girl (And no, I did not). The city also had a Russian bazaar and I didn't know that the Russians controlled the Trabzon between 1916 and 1918. There was definitely a different feel to the place compared to Western Turkey. The people also seemed to be more religious, but still not so strict with their behavior and their dress. It was a very good experience that I would not have had if I stayed at a hostel.
Overnight there was a loud, long thunderstorm that brought rain, so I caught some sleep on another long bus ride. The scenery was amazing with green hills and mountains along the blue sea. Unfortunately I didn't book ahead for my two nights in Sinop, so I was stuck paying too much last night ($45). The room was nice and clean but the breakfast was the worst I've been offered so far and the staff wasn't very helpful. I paid 2 Turkish Lira for a Chicken kebab sandwich and 7 TL for dessert of baklava; a delicious way to spend my money. I walked down to the pier for sunset to eat my baklava and saw hundreds of jellyfish swimming around it.
I was happy to leave the hotel and talked to a guy from a pension (cheap motel) who hepled me out even though I ended up staying somewhere else. After I went to the beach for a swim, I wandered around looking for a place to stay and stumbled upon a great place for $15 for my own room. I have noticed that fewer people speak English here, but my guide book has been useful to ask about an available room.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Crazy Cappadocia
I ate a deliciously free dinner of lamb/beef meatballs and fries, and finally won at backgammon before I left Olympos on the overnighht bus to Goreme, Cappadocia. It wasn't great because the bus stopped at a few places along the way. For some reason, people were waiting for the bus at 2am at a station somewhere. Then we had 20-30 minute stops, but who's going to want to eat at 4am?! On the plus side, I saw a gorgeous sunrise out of the front of the bus.
There was a little confusion about my accomodation, but I got a room to myself for the first night. I met up with an Australian guy I was hanging out with in Olympos and we walked around a bit. The open-air museum was a bit disappointing. There were some old churches with colorful frescoes carved into the rocks, but there are cool rocks to look at everywhere.
The landscape is absolutely wild and stunning. It is unlike anything I've ever seen or imagined. I've been told that volcanic ash eroded in such a way to make strange shapes in the valleys. There are cones, pillars, wavy hillsides, and pinks, yellows, reds, and whites. I walked through a few valleys with my camera handy, and went into houses in a cliffside, a hill top, and an underground city. All of them were very fun.
I had the local food which is a kebab cooked in a clay pot and sealed with bread. It tasted better than the usual kebab, and they broke it open on the table to serve it! I also visited a local winery for tasting of their white, rose, and red. It was a hot afternoon, so the American guy I was with suggested we split a bottle on the hill top fortress. It hit the spot.
There was a little confusion about my accomodation, but I got a room to myself for the first night. I met up with an Australian guy I was hanging out with in Olympos and we walked around a bit. The open-air museum was a bit disappointing. There were some old churches with colorful frescoes carved into the rocks, but there are cool rocks to look at everywhere.
The landscape is absolutely wild and stunning. It is unlike anything I've ever seen or imagined. I've been told that volcanic ash eroded in such a way to make strange shapes in the valleys. There are cones, pillars, wavy hillsides, and pinks, yellows, reds, and whites. I walked through a few valleys with my camera handy, and went into houses in a cliffside, a hill top, and an underground city. All of them were very fun.
I had the local food which is a kebab cooked in a clay pot and sealed with bread. It tasted better than the usual kebab, and they broke it open on the table to serve it! I also visited a local winery for tasting of their white, rose, and red. It was a hot afternoon, so the American guy I was with suggested we split a bottle on the hill top fortress. It hit the spot.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Time to relax
The village of Kayakoy was fun to walk around for a couple of hours. The buildings are 200 to 300 years old but the village was abandoned during the population exhange in the early 1920s, so it is advertized as a ghost town. There were a two old churches and great views of the valley and the sea.
The bus ride to Kash was very scenic. The coast is mostly rocky with a few good sandy beaches and the water is turquoise-blue. I got my own room for a luxurious change and saw some live music at one of the many bars in town. The whole town is geared for tourists. There were thousands of people walking around the bars at night but when I went in to see the band, I was the only patron in the bar. Strange, but everything was also overpriced. I paid $4 for a beer! I could go to California for that. Sea kayaking was a good day. We went to a beach, around an island, and saw the "sunken city" which is less impressive than it sounds. There are a few remaining walls and foundations underwater, but nothing spectacular.
I caught a minibus to Olympos which has a reputation for being a place for travellers to relax and do nothing. It was everything I'd hoped for. One guy said he planned to stay here two days and he's been here for over a week. The owner said she came for three months and has been here for 15 years! I spent time with a few Australian roommates, went to the beach under a full moon, ate delicious food cooked by the owner, played backgammon, and had a great time accomplishing nothing. I went on a boat trip with a roommate where we chased 2-foot-long sea turtles, and the Turks covered us in mud because they say it's good for the skin. The last stop had a cool cave to explore and 10-foot tall rocks to jump off of.
Tonight is an overnight bus to Cappadocia, which is inland and has cone-shaped rock formations and an underground city to see.
The bus ride to Kash was very scenic. The coast is mostly rocky with a few good sandy beaches and the water is turquoise-blue. I got my own room for a luxurious change and saw some live music at one of the many bars in town. The whole town is geared for tourists. There were thousands of people walking around the bars at night but when I went in to see the band, I was the only patron in the bar. Strange, but everything was also overpriced. I paid $4 for a beer! I could go to California for that. Sea kayaking was a good day. We went to a beach, around an island, and saw the "sunken city" which is less impressive than it sounds. There are a few remaining walls and foundations underwater, but nothing spectacular.
I caught a minibus to Olympos which has a reputation for being a place for travellers to relax and do nothing. It was everything I'd hoped for. One guy said he planned to stay here two days and he's been here for over a week. The owner said she came for three months and has been here for 15 years! I spent time with a few Australian roommates, went to the beach under a full moon, ate delicious food cooked by the owner, played backgammon, and had a great time accomplishing nothing. I went on a boat trip with a roommate where we chased 2-foot-long sea turtles, and the Turks covered us in mud because they say it's good for the skin. The last stop had a cool cave to explore and 10-foot tall rocks to jump off of.
Tonight is an overnight bus to Cappadocia, which is inland and has cone-shaped rock formations and an underground city to see.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Too many tourists!
The diving in Bodrum was less than spectacular. We went down to a shipwreck and saw a few colorful fish, but for the second dive, we went back to the same place. It was not nearly as colorful and exciting as Fiji. Afterward I visited the 15th century castle built by the crusaders with the Underwater Archaeology Museum inside. That was fun. They had a lot of items that had been recovered from the sea floor including hundreds of amphoras, tools, and they had reconstructed a ship. At night, I wandered through the happening part of town and it was full of British people at dancing bars. It certainly did not feel Turkish and I walked back home.
The bus ride to Fethiye was very nice with forested mountains and a big lake, but at the bus station the free shuttle wouldn't help me so I walked the 1.5 miles to my hostel with my bags. I was lost halfway there and a restaurant employee called my hostel for me and gave me some cold water because I was sweating so much. I walked passed some tombs cut into the hillside and saw a ruined castle. Fethiye is still touristy but it felt quieter and more Turkish.
I went diving at two different sites and got better at not using my air so quickly. I felt more comfortable and confident underwater, but there wasn't much to see except for some broken pieces of amphoras and the odd fish. The visibility was at least 60 feet and I saw more fish just snorkelling in the cove, but it was still a good day out on a boat. I jumped off the second deck with another guy and the staff said if we did it again it would be 5 Turkish Lira. I met a few other Americans for a relaxed night at the hostel. One was the first Iowan I had met overseas and he said the same. We were sitting outside and saw the brightest, clearest shooting star I can remember. It lasted for a long time and I could see fragments in the tail.
I went to a famous beach nearby and was disappointed by how crowded it was. It would have been beautiful without all the people, but paragliding over it looked like fun. I think all the Mediterranean is going to be crowded.
The bus ride to Fethiye was very nice with forested mountains and a big lake, but at the bus station the free shuttle wouldn't help me so I walked the 1.5 miles to my hostel with my bags. I was lost halfway there and a restaurant employee called my hostel for me and gave me some cold water because I was sweating so much. I walked passed some tombs cut into the hillside and saw a ruined castle. Fethiye is still touristy but it felt quieter and more Turkish.
I went diving at two different sites and got better at not using my air so quickly. I felt more comfortable and confident underwater, but there wasn't much to see except for some broken pieces of amphoras and the odd fish. The visibility was at least 60 feet and I saw more fish just snorkelling in the cove, but it was still a good day out on a boat. I jumped off the second deck with another guy and the staff said if we did it again it would be 5 Turkish Lira. I met a few other Americans for a relaxed night at the hostel. One was the first Iowan I had met overseas and he said the same. We were sitting outside and saw the brightest, clearest shooting star I can remember. It lasted for a long time and I could see fragments in the tail.
I went to a famous beach nearby and was disappointed by how crowded it was. It would have been beautiful without all the people, but paragliding over it looked like fun. I think all the Mediterranean is going to be crowded.
Monday, July 4, 2011
I took a guided tour of ruins at Priene, Miletus, and Didyma. Priene had a hilltop location that used to be on the sea (like most of the sites). The river deposited silt where it emptied into the sea, moving the coast closer to Greece at about nine feet per year. Because of this, Priene lost its importance when it could no longer function as a port. The Greek theatre had enough seats for all 6,500 residents and I could see the ruins of the houses, unlike at Ephesus. I sat in the same chair as Alexander the Great when he passed through the town on his conquest!
Miletus had a huge well-preserved Roman amphitheatre with 30,000 seats where they had gladiator fights, plays and debates. The Romans built enough seats for 1/10 of the population. the Byzantines built a fort at the top of the amphitheatre, which looked a little strange. The rest of the city was in a swamp. There were a few columns and a large Roman bath that people were required to use after they came in from the sea to try to keep the city clean.
Didyma had a huge Temple of Apollo that was never completed, but all of the columns were 75 feet tall, three of them were reconstructed. To build them, they placed a chunk of column about three feet tall on the base, then put enough dirt around it to place the next segment on top and so on until it was 75 feet tall, then move on to the next column. It was a temple where oracles predicted the future. The guide had great information and loved history. He was upset that the local people took stones from the ancient sites to use to build new homes, but there wasn't enough education about it in Turkey. His father lived 29 miles from Ephesus and had never visited the site because he said "They are just stones, there are stones everywhere!"
I went to a sandy beach in Pamucak with refreshingly cool water and a school of small fish near the shore. I had some more good mezes/appetizers for dinner, and a Canadian roommate got stuck on a Greek Island for the weekend with 15 Euros in cash because an ATM ate his card.
I went to Aydin Saturday morning to visit my friend Evren who I lived and worked with in New Zealand and have seen a couple of times since then. She manages a winery which has just bottled its first batch of wine. She was working until 10:30pm to finish bottling Friday night. We went to Dilek National Park for a beautiful beach, views of the Greek Island of Samos, and a walk through the pine forest.
We visited an olive oil history museum that was started by a collector of artifacts going back over 2,000 years. I don't envy the people who crush and pressed olives by human power back then. At least they used donkeys for some of the work. I had pide (Turkish pizza) for dinner and tried Efes Dark beer and ouzo. Both were good. We walked around the new open-air shopping mall for a while which was nice because I could see Turkish people going about their lives instead of trying to sell me things. It was great to catch up with Evren. Her former boss Alain, who offered me a job in Hungary, visited her the previous weekend and it sounded like it would be pretty easy to obtain a work permit for me.
On Sunday we went to a shady park at the top of a hill and I did more people watching. I enjoyed being away from the touristy sites for a couple of days to observe that people act similarly to how they would in Santa Rosa, except for the call to prayer. The park in Aydin reminded me of a day at Howarth park with picnics, BBQs, and loud children running around. Evren made a delicious dinner, served a dark, full-bodied, spicy red Turkish wine. I have no idea what varietal...something Turkish. The baklava for dessert was excellent and I watched a strange movie called "Strings" which used puppets but still managed to be a good film.
I caught a bus to Bodrum which was a pretty ride, but the town was disappointing. I had read and heard that it was full of pre-package holiday seekers and it was worse than I had imagined. The beach was rocky so it was covered with reclining chairs and umbrellas so I couldn't even tell that it was a beach. It was lined with overpriced restaurants with too much English food on the menus. Not only that, the castle/underwater archaeology museum which was the only thing I wanted to see here, was closed on Mondays. So now I have to visit it after diving tomorrow. I passed by the Mausoleum of Halicarnas (also closed) and there was not much left other than a few large stones on the ground. But at least I can cross of another ancient wonder of the world. That makes two in the past week. The hotel was full, so they upgraded my room to a two-bed ensuite but it is next to the pool so I can hear the crappy music and loud people nearby. I'm glad I only booked two nights here.
Miletus had a huge well-preserved Roman amphitheatre with 30,000 seats where they had gladiator fights, plays and debates. The Romans built enough seats for 1/10 of the population. the Byzantines built a fort at the top of the amphitheatre, which looked a little strange. The rest of the city was in a swamp. There were a few columns and a large Roman bath that people were required to use after they came in from the sea to try to keep the city clean.
Didyma had a huge Temple of Apollo that was never completed, but all of the columns were 75 feet tall, three of them were reconstructed. To build them, they placed a chunk of column about three feet tall on the base, then put enough dirt around it to place the next segment on top and so on until it was 75 feet tall, then move on to the next column. It was a temple where oracles predicted the future. The guide had great information and loved history. He was upset that the local people took stones from the ancient sites to use to build new homes, but there wasn't enough education about it in Turkey. His father lived 29 miles from Ephesus and had never visited the site because he said "They are just stones, there are stones everywhere!"
I went to a sandy beach in Pamucak with refreshingly cool water and a school of small fish near the shore. I had some more good mezes/appetizers for dinner, and a Canadian roommate got stuck on a Greek Island for the weekend with 15 Euros in cash because an ATM ate his card.
I went to Aydin Saturday morning to visit my friend Evren who I lived and worked with in New Zealand and have seen a couple of times since then. She manages a winery which has just bottled its first batch of wine. She was working until 10:30pm to finish bottling Friday night. We went to Dilek National Park for a beautiful beach, views of the Greek Island of Samos, and a walk through the pine forest.
We visited an olive oil history museum that was started by a collector of artifacts going back over 2,000 years. I don't envy the people who crush and pressed olives by human power back then. At least they used donkeys for some of the work. I had pide (Turkish pizza) for dinner and tried Efes Dark beer and ouzo. Both were good. We walked around the new open-air shopping mall for a while which was nice because I could see Turkish people going about their lives instead of trying to sell me things. It was great to catch up with Evren. Her former boss Alain, who offered me a job in Hungary, visited her the previous weekend and it sounded like it would be pretty easy to obtain a work permit for me.
On Sunday we went to a shady park at the top of a hill and I did more people watching. I enjoyed being away from the touristy sites for a couple of days to observe that people act similarly to how they would in Santa Rosa, except for the call to prayer. The park in Aydin reminded me of a day at Howarth park with picnics, BBQs, and loud children running around. Evren made a delicious dinner, served a dark, full-bodied, spicy red Turkish wine. I have no idea what varietal...something Turkish. The baklava for dessert was excellent and I watched a strange movie called "Strings" which used puppets but still managed to be a good film.
I caught a bus to Bodrum which was a pretty ride, but the town was disappointing. I had read and heard that it was full of pre-package holiday seekers and it was worse than I had imagined. The beach was rocky so it was covered with reclining chairs and umbrellas so I couldn't even tell that it was a beach. It was lined with overpriced restaurants with too much English food on the menus. Not only that, the castle/underwater archaeology museum which was the only thing I wanted to see here, was closed on Mondays. So now I have to visit it after diving tomorrow. I passed by the Mausoleum of Halicarnas (also closed) and there was not much left other than a few large stones on the ground. But at least I can cross of another ancient wonder of the world. That makes two in the past week. The hotel was full, so they upgraded my room to a two-bed ensuite but it is next to the pool so I can hear the crappy music and loud people nearby. I'm glad I only booked two nights here.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Ephesus
To spend a day at the beach, I fumbled around with buses for two to three hours total to sit in the sand for one hour. Not entirely worth it, but I got to see a town without foreign tourists. Back in Bergama I found kebabs and lahmucan for 1 and 2 Lyra for dinner, then a dessert tasting from one of the many sweet shops around.
I took a bus to Izmir station, then a minibus on to Selcuk and saw Ephesus in the afternoon. It was full of tourists, but it helped me picture what it would have been like with 200,000 Romans living there. The Great Theatre was a highlight. It held 25,000 people! Most of the buildings still had all four walls and I had a book with me that showed what they would have looked like in Roman times. It was all very impressive, except maybe for the public latrine. There were fountains, temples, gates, the library, agora, Church of Mary, gymnasium, and plenty of columns.
The restaurant next to my hostel has excellent food and a very friendly owner who booked a tour for me. The stuffed grape leaves and stuffed peppers were great. There's even a free shuttle to Ephesus in front of the restaurant. The BBQ on the rooftop terrace for dinner hit the spot after walking around all day.
I saw St. John's Cathedral, an old mosque, aquaducts, the museum and a fort on top of the hill. The frescoes in John's tomb were well-preserved and the basilica was huge. The museum was surprisingly good. They took the statues from Ephesus and put them on display there.
I took a bus to Izmir station, then a minibus on to Selcuk and saw Ephesus in the afternoon. It was full of tourists, but it helped me picture what it would have been like with 200,000 Romans living there. The Great Theatre was a highlight. It held 25,000 people! Most of the buildings still had all four walls and I had a book with me that showed what they would have looked like in Roman times. It was all very impressive, except maybe for the public latrine. There were fountains, temples, gates, the library, agora, Church of Mary, gymnasium, and plenty of columns.
The restaurant next to my hostel has excellent food and a very friendly owner who booked a tour for me. The stuffed grape leaves and stuffed peppers were great. There's even a free shuttle to Ephesus in front of the restaurant. The BBQ on the rooftop terrace for dinner hit the spot after walking around all day.
I saw St. John's Cathedral, an old mosque, aquaducts, the museum and a fort on top of the hill. The frescoes in John's tomb were well-preserved and the basilica was huge. The museum was surprisingly good. They took the statues from Ephesus and put them on display there.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Pergamum
The bus ride to Bergama was pretty along the coast. I tried dondurma, thick Turkish ice cream. The chocolate was good. At the bus station 4 miles out of town, the taxi drivers give the bus company staff cigarettes, so they won't tell tourists about the free shuttle into town. The hostel owner said he has written to the city council about it, but it was still only $4 per person for the ride in. I met a couple of Australian guys and a father and son from the East Bay who had travelled North from Uganda by land and sea. They said Egypt is ridiculously cheap right now because there aren't any tourists who want to go there.
In the morning I hiked up the hill to the Acropolis at Pergamum and evaded the entrance gate to make it free. It followed the old (duh) Roman road through the gymnasium, which I had to myself before tourists got in my way. The site was what I hoped for: a whole recognizable city with buildings, columns, archways and roads. The amphitheater was especially impressive carved into a steep hillside to hold 10,000 people.
I saw the Asclepion, a famous medical center in Roman times, in the afternoon. Since I had to pay for it and it wasn't as big as the Acropolis, it didn't feel worth the money. The view down the road to the Acropolis a mile away was nice, then there were columns, arches, and a smaller amphitheater of 3,500 seats.
On the way back into town a kid ran up to me and said, "money, money!" When I asked "why?" which I'm sure he didn't understand, he threw stones at me! But he missed and a woman nearby yelled at him. I picked up a delicious dessert similar to doughnut holes dripping in corn syrup.
In the morning I hiked up the hill to the Acropolis at Pergamum and evaded the entrance gate to make it free. It followed the old (duh) Roman road through the gymnasium, which I had to myself before tourists got in my way. The site was what I hoped for: a whole recognizable city with buildings, columns, archways and roads. The amphitheater was especially impressive carved into a steep hillside to hold 10,000 people.
I saw the Asclepion, a famous medical center in Roman times, in the afternoon. Since I had to pay for it and it wasn't as big as the Acropolis, it didn't feel worth the money. The view down the road to the Acropolis a mile away was nice, then there were columns, arches, and a smaller amphitheater of 3,500 seats.
On the way back into town a kid ran up to me and said, "money, money!" When I asked "why?" which I'm sure he didn't understand, he threw stones at me! But he missed and a woman nearby yelled at him. I picked up a delicious dessert similar to doughnut holes dripping in corn syrup.
Friday, June 24, 2011
From Istanbul to Gallipoli
I found a brew pub with a decent pilsener and tried raki, the national liquor made like Greek ouzo and French pastis with strong Anise flavor. I wandered around the bazaar not finding what I was looking for and unfortunately the university is a closed campus. It makes sense that the students shouldn't have to deal with hundreds of tourists getting in their way.
A nice guy on the Metro train showed me to the correct bus office at the station and the trip was beautiful; low hills with farmland and forests. One guy was sitting outside his house just looking out over the hill to the Aegean Sea. Life seems slower and simpler away from Istanbul. The town I stayed in was pretty small, but that made it hard to get lost.
In the morning I went snorkelling over a WW1 shipwreck that was a transport ship sunk on purpose to break the waves coming in to shore. There were plants and fish swimming around the ship, but it was pretty decayed with only the frame still intact. I took a tour of some famous sites and memorials of the Galllipoli campaign of WW1 including the main landing sites of the Australian and New Zealand forces (ANZACs). I have a feeling my brother could give a more detailed tour than the one I got, but most people probably just want the basic facts.
Earlier today I went to see Troy. There's even a replica of the Trojan horse but with windows to see out of. The site was pretty dilapidated but there were plenty of signs to read to tell me what I was looking at. The original archaologist, Schliemann, destroyed quite a bit of the site when he first discovered it. But it was still good to see it. I ate a good $1.30 kebab, and found the bus I will take tomorrow to Bergama, which is the village next to the ancient site of Pergamum with the Asclepion (Medical Center) and Temple of Apollo.
A nice guy on the Metro train showed me to the correct bus office at the station and the trip was beautiful; low hills with farmland and forests. One guy was sitting outside his house just looking out over the hill to the Aegean Sea. Life seems slower and simpler away from Istanbul. The town I stayed in was pretty small, but that made it hard to get lost.
In the morning I went snorkelling over a WW1 shipwreck that was a transport ship sunk on purpose to break the waves coming in to shore. There were plants and fish swimming around the ship, but it was pretty decayed with only the frame still intact. I took a tour of some famous sites and memorials of the Galllipoli campaign of WW1 including the main landing sites of the Australian and New Zealand forces (ANZACs). I have a feeling my brother could give a more detailed tour than the one I got, but most people probably just want the basic facts.
Earlier today I went to see Troy. There's even a replica of the Trojan horse but with windows to see out of. The site was pretty dilapidated but there were plenty of signs to read to tell me what I was looking at. The original archaologist, Schliemann, destroyed quite a bit of the site when he first discovered it. But it was still good to see it. I ate a good $1.30 kebab, and found the bus I will take tomorrow to Bergama, which is the village next to the ancient site of Pergamum with the Asclepion (Medical Center) and Temple of Apollo.
Monday, June 20, 2011
A couple of cities
The cinema I went to had comfortable leather seats. "Hangover 2" was very funny and "Super 8" was another version of ET, but still good. I saw the impressive big bronze Buddha statue and the monastery with lots of gold and dragons next to it. I passed government buildings, the US Consulate, parks, and used the pedestrian walkways built over the streets and through buildings. One park had birds, monkeys, and orangutans on display. The Wan Chai area had a lot of bars and restaurants. I watched the light show from the opposite side of the harbor this time. I never felt lost or in danger while walking around. I found the Indonesian part of town for lunch, then went with a Chinese roommate for dinner near a big outdoor market and finished with a beer in an Irish pub.
My flights went well. Royal Jordanian Airlines was excellent mostly because the food was great. There were good movies and good service as well. I watched "Company Men," "Red," and "The Mecahnic." I didn't sleep much on the plane but I managed a bit on some of the most uncomfortable chairs I've ecperienced in the airport at Amman, Jordan. The landscape in Jordan was brown and flat with some valleys near the Dead Sea. I saw Cyprus out the window and Turkey looked brown and hilly.
Customs at Istanbul was the easiest I've seen. No one asked me any questions or checked my bags. I made it to my hostel on the packed tram. Dinner was a sandwich with pizza ingredients in it, then I walked around the Sultanahmet area.
I waded through hoards of tourists at Aya Sofya, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern.. All the sites were great but most of my photos have tourists in them. Aya Sofya took two hours to enjoy with its different paintings and mosaics. It was a church, then a mosque, now a museum. The architecture is impressive because the dome is so light it doesn't need massive pillars on the ground like the Blue Mosque does. Aya Sofya used hollow clay bricks and strong ribs as part of the dome to support it. The Blue Mosque was full of intricate designs, but the palace was incredible. The rooms were fabulously decorated, the tresury had golden and jewelled artifacts, they had Mohammed's and Moses' beard clippings and swords. I took a lot of photos. The cistern was nice and cool, being underground and the two Medusa columns were the other reason to see it.
I spent the evening with an American roommate. A friend recommended Palatium restaurant, which had great food, the local Efes beer, bean bags to sit in, and 3rd century ruins under the restaurant that we walked through after dinner. They were on a History Channel program once. A restaurant owner was curious about a hole in the wall, and he stumbled upon the ruins. Then we had some nargile (water pipe), Turkish coffee, and street vendor food that was questionable, but nothing bad happened.
Yesterday I saw Dolmabahce Palace which the sultans used in the 19th century after moving from Topkapi. Dolmabahce is very European in style and extremely extravangant with a 5 ton chandelier, crystal staircase, and lots of gold. The bus took me north along the water past some famous night clubs where I saw a Ferrari, a Bentley, and a Bugatti Veyron. Guys were jumping off the sidewalk into the water, then floating in the current back down to a staircase to get out of the water. I've been told the water is clean because the current is so strong despite all the ships passing through.
I stopped at a 15th century fort that was built in four months in preparation for the conquest of Constantinople. I climbed narrow stairs along the walls up the towers. There were great views, an amphitheater, a cistern at the bottom, and some cannons on display. It was a really great experience.
I had been warned about scams in Istanbul targeting tourists and a roommate got scammed into paying a several hundred dollar bar tab. He went to the police and they said they can go to the bar and make sure it doesn't happen again, but they couldn't get his money back. That doesn't sound very promising. But he probably should not have got into a stranger's car and allowed him to drive out of the city.
The military museum was closed today, but I walked down the main street from Taksim Square on the northern peninsula. it was very nice, although touristy, but the side streets had good-looking bars and cheap restaurants. I even saw a brew pub, so I'm planning to go back tonight. I tried a Turkish delight which was good with a bit of a strange flavor, then two delicious baklavas. They are pastries with flour, sugar, butter, and another ingredient such as chocolate, or walnut or pistachio. I'll work my way through the flavors while I'm here. This afternoon I'd like to wander around the bazaar and see the university, which was built in the 15th century.
My flights went well. Royal Jordanian Airlines was excellent mostly because the food was great. There were good movies and good service as well. I watched "Company Men," "Red," and "The Mecahnic." I didn't sleep much on the plane but I managed a bit on some of the most uncomfortable chairs I've ecperienced in the airport at Amman, Jordan. The landscape in Jordan was brown and flat with some valleys near the Dead Sea. I saw Cyprus out the window and Turkey looked brown and hilly.
Customs at Istanbul was the easiest I've seen. No one asked me any questions or checked my bags. I made it to my hostel on the packed tram. Dinner was a sandwich with pizza ingredients in it, then I walked around the Sultanahmet area.
I waded through hoards of tourists at Aya Sofya, The Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace, and the Basilica Cistern.. All the sites were great but most of my photos have tourists in them. Aya Sofya took two hours to enjoy with its different paintings and mosaics. It was a church, then a mosque, now a museum. The architecture is impressive because the dome is so light it doesn't need massive pillars on the ground like the Blue Mosque does. Aya Sofya used hollow clay bricks and strong ribs as part of the dome to support it. The Blue Mosque was full of intricate designs, but the palace was incredible. The rooms were fabulously decorated, the tresury had golden and jewelled artifacts, they had Mohammed's and Moses' beard clippings and swords. I took a lot of photos. The cistern was nice and cool, being underground and the two Medusa columns were the other reason to see it.
I spent the evening with an American roommate. A friend recommended Palatium restaurant, which had great food, the local Efes beer, bean bags to sit in, and 3rd century ruins under the restaurant that we walked through after dinner. They were on a History Channel program once. A restaurant owner was curious about a hole in the wall, and he stumbled upon the ruins. Then we had some nargile (water pipe), Turkish coffee, and street vendor food that was questionable, but nothing bad happened.
Yesterday I saw Dolmabahce Palace which the sultans used in the 19th century after moving from Topkapi. Dolmabahce is very European in style and extremely extravangant with a 5 ton chandelier, crystal staircase, and lots of gold. The bus took me north along the water past some famous night clubs where I saw a Ferrari, a Bentley, and a Bugatti Veyron. Guys were jumping off the sidewalk into the water, then floating in the current back down to a staircase to get out of the water. I've been told the water is clean because the current is so strong despite all the ships passing through.
I stopped at a 15th century fort that was built in four months in preparation for the conquest of Constantinople. I climbed narrow stairs along the walls up the towers. There were great views, an amphitheater, a cistern at the bottom, and some cannons on display. It was a really great experience.
I had been warned about scams in Istanbul targeting tourists and a roommate got scammed into paying a several hundred dollar bar tab. He went to the police and they said they can go to the bar and make sure it doesn't happen again, but they couldn't get his money back. That doesn't sound very promising. But he probably should not have got into a stranger's car and allowed him to drive out of the city.
The military museum was closed today, but I walked down the main street from Taksim Square on the northern peninsula. it was very nice, although touristy, but the side streets had good-looking bars and cheap restaurants. I even saw a brew pub, so I'm planning to go back tonight. I tried a Turkish delight which was good with a bit of a strange flavor, then two delicious baklavas. They are pastries with flour, sugar, butter, and another ingredient such as chocolate, or walnut or pistachio. I'll work my way through the flavors while I'm here. This afternoon I'd like to wander around the bazaar and see the university, which was built in the 15th century.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Detour to Hong Kong
My last two nights in Nadi were fun. I had a burger, discovered a good Fijian lager, and spent a night drinking kava and listening to some locals sing songs.
My flight went well, especially because I sat in the emergency exit row. I saw "The Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon which was good, based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. When I got to the Hong Kong airport, I couldn't find my bag, so I delayed my flight to Turkey by five days because I wanted an excuse to stay in Hong Kong.
The city is very impressive with high rises surrounded by steep hills/mountains and a huge port with cranes lined up and all sorts of ships in the harbor. The building where I'm staying is called Chung King Mansion. It felt like a bazaar on the bottom floor with people trying to get me to buy their stuff, but a nice guy at the bus stop helped me find my way. My room was very clean, if small. It had a TV, computer with Internet, A/C, and my own bathroom and a space of 6' by 10'.
The next morning I moved to a dorm room which doesn't look twice the size and has 4 beds. The manager is very friendly and there's free wi-fi. I'm quite happy with the accommodation because all of Hong Kong is cramped, so I'll gladly pay $18 a night for the place. The Chung King Mansion feels a little bit like a Little India and I've had a surprisingly difficult time finding a good Chinese restaurant in my budget. I thought they would be everywhere, but this area is tourist central so there's a little of everything: Italian, British, McDonald's, Starbucks, Korean, Sushi, French. I found a great one last night though. It was just greasy enough and I managed to use chopsticks for the whole meal! But it is nice that the waitresses offer a fork when they see me pick up the chopsticks.
The Hong Kong Museum of History was great since I didn't know very much to begin with. I went to the harbor at night for a great view of Hong Kong Island because I am staying on the peninsula to the north in Kowloon.
I took a city tour today to explore Hong Kong Island. I took a sampan ride on Aberdeen harbor where a floating restaurant and houses are, wandered around a fancy harbor, visited a jewelry manufacturer, went up Victoria Peak for great views, and heard a lot of good information about the city from the guide. It was mostly about how expensive it is to live here. They also have an illegal immigrant problem with people from mainland China who want a better life in Hong Kong. I've heard the same story from Spain, Australia, and South Africa as well.
I've seen some very expensive cars around. On the street is mostly buses, taxis, and trucks to transport goods. There aren't very many cheap-looking cars. I assume it's expensive to drive and not very fun in the city, but the mountain roads were pretty curvy and steep. I noticed a Maserati, Bentley, Lamborghini, Lotus, and the usual BMWs and Mercedes. I'm going to watch The Hangover Two this evening and watch the light show on the harbor.
So far I'm very pleased with my stopover. I feel very safe on the streets since everything is very well lit with plently of tourists around. It looks like a very prosperous city with lights and shops everywhere on the street, then inside some buildings are huge malls with cinemas and all sorts of shops. It has developed very rapidly since the Second World War. I'd like to go see the largest bronze buddha tomorrow on a different insland.
My flight went well, especially because I sat in the emergency exit row. I saw "The Adjustment Bureau" with Matt Damon which was good, based on a short story by Philip K. Dick. When I got to the Hong Kong airport, I couldn't find my bag, so I delayed my flight to Turkey by five days because I wanted an excuse to stay in Hong Kong.
The city is very impressive with high rises surrounded by steep hills/mountains and a huge port with cranes lined up and all sorts of ships in the harbor. The building where I'm staying is called Chung King Mansion. It felt like a bazaar on the bottom floor with people trying to get me to buy their stuff, but a nice guy at the bus stop helped me find my way. My room was very clean, if small. It had a TV, computer with Internet, A/C, and my own bathroom and a space of 6' by 10'.
The next morning I moved to a dorm room which doesn't look twice the size and has 4 beds. The manager is very friendly and there's free wi-fi. I'm quite happy with the accommodation because all of Hong Kong is cramped, so I'll gladly pay $18 a night for the place. The Chung King Mansion feels a little bit like a Little India and I've had a surprisingly difficult time finding a good Chinese restaurant in my budget. I thought they would be everywhere, but this area is tourist central so there's a little of everything: Italian, British, McDonald's, Starbucks, Korean, Sushi, French. I found a great one last night though. It was just greasy enough and I managed to use chopsticks for the whole meal! But it is nice that the waitresses offer a fork when they see me pick up the chopsticks.
The Hong Kong Museum of History was great since I didn't know very much to begin with. I went to the harbor at night for a great view of Hong Kong Island because I am staying on the peninsula to the north in Kowloon.
I took a city tour today to explore Hong Kong Island. I took a sampan ride on Aberdeen harbor where a floating restaurant and houses are, wandered around a fancy harbor, visited a jewelry manufacturer, went up Victoria Peak for great views, and heard a lot of good information about the city from the guide. It was mostly about how expensive it is to live here. They also have an illegal immigrant problem with people from mainland China who want a better life in Hong Kong. I've heard the same story from Spain, Australia, and South Africa as well.
I've seen some very expensive cars around. On the street is mostly buses, taxis, and trucks to transport goods. There aren't very many cheap-looking cars. I assume it's expensive to drive and not very fun in the city, but the mountain roads were pretty curvy and steep. I noticed a Maserati, Bentley, Lamborghini, Lotus, and the usual BMWs and Mercedes. I'm going to watch The Hangover Two this evening and watch the light show on the harbor.
So far I'm very pleased with my stopover. I feel very safe on the streets since everything is very well lit with plently of tourists around. It looks like a very prosperous city with lights and shops everywhere on the street, then inside some buildings are huge malls with cinemas and all sorts of shops. It has developed very rapidly since the Second World War. I'd like to go see the largest bronze buddha tomorrow on a different insland.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
On the move
Wow, so much has happened since I last posted. Part of the reason is I was on the Yasawa Islands of Fiji and the Internet was hard to find and very expensive. But then, I didn't go there to be connected to the rest of the world.
I flew to Fiji with no problems. I decided to buy one bottle of duty free alcohol, then realized that everyone else around me had bought two. I guess I'm still new at this. In the town of Nadi I found a great Indian restaurant and had chicken fried rice for less than $3. There are quite a few Fijian Indians around Nadi. There are also a lot of different religious denominations including all kinds of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and I'm sure some others. Everyone seems to get along very well because they are so relaxed and friendly. Things run on "Fiji time", which means a watch isn't always very helpful.
I saw a Polynesian dance and fire show at a hostel next to mine, then caught the ferry out to the farthest island the next morning. I met a nice Dutch guy on the boat and we went for a hike off the trail behind our resort. We fell into a lot of holes, he broke and repaired his flip-flop, it rained when we were in the beautiful forest, I broke open a coconut with a rock and drank the juice, saw huge spiders, and we stumbled into the village but made it back fine. The views were amazing, the backpacker resort was very nice and provided more than what I'm used to.
I went snorkeling and saw all sorts of colorful corals and fish. The squid looked strange because they were fried and in a bowl on the table. The water was warm and very clear. The next resort I stayed at wasn't as nice. It was in a sandy bay, but there was a 32-bed dorm and they turned the electricity off at 10pm. But I still had fun with a loud group of Germans. The next place was beautiful again but the bathroom was kind of gross, breakfast was at 7am, the beds were uncomfortable, and a rat ate my food. I went snorkeling with sharks, which was awesome. They were scary at first, but they were harmless. They were about three feet long and the guide caught one in his hand to show us. At night the Germans, the Dutch guy and I took a boat across to another resort on a different island 10 minutes away to visit some friends. The boat ride in the middle of the night with a flashlight at the front was fun.
I took the ferry north to a very small resort and got seasick along the way. The service was very personal since there were only five guests. I met a couple who live in Toulouse, France and we exchanged email addresses in case I make it to France this summer. We tried kava, the local drink, but it didn't affect me too much. People say it takes a lot to produce and effect. It comes from the root of a plant and numbs the mouth when drank. Later it feels similar to alcohol. In the morning we visited a school nearby, which was a great experience. Even though the children have so little, they still seem happy and friendly. I checked my email once and received a job offer from a winery in Hungary, assuming I can obtain a work permit.
I spent my last week at Coral View Resort to complete the PADI open water diving course. Fiji is a pretty cheap place to do it and the life in the water is amazing. It was one of the best things I've done. The resort was the biggest and had the nicest facilities, great buffet-style food, and I met a lot of nice people. A Irish guy, Jamie, completed the diving course with me. First we read and studied a textbook and took quizzes which felt way too much like school.
My first dive was a bit scary because we only went through some safety review briefly at the surface, then went down to 40 feet. The instructor picked up three beer bottles off the bottom and we had a cheers. I did manage to enjoy it even if a little scared. We completed confined water training (more safety) at the surface, then practiced the skills again at 40 feet and 60 feet. We saw a stone fish, a lion fish (both poisonous), a small shark, and I passed the exam to become a certified diver, allowing me to dive anywhere in the world. I have read that there is some diving in Turkey, so I'll have to find it. The last morning, we did two dives to 60 feet. The instructor touched a piece of coral, and it turned silver I guess as a defense mechanism. The second dive was for shark feeding. It was incredible. There was a row of divers holding onto a rope like at an aquarium while a dive master fed the fish and sharks. I never felt in danger with 10+ sharks nearby because they just acted like big fish. The biggest was a 12-foot lemon shark. We also saw a moray eel come out of some coral for a piece of food.
I took the ferry back to Nadi that afternoon and saw several people that I had met before. At the hostel I talked to a couple from Slovenia who, after five minutes of conversation, invited me to stay with them. I met a lot of nice people like that and exchanged emails with people from Austria, Denmark, Holland, France, Canada, and Ireland.
Yesterday I mailed my diving info to Australia so they can send me my official diving ID card. Two Scottish girls I had met said they were looking forward to having a burger when they got back, so I decided that was a good idea, then I saw them walk in and do the same. I also discovered Vonu lager, which was much better than the typical Fiji beer. Today I got my bag stitched up since it was coming apart in a couple of places, went back to the cheap Indian restaurant for the third time, and now I'm updating my blog. I fly to Istanbul tomorrow, so I definitely need a new name for the blog.
I flew to Fiji with no problems. I decided to buy one bottle of duty free alcohol, then realized that everyone else around me had bought two. I guess I'm still new at this. In the town of Nadi I found a great Indian restaurant and had chicken fried rice for less than $3. There are quite a few Fijian Indians around Nadi. There are also a lot of different religious denominations including all kinds of Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and I'm sure some others. Everyone seems to get along very well because they are so relaxed and friendly. Things run on "Fiji time", which means a watch isn't always very helpful.
I saw a Polynesian dance and fire show at a hostel next to mine, then caught the ferry out to the farthest island the next morning. I met a nice Dutch guy on the boat and we went for a hike off the trail behind our resort. We fell into a lot of holes, he broke and repaired his flip-flop, it rained when we were in the beautiful forest, I broke open a coconut with a rock and drank the juice, saw huge spiders, and we stumbled into the village but made it back fine. The views were amazing, the backpacker resort was very nice and provided more than what I'm used to.
I went snorkeling and saw all sorts of colorful corals and fish. The squid looked strange because they were fried and in a bowl on the table. The water was warm and very clear. The next resort I stayed at wasn't as nice. It was in a sandy bay, but there was a 32-bed dorm and they turned the electricity off at 10pm. But I still had fun with a loud group of Germans. The next place was beautiful again but the bathroom was kind of gross, breakfast was at 7am, the beds were uncomfortable, and a rat ate my food. I went snorkeling with sharks, which was awesome. They were scary at first, but they were harmless. They were about three feet long and the guide caught one in his hand to show us. At night the Germans, the Dutch guy and I took a boat across to another resort on a different island 10 minutes away to visit some friends. The boat ride in the middle of the night with a flashlight at the front was fun.
I took the ferry north to a very small resort and got seasick along the way. The service was very personal since there were only five guests. I met a couple who live in Toulouse, France and we exchanged email addresses in case I make it to France this summer. We tried kava, the local drink, but it didn't affect me too much. People say it takes a lot to produce and effect. It comes from the root of a plant and numbs the mouth when drank. Later it feels similar to alcohol. In the morning we visited a school nearby, which was a great experience. Even though the children have so little, they still seem happy and friendly. I checked my email once and received a job offer from a winery in Hungary, assuming I can obtain a work permit.
I spent my last week at Coral View Resort to complete the PADI open water diving course. Fiji is a pretty cheap place to do it and the life in the water is amazing. It was one of the best things I've done. The resort was the biggest and had the nicest facilities, great buffet-style food, and I met a lot of nice people. A Irish guy, Jamie, completed the diving course with me. First we read and studied a textbook and took quizzes which felt way too much like school.
My first dive was a bit scary because we only went through some safety review briefly at the surface, then went down to 40 feet. The instructor picked up three beer bottles off the bottom and we had a cheers. I did manage to enjoy it even if a little scared. We completed confined water training (more safety) at the surface, then practiced the skills again at 40 feet and 60 feet. We saw a stone fish, a lion fish (both poisonous), a small shark, and I passed the exam to become a certified diver, allowing me to dive anywhere in the world. I have read that there is some diving in Turkey, so I'll have to find it. The last morning, we did two dives to 60 feet. The instructor touched a piece of coral, and it turned silver I guess as a defense mechanism. The second dive was for shark feeding. It was incredible. There was a row of divers holding onto a rope like at an aquarium while a dive master fed the fish and sharks. I never felt in danger with 10+ sharks nearby because they just acted like big fish. The biggest was a 12-foot lemon shark. We also saw a moray eel come out of some coral for a piece of food.
I took the ferry back to Nadi that afternoon and saw several people that I had met before. At the hostel I talked to a couple from Slovenia who, after five minutes of conversation, invited me to stay with them. I met a lot of nice people like that and exchanged emails with people from Austria, Denmark, Holland, France, Canada, and Ireland.
Yesterday I mailed my diving info to Australia so they can send me my official diving ID card. Two Scottish girls I had met said they were looking forward to having a burger when they got back, so I decided that was a good idea, then I saw them walk in and do the same. I also discovered Vonu lager, which was much better than the typical Fiji beer. Today I got my bag stitched up since it was coming apart in a couple of places, went back to the cheap Indian restaurant for the third time, and now I'm updating my blog. I fly to Istanbul tomorrow, so I definitely need a new name for the blog.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Get me to a beach
The last few days I've been busy booking flights and boats and beds. I will fly to Fiji tomorrow morning and stay for two weeks. An island hopping pass allows me to get up and move along whenever I want to. It works in the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island chains, which are popular with backpackers for beaches, snorkeling, and some hiking. Most of the islands are pretty small, including the one where "Castaway" was filmed. It should be a good time.
From there, I fly to Istanbul, Turkey to do more travelling while still finding time to relax on a beach somewhere. My friend Evren, who I saw in South Africa, said I could stop by to say hello.
I talked to Monsieur Luc Baudet from Chateau Mas Neuf at the Southern end of the Rhone Valley and he said he'd be happy to have me come work for him. The work permit for France is the biggest obstacle, so we have to start working on that.
I've enjoyed New Zealand and all the people here, but now it's time to leave because it is getting cold. And I might have to come up with a new name for the blog.
From there, I fly to Istanbul, Turkey to do more travelling while still finding time to relax on a beach somewhere. My friend Evren, who I saw in South Africa, said I could stop by to say hello.
I talked to Monsieur Luc Baudet from Chateau Mas Neuf at the Southern end of the Rhone Valley and he said he'd be happy to have me come work for him. The work permit for France is the biggest obstacle, so we have to start working on that.
I've enjoyed New Zealand and all the people here, but now it's time to leave because it is getting cold. And I might have to come up with a new name for the blog.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
No more work!
Last weekend a French ambassador and his staff came by the winery for a tasting, but they were over an hour late without calling, then decided to have lunch first and ended up trying two wines. Gerhard was not happy and cursed the French before he went home early. Olivier filled in for him at the tasting and the French people were more interested in Olivier than the wine. The next day was roast lamb at Gerhard's house, then Monday was beer and golf day at the Tui brewery. It was good fun and I got last place of the seven people playing, but I expected that for my second game of golf ever.
Two guys from another winery came by to taste out of the tanks and barrels, and I planned to meet the American one in Auckland in a few days. I left Gladstone for the Masterton bus stop to discover that the bus to Palmerston North didn't run that day, so I spent almost an hour in the cold before I managed to hitch a ride. The first woman who picked me up was from Hawkes Bay and had just been out hunting that day. The second woman was clinically insane. As soon as I got in the messy Lexus she dumped her life story on me: husband kicked her out after 25 years and three kids, doesn't take the meds her psychiatrist prescribes her and people still think she's crazy, doesn't talk to her family because they think she's nuts, and she just bought a house so she could write a book about her screwed up life. I was glad to be away from her and in a hostel with other backpackers again.
On Thursday I caught the bus to Auckland with no problem. It was a 10 hour ride for less than $30US so I can't complain. Two volcanic mountains in the middle of the North Island were covered in snow, and quite beautiful. My hostel in Auckland is full of French people. My roommate works in a French restaurant and speaks French to all the staff. I also met an American couple, and the girl lived in the Bay Area for a while. The kitchen smelled great with all the French people cooking. The chocolate "American" pie and crepes were very good.
I went to dinner at a Western-style restaurant with American pictures on the wall, but good food, but I wasn't about to try the $29 burrito. The next day I went to the museum, saw Pirates 4, and ate at my roommate's French restaurant "Le Garde-Manger". It had great food, good French wine, and good casual atmosphere. The beef bourguinon was delicious with a lemon and sugar crepe for dessert.
I've received a couple more replies from wineries in France, but nothing for sure yet.
Two guys from another winery came by to taste out of the tanks and barrels, and I planned to meet the American one in Auckland in a few days. I left Gladstone for the Masterton bus stop to discover that the bus to Palmerston North didn't run that day, so I spent almost an hour in the cold before I managed to hitch a ride. The first woman who picked me up was from Hawkes Bay and had just been out hunting that day. The second woman was clinically insane. As soon as I got in the messy Lexus she dumped her life story on me: husband kicked her out after 25 years and three kids, doesn't take the meds her psychiatrist prescribes her and people still think she's crazy, doesn't talk to her family because they think she's nuts, and she just bought a house so she could write a book about her screwed up life. I was glad to be away from her and in a hostel with other backpackers again.
On Thursday I caught the bus to Auckland with no problem. It was a 10 hour ride for less than $30US so I can't complain. Two volcanic mountains in the middle of the North Island were covered in snow, and quite beautiful. My hostel in Auckland is full of French people. My roommate works in a French restaurant and speaks French to all the staff. I also met an American couple, and the girl lived in the Bay Area for a while. The kitchen smelled great with all the French people cooking. The chocolate "American" pie and crepes were very good.
I went to dinner at a Western-style restaurant with American pictures on the wall, but good food, but I wasn't about to try the $29 burrito. The next day I went to the museum, saw Pirates 4, and ate at my roommate's French restaurant "Le Garde-Manger". It had great food, good French wine, and good casual atmosphere. The beef bourguinon was delicious with a lemon and sugar crepe for dessert.
I've received a couple more replies from wineries in France, but nothing for sure yet.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Grand Bordeaux tasting
My last week of work went by as normal and we had some spare time to practice rugby and golf outside the cellar. The big event of my week was the Grand Bordeaux tasting at a fancy hotel in Wellington. Our consultant winemaker, Gerhard, Olivier, Clara, and I all went to try to bring some class to the $130 tasting. I'm fairly certain we were the only ones there who made wine. I have some tasting notes for those who care about such things, as well as prices if you just want to be shocked into disbelief. Warning: You may have to care about wine to bother reading this entry.
Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur NV was great. It had subtle yeast/nutty flavors with good fruit and full-bodied for a champagne (US$55).
Chateau Durandal '08 from St. Emilion was a good starter; a Merlot/Cab Franc that was pretty soft, on the light side but well-balanced ($43).
Chateau La Gaffeliere '00 from St. Emilion was mainly Merlot with Cab Franc and Cab Sauv, but it tasted like green Cab Franc. It was decent, but not for $216. Robert Parker liked its "nobility/subtlety." Side note: Gerhard agreed with me that Robert Parker should die.
Cheval Blanc '07 from St. Emilion was the favorite among everyone we talked to. It was 55% Cab Franc, 45% Merlot, but wow! they fit a lot of layers into it. The nose: a hint of tobacco, definite coffee and some chocolate. Flavors: coffee, green Cab Franc, softness, good fruit, great finish. Silky smooth with amazing texture, lots of subtlety and complexity. A truly incredible wine at a more incredible price, $983! It is notable also for being different from anything else out there.
Chateau Beauregard '05 from Pomerol was decent, a softer green Merlot/Cab Franc for $197.
Chateau Siran '07 from Margeaux was a bargain at $43. It had very good black fruit flavors with strong front tannins, needing aging.
Chateau Poujeaux '08 from Moulis en Medoc was a 50% Cab Sauv, 40% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. This was getting to more my (California) style just because Cabernet Sauvignon was the dominant grape. It was good, well-balanced and smooth.
Chateau Chasse Spleen '00 from Moulis en Medoc was another favorite among us. 65% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Big Cab flavor with soft elegance, very concentrated, excellent integration and amazing tannins and acid to age for only $200 for a magnum!
Chateau Citran '98 from Haut Medoc was a 58% Cab Sauv, 42% Merlot that had great balance, perfect integration, seemed near its peak age-wise, subtle berry flavors. Robert Parker had to be drunk when he gave this only and 86/100 ($55).
Chateau Camensac '05 from Haut Medoc was an enderwhelming Cab Sauv/Merlot with strong tannins and a hint of fruit. It needs age but I couldn't tell if it would open up ($58).
Chateau Talbot '05 from St. Julien was 66% Cab Sauv, 26% Merlot, 3% Cab Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. It had a subtle fruit nose of Cab Sauv/Merlot. On the palate it was soft, supple, integrated, leather with blackberry fruit. Exceptional ($86).
Chateau Leoville Poyferre '04 from St. Julien had vineyards that were mostly Cab Sauv, some Merlot and a bit of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc (not sure about the wine). I got cab Sauv fruit, great balance, subtle oak (75% new), spicy, excellent. It was more California style with potential for aging and the group with me liked it a lot (as did Parker) ($138).
Chateau Pichon - Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande '05 from Pauillac was incredible. 64% Cab Sauv, 29% Merlot, then Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. There was cherry, complex fruit, hint of tobacco on the nose/cigar on the palate, big, can age 5-10 more years because it was just a tad bit short on the palate. Peak said to be 2012 to 2025 ($252).
Chateau Haut-Brion '95 from Pessac Leognan was the oldest wine there and it showed. The vineyard was 40% Cab Sauv, 37% Merlot and 18% Cab Franc. The nose had old leather (in a good way), and Cab Franc. It was well-aged with great integration but I felt it would not get better and didn't have the fruit to live up to its $1,180 price tag. Clara said I should taste it a second time because it got better when she did, but it was gone by then. I wouldn't buy it for $100 let alone $1,000.
Chateau Climens Cypers de Climens '06 from Barsac was a dessert wine Semillon at $67 for a 750ml bottle but I tasted rot, a bit dirty, but still honey and fruit flavors. Tasting the rot and dirt weren't terrible because they added some complexity, but there was too much for me, but it wasn't as popular as the next one.
Chateau d"Yquem '97 from Sauternes was highly praised by all. It got a 100 from one reviewer and a 96 from Parker. The vineyards were 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, and a larger estate at 280 acres. At first I got clean, long, honey, apple, and nuts with incredibly subtle oak, smoky and a bit dirty (in a good way). Great ($390 for a 375ml bottle).
The ones with Cab Franc had that usual green flavor to them. The wines were usually more subtle, sometimes erring on that side instead of the California style of erring on the big and fruity side. The wineries all seemed to be fairly small (40 to 200 acres). Gerhard worked near St. Emilion in '01 and '03 and said all the best vineyards are on small, gravel hills that have better drainage because the sites nearest the Atlantic are almost a swamp.
Olivier and Clara said they would not be able to do a tasting like this in France for less than 500 Euros. Olivier is very difficult to impress with a wine, and Clara thinks people as well as wine should have elegance. To me, elegance in a wine means less fruit.
Overall some wines were very good and some were less than stellar, which I've found in any region I've tasted. I've had bigger (in my opinion) better wines tasting around Sonoma and Napa, especially for the price which did not always match the quality. But you can find overpriced Bordeaux varietals in Napa just as easily.
I might have to get used to this French style though because I'm trying to work there next harvest. I have a Skype interview with a winemaker in the Southern Rhone soon, but it sounds good so far.
Champagne Ayala Brut Majeur NV was great. It had subtle yeast/nutty flavors with good fruit and full-bodied for a champagne (US$55).
Chateau Durandal '08 from St. Emilion was a good starter; a Merlot/Cab Franc that was pretty soft, on the light side but well-balanced ($43).
Chateau La Gaffeliere '00 from St. Emilion was mainly Merlot with Cab Franc and Cab Sauv, but it tasted like green Cab Franc. It was decent, but not for $216. Robert Parker liked its "nobility/subtlety." Side note: Gerhard agreed with me that Robert Parker should die.
Cheval Blanc '07 from St. Emilion was the favorite among everyone we talked to. It was 55% Cab Franc, 45% Merlot, but wow! they fit a lot of layers into it. The nose: a hint of tobacco, definite coffee and some chocolate. Flavors: coffee, green Cab Franc, softness, good fruit, great finish. Silky smooth with amazing texture, lots of subtlety and complexity. A truly incredible wine at a more incredible price, $983! It is notable also for being different from anything else out there.
Chateau Beauregard '05 from Pomerol was decent, a softer green Merlot/Cab Franc for $197.
Chateau Siran '07 from Margeaux was a bargain at $43. It had very good black fruit flavors with strong front tannins, needing aging.
Chateau Poujeaux '08 from Moulis en Medoc was a 50% Cab Sauv, 40% Merlot, 5% Cab Franc, 5% Petit Verdot. This was getting to more my (California) style just because Cabernet Sauvignon was the dominant grape. It was good, well-balanced and smooth.
Chateau Chasse Spleen '00 from Moulis en Medoc was another favorite among us. 65% Cab Sauv, 30% Merlot, 5% Petit Verdot. Big Cab flavor with soft elegance, very concentrated, excellent integration and amazing tannins and acid to age for only $200 for a magnum!
Chateau Citran '98 from Haut Medoc was a 58% Cab Sauv, 42% Merlot that had great balance, perfect integration, seemed near its peak age-wise, subtle berry flavors. Robert Parker had to be drunk when he gave this only and 86/100 ($55).
Chateau Camensac '05 from Haut Medoc was an enderwhelming Cab Sauv/Merlot with strong tannins and a hint of fruit. It needs age but I couldn't tell if it would open up ($58).
Chateau Talbot '05 from St. Julien was 66% Cab Sauv, 26% Merlot, 3% Cab Franc, and 5% Petit Verdot. It had a subtle fruit nose of Cab Sauv/Merlot. On the palate it was soft, supple, integrated, leather with blackberry fruit. Exceptional ($86).
Chateau Leoville Poyferre '04 from St. Julien had vineyards that were mostly Cab Sauv, some Merlot and a bit of Petit Verdot and Cab Franc (not sure about the wine). I got cab Sauv fruit, great balance, subtle oak (75% new), spicy, excellent. It was more California style with potential for aging and the group with me liked it a lot (as did Parker) ($138).
Chateau Pichon - Longueville, Comtesse de Lalande '05 from Pauillac was incredible. 64% Cab Sauv, 29% Merlot, then Cab Franc and Petit Verdot. There was cherry, complex fruit, hint of tobacco on the nose/cigar on the palate, big, can age 5-10 more years because it was just a tad bit short on the palate. Peak said to be 2012 to 2025 ($252).
Chateau Haut-Brion '95 from Pessac Leognan was the oldest wine there and it showed. The vineyard was 40% Cab Sauv, 37% Merlot and 18% Cab Franc. The nose had old leather (in a good way), and Cab Franc. It was well-aged with great integration but I felt it would not get better and didn't have the fruit to live up to its $1,180 price tag. Clara said I should taste it a second time because it got better when she did, but it was gone by then. I wouldn't buy it for $100 let alone $1,000.
Chateau Climens Cypers de Climens '06 from Barsac was a dessert wine Semillon at $67 for a 750ml bottle but I tasted rot, a bit dirty, but still honey and fruit flavors. Tasting the rot and dirt weren't terrible because they added some complexity, but there was too much for me, but it wasn't as popular as the next one.
Chateau d"Yquem '97 from Sauternes was highly praised by all. It got a 100 from one reviewer and a 96 from Parker. The vineyards were 80% Semillon and 20% Sauvignon Blanc, and a larger estate at 280 acres. At first I got clean, long, honey, apple, and nuts with incredibly subtle oak, smoky and a bit dirty (in a good way). Great ($390 for a 375ml bottle).
The ones with Cab Franc had that usual green flavor to them. The wines were usually more subtle, sometimes erring on that side instead of the California style of erring on the big and fruity side. The wineries all seemed to be fairly small (40 to 200 acres). Gerhard worked near St. Emilion in '01 and '03 and said all the best vineyards are on small, gravel hills that have better drainage because the sites nearest the Atlantic are almost a swamp.
Olivier and Clara said they would not be able to do a tasting like this in France for less than 500 Euros. Olivier is very difficult to impress with a wine, and Clara thinks people as well as wine should have elegance. To me, elegance in a wine means less fruit.
Overall some wines were very good and some were less than stellar, which I've found in any region I've tasted. I've had bigger (in my opinion) better wines tasting around Sonoma and Napa, especially for the price which did not always match the quality. But you can find overpriced Bordeaux varietals in Napa just as easily.
I might have to get used to this French style though because I'm trying to work there next harvest. I have a Skype interview with a winemaker in the Southern Rhone soon, but it sounds good so far.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Work has been pretty steady with the last of the grapes being picked last week, it has been mostly pressing and barrel filling. I've picked up some French, had a few good nights out, played golf for the first time, and met a couple of people who have worked in Napa.
When I want to know what an object in the winery is in French, I point at it and ask Olivier, then I tell him what it is in English. It's a good system we have. Clara has helped me with verbs and whatever else I want to write down. She even translated my resume into French so I could send it to wineries in France. We spent a night with two of their French friends, and I could definitely understand more than I could before I came here.
At the end of harvest party I met a New Zealander who worked at Clos Pegase near Calistoga at the same time that my dad was there and an American who worked with my first supervisor's son at Chasseur winery in Sonoma County. Christine, the owner, left for a business trip to Canada and London so it has been a bit more relaxed around the winery. Gerhard bought tickets for us to go to a Grand Bordeaux tasting in Wellington this Thursday. It will have the big names like Chateau Haut-Brion '95, Chateau d'Yquem '97, Cheval Blanc '07 and some other Chateaux as well. Fifteen wines for $120US sounds expensive but it should be worth it. I want to take notes because they will probably be the most expensive wines I've ever tasted.
Our game of golf was a lot of fun because Olivier, Clara, and I had never played before so we had trouble shooting in a straight line. We heard the ball hit a lot of trees and it took about three hours to play nine holes.
On Friday we had another end of harvest party just for our winery. We started at a locals' pub where one drunk old man complained about all us foreigners pissing in his rivers. He thought it was much better here 50 years ago. Then we went to The Lounge in Carterton because they have a good selection of beer and wine. I tried a pretty bad local IPA, but the American Pale Ale was much better. Then I went to the big town of Masterton (about 25,000 people) with the 25-year-old vineyard worker and we had a good time.
Yesterday we went to Wellington to see the museum, which was so-so but did have the largest giant squid on display. We met up with a couple more French people and I then led them to the Malthouse which had some great American-style beers. I even saw Sierra Nevada in the fridge. It seems like craft brewing has really taken off in New Zealand in the past two years. It made me very happy.
I have only one more week of work at Gladstone, then I will need to figure out exactly what to do next.
When I want to know what an object in the winery is in French, I point at it and ask Olivier, then I tell him what it is in English. It's a good system we have. Clara has helped me with verbs and whatever else I want to write down. She even translated my resume into French so I could send it to wineries in France. We spent a night with two of their French friends, and I could definitely understand more than I could before I came here.
At the end of harvest party I met a New Zealander who worked at Clos Pegase near Calistoga at the same time that my dad was there and an American who worked with my first supervisor's son at Chasseur winery in Sonoma County. Christine, the owner, left for a business trip to Canada and London so it has been a bit more relaxed around the winery. Gerhard bought tickets for us to go to a Grand Bordeaux tasting in Wellington this Thursday. It will have the big names like Chateau Haut-Brion '95, Chateau d'Yquem '97, Cheval Blanc '07 and some other Chateaux as well. Fifteen wines for $120US sounds expensive but it should be worth it. I want to take notes because they will probably be the most expensive wines I've ever tasted.
Our game of golf was a lot of fun because Olivier, Clara, and I had never played before so we had trouble shooting in a straight line. We heard the ball hit a lot of trees and it took about three hours to play nine holes.
On Friday we had another end of harvest party just for our winery. We started at a locals' pub where one drunk old man complained about all us foreigners pissing in his rivers. He thought it was much better here 50 years ago. Then we went to The Lounge in Carterton because they have a good selection of beer and wine. I tried a pretty bad local IPA, but the American Pale Ale was much better. Then I went to the big town of Masterton (about 25,000 people) with the 25-year-old vineyard worker and we had a good time.
Yesterday we went to Wellington to see the museum, which was so-so but did have the largest giant squid on display. We met up with a couple more French people and I then led them to the Malthouse which had some great American-style beers. I even saw Sierra Nevada in the fridge. It seems like craft brewing has really taken off in New Zealand in the past two years. It made me very happy.
I have only one more week of work at Gladstone, then I will need to figure out exactly what to do next.
Monday, April 25, 2011
I've settled in to life on the farm in the Wairarapa Valley. The main town may be 20 minutes away, but the pub is only a few minutes down the road. The first two weeks have been quite busy, but there's always a good supply of food and beer. It means a lot in the middle of harvest. The burgers at the pub are delicious. One day we started a 2-hour press cycle, went to the pub for a beer, and came back to clean up. I spent a day in the vineyard lifting bins of grapes onto the trailer of an ATV.
The Easter weekend was difficult because even the supermarkets were closed on Sunday. We ate delicious lamb and tried several different wines at the owners' house. There was a good white Bordeaux, an Austrian white, an Arneis, a NZ Pinot Noir, and a Rhone Syrah/Grenache. I visited a beautiful spot called Castle Point, but it rained all day. I touched the water in the Pacific, officially making it three oceans in three months. The three others wanted to see a movie, so we watched "Just Go With It" which is an average Romantic Comedy, but at least I laughed a bit. I tried Pastise, a hard alcohol from Provence that Olivier and Clara bought. It has very strong herbal flavors, but is good in small amounts.
To press the plastic cylindrical tanks of Pinot Noir, we usually scoop out the skins one bucket at a time, but Olivier was determined to find a better way to do it, so we strapped a tank to the forklift using two pallets, two ratcheted straps, a chain, and two planks of wood. It looked very dangerous, but it worked. We found a safer solution for the second one, so hopefully we won't have to use the bucket anymore.
The Easter weekend was difficult because even the supermarkets were closed on Sunday. We ate delicious lamb and tried several different wines at the owners' house. There was a good white Bordeaux, an Austrian white, an Arneis, a NZ Pinot Noir, and a Rhone Syrah/Grenache. I visited a beautiful spot called Castle Point, but it rained all day. I touched the water in the Pacific, officially making it three oceans in three months. The three others wanted to see a movie, so we watched "Just Go With It" which is an average Romantic Comedy, but at least I laughed a bit. I tried Pastise, a hard alcohol from Provence that Olivier and Clara bought. It has very strong herbal flavors, but is good in small amounts.
To press the plastic cylindrical tanks of Pinot Noir, we usually scoop out the skins one bucket at a time, but Olivier was determined to find a better way to do it, so we strapped a tank to the forklift using two pallets, two ratcheted straps, a chain, and two planks of wood. It looked very dangerous, but it worked. We found a safer solution for the second one, so hopefully we won't have to use the bucket anymore.
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