Journal Entry: More Hostel Shenanigans

I returned to my room to find my pajamas on top of someone else’s luggage and my blanket had been moved around. I don’t know what the fuck was up with that. It’s also quite damp in here. I have opened the door to hopefully air it out a bit. I do like the bathroom here. The ensuite is very nice. That’s the only thing I like about this room. The hostel itself is good. The bar and kitchen are amazing. 

 

Remains of Roman Amphitheatre in Nice outside Archaeology Museum

So anyway, I was going to go to Cap Ferrat today, but I think the time trials for the Grand Prix in Monaco started today because it was absolute bedlam at the train station. So I scratched that idea. Instead I went to the Matisse museum and the Archaeology museum. They were both free today but I’m not sure why. They usually cost money. 

After the incredibly long walk, I went to the old town and ate lunch at the same kebab place as yesterday. I then was going to take a stroll on the “Promenade des Anglais” but it looked like rain, so I went to the Contemporary Art museum. It was free too. 

I walked very far today, and my feet are sore. 

I leave for Marseille at 10:57a tomorrow morning. I hope the hostel in Marseille is nice or I’m going to the Hilton. I’m kidding. Or am I?

Journal Entry: Florence is Over-rated

Florence is completely over-rated, unless maybe you are looking to buy leather goods. The Uffizi and the Accademia are both way over-priced for what they have. I was totally unimpressed. There were three paintings in the Uffizi that were worth paying for, Boticelli’s “Primavera” and “Birth of Venus” and Artemisia Gentileschi’s “Judith Beheading Holofernes.” However, those even were not worth €15! And at the Accademia, the famous Michelangelo’s “David” was nice, but I hate to say it, I’ve seen better! Yesterday in fact, Roman sculpture at the National Museum (well the day before that actually). And the price was just ridiculous. The Louvre is cheaper. The Louvre that would take a week to go through doesn’t cost €15!!!**

The Uffizi took me about an hour and fifteen minutes. The Accademia took forty-five mintues, and I looked at every piece! The National Museum in Naples took longer and I thought it was small. In fact, I would bet the Asheville art museum is bigger than the Accademia. 

The only cool thing in the Accademia, besides the “David” was a room full of plaster casts. The gift shops were also extremely over-priced. 

All in all, I don’t think I’d bother coming to Florence again. Unless I want to buy leather goods.

There was a leather coat factory outlet I went to. They had some nice coats for €149. They were originally €400-€700. I would have bought one, but all the ones they had in my size were either too short or not my style. There were two longer ones I liked a lot but they were too small.

 

I really wanted this coat, but I'm not rich - it was €1700(!)

I went to another store and the salesman was uber-pushy. He gave me a good price on a jacket but I didn’t really like it. I think he was offended. I hate pushy sales people.

The hostel is okay, but I just about froze last night. I am going to ask for an extra blanket tonight. I woke up with my hips hurting this morning. 

 

There was a leather outlet store on this piazza where the salesman was obnoxiously pushy

Oh, and I finally got my eggs for breakfast! €7 for two eggs, 2 sausages and I had asked for two pieces of Panchetta (which is bacon) but the waitress must have heard “pancakes” LOL because they brought me pancakes. That also included a Cappuccino.

I wonder how many miles I’ve walked this week. It seems like a lot. 

**[I love art, I'm an artist, and I think the Accademia and the Uffizi were rip-offs. You have to pay extra in advance to secure your ticket or wait for hours in line to get in. You cannot take pictures, even without a flash. Currently as of 2014, the price to do this is about €42 for both. I call BS.]

Journal Entry: Last Day London

I arrived at the hostel about 10:30am. They let me store my bags since check-in wasn’t until 2pm. I went to the British Museum and looked at North American stuff and Aztec. Also medieval European artifacts too.

 

Babylonian Art Too

I have to say I question my memory. I remember the hostel being slightly different and I can still see how I thought it was in my head but it isn’t. It’s not been remodeled so I don’t know what’s up with my silly brain. So weird.

I went back to the hostel to check-in about 2pm. I talked to a long term resident, a girl who was from Canada. Then I checked in and my room was on the ground floor which was nice. Last time it had been on the top floor, when I came here in 2002. It’s not fun to carry your bags up four flights of steps.

After that I went back to the British Museum to see about high tea in their restaurant. It was £18.50 and I decided that was too much. I stopped to use the bathroom and this girl, two or three spots in line in front of me collapsed. I don’t know what was wrong with her. I left when the museum people arrived to help her. She was talking a bit. Perhaps she was diabetic or something. 

Then I wandered around and went in a few bookshops. Finally I found a book that sounded half interesting to me. So many are not appealing at all. It’s called “The Last Gospel” and is supposed to be “Indiana Jones” meets Dan Brown. We’ll see. [It sucked!]

Then I found a sushi place for dinner, called Sushi Hiroba. It was good. It was £13.20 for three small kabobs of Yakidori, a glazed chicken on stick-type thing, and for some rice, a spicy tuna roll and green tea ice cream. It had a nice atmosphere too.

Now I’m going to lay down and start reading my book. It’s 8:44pm now. I got sidetracked by a brother and sister who are backpacking together. They are staying in this four bed room with me. The other girl in here I came across earlier. She’s from Germany, speaks with a slight Scottish accent funnily enough, and was going to a play with Gillian Anderson in it and was hoping to meet her. V. would be so jealous. She’s always loved X-Files.

Then I’m going to sleep as soon as it gets dark because I have to be up about 6am for my flight, which leaves at 10:25am. I need some good sleep because I have to drive four hours home tomorrow.