Ahhh Musky aka The Cat.

So what an amazing couple of days! After leaving Athens we had a horrible day waitıng for the Ferry in Piraeus and I will never ever return, not even just to catch a ferry because this place was an absolute shithole! The ferry ride was fairly painless. Got a little bit of sleep and we were in Rhodes where we stayed ın an awesome hotel wıth a pool and our own room wıth balcony and bathroom and aır condıtıonıng. Met a few guys that were ın the Navy and hung out by the pool drınkıng 4 euro cocktaıls untıl we went to a Mexıcan place for one of the best meals of my lıfe!! Rhodes was really nıce and had heaps of thıngs to do so ıt was a shame that we were only there for the one nıght but oh well.

We got the hydrfoıl to Marmarıs the next day whıch only took an hour and from there were able to get straıght on a bus to Fethıye. The people ın Turkey are so helpful and got us organısed ın lıke 5 mınutes flat. The scenery on the bus to Fethıye was lovely and ıt was only a 3 or 4 hour rıde. Met some nıce French ladıes on the bus. When we arrıved ın Fethıye we got a free shuttle bus to our hotel but ıt turned out they have 2 hotels and we were at the other one 5 mınutes down the road but the receptıonıst offered to drıve us there. I dıdnt really care at thıs poınt though because saıd receptıonıst was UNBELIEVABLY good lookıng so I was kınd of ın a daze. So he took us there and we were ın a kınd of swanky hotel rıght on the harbor wıth an amazıng vıew so ıt was good. We stıll used the pool at the other hotel and had a meal and hıt the hay to get ready for our cruıse the next day.

So I was a lıttle dısappoınted ın the begınnıng because all of the passengers on the boat were Australıan except for 2 Germans 1 Brazılıan 1 Belgıan and 1 Englısh but everyone turned out to be really nıce and cool so ıt was fıne. We had a really awesome crew on the boat too. One younger guy named Ozzy who spoke a bıt of Englısh and 2 other Turks who could only say 'you are welcome' and 'bon appetıte' and an adorable Chef wıth a lımp, they were all really nıce and funny. I can never really properly descrıbe how amazıng the cruıse was.....along the way we explored some Ruıns and saw the Sunken Cıty and a Pırates Cave etc. Sleepıng on deck under the stars every nıght was just amazıng. Goıng for mıdnıght swıms where there were glow fıshes ın the water lıghtıng up. It was just lıke that movıe The Beach but better. We went snorklıng and on the last nıght we went to a Pırate Bar that ıs lıterally just on the sıde of the ocean and got rıdıculously drunk! The Long Island Iced Tea over here ıs poıson. I chılled out wıth the bıg dog there for a whıle whıch was adorable and spoke to a few Danısh guys that were really nıce. Ozzy followed Manda around all nıght ha ha.

We had the most amazıng meals every day. Omlettes, bread, fruıt etc for breakfast and rıce, salad and pasta etc for lunch and stuffed peppers etc for dınner SO good. The water the whole way was such an amazıng blue green colour and ıt ıs so clean and crystal clear! The scenery ıs just amazıng. Turkey ıs stunnıng. At the end of the cruıse we arrıved ın Olympos. A tıny lıttle hıppy lıke camp ın the mıddle of no where wıth no banks etc and a lovely beach surrounded by ruıns. We are at an awesome lıttle treehouse hostel wıth the most chılled out beer garden area wıth hammocks etc. We head to Antalya tomorrow then the next day we get a bus to Istanbul. Thıs past week has really been one of the best of my entıre lıfe. So much fun. Everyone from the cruıse ıs stayıng at thıs hostel ın Olympos too so the party contınues.

Our favorıte aussıe boys are here and they are so funny ha ha. Good old Jed, Snodge, Muscat aka The Cat aka Dodge and hıs younger brother Junıor or Moosey ha ha. They have me ın hysterıcs all the tıme.

Blue Cruise here we come!

So I am trying my hardest to stay positive considering the fact that I have bug bites all over me and they are really really itchy! I even have one on my cheek on my face :( and typical me this makes me not want to leave the hostel cause I feel like a dirty disgusting pig ha ha. So the other morning I lay in bed feeling sorry for myself then decided to get up and not ruin Mandas time as well as my own. So I braved the harsh light of day and we made the trip down to Acropolis.

Stopped on the way for a tasty Swedish and Brazilian baguette and then headed to Hadriens Arch to get our entry tickets. Upon purchasing my ticket the dude looked at my tshirt and said "What is this? Bathory...you like the Black Metal? Venom ey?" and this totally made my day and made me smile. I never realised how many metal heads there were in Greece? I feel like everywhere we go I see at least one.

So Acropolis was amazing to say the least. It was super hot which made the climb up the hill suck but it was totally worth it when we made it up there. The view for starters was unbelievably beautiful! All the buildings in Greece are different shades of white or pale colours of some kind which made the sunlight bounce off of them and look like the city was glistening. The remains of what is left of Acropolis really are something to see. The size of the columns are so imposing and confronting when you walk up close to them and I found the whole experience really bizarre. So strange to be walking through a place so old and thinking of those that walked there before you and what life was like then. Definitely one of the highlights of our trip thus far and was the main reason for coming to Greece so it made it worthwhile.

When we got back to the hotel we chatted to the adorable English boy in our dorm, Nick. Decided to head out to dinner so he came along and it was lovely. I had a really nice pasta dish, Manda salmon salad and Nick took about an hour to finish his open burger ha ha. Manda and I had polished ours off before he was even half way through. Finished our complimentary deserts, made a few jokes about the prostitute with half her ass hanging out looking like she was doing business from the restaurant bathroom then went back to the hotel for a few beers.

Met some more idiot Australians back at the hotel. It seems like 90% of the Australians we meet overseas are complete douche bags. They make me embarrassed to be seen with them, hence why we turned down their invitation to go out for a drink. We hit the hay earky and got some much needed shut eye.

I was feeling really sad last night. These bug bites are really annoying me because I am constantly scratching and they make me feel like I need to shower 10 times a day. This one on my face is driving me insane as well. I was also sad because I thought we werent going to be able to book our cruise in Turkey and I broke my favorite pair of earings. Turns out we can book this cruise now and I am in the final stages of completing the ridiculously low payment of 175 Euros for 4 days and 3 nights breakfasts included etc. I am really excited for it :)

Dont let the bed bugs bite.

Okay so last night was a bit of a blur, this is my attempt to remember it and get it written down in the blog before I forget it completely ha ha. We went to a metal bar called the Underground Cafe in a pretty sweet area of Athens. There were little metal shops and metal heads walking around everywhere and lots of nice bars and cafes etc. There is supposed to be a metal shop in Athens which is owned by the ex bassist of Rotting Christ that I want to track down. Anyway at this bar we drank ridiculous amounts of beer that came in massive glasses so I think we drank the equivalent of about 5 or 6 jugs of beer each.

The waitress gave us free tequila shots I assume because we were the only ones at this bar that were really drinking, it looked like everyone else was drinking coffee. It was awesome to throw a few beers back whilst listening to Black Label Society, Satyricon, Pantera, Opeth and more :)

So I got waaaaaay too drunk and ended up throwing up in the bathroom where the door didnt close properly so I had to do it whilst I kept my foot positioned on the door keeping it closed. When we decided we had finally had enough we made out for home where I cannot believe we actually made it because I could barely walk. Manda had to pretty much carry me the entire way ha ha but we made it in the end where I passed out in bed and in true Manda fashion she continued to drink at the bar in our hotel to the wee hours of the morning ha ha.

We had planned to go to Acropolis today but were far too hung over so we slept in then got some food and ice cream etc. I also think that I have bed bugs :( because on the backs of my legs I have what look like little mozzie bites and they itch SO much. Got some cream from the pharmacy, hopefully they go away soon.

I am on a boat.

So we left Giovanni which was sad and headed for our bus to Bari in order to catch the ferry to Greece. At this point the only dodgy occurence we would experience in Naples happened. We spent forever just trying to figure out where our bus would arrive because there was zero organisation going on there and once we did we sat down to wait for the bus. A guy came up to us to tell us to watch out for the 2 kids playing behind us (one about 3/4 years old the other about 1/2). So these 2 kids proceeded to get right up in our faces demanding we give them our Iced Teas and looking realling suspiciously at our bags and putting their hands out for money. It was just a really disturbing feeling to be scared that a toddler was going to steal your belongings.

So the bus ride was fine, no dramas and got a taxi straight to the port and boarded our ferry. It was actually a really nice boat, the facilities inside were very nice. We were greeted by a friendy staff member, Evangelos. He gave us a short tour and some free cokes. We only had deck tickets so we stored our baggage somewhere and just wandered for a while. We had some dinner on board and I played my DS and proceeded to embarrass Amanda because I was playing Mario Kart and I cannot be quiet when playing this game, so we got a few dirty looks.

Evangelos kept coming up to talk to us and said we should come up to the helipad at midnight for some wine. Now I assumed this dude was married with kids and was just being friendly cause he thought we were stupid tourists that would either a) tip him or b) spend ridiculous amounts of money on alcohol. So when he said this I thought he meant there were nice views from the helipad at midnight and some of the waiters go up there and serve wine, wrong! So we go up there and out comes Evangelos out of uniform and he gives us some red wine and rum and coke. So we struggle to have a conversation in broken english with him for about an hour just drinking. He starts saying how he will come to Athens with us and that we should come downstairs with him, AAAAAAH how do we get ourselves in these situations!!?? So he finally got the hint and left only for a German and Belgian to approach us to ask us to come and have some drinks at the bar. So we did because they were paying and it involved cookies so I was sold.

Once they started offering to take us to Athens in their truck and then to Turkey and that we should sleep in their trucks tonight etc that is when I decided to leave so I went to find somewhere to sleep while Manda stayed and drank with them till 6am. So i found a spare seat to attempt sleep on but the dude next to me kept touching me with his feet so I freaked and bailed. Found a little patch of unclaimed carpet and set up camp there for a few hours of interupted sleep. Got up, Evangelos gave me free cookies and a hot chocolate, had some breakfast and slept on and off on a couch I managed to score. The whole trip was really bizarre, it felt like it never happened.

Arrived in Patras to get on the bus to Athens and this bus ride was super comfy cause we had 2 seats each to ourselves. Our hostel was really easy to find once in Athens, its in a good location and its clean and the staff are nice etc. The only downside so far is that it is even hotter here than Italy! So we are currently trying to get Turkey sorted out, its difficult because we are trying to find a way around having to pay 150 Euros for a flight. So we will head down to Blue Star Ferrys today cause we have a plan in mind, we now have an extra night in Athens.

Ciao!

So today is our last day in Naples and it is kind of bittersweet. We have really enjoyed our stay here. We went up to Pompeii to see the ruins which stretched on for miles. The eeriest part of that experience was some preserved bodies from the disaster. A plaster had been poured over the bodies which cast them in the positions in which they died so some of the images were really disturbing, people with their head in their hands etc. We also climbed Vesuvio after this which was one of the best experiences of my life. The view from the top was amazing and the crater was huge. We thought we were going to die on the bus ride up there because the roads are windy and tiny and we were in a massive coach bus which had to beep its horn when going around corners in case another car was on the other side.

We had the best pizza of our lives the other night as well. Giovanni kindly went down to get it for us because when we went down the lady wouldnt let us inside cause it was so busy, not even for take away. So we are happy to be moving on to the next place but Naples has easily been one of my favorite places to far. So now we are off to Bari then from there we get a ferry to Patras where we get another bus to Athens. We have saved at least 80 Euro doing it this way opposed to getting a direct flight so despite all the traveling it will be worth it. We have decided to skip the Greek Islands as it is expensive and we hear that they are a bit overrated. So instead we are going to do a cruise on the coast of Turkey, ten times cheaper!!

In the grottooooooooo (sung in the tone of Elvis Prestley)

So we have been having a swell time in Naples. Wandered around the city were yes there is garbage and graffiti everywhere but the city is really....charming. The only way I could describe it is to say that the city looks "lived in". I think we are having a much better time due to being in a really good hostel. The hostel owner took me on a 2 hour motorbike ride around the city and once we had got onto the freeway I had to ask where the hell we were going, he was planning on taking me to Vesuvio ha ha which is ages away. He had left Manda in charge of the hostel while we were gone and I said we had to head back or she would get worried. But it was amazing, driving through the crazy traffic.

We caught the ferry to Capri, an island off the coast of Naples and got another small boat to the Blue Grotto. It was a bit of a rip off, 32 Euro for a return ticket from Capri to Naples. 12 Euro for the boat to the Grotto, then 11 Euro to get on the row boat that goes inside the Grotto. The Grotto was really beautiful though, extremely dark and you can only see the cave walls and the bright blue water. One of the boat captains was singing in Italian which made the whole experience quite surreal.

Afterwards we lay on the beach, the beaches here have no sand, it is all pebbles! We went for a swim, the water was PERFECT! So relaxing. Headed back to the hostel and cooked up an amazing pasta salad. Off to Pompeii tomorrow.

Napoli.

So today we got up super early so we could swing by the Vatican before we got the train to Naples. We didnt really sleep much anyway because it was disgustingly hot last night so up around 5 am showered and packed and out the door by 6 30. We were at the very beginning of the line for the Vatican and waited for 2 hours to be let in at 9am. This gave us at least 2 hours which was good but we only took about 1 and a half.

Some on the ceilings were really amazing and obviously it was surreal being in the Sistine Chapel however I didnt find the whole experience as awesome as I thought it would be. I literally expected to be completely blown away the entire time but I found myself feeling that I had been in the presence of much more outstanding art before but I guess its just one of those things you have to see. There was some Salvador Dali paintings in there too that we didnt know were there?

We had no hassles getting the train to Naples other than the fact that the train ride was really uncomfortable, the seats sucked but at least we got some. Other people had to stand the entire time! When we arrived we were a little scared in the cab ride to our hostel cause they drive like maniacs here! Vespas everywhere and our taxi driver side swiped one of them. The streets are ridiculously narrow. It really is amazing how different this place is to Rome, its like being in a completely different country. The whole city looks so dodgy and seedy but beautiful at the same time.

We are staying at a really great hostel. It is basically this guy named Giovannis house and when we got out the cab trying to find the place he was looking out the window calling my name ha ha. He had two cups of fresh water waiting for us when we climbed the ginormous stairs, the house he is in is really really old. There were two Canadian girls sitting at reception and we found out that when they arrived he said "Holly should be arriving soon so we will wait till she gets here before we start" and he was able to pick that I was Holly when we arrived, spooky. He sat us down and talked about the city etc for about an hour. Telling us how Naples used to be the capital etc and gave us some really interesting information about the place. He marked all the Mafia areas etc and pointed out all the good places to go. We will be making a day trip to Pompeii and Capri as well as a few other places he showed us pictures of that look amazing. I really think we are going to enjoy our stay here and I think I will simply put that down to being in a hostel where somebody is really friendly and passionate about the place he lives in and genuinely enjoys helping tourists to make the most of the place.

When in Rome...

So we got the bus from Barcelona to Madrid which was an 8 hour journey but it wasnt all bad, kind of good to chill out and sleep on and off listening to some tunes. I just wish I could read but I start to feel ill when I read on the bus, plane, train etc. I was stuck next to a dude with really furry arms which kept rubbing against me which sucked and a big biker dude in front of me that smelt bad. But we rotated and Laura had that shift for the tail end of the journey.

We went out for a meal in Madrid and a bit of a wander, not really much of an opportunity to see too much of Madrid but from what I did see I liked Barcelona better but like I said I dont have much to go by. We were up super early the next day to get our 7 30 am flight to Rome. Flight was fine, fairly short and we all snoozed. Arrived and got a shuttle bus straight to our hostel Happy Days which was really convenient. The hostel is good except for a few annoying things. Firstly the dude at reception is really good looking which is always a bonus, he looks a bit like Jim Morisson so we have been calling him Jimmy and he has a really sexy Birmingham accent. You dont get keys to the place though, you have to buzz the door to be let in and the rooms are locked from 11 till 4 which is really annoying and is something they neglected to mention on the website. There are some nice people staying here though and it is fairly clean and is in a really good location too.

We have had a fair few good meals since we have been here with really friendly service. The best one being the night we went out for dinner when we arrived we went to a classy restaurant with seperate drinks and food waiters, ooo fancy. I tried the first red wine I have actually thought tasted nice and had kick ass home made pasta and a calzone. We had a pretty funny evening, wandered to a pub after where we were recieving far too much male attention to the point where all the staff were asking where we were staying and we thought we were part of some massive kidnap and rape plot that the whole restaurant was in on. We were given free beer and were joking it may have had drugs in it ha ha but it was all in our head, we were fine. We went to see the Trevi Fountain at night which was great, you can just drink in the streets of Europe so we were buying travellers from the venders on the side of the road and roaming Rome drinking ha ha.

We defiled a few Roman statues and monuments and thought the security guard was coming to tell us off but when we asked if it was ok he said it was fine and then we got a photo with him ha ha. We ended up getting lost with no map and wandered for a good hour and a half trying to find our hostel. We finally used the river and the Vatican as a way to find our way back. We went to the Colosseum and the ruins which was great but I wish there had of been more interesting factual information inside the Colosseum but oh well. It has been so hot here that you feel really drained at the end of the day!

We were planning on going to the Vatican on Tuesday but then we found out it is closed due to a public holiday which is really unfortunate because it is Lauras last day. But Manda and I are going to try and go tomorrow morning before our train to Naples because I would be really upset if we missed out on it. Strict dress code applies which is annoying because it is so hot! Excited to get to Naples, we will have a day trip to Pompeii and maybe Capri as well. Then we are getting a ferry to Patras in Greece from there.

Barcelona Burns.

So we nearly missed our flight to Spain. The train ride to the airport took longer than expected. Ran into an Easyjet employee at the platform to double check the terminal, got to the airport with like 10 minutes to spare and an employee told us to head in the wrong bloody direction!! So we ran pushing a trolley nearly knocking people down for 10 minutes to be told our terminal was at the other end of the airport. Ran again and just made it in time to check in.

Arrived in sunny Barcelona where the place already looked stunning with all the palm trees lining the roads etc. Made our way to our hostel with no worries and Laura was standing in the lobby! We all screamed and hugged and nearly cried etc. The hostel we are at is really good! Super clean and friendly staff, free breakfast etc. We had a few vodkas and caught up then went out for a nice dinner where we drank Sangria. We were given some complimentary almond liquer which we all shot and Laura threw up right next to our table ha ha. I had to finish it off cause Manda and Laura couldnt handle anymore.

Srumbled back to the hostel a little boozy for a few more drinks then bed time. The next day we spent the entire day on the beach where it was lovely and sunny but with a cool breeze. The water was far too cold to swim though. Had some more Sangria and nachos on the beach then went for a stroll on the boardwalk. Definntely got a little sunburnt. Hilarious sunburn pictures to come on Facebook soon. Today we have rented bikes and are cruising around the city to see some of the Gaudi architecture etc. Off to Madrid on the 26th for a night then flying to Rome the next day, pretty pumped about that.

One HELL of a festival....see what I did there? Ey ey!

So just got back from Hellfest....my god twas amazing, one of the best weekends of my life. As far as the campsite etc was concerned it wasnt the greatest as the toilets were not emptied regularly so there were basically piles of shit in every one of them. The tents were just scattered everywhere and there were no proper lights at the back of the campsite but in regards to everything else it was birlliant!

So we made the stupid mistake of not checking our tent before we left so once we set it up it was ridiculously small and barely fit our packs let alone Manda and I. It rained the first night and we discovered our tent was not waterproof! So there we were sleeping in the fetal position freezing cold whilst our tent leaked ha ha worst night ever! Didnt take long to be hassled by some men, one of which proceeded to explain his documentary that would be a "cult classic". Quotation marks because its a load of bollocks, bollocks because the dude was English. It was to be called 'Pursuing Miss Watson' and would detail this idiots journey to making Emma Watson his girlfriend.

So we saw a ridiculous amount of good bands including some I hadnt heard before. We had people asking to take our picture left right and centre for either their own personal collection or for websites, magazines etc. One was for the official website so maybe it will be up there soon? Watched Sigh first who were really good, awesome stage presence. Instead of listing every band I will only go over those worth an individual mention but you can have a look on the site at all the bands on the bill.

I saw a few bands which I will look into that I had not heard before including Negura Bunget, Secrets of the Moon and Obscura. Saw Nile and they were far better than when I saw them last in Australia and happened to meet Karl who was an extremely cool guy. Decapitated were tight but I think that Covan's absence was really felt but the dude on drums did a swell job. Alice Cooper was amazing as well as Twisted Sister showing the oldies have still got it. Dee Snider made a tribute to Dio which made me a little teary :( Lemmy rocked out with his cock out! Which reminds me of the amount of male nudity we were forced to endure during this weekend ha ha.

Katatonia was also amazing as well as Ihsahn. Was really something to see both Ihsahn and Anders Nystrom in the flesh. I am afraid my obsession with Anders has only increased now. Of course Bloodbath were the highlight of the weekend where I got front row centre for the entire show and managed to score the setlist as a momento of the occasion.

Exodus got one of the biggest circle pits happening that I have ever seen and a dust storm ensued!! Beer was cheap so we got a bit plastered :p was awesome to see Ghost Brigade and also saw Swallow the Sun who I hadnt heard before and were pretty cool. Had a chance to see some awesome black metal courtesy of Behemoth, Marduk, Watain and Dark Funeral who did a rad cover of Slayers Dead Skin Mask. Was good to see Nevermore again and have a good old sing a long to The Heart Collector and Inside Four Walls.

Was absolutely stoked to be able to see My Dying Bride and it was awesome when they played She is the Dark!! We saw Uver, need I say more. However I think I would prefer them in a more intimate setting than at a festival but was great none the less. Got a chance to catch a few tunes from Brant Bjork which was good to chill out to. Ended the fantastic weekend with none other than Kiss which was unbelievable!! Paul Stanley on a zip wire flying over the crowed, the outfits, the podiums, the lights, the explosions, Gene Simmonds tongue etc just so over the top and awesome!! Then the festival finished with a fireworks display.

So many hilarious stories in between with not enough time to write it all down now but none the less some things stay at Hellfest and wont be spoken of again ha ha. Either way the weekend was all we hoped and more! Never had so much fun, some of the best times of my life so far, cannot wait for Wacken!