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I came careering down the piste at speed and skied slap-bang into some chap who stopped right in front of me. At the time I wasn't aware that I'd broken my left collarbone... following two weeks of immense boredom I was on the verge of insanity, and so when on a trip to my local village I found myself returning to my hotel not only with the bag of apples I'd set out to buy, but also with an Interail ticket, entitling me to free carriage on virtually any train in Europe for a month...
European Tales: Interrail trip around Europe, a lengthy tale
Joseph Tame2006-06-30 17:39:54
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apartment for US$4.00 per night approached me. Thinking this too good to be true (and having just come from Bucharest) I was reluctant to take up his offer, but upon arriving at the flat found that the Italian wallpaper and lovely wooden floor were as he had described.
There then followed a brief encounter with a 22-year-old man in a suit and tie. He insisted upon giving me a guided tour of the city, telling me he wanted no money just friendship. After two hours he was swearing copiously at me as I said goodbye having only donated US$10.00 for his expert services. It was shortly after this that I embarked upon the most expensive night out of my life so far (click here to learn more). The following morning was taken up with visits to four different police stations, but in the afternoon I decided to take a trip across to the Asian side of the city. Jumping on the first ferry I came across I was fortunate enough to see my first ever school of dolphins in the wild, as they accompanied us upon our twenty minute voyage. The joy that I felt in that moment was immense - what is it about dolphins that puts a smile upon your face?
It is staggering what you can buy on the streets of Istanbul for next to nothing. I spent many hours wandering the streets packed with market stalls savoring the rich atmosphere as men left right and centre cried out advertising the unbeatable bargains that they had to offer. All manner of clothes, food, stationary, hi-tec gadgets, pet animals and everything else under the sun was on offer. Between the sellers sat shoe-shines, and around them ran little children, sometimes busking/ begging with the aid of a small drum. It was at times almost too much to cope with, being the complete opposite to the mountain life that I am more used to. The Grand Bazaar is the hardest test of one's sense of direction to have ever been built. Hundreds of little undercover shops clustered together in a fantastic maze. Without the aid
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Bulgaria Gallery
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France Gallery
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Germany Gallery
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Hungary Gallery
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Italy Gallery
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Romania Gallery
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Turkey Gallery
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United Kingdom Gallery
