Half Way Mark

Today, day sixty-one, officially marks the halfway point of our trip. Coincidentally, over breakfast this morning I told Travis I was ready to go home. Awkward. 

Yes, homesickness is starting to set in and honestly it's about time. However I find myself pining more for the convenience of a fridge, my own bathroom, a laundry machine, and some local Fresh is Best taco chips, more so than for family and friends. To any family and friends reading this, please don't be offended, technology (ie. Facebook) does a great job of keeping me apprised of your every move to the point that I still feel in touch. Also, please do some more exciting things, your status updates are becoming a bit passe. 

As we have officially survived two months of travel without running home, ending up in hospital, or killing each other (touch wood), we decided to celebrate and re-live some of our favorite moments thus far.

Chelsea FC Football Game

We failed to foresee any problems with catching a game on the night of our arrival in London - after a nine hour flight and significant time change. However Travis was able to fulfill a childhood dream, making it all worth while. And hey, the home team won!

Reading Festival - Performance by Of Monsters and Men

There were plenty of amazing performances at the Reading Music Festival this year, however Of Monsters and Men blew us away, and has definitely taken over our iPods since. If you haven't heard of them please go download their album right now - seriously, we'll wait. 

runner up - Florence + the Machine, playing in the pouring rain. It was worth getting completely drenched. 

The Ancient Acropolis

A bit surreal at times, it was difficult to grasp that I was actually standing on the Ancient Acropolis. After years spent daydreaming about getting there, I walked through in a bit of a fog, stopping every three feet to take another picture. Not until I was able to step back and see the site from afar did it start to sink in. I've been to the Acropolis.

Nafplio

In a surprise move, Nafplio stole top spot as our favorite place in Greece. Welcoming and quiet yet offering plenty to do, with amazing food and accommodations, we were sad to leave and only wish we lived closer to make weekend trips to this amazing city possible. 

Thunderstorms in Kotor

Our last day in Kotor it rained, and not just a little bit. I've honestly never heard thunder that loud, echoing off the stone fortifications it felt as though the storm was directly on top of us. Not to mention the rain, sheets of big fat raindrops puddling ankle deep on the cobblestone streets. The police shut down streets for fear of mudslides and the runoff left a lasting impression on the bay where the water level rose considerably.

Hotel Belvedere

Croatia has so much to offer and Travis and I agree that it deserves another visit in the future. In particular, we were blown away by the history in Dubrovnik and the chance to explore war torn Hotel Belvedere. It isn't often that the opportunity presents itself to get off the beaten path in an area seemingly overrun with throngs of cruise ship passengers, however this is exactly what our trip to Hotel Belvedere offered, only fifteen minutes from the ancient walled city.

Zagreb

The perfect end to an amazing run in Croatia, Zagreb's historic centre blew us away with pastel buildings and ornate architecture. Although one day allowed us to cover the highlights, it would be easy to spend two or three and the city has definitely become a must see for us in Croatia.

Cordoba's Mezquita

Thirty minutes into exploring this ancient religious site Travis and I looked at each other and whispered simultaneously "this is the most impressive building I have ever been in". A seamless combination of red and white Moorish arches, Baroque, Gothic, and Renaissance Christian church, and thousands of years of history. Keep an eye out for our upcoming post.  

Food

Self explanatory to an extent, we have filled our bellies with some amazing meals in Europe thus far and only plan to continue that trend moving forward. Although top foodie award has to go to Travis, I've picked my fair share of great restaurants including a memorable Thai restaurant in Barcelona (who knew?). Absolute top meals to date include grilled squids in Kotor, Pasticada in Split, and Piri Piri chicken in Lisbon.

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Reading in Pictures

Instead of rambling on again, like Calli's epic about the Reading Music Festival, I decided to share more photos from the event. The festival people warned against bringing any cameras that couldn't take 3 days of rain, mud, sweat and beer abuse, and assured us not to worry, they would supply some amazing photos - which they definitely did. Here are some pictures of our favorite performances throughout the weekend. 

Foster the People  (photos by Amina Nolan and Mike Malfait via)

Florence + The Machine (Photos by Marc Sethi via)

Kaiser Chiefs (Photos by Alex de Mora via)

The Gaslight Anthem (Photos by Alex de Mora via)

Two Door Cinema Club (Photos by Marc Sethi via)

The Black Keys (Photos by Pooneh Ghana via)

And finally some random photos of the crowd, stages, costumes, and general mayhem of the weekend (Photos by Amina Nolan, Marc Sethi, Mike Malfait, and Alex de Mora via)

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Reading Music Festival - the good, the bad, the barely clothed

We left our hotel around 9:00 am, headed for the nearest underground subway station (or tube as the locals say), a few minutes from our hotel we hopped aboard, destination: Paddington Station - yes, like the bear, they even sell them there.

At 10:30 am, after navigating an underground maze of tunnels connecting various tube stations, taxi stands, entrances, and exits,  we board another train,  this one above ground, for a 30 minute ride out and away from London.

As the train pulls into Reading Station, passengers spill onto the platform, ninety percent under the age of 21, carrying a weekend's worth of supplies, and sporting a flashy pair of rubber rain boots (or Wellies as the locals say) - to be referred to simply as "youths" from this point on.

Reading is actually a decent little town, having never been there before, and after wandering aimlessly for the designated ticket collection office and eventually collecting said designated tickets, we start walking. A good preview of how the rest of the weekend would be spent - we walked, dodging people headed every direction,  down industrial looking blocks, past the train station, through suburban areas where grandparents handed out free tea and coffee, and finally into a large field - festival central - where we were herded through lines by enthused security guards, shouting directions as the paths forked and wearing tired expressions as we were clearly not the first lost souls unsure if they had weekend or day passes.

It was about this time that I started to see the bigger picture - we weren't just two people, trying to get into a concert, unsure in the confusion if we were over or under 19. We were part of something much bigger - a calling to celebration, to music and expression, to freedom, rebellion, and fun. As I watched the mob of people move around me, setting up tents, brushing teeth over a communal trough, carting flats of beer around, and eventually leaving all that to join the mass of people headed for the festival grounds, I no longer saw a group of barely clothed youths, but a congregation of worshippers. I was part of Music Festival Mecca.

Kasabian on the Main Stage (via)

Entrance to the grounds is by wristband only, a hot commodity with over 90,000 sold, and the 187.50 Pound price tag (for three days) was well worth it for a glimpse of music's hottest acts - from unsigned and undiscovered bands to those topping the charts and setting out on world tours. The Reading Festival has been an annual event since the first performances in 1971. Initially held at Little John's Farm, the land is now devoted to the festival, and it clearly needs some time to recuperate afterwards - much like many of the attendees.

Although not an exclusive event for the youths of England, anyone with the cash and good timing to buy a ticket can take in the amazing line up of performances, they certainly dominate the festival scene - and it's hard to miss hoards of youths sporting, what I can only assume are, the current trends in camping attire.  Before Reading I didn't know that midriff tops and high waisted jean shorts were cool again, and should be worn so the lower half of your bottom hangs out, exposed to the world. Whatever happened to cleavage? Just as I was stocking up on deep v-neck shirts and push up bras, assess get the nod and I'm left looking passe in skinny jeans with my boobs pressed up to my chin. It seemed that the cooler a girl was (based on how many friends made up the posse that followed her around) was related exclusively to how high cut her shorts were - the whole thing created a wedgie-look that appeared rather uncomfortable.

I also wasn't aware that tights could be worn as pants - and I'm not referring to solid leggings, we have those at home - I'm talking about transparent blank nylons. As pants. As we stood outside, drenched by heavy rain, waiting for Florence + the Machine to hit the stage, I looked down and saw two girls in front of me wearing matching jackets, soaked through, barely long enough to cover their bottoms, without pants on. It looked as though they'd forgotten to put on a skirt before leaving the tent for the night. All I could think was 'they must be really cold'. By the way, it only rained hard that one night and the performance was well worth it.  

Reading Festival Uniform (via)

Fashion forward or not, in the end the weekend is about music - which we enjoyed until my feet gave out, and then continued to enjoy seated away from the stage. With four large stage,s Reading has it's bases covered when it comes to music genres, and at any given time you're likely to find something that suits your personal preferences. We ended up hanging around the BBC Radio 1 stage for most of the weekend, which hosted a range of alternative indie and rock bands, and then skipped over to the Main Stage to catch some of our favorite headliners for an hour or two. Three days and approximately thirty-three hours later we walked away, a little worse for wear, with a list of new bands to add to our iPods and slightly more obsessed with those we arrived loving.

Since the festival we've tried to list our top five performances and the task has been nearly impossible. Not only because so many bands were so good live (no lip-sync here!), but because they cover a huge range of musical styles. Although not a true 'top five list', here are a few of our favorite acts/performances...

Of Monsters and Men - Kaiser Chiefs - Two Door Cinema Club - Foster the People - Florence + the Machine

Florence + the Machine (via)

Two Door Cinema Club (via)

Foster the People (via)

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, these are not my pictures - I do not own the rights to these pictures - The Reading Music Festival has professional photographers that capture the entire weekend on film to share online. Although I wish I'd taken even one of these shots (or been so close to the stage) the silver lining is that my expensive camera gear stayed at the hotel, tucked away from rain, dirt, and thieving youths, and I still have fabulous images to share with friends unable to attend in person.

Overall the Reading Music Festival was a fabulous experience - big, loud, and in your face. It roughed us up a bit (the late nights and second hand smoke were too much for our immune systems) and overwhelmed us at times (somehow more people squeezed into the festival grounds than the total population of our home town) but it was an amazing once-in-a-lifetime experience and we're so glad it fit into our trip!

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