Thursday, November 16, 2006

Travel Woes

I really should be studying. Exams start in ten days. I have no motivation. At all. All I can think of is that I leave for my holiday in three weeks. Three weeks. And then my mind snaps and all I can think of is where to go and what to see. I am also worried about my visas. My passport has been lying with the British consulate for the past ten days and I still haven’t gotten my visa. Every time I think “Ok, That’s it. They can’t possibly require anything else” they come up with some new anal requirement. This photo won’t do. We require your bank statements for the last three months, one moth won’t do. We need your bank to confirm that this is your account. WTF!! Not to mention I can only apply for my Schengen visa once my passport is back. So, now I’m worried sick praying that everything gets processed in time.

Then there is the trying to figure out where to go. England isn’t so bad. Italy is another story all together. I really wish I had another twelve days there. There is so much to see and my guide book is no help! I want to go everywhere!! *wails* Oh, well since it’s my first visit to Italy am sticking to the main sites. Rome, Florence, Venice and Milan. Venice is a bit iffy, hopefully it will work out. I have a day to visit a Tuscan town and can’t decide between visiting both Pisa and Lucca or spending the day in Siena. All the Italians I know recommend Siena over Pisa (which doesn’t have much other than leaning tower anyway and is something of a tourist trap apparently). So I guess Siena it is. And I give up the mandatory picture of me trying to push the tower back straight. I have two days in Milan and I don’t know whether to spend both days in the city or take a short trip to Lake Como. Everyone keeps cribbing about how there is nothing much to see in Milan, but I don’t know. I am such a mass of confusion!! Gah!! I need help!

My friend in Amsterdam asked me to visit. He said I could stay with him and I am so tempted to visit. It’s just that the cheapest option would be to catch a budget airline from London and the prospect of running around airports seems completely unappealing. Not to mention I do want stick to a budget. And I really might as well make the most of the British visa. It is so ridiculously expensive. Plus I don’t want to be so tired from my vacation that I need another vacation to recover. Especially since school will have already started when I get back. I know the Italian leg of my trip will be crazy. But I do just want to relax a bit. Roam around London. Visit Windsor, Bath and the Oxbridge towns. Catch a play at the Shakespeare globe. Stuff like that.

Sigh. Is it any surprise that I really can’t concentrate on my work? I have already gone back to worrying about my visas. Blah! By the way all travel suggestions are welcome. Also, will anyone of the few people who read my random, muddled posts be in the places I mentioned in December? Let me know ok?

17 comments:

Tabula Rasa said...

nice, nice, go broaden your mind some more. what fun.

sympathies on the passport-hugging dipshits. i had to cancel a trip to australia this summer because i didn't get my passport back in time from another bunch to give them the two week notice they needed. terrible.

Anonymous said...

1) If you want to make the best of your British visa, go to Scotland. To the highlands.
2) A day in Milan should suffice
3) If you have a place to stay in Amsterdam, take it.

Panacea said...

Ok, you can visit us in Milan. We'll love to see you here (TPF and me, that is). I agree with ph, one day in Milan is quite enough (Dont even bother hoping that you might get to see the Last Supper because booking have to be done a month in advance). It'll be nice if you can visit Como the next day (although, Como is really small and you can spend half a day there unless you want to take the Funicular train and go up)
PS: Pick Siena over Pisa any day. I agree with your Italian friends :)

Szerelem said...

TR: Oh no! The Australian visa experience sounds bad. The Brit Consulate called today requirin more documents. I wanted to cry. Anal fucks. I am really worried now.

ph: Am considering Scotland. Depends on the money situation. Plus isnt it really dark and wet in December?
Unfortunately Amsterdam is off. Even the air tickets are really expensive for the dates I am looking at. Plus I will always have someone to bunk with there so some other time I guess.

Pan: :D
So Siena it is. And Como or Belaggio? I have only a Sunday if I want to see The Last Supper (since its closed on Mondays). I think tickets are still available but a lot depends on when I reach from Venice and what works out. have you seen it? i really want to...lets see...

Tabula Rasa said...

ouch. shucks. i hope this works out for you.

Panacea said...

Belaggio is mini-Como. It's really beautiful. If you try, maybe you might be able to do both in a day. If you have to choose I think you should go to Como.

Ahem, after 4 years of living here, I've still not seen the Last Supper, but I think we're having a uni trip or something there on the 17th of December, so by the time you get here, I'd have seen it (hopefully) :D

Dont worry about visas. They always make you run around till the last minute. Eventually everything will work out, you wait and see!

Szerelem said...

Sigh....I really do hope everything works out in time.
I am so looking forward to the trip. I really can't concentrate on school work anymore. Tis terrible.

Emma Blowgun said...

Hi Szelerem, you remind me of a girl I once knew (I didn't mean for that to come out quite as USHER as it sounds): I went to school with her in Delhi and she too loves The Beatles, and she is an absolute francophile.

Chiseled features are lovely: Zizou is probably top of my list, but Fiennes and Irons are just divine (but now I'm rambling).

And I really should have put some sort of disclaimer on that JEWLUST link :).

MockTurtle said...

Been there done that kiddo. I feel your pain. How about a quick fly through of the good old US of A?

Szerelem said...

surly girl: guilty as charged. Am a bit of a Francophile. Though I think these days am more of a Turkophile. And come on, who doesn't like The Beatles? :D

MT: I still haven't gotten my visa!! *bursts into tears* I really hope everything gets processed in time. *prays*
Worse case scenario would be to get my Schengen visa in London itself but I really hope it doesn't come to that. *Prays again*

Ahh and good ol' US of A isn't on my agenda anytime in the near future. But if do visit, we must definitely meet up!

Emma Blowgun said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Emma Blowgun said...

Szelerem,

I have been "studying" Economics; we have 2 core necessary Econometrics courses for the Econ degree, and I failed the first level [Intro. Econometrics] 3 times before I finally passed. Third time lucky. Now I have an exam for the second level, Econometric Methods, on Friday; and as you can see, the model building and data inferencing insurgents have performed a coup d'etat on my brain - so much so that I think, breathe, and speak Metrics these days.

Hrrrrmmmmmpppphhhh.

-Surly

PS: I'm a bit of a francophile too. My co-major is French.

The Poodle's Friend said...

WHEEEE!
I sense a blogmeet coming up!
Well, whenever you come to an Oxbridge town (well, the one with the 'bridge, actually, not the other place), let me know. I live there! :) Actually, Pan and I will be here on Friday 1 and then in London the weekend after that, so if that's where you are, let us know. After that, we're in Milan all the time, so yeah. We should really get this organise by email, shouldn't we? I'll leave the organising to Pan.

MockTurtle said...

Awww...chin up now. I'm sure it will work out quickly.
Now stop thinking about it and get back to your books - a watched kettle etc.

Anonymous said...

turkey sounds as divine as foreign from your pen... err after all that europaidolatory, I mean. A weekend in Istanbul can do wonders to lift the spirits, if at all you plan it, try their marine drive lined up with fishing families and a necklace of seafood joints, serving some non-bland stuff...
wish i had the pockets as deep as yours :)

Anonymous said...

come visit us in london is you can!!

Szerelem said...

Surly: Oh, just stick with it. In hindsight econometrics isn't bad and it really is usefull. Of course, I was so stressed before my final I was almost in tears =P
I never have anyone to practice my French with so it becomes terribly rusty. I really do want to studyit further though.

TPF :D I actually have work in Cambridge. But I reach England only on the 7th. When do you get back to Milan? And yeah, we really should do this on email.

MT: Brits Visa is done *GRINS* Now praying for Italian visa =(

Hillgoat: Thanks. I really do want to visit Turkey soon. And deep pockets?? I wish!!! I worked seven months to save for my december trip and I will be pretty broke by then end. If I had that much money I would be planning my Turkish trip already =)

Hobo: My visa is done, so yeah would love to meet!!