NADJA
Day 67
Wednesday 7 Oct
1015 (8 Oct)
I'm sitting at work now, I've been here for an hour. Martin is taking the day off and last night we went to Eheim for some of Ioanna's greek food she brought from home. Martin then bullied us into going out for "one more beer". I got home at 5am, 3 and a half ours later I got up for work, and got here 4 hours after getting home.
I got to work yesterday after getting up at 7 and going to Eheim. I've sorta adopted it as a second home, well first home is probably a better word maybe, considering it's the closest to a settled place I have.
I walked to work with Ioanna, Kiki was running late, again, so we left her. However after a stop at the supermarket and Kiki's incredibly fast stride she soon caught up and we arrived at work at the same time.
The day was fairly uneventful, the only thing of note was the mood that kiki was in during the afternoon. I walked out side for a cigarette/apple break and she couldn't stop smiling. Turns out one of her friends had woken up from a coma she'd been in for 8 months, her cousin worked at the hospital and had called her. Martin left early at 4, I thought I'd just finish what I was doing and leave early. However the task I was completing lasted well after 5 and I didn't end up leaving till much later.
I rode into town and did a bit of shopping. I then sat at a café and read my book, I had half an hour to kill before I was meeting Nadja at a nearby pub
I sat at the pub for about 20 minutes waiting for Nadja, she was running late. We sat there for a couple of hours. Once we got over the language barrier and had a couple of beers conversation was quite free flowing and she was a lot of fun. We left at about 730 and went back to Nadja's. She lives in a really cool area, not far from the bar I'd been to the night before and right beside the place where I'd been for breakfast with Yvette.
After dropping our bags, we jumped back on our bikes and headed to Eheim, via a Spar, a super market, and grabbed some beers. We got to Eheim at 830 and found the girls in the kitchen, where they should be, cooking up a storm. The food looked fantastic, and I couldn't help but pick at the greek salad. Ioanna was swatting my hand away and cursing me in exactly the same way mum does when I'm at home.
We shifted to one of the common rooms, with our hands full of food. There were a bunch of Girls at one of the tables, and one of them started talking to me in German. She said "something something, blah blah blah, arazmus". Arazmus is an EU university exchange program over here and pretty much every foreign person of my age, specially at Eheim, is on this program. I asked her, "Are u asking me if I'm here on Arazmus?" she was instantly taken aback , while all her friends laughed at her. a lot of people here are nervous about their English, almost embarrassed. She said yes, and a replied "Nah I'm just here working for a bit then doing a bit of traveling". that just killed conversation as the rest of her friends laughed.
The food was awesome, there was a heap of lamb, that had been cooked in Greece and refrigerated, a greek salad, some omelet thing (which had turned into scrambled eggs) and pleanty of beer. We sat around laughing, eating food and drinking beer for a couple of hours, eventually bullying the group of girls out of there.
It was myself, Martin, Ioanna, Kiki, and Nadja (my current host). Yvette also came which was really cool too, the girls get along with her really well. She called me when she got to the front, so I walked over to the window, which was above the front door and threw some food at her, before letting her in.
It was pretty funny eating the lamb, Ioanna had been extremely distressed about how I'd eaten a poor innocent cute kangaroo the day before. Over here they have no idea how much of a pest kangaroos are, the concept that we shoot and eat them is totally foreign to her.
My self and Martin countered this, by pointing to the lamb were were eating, describing a cute innocent lamb with big dough eyes looking at us through tears while we ate his friend. It went on too, for much of the night when ever Ioanna would talk Martin or I would just start Baa'ing at her. Pleading at her, in a sheep's voice, not to eat me. Haha.
We were there untill about 1130, and Martin eventually bullied us all into going out, I didn't take much persuading but the girls were a different matter, although martin had that covered Ioanna and Kiki were soon getting changed while Nadja and Yvette did dishes while Martin and I sat on the couch making sure that the beer didn't go to waste. We did our job really well.
From Eheim we went to 3 monkeys, again, and got there at about 12, it was really empty compared to when we were there 2 weeks ago for Sandra's going away party. We found a spot in the corner where there was a raised bench where we could put our bags and jackets. I left my bag under my jacket, kinda dumb considering my laptop was in it, but I've kind of adopted the whole "she'll be right" attitude while I've been over here.
Yvette was really really drunk, not stupidly, she just looked like she was kinda dead, and was slurring her words. She was doing her thing too where she'd ask boys for drinks and cigarette's. It's kinda funny but annoying at the same time, she's really cute and I empathise for the guys whose desires she's exploiting.
She'd decided to call it a night and there was this really creepy guy behind her that she'd asked for a drink and he was just standing there, so I decided to walk her the first few blocks home to make sure she wasn't followed. We walked out the door and she had no idea how to get home, I walked to the closest cab and got in the front seat. I gave him a 10er asked Yvette for the intersection of her house, I could remember it was near Styergasse and something and hoped she was in a state to tell the driver. She was and I opened the back door for her and she stumbled in. I then walked back into the club.
The ride home was so much fun. While Martin and Nadja were riding on the road I decided to take the off road route, on a bike that couldn't be further from suitable for that, even when it was made some 20 years ago. It was great, at one point the ground was in a shadow and it was so bumpy then all of a sudden I was riding down these massive steps, more like ledges and they stated to get a little bigger, I was started to get a little out of control so I rode through a hedge and rejoined martin and Nadja on the road.
On the way home we stopped at a dirty sausage store. I was having a great time chatting to the lady behind the counter, she had no idea what I was saying and Nadja just laughed as I had a one way conversation with her, it was great fun. The wurst was pretty horrible, but hey.
Back at home Nadja grabbed me a glass of water, I drank that in one gulp and she went to get a jug, I lay down on the bed, at 5 am; 4 hours before work and slept. I woke up at 830, changed my shirt and went to work.

Day
68
Thursday 8 Oc
t
0530 9 Oct

Damn it's early, so much for getting a good sleep last night. I didn't get to bed untill 11, and had to be up at 4 For this flight, sitting with my eyes open at graz Flughafen is almost painful.

I woke up yesterday at 830. Still feeling the effects of the previous night. I threw on a T-shirt and began the ride into work. I sat down at my desk and the guys who sits beside mee, whose name I don't have a clued of looked at me and asked how I was. I just laughed, the feeling from the previous night becoming obviously apparent. He just laughed and explained he'd had a big one too.
0655

I'm sitting at Vienna international, I just went through security twice, I'd left my book in the friggin toilet so I wanted to go back and get it. Kinda embarrassing but it's a good book so I want to finish it.

Yesterday work was slow untill lunch, I just spent the morning writing in my diary and doing administrative stuff. After lunch I finished the cuttings I'd been doinng for nicko and then startred researching for Rome. I cant wait to get there
I wanted to leave work early but again ended up leaving late after I sent off a heap of emails and started organizing a farewell gig for next Tuesday. I left the office and grabbed my bike, I set off for the first little bit anlong the grass. Something didn't feel right. I hit the tarmac and realized my friggin tyre was flat. I pushed it upto the pump at uni and put some air in it. It wasn't going down instantly so I gave it a little more and then took off, riding as fast as I could in order to get as far as possible before it went flat.
I almost got all the way to the Kunsthaus too, not far from Nadja's and pushed it the rest of the way. At one point I'd just crossed the road, I had my head phones on but I could see a lady looking at me on her bike from the other side shaking something in her hand.
Upon closer inspection I realized it was my USB stick, it must have fallen out of my pocket a little before and she'd chased me down which was nice. I crossed the road and she fired a Torrent of German at me, I cut her off saying that I didn't speak German. She momentarily smiled before going on another rant in English telling me off for wearing my headphones while riding. I just smiled said danke shin and left.
I got home at abot 610 and went for a run. Again I needed to go to the toilet, for about the 6th time that day. All thanks to Ioanna's damn Greek food. So I ran to a park where I knew there was a public toilet. I went in and it was blocked. It was stuffed full of rubbish and toilet paper. I took off again however 2 minutes later I was busting again and I had to suck it in and use it. Avoiding the needles as I moved back inside.
The run was really good except I was feeling b*****ed. I felt like I'd been dancing all night however I was sure that I hadn't. Again I bumped into Martin and Johannas 2, 0r bob as he's more commonly known.
The name bob has a funny meaning, Johannas 2 is a really nice, healthy fit bloke, however he used to be a big fan of the old western green Imam. And rolling a joint over here is known as "building". Apparently Bob used had quite a knack for it and the name bob was borrowed from bob the builder and given to Johannas 2.
I got back to Nadja's to the smell of a delicious home made pasty, she'd asked what I wanted for tea. After explaining the meaning of a "Hearty meal" she'd concucted a big vegetarian pasty for me. Another perk of the couch surfing. She'd also bought me a bottle of pear schnapps, from her home villiage and insisted that I take it to rome to drink with my friends. This is too easy.
0800

We're somewhere about halfway between Vienna and the Adriatic sea. I'm not sure If we're over Croatia or slovenia, somewhere inbetween Zagreb and Ljidivik. I'm chewing on some crappy biscuit things. I was really hoping for a meal. I'm so hungary.

After I'd shower one of Nadja's friends showed up, a guy who she studies with. He was a really cool guy, and I regretted being so tired and not being able to engage him fully in conversation. We had dinner, I spent a lot of the time talking with the friend, Nadja was being very very hospitable, asking if I wanted more and insisting I finished she salad. How ever there was an alternative motive to this and the second I put down my cutlery both nadja and her flat mate Michy lit up a cigarette, while myself and Nadja's friend criticized them both.
After dinner I lay on the bed half talking to the friend while he chatted to his Girlfriend on Skype. He'd done an exchange to Sweden, the reason for is fairly decent English, and he'd met an Italian girl over there. We were also talking about practical jokes and he told me of one where an Aussie in Sweden had taken a screen shot of his friends desktop including the icons and the start panel.
He'd then made that shot the desktop picture and had removed all the real icons aswell as the start panel. What more was they'de put a rude photo of some s=description on the back ground.

I can see down into the mountains of Croatia. As we're nearing the Adriatic. I kmow it's lame but they look fantastic, there's a low layer off cloud and the mountains look exactly like Islands there peaks jutting above the clouds, It's all pretty sobering. Actually on closer inspection I think they might actually be islands, no,no, we're just crossing over the coastline now. Holy s***balls its beautiful.
The way that the clouds have formed is due to the wind I imagine, all the clouds are on one side of the islands were now above. One side of the island is the ocean and the other is the clouds, looking almost like a shadow, hiding away from the draft of the wind. The thing is the clouds are on the same side as the sun which only serves to compound how incredible it all looks.

After fixing up Nadja's computer, we left to go to Eheim. Thankfully Nadja drove me as I was absolutely knackered and couldn't be bothered riding. We got to Ioanna's at about 930 walked past the stairs, going down which would have led us to a party that was going on downstairs. I bypassed it, swearing I was never drinking beer again in my life and I started packing. Ioanna had another great blond moment worth mentioning too.
She was chatting to one of her friends on Skype, she mentioned something about the conversation and I leant over to look at the screen. Her friend really was beautiful, cliché greek, slim with long curly black hair, ignoring the also cliché greek nose I said to Ioanna, "She's really pretty" she looked up at her wall and said yeah she's up there too, after looking at that photo she returned to her computer; "And you can see her down here" she said and pointed to the computer screen, at the photo I'd commented on less then 30 seconds previously.

We've crossed the Adriatic and I can see the Italian coustline near Acnona, It's equally as pretty here, and the 10 minutes its taken to fly has given the morning clouds time to rise of the ocean bed revealing the equally gorgeous coast.
The coast is much cleaner her, More flush when compared to the sparodic islands of the Balkan coast. almost instantaneously were above a massive series of mountains and valley, the valles still full of the early morning cloud.
After packing we walked back to the car. Ioanna called me, I'd left my USB there, maybe that things cursed. I ran back and grabbed it. Passing some horribly dressed eastern European revellers. Some people in Europe look fantastic, at the cutting edge of modern fashion, others however remind me of the horrible photo's on my parents walls back home of what they used to wear in the 80's. I've always said that someone who dressed themselves during this period has no right to comment on anyone's fashion, ever.
Back at home we hit the hay, I read my book for a whole maybe half a page and went tot sleep with the light still on while Nadja kept reading, I have no recollection of her turning the light off and slept for the next three hours like a baby. I woke at 2 absolutely freezing, ignoring the cold, being to lazy to get under the sheets I fell in and out of sleep befor I finally worked up the courage to get under the beautiful soft warm inviting covers.
We're just turning to for the approach to rome. Cant wait!!