Food for thought (jees i'm corny)

I think I must have ate the fattiest thing ever tonight! I asked the main woman at the hostel where was a good Lithuaniian restaurant since the book told me where to get Greek, Turkish, Georigian and God knows what other food but not Lithuianian.. And so I went down to this place on one of the main squares. It was pretty dark inside but very nice - decorated in traditional... ah well what would I know what was traditional Lithuanian or not but it looked like it might have been traditional something anyway! Their was the weirdest CD on of a guy with a highpitched voice doing all these brutal covers of songs like tainted love, uptown girl, won't find nobody else... the list goes on (and I do have an actual list).

Anyway I ordered what I'd read were very traditional Lithuanian foods, first a cold beet and cucumber soup soup called Saltibaarsciai (half those letters are supposes to have dashes and all sorts of fancy things over them but anyway. Main course was bulvinai blynai - pancakes stuffed with mince meat and potato in there too I think - whatever was in there it was very fatty and quite tasty. That's the thing though see - it was nice, it probably wasn't like your top of the range gourmet chef kindofajob but I reckon I got as much satisfaction from knowing I was eating a genuine traditional Lithuanian dish as I would get from eating the best food in the best restaurant in France or whatever.

I even practiced my Lithuanian and asked the waitress to correct me and everything, I think she was impressed with my efforts! Sport, you would have been proud. And Missy, no I wasn't flirting with her:)

Had a couple of beers too (second one cos I wanted to here the rest of the CD). Bill still came to only bout 9 yos so I was smilin. Back here at the hostel I started into sewin up me trousers (yes Dad I'm sorry to inform you I have brough the holy trousers and they will be worn with pride!) - chattin away to a few people around the place - one South African guy in particular, probably gonna head out and around with him and his bud tomorrow - awww my first friends! Well I've met other people so far obviously but have never headed off on the trail with anyone else yet.

And with that I think I'll head to me leaba. This is a great hostel. Good rule of thumb I think (Chris?), if you've to take your shoes off at the door then you're in a groovy place!

Don't know bout the rest of ye but this is such the life for me!

Time out in an Internet Cafe in Vilnius

It's only 3 days I think since I left Ireland but it feels like yonks altogether!! Three days and three countries and I really feel like I'm settling into this travelling alone business. Doin lots of strolling around takng photos - glad i have my camera to keep me company!! that sounds like im lonely when i say that - thats not what i mean - just that i get a little thrill everytime i take what i hope will be a good photo and so photography seems to be becoming a big focus(just after realising the pun there, God I'm clever!) of the days. (Sorry for stealin that ickle bit from my email to you darlin Miss, just didn't wanna type it again!!) Having a really great time so far and very much looking forward to it continuin (Sorry for stealin that ickle bit from my email to you D, just didn't wanna type it again!!)

Warsaw, Poland

I hadn't been planning on going to Warsaw but I couldn't get a bus from Berlin to Vilnius so had to get the train instead which only went via there so that was that. From Berlin to Warsaw I was sitting in a compartment with two really sound girls from Manchester, a middle aged couple from Poland, and then this other slight looper from Ukraine (looper in the nicest sense of the word now ya understand). He couldn't speak English but often tried to have converstaions with us in Italian. I cut my finger on my knife and he helped me plaster it up. Then he went off and came back with drinks for all of us. Before he left he gave each of us these kinda stretchy metal loop things that you rub on your palms and around your fingers to improve circulation - they were cool but I think I already lost them - think I've also lost my hat - Jees I'm brutal - still have the knife though Chris.

The two girls were dead sound though and we had a good laugh for the 6 or so hours - never even had to take out my mini disks! In Warsaw they were taken away by people to a hostel - I wasn't staying though - armed with my map I headed out to try and see what I could of Warsaw in the 3 hours I had.

Once again it was lashing raining as I headed out to find my way around. Lashing rain but still very warm so that I never had on more than a t-shirt (and trousers of course and shoes...and socks and i think i probably even had underwear on but anyway you get the idea). The vast majority of Warsaw is very built up, very new and not very nice - then there's the odd great old building...and then I get down to the old town and all of a sudden it's like I'm in this great new fairytale land kind of a place - narrow cobbled streets, old (repaired) colourful buildings, charming squares, lots of pretty restaurant and bars, horse and cart, still raining but who cares - me and my camera, it was lovely - kinda crazy seeing it sat in the middle of what the rest of Warsaw is (makes it feel a bit like its a fancy resort in the middle of the city instead of what the place is actually like, but whatever it is it's very beautiful).

I didn't eat there, waited until I was on the way back to the station and stopped at this hole in the wall turkish take away place where all these Poles where standing outside with kebabs and drinks. I ordered by pointing and stood there munching on my very spicy but very delivious kebab and salad plate. Think I enjoyed that more than I would have a meal in one of the fancy restaurants in the old town.

Berlin, Germany

The pilot said the weather was the same in Berlin as it had been in Dublin and London - yeah right! Heat hit me when I got off the plane, moreso really because I hadn't been expectin it. Met sound enough English guy, his wife and baby, and chatted with him on way into town - then it lashed and lashed rain for the hour or so that i was walkin around lookin for soemwhere to stay. That evenin I got the train around to a couple a different spots to see them at night time, the central area with the big tower and down to class class Potsdamer place with all it s skyscrapers and stuff. Anyway back at the hostel I was wrecked and slept easily. Had a plate of Blutwurst, Sauerkraut, and Salzkartoffeln for dinner with a pint of delicisious german bier.

Spent the next day mainly walking..went up the huge tall tv tower and spotted the places I wanted to go then walked there basically. Saw great old building, great new buildings, great combinations of old and new (Reichstag for example with its spectacular new glass dome). Walked and walked and walked and when I couldn't walk anymore I got a train back to the hostel. One thing I really thought as I was walking around is that whenever I thought I had the place pretty much sussed out I turned the corner and saw samething new and exciting that I never would have expected. Berlin pretty much rocks really - in fact Germany as a whole is a pretty great country, especially considerin the general image it has in Ireland and England.

That night went a groovy little pub for a single solitary pint and then off to bed for me.

Next day just had a little bit of time. Got the train out to where the longest remaining section of the Berlin wall is - took a few pics there and then back in a bit to the train station and off to Warsaw.

Leaving Ireland

Great 21st which will remembered (perhaps blurry scattered memories for some) for a long long time. Saturday to recover, pack, and hope I had everything ready. Then out to Shannon early Sunday with Dad, and Maria was out there too to see me off so that was cool. Spotted Limerick from the plane as we wereflying over- first time I had ever actually recognised it from the air - tiny. Anyway v short flight to London - waited there for 6 hours, then v short flight to Berlin. I'm here safe anyway and what's happened since then is for another post. Later buds, O.