I'm Baaaack!!!!!!

So I realized that I just sort of dropped off on the blog thing once I got on the cruise ship. So just wanted to let everyone know I got back safe and sound. Spent a week up in MA with the family, then headed to San Francisco for the weekend before flying back to DC (I had frequent flyer miles that needed using).

So I've been back in DC for a week or so now and I've just been trying to get used to being in one place for a while (it's harder than you think). Spending time getting caught up with friends, going through 3 months of junk mail, and thinking about actually getting off my ever expanding buttocks and doing something work related (it's so hard to actually start up again after so much time off).

Thanks to all who kept up with my ramblings and were kind enough to send words of encouragement as I went along. It was much appreciated.

Edinburgh = Awesome

I'm loving Edinburgh. It's been cold, rainy, overcast and generally not so hospitable and I love it. I'm totally happy with my decision to fit Scotland into the trip - it's such a great place.

I did a walking tour today that covered the highlights of the city - the castle (there's always a castle), the churches (there's always at least one) and the general history of the place - which apparently is slightly different from Braveheart (who knew?). I'm going to walk around taking pictures tomorrow and then going on a "haunted" tour tomorrow night. I figure the haunted tour will be pretty crap - but it gives me an excuse to take some night shots without having to wander around the city alone at night with my camera (thus painting a giant bullseye on myself).

Then on Wednesday I go on my day tour out to Loch Ness in search of the monster (and, I'm told, so really amazing scenery). I'm really looking forward to getting into the highlands a bit and seeing what it's like outside the city.

I haven't decided what to do with Thursday yet, I might grab a train or a bus to Glasgow - just to check it out. I've heard it isn't as nice as Edinburgh - but I probably should see it while I'm here. Then, Friday, it's back on the bus to London where I'll crash until I meet up with the family on Monday morning. Then it's cruise-city baby!

I've uploaded some pictures of San Sebastian for your viewing pleasure. I'll try to upload the Scotland pictures when I get back to London this weekend. Hope all is well with everyone back home.

Off To See the Monster

Hi All,

Well I'm done with continental Europe for now. Finished up in San Sebastian, Spain - which is a great little beach town (if you like that sort of thing). Very picturesque and I got some great pictures. There's this big statue of Jesus there which is high on a hill. Sort of like the one in Rio but a much smaller hill. Anyway, I climbed up there to hang out with JC and get some good pics when I noticed that, if you look at JC from the right angle, he appears to be giving everyone the finger. So you'll see a bunch of JC pics when I get them uploaded because I liked the irony of JC flipping off the world (sort of sums up my whole view of religion).

Anyway, from Spain it was back in Paris for two nights and then I took the high speed train through the Chunnel to London this morning. It was pretty cool (granted I slept most of the way). I don't know what it is, but the minute I'm in a moving vehicle that I am not driving, I fall instantly asleep. It's like a disease or something.

So the plan is to sleep in London tonight and then grab a coach to Edinburgh in the morning. Then do the Scotland thing and find me a Loch Ness Monster (and get Bobby a Hard Rock Edinburgh shot glass - this might be the easier adventure). I'm going to check out Edinburgh and use it as a base for day trips to the highlands and the lakes. A bed in Scotland was crazy cheap - just £8 a night (which is about USD 16). Can't beat that - by far the cheapest place I've stayed. And from what I've heard it's actually pretty nice.

So that's it for now. I'll post more from Scotland.

It's Like They've Never Seen a Pigeon Before

So Barcelona, apart from the massive crowds, was a hit. I liked the architecture – although that Gaudi guy that designed half the city was a little touched in the head. You can see pictures of the weirdness on Flickr (I’ve updated with Barcelona and Madrid). He’s very against straight lines and general rules that make buildings actually…livable. It’s very strange but apparently they love his stuff there.

So now I’m in Madrid and it’s taken a couple of days for Madrid to grow on me – but overall I’m a fan. It’s a very different vibe from Barcelona. Madrid seems much more serious and less about the all night party (though they do stay out late in Spain – with most clubs closing at 6 AM). But Madrid has this great combination of the old and new – big grand boulevards flanked by tight, narrow little old streets. It’s really quite cool and I hope that my pics do it some justice.

One thing I’ll never understand, however, is people’s fascination with pigeons. Tourists freakin’ LOVE pigeons – it’s a universal truth. In every city, in every park or square or fountain, you see these people, the pigeon lovers. They feed the pigeons. They try to catch the pigeons. Their children chase the pigeons. And, this is my favorite; they put pigeon food on their hands or on their children so the pigeons will land on them.

I watch this from city to city and all I can think is – what the heck is wrong with you people. Pigeons are RATS with wings. Don’t other people know this? Would these same people come to New York City and put food on their kids’ heads so that the cute little subway rats will crawl on them? No wonder the plague spread so easily over here.

OK, back on topic. So, not really expecting a lot from Spain, I think it’s been a good surprise. I don’t think I’ll be spending summers here for the rest of my life (or anything like that), but it has been pleasant enough to spend time here. I might even come back some day. I’ve got one more Spain stop left (a beach town called San Sebastian) and then off to Paris (again). I’ve skipped Lisbon because train prices are high and because it’s hot there right now (and between Italy and Spain – I’m over hot weather for a while).

So here’s the change of plan, I’m heading back to Paris where I will be taking a Chunnel train back to London (after getting Bobby a Hard Rock Paris shot glass). From London, I’m catching a bus to Edinburgh, Scotland (where it’s not even close to hot). I have plans to find me a Loch Ness monster. Then I take a bus back to London and spend a couple of days before I catch up with the family for the cruise back to the States.

And let me tell you I am SO looking forward to that cruise. Primarily because I do actually miss the family and it will be good to see them again. But also because, after months of living in hostels, I’m dying for a little luxury. Not even real luxury, just minor luxury will do – you know stuff like taking a shower without wearing flip-flops, drying off with a clean towel that is changed daily, eating food I can actually identify (and pronounce)…

Don’t get me wrong, I love that I was able to do this trip and I’m having the time of my life. But a little pampering after months of none just seems like a really good thing right about now.

I LOVE Paris...NOT

Well, not really. But I do like it better than I did before.

So Paris turned out to be better than I though. I got some pretty nice pictures (if I do say so myself), the weather turned around and, most of all, I caught up with some people I didn’t think I would see again. The folks I caught up with, more than anything else, made the whole Paris adventure a little better than I thought.

But even with good people to spend the time with, better weather and a list of “insider” tips and tricks – there’s still something about Paris that bugs me. I don’t know exactly what it is.

It could be that the Parisians seem to take such a beautiful city for granted. There’s dog shit absolutely everywhere. I’ve seen more public urination on the streets of Paris than anywhere else (it’s like these people don’t own toilets or something). There are cigarette butts and litter all over the place. They city just seems to have this thin layer of “grime” on it. Maybe it just needs a good bath - like most of the people I had the pleasure of standing next to on the metro (it’s called deodorant people – I checked they sell it in France).

But I did get a better appreciation for the city than I had before. And, at night, Paris really can’t be beat. I know it’s called the ‘City of Lights” and all, but it is really something special at night. Just walking around along the Seine at night and seeing all monuments lit up – that was probably the highlight of this trip.

So that’s it for Paris. I left there on Sunday and then spent two days on a bus getting to Barcelona. Today was my first full day in Barcelona and I’m a fan. Architecturally, the city is amazing and I can totally see myself taking a ton of pictures when the weather gets a little better (it’s all overcast right now but supposed to get sunny later). There’s also a cool vibe to the city that I like (maybe that’s what I didn’t like about Paris – no vibe).

So they’re all very cool and hip here which I, as you all know, am not. They go out at midnight and stay out all night at big dance clubs with lots of people and loud music. Since that’s my definition of hell, I won’t be doing that. But I’m sure there’s something I can get up to here in good ol’ Barcelona.

The only down side to Barcelona so far is that it’s super crowded. Tourists love this place and they are everywhere. Now my patience for other tourists is pretty much exhausted now (I’m surprised it lasted this long). So the trick is to still see everything I want to see while avoiding the mass crowds (and the children in them) – we’ll see how that goes.

Paris – Le Deuxième Fois

I said the first time I came to Paris that I liked it, but I didn’t love it. It was sort of hyped up in my mind that first time and I was really thinking that part of the problem was that nothing could have lived up to the hype. But now I think I was wrong…

This time around I really had zero expectations for Paris. There was nothing for it to live up to and... I still don’t love it. I can’t quite put my finger on why – but Paris has a certain je ne sais quoi that just doesn’t sit right with me.

The architecture and food really can’t be beat; it’s a beautiful city with plenty of good eats – this I can’t deny. I walked from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre today and, even though the weather is a bit dodgy, I took a ton of pictures. This is usually enough for me to like a place and I do really like Paris, but I don’t love it.

I’d like to blame the people, as Parisians are reputedly a bit snobby and, well, French about things. There are some places you go where the people are really happy to have tourists, really interested in seeing that you have a good time and generally just really excited to share their city/history/culture with other people.

Paris is NOT one of those cities. They are sort of snobby and, well, French about their language and culture. In addition, as an American, I can see where they might still be harboring some resentment toward America – I mean our Government did rename French fries in the Congressional cafeteria (Freedom Fries – those Congressional types are so clever).

Should an entire country really forget such a gigantic slap in the face? I wouldn't. I’m still harboring resentment from that time Wendi “shhhh”ed me like three years ago. That was relatively minor compared to having food that isn’t even really French renamed in a cafeteria that’s not even open to the general public – the French are probably still feeling the social and economic repercussions to this day.

Seriously though, most of the people in Europe who work in the tourist/travel industry absolutely suck at what they do for a living (compared to American standards - which aren’t exactly high). With a few notable exceptions, it’s come up time and time again in pretty much every country I’ve visited – so it doesn’t seem to be an anomaly. The people I've dealt with, again with a few notable exceptions, are generally disinterested and seem to hate what they do. But I guess if I could speak four languages and the best gig I could find for myself was a minimum wage job at a tourist info point or hostel reception desk – I’d hate my job as well. Plus, it's not really any different from trying to get a salad at Cosi in DC - so I'm used to a certain lack of, ummm, enthusiasm on the part of people in service industries.

So I’m willing to cut them some slack on the people front. And yet, even though I actually speak some of the language and can read signs and menus (I can even order in restaurants sometimes), Paris and I seem destined to be “just friends” (and not particularly close friends at that).

This time around, however, I am armed with some “insider” information – tips from a real Parisian who is interning in James’ office (thanks Alexandra) – to give me an authentic French experience. I haven’t done any of these things just yet but I’ll let you know if these make the difference between like and love for me and Paris (but I’m not overly optimistic). I’ll, of course, keep all y’all posted as I’m sure you’re all waiting with bated breath to know how this all works out (who wouldn’t be really, it’s riveting)…

So where did I leave off…

Oh yeah, sorry it’s been so long since I’ve posted an update but it’s been hard to get decent (and cheap) Internet access for a while. So here’s what I’ve been up to while I was away from the computer.

I left Italy and met up with some Ozzies, Vic and Liz (they’re twins), that I had been traveling with earlier. We met up in Nice on the 29^th and stayed until the 31^st. Nice was nice (ha ha) but definitely not my scene. We also went to Monaco and, following Nancie’s advice, Cap d’Ail – both of which we’re pretty cool (and right near each other). The money in Monte Carlo is CRAZY – we saw Bentleys lined up on the streets (poor people must drive the Mercedes). Overall a good experience but I definitely wouldn’t go back – not unless I learn how to sit still on a beach (and how to tan).

So from Nice I was originally going to go into Spain, but the twins were headed up to Switzerland so I decided to tag along. Our first stop was a small town called Lauterbrunnen high up in the Alps (it’s near a place called Interlaken). It was amazingly beautiful (pics should be up soon) and we did some hiking and such in the mountains and I also did a tandem skydive while I was there.

The skydive was definitely one of the craziest things I’ve ever done. Totally scary when the door to the plane opens and you realize that you are about to fall out – and on purpose to boot. But it was also one of the best experiences I’ve had over here. To be at 13,000 feet and see the snow capped Alps actually below you and then falling toward them – it was something else. Don’t think that I’m actually going to be doing it again and again, but I’m very glad that I bit the bullet and gave it a try.

After the craziness of Lauterbrunnen we headed to Lucerne (also in Switzerland). Lucerne was, well, pretty boring actually. The hostel we stayed in had the bitchiest woman I have met so far working behind the desk. I actually said to her at one point, “If you hate your job this much you should probably find something else.” This, strangely enough, did not serve to enamor me in her eyes.

But while Lucerne was very pretty, it’s more a place where people actually live, so there’s not that much to “see” there. So overall, we were glad to get out of there after the second night. On a side note, Switzerland was easily the most expensive country we’ve spent time in so far. Everything was insanely expensive. For example, a medium sized Big Mac meal at McDonald’s costs (get ready for it) 13 Swiss Francs (which are currently about equal with the ever falling, incredibly shitty US dollar – thus the meal costs 13 dollars). $13 dollars for a Big Mac and fries! These people are crazy. But maybe when you’re secretly stashing and laundering money for the rest of the world, you can afford to pay 13 bucks for a Big Mac.

So we left the ever pricey Switzerland on 6 August and headed back to Munich (which is a really great city and I’m enjoying it even more the second time around). I said goodbye to the twins today as they are heading off to Zambia (in Africa) to spend 5 weeks working with kids affected by (or infected with) HIV (pretty impressive for two 22 year old Sydney girls I think). But we’re going to keep in touch and I’ll see them when I head Down Under at some point (or when they get to the States).

From here, I head to Paris for a night (or more depending on my mood) and then I’m going to take a train down to Avignon where I can pick up the Bus again. From Avignon, I’m headed to Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, and if time allows, I want to catch a train from Madrid to Lisbon just to check things out. Then on to Bordeaux and back to Paris before heading back to the UK to meet the rents and Bob and Wendi for the cruise back home.

God, it’s so weird to think about things coming to an end and heading back home. It seems like the whole trip has been flying by and, at the same time, I’m really looking forward to the familiarity of home. I think the hardest thing to get used to isn’t the language problems – we’ve done a good job getting around those by picking up a few words and just pointing at stuff. The weirdest thing is not knowing the right way to do things – like in restaurants and train stations.

At home you just take it for granted that you know what the customs are in a restaurant (for example). Here, you’re always wondering if you’re doing the wrong thing. Do they seat me? Do I just sit anywhere? Why haven’t they brought the check? Do I pay at the desk? Do they think I’m just some dumb American because I don’t know what I’m doing?

It’ll be nice just to be home and just know what to do without having to think about it (and where everyone knows that I AM just a dumb American).

Ciao Italia!

We said goodbye to Italy yesterday travelling north from La Spezia along the Med coast through Monaco and up to Nice. It was a really nice ride with some really spectacular views of the coast and the little coastal villages. Overall thoughts on Italy are positive - great food, lovely people (for the most part), awesome scenery and some amazing history. But they do seem to move at their own pace and that, especially, takes some getting used to.

So now we're in Nice for until the 31st and so far, I'm not that impressed. It's quite lovely here but there's not a lot to do if you're not a beach person. And with my pastey white skin, I am most definitely not a beach person. The beach is lovely though - much nicer than the ghetto Nice that Bobby, Wendi and I trudged through last November. The hotel is in a great location but it a little "basic" - but right near everything so I really can't complain. I've met up with some of the Ozzies that I was travelling with earlier so it's nice to catch up and see how there trip has been.

With all the Ozzies I'm now almost required to head down under at some point and do a tour. I've met people from all over so I'm all set with accomodations pretty much wherever I go. So maybe that's my next trip...

Next stop is Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. I'll let you know how that goes.

My Dog's Are Barkin'

I've been in a place called La Spezia for two days now (actually a day and a half). Spent the first half day just walking around checking things out. There's really nothing special about La Spezia except that it's a gateway city for Cinque Terre - which are these five small towns build into the hills along the Med coast of Italy.

The thing with Cinque Terre is that it's a 14 km walk (that's like 7 miles) along the hills of the coast to get from town to town. At first I was like, "Screw that! I'm not walking seven miles up hills and over rigged terain just to see some sea side villages." But I've made new Busabout friends and they were all doing it so I sort of went along. Let me tell you, it was absolutely the right decision. The hike was a pain in the arse in some places but the scenery was absolutely worth it. These five villages are just so beautiful and they each have little beaches that you can swim in to cool down between stretches. It was one of the highlights of the trip so far - I took a ton of pics which I will try to upload today (no promises).

I'm going back today just to go to the beach and have a bit of a chill day - as my legs are hurting a bit from all the hiking. Then tomorrow I'm going to grab a train to Milan just to check it out. It's fairly cheap from here, so I figure what the hell. I've heard mixed reviews but it's worth it just to say that I've been there. Then it's off to Nice for three days.

The Scene of the Crime

So I left Rome three days ago and I miss it already. It really is one of my favorite places to visit - so much history and beauty. I have to admit that Italians aren't necessarily my favorite people. They're a little rough around the edges for my taste - always yelling at each other with the hands a flappin'. It can be a little disconcerting. But overall Rome is still on my top 10 list.

Left Rome and have been in Florence for two days now. For those not in the know, Florence is where my Dad had his accident last Novemeber - hence the scene of the crime. I've spent some time walking around today and I actually stumbled upon the intersection where it all went down (or at least I'm reasonably sure it's the intersection). I took pictures which I'll upload here as soon as I get decent internet (Italy and Internet do not go well together apparently).

I saw the original sculpture of David and the original "Birth of Venus" as well as some other famous art. Other than that I have just been walking around taking it all in - it's a pretty city but not my favorite. I probably wouldn't come back again.

On a side note - I've lost my crazy Ozzies. Florence was the last stop we had together before going separate ways. I'll see some of them again in a week or two when I head to Switzerland but for others is was the last time. I'll miss my little friends from down under. They are great people and it was nice to spend time with them. So now I have to find new friends - which really isn't that hard since you end up talking to all the poeple on the bus anyway. It's just a matter of finding people that I genuinely like versus people I can stand for a period of time. We'll see how it goes (either way I'll have people to hang out with and that's what matters).

I leave Florence tomorrow and head to La Spezia which is the gateway to Cinque Terre. I don't even really know what Cinque Terre is apart from a park of some sort - but it's supposed to be very pretty and on the water. So we'll see how that goes. I'm either there for 2 or 4 nights, I haven't decided just yet. I might try to get a train to Milan just to say that I've been there. But I'm sort of lazy when it comes to the planning of side trips so I probably will just stay in La Spezia.

After La Spezia it's off to Nice for a couple of nights and then on to Switzerland (Lauterbrunnen and Lucerne). From there, I might head back to Munich then to Paris and back to Nice to continue on into Spain. Or I might just go straight back to Nice and into Spain and save Paris for the end. Decisons, decisions....

Hope all is well with my peeps back home. I'll post again soon.

Florence

Hi All. I'm in Florence now and Internet access is worse than Rome so don't know if there will be lots of posts or not. We'll see if I can find free Wifi in the city.

All is well and I am going to be spending the day walking around and looking at all the art. I'll let you know how it goes.

Happy Birthday Bob

This post is a day early but I'm going to be on the bus all day tomorrow and might not have a chance to post. So everyone who's still reading this boring blog, wish my brother Bob a very happy birthday tomorrow.

Roma

Hey all. Sorry this one is so short but internet access at the hostel in Rome SUCKS. But I am in Rome and going crazy seeing everything again (but going into stuff this time).

I'll right more when I have more time and better internet.

Castle of St. Stinkus

The rest of Prague finished without any major incident. A truly beautiful city – probably my favorite so far (but that will change once I get back to Rome). After Prague we went to Vienna. The guy on the bus told us all about Vienna and how it’s real easy to go to Bratislava, Slovakia from there as a day trip. So the group of crazy Ozzies and I decided we would do that one day while we we’re there.

We met up in the morning and on the way to the bus station I realize that I didn’t bring my passport with me (yes I know I have a habit of doing this). In this case, it turns out I didn’t need it so all was good. We got over to Bratislava and all the signs were in whatever they speak there (Slovakian?). So we just made stuff up (the castle of St. Stinkus for example) until we found a tourist info center that had maps and descriptions in English – though our explanations were more fun. We walked around the city center and saw the old buildings and such (it was really pretty), grabbed some lunch and then headed over to see the castle, which was uphill as these things tend to be. The uphill wouldn’t have been so bad if it weren’t so freakin’ hot. It was around 32 Celsius (which is around 98 Fahrenheit my Ozzie friends told me). After the castle, we found a cool spot under a tree in a little park and we all fell asleep for about an hour. Then we headed back to Vienna.

Just roamed around Vienna the last day, took some pictures and hung around. It was a great, lazy sort of day. Vienna is really beautiful as well (it’s all really pretty over here – except Berlin). I got some great shots which I will post when I can. We got into Munich yesterday afternoon and it’s been raining since. Don’t know how much I’ll get to see in the rain, but I’ll keep you posted.

Gypsy Biscuits

So Prague is even more beautiful than Amsterdam was (pictures to come). I love it. The locals are a little rough around the edges but, for the most part, friendly. The architecture is amazing. The weather has been a little weird - from sunny and hot to raining and cold to dry but windy back to sunny and hot - all in a couple of hours. And we thought New England weather was unpredictable.

Spent yesterday on a walking tour covering the city - the new and old city plus the castle and surrounding area. It was pretty cool and I got a ton of pics that I still need to go through and then upload - but that gives me something to do on the bus to Vienna.

I've managed to hook up with a bunch of wacky Australians, or Ozzies, as I've been told to call them. They are truly a strange bunch of people but a lot of fun to hang out with. After all, how can the descendants of English criminals be anything less than a lot of fun? You'll see some of them start popping up in the pictures as I post them.

There's a particular Russian from Australia that none of them seem to like to much as she's a bit "off." I've talked to her and she isn't playing with a full deck - that much is clear. They've labeled her "gypsy biscuits," which makes zero sense but makes me laugh none-the-less. Every once and a while I just say "gypsy biscuits" in my head and I chuckle a little.

Well that's it for now - sorry it's not too exciting. I've uploaded the Berlin pics and organized things a little, so now if you go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjacome/sets things will show up in sets so you don't have to scroll through all the pictures you may (or may not) have already seen. The pictures from the Flickr site also feed the slideshow that shows on the right hand side of the page.

Bye Bye Berlin, Hello Prague

I didn't like Berlin so much. The best thing about it was the poeple I met there from the bus and the room. The city itself has a lot of history with the Berlin wall and Communism and all that - which was really interesting. I took a walking tour that was really informative and showed all the major points of interest from WWII and the Cold War. But the buildings are all so new (because the city was bombed to the ground bascially) and generic - thanks to soviet contruction. It's rather dirty and the Berliners just didn't seem all that friendly. So I'm glad to be out of there - don't think I'd go back (but never say never).

Got into Prague last night and had a chance to look around. It's seems much more my speed from a tourist standpoint. Lots of old buildings, a castle, great bridges - just what i'm looking for in a European city. Plus things are pretty cheap here, though they're still on their own currency (the Czech crown) which is weird. It's sort of like how the Lira used to be, things cost like 500 crowns but that comes out to something like $25. So I went to the ATM and got 2000 crowns out and it just gave me this one 2000 crown bill. You feel rich for a while.

I'm bound to get some great pictures here. I'll post them as soon as I can.

Welcome to Berlin

We spent the day yesterday on the bus - which was surprisingly OK. I was a bit worried about the 10 hour bus trip but it was pleasant. Got to sleep a lot and the company has a guide on it who points out different things in the city you're going about to visit. We got in around 6 PM and got checked into the hostel.

The people in the room are a bunch of Australians (apparently this Busabout thing I'm doing is big down under - even though it's an English company). They're very nice though and we ended going and grabbing dinner together. After that we just spent the night in the room talking. Nothing too exciting.

This hostel has free WiFi so I was able to get my pictures uploaded - I've put them on Flickr rather than the other place I was using as Flickr has a better upload program. The new link for pictures is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjacome/ They're all just thrown up there for now as I haven't quite figured out how to organize them just yet. I'll work on that later. London is first Amsterdam starts after that.

Until next time...

doei do Amsterdam

Apparently that's one way to say goodbye in Dutch. So today was my last day in Amsterdam as I leave early tomorrow morning for Berlin. I also need to make a correction to something I said in an earlier post. The girls in the windows are sectioned into specialties (like the supermarket). So when I said they were all unattractive and couldn't give it away for free in America, apparently I was in the "heavy set black/hispanic" girl section. I needed to go over to aisle 6 for the pretty white girls. My bad and I apologize whole heartedly to the working girls of Amsterdam - some of you are very pretty hookers.

Today was sort of gray and dreary, so I finished doing the museums I didn't have time for yesterday. After that I just sort of hung out at a cafe and had a coffee or two with these little biscuit cookies they give you.


Overall, at this point in the trip this is waht I've learned. I freakin' hate tourists. Doesn't matter if they're American or British or Pakistani - black, brown, red, green or white - I hate them all. Now that's not really a surprise since I generally loathe other people but when you become a tourist you immedately think that the whole universe revolves solely around you. Now that can't be true since it's scientific fact that the whole universe revolves around me - it's been proven again and again. So I know these people are wrong.

So don't listen to any of those stories about beastly Americans in Europe. Every tourist in Europe is beastly. They stop right in front of you while walking, the congregate on the sidewalk like they own it, they bump and push and have a complete disregard for the poeple or things around them. To combat this (and because it's fun), I've started "accidentally" walking into people when they stop in front of me. Now, I try to reserve this only for the worst offenders (and especially for repeat offenders). It's pretty effective.

The Dutch poeple, however, are very nice. In cafe's and bars they've been very friendly and everyone speaks English - so that hasn't been a problem.

I've also learned that my parent's brought me up right. I watch these kids in the hostels and all I want to do is give them a smack in the head. They're rather rude and uninterested in anything that doesn't involve liquor and/or drugs. I asked some of them how they liked the museums or the architecture and all I got were blank stares (since they get up at 3 PM everyday they haven't seen much). Seriously, I'm beginning to worry about the future of humankind. I want'everyone with kids to go give your kid a smack in the ass when you're done reading this - it's good for them.

Well that's it for me. I'll be travelling most of tomorrow so probably no blogging or emailing for me. I'm still working on getting the pictures uploaded.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOMMA!

Sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you. Hope you have a great day and make sure Dad buys you the big lobster.

Everyone wish my mom a happy birthday.

Hey Ray, it's mom's birthday - hurry out today and get her something nice.

Praise Jeebus

OK, so I’ve been in Amsterdam for two days now and I haven’t gotten high once. Are you proud of me momma?

I have, however, been walking for about 5 hours a day and taking a ton of pictures (over 300 easy). It’s just so freakin’ beautiful, well most of it (but more on that later). I got here around 9 AM on the bus from London.

Warning: NEVER TAKE A BUS FROM LONDON TO AMSTERDAM. Ever. For any reason. Enough said. It sort of made me wonder if taking the bus around Europe was a bad idea, but I’ve talked to some people here at the hostel who came in via Busabout and they said it was pretty nice. So I’ll reserve judgment and hold off on having someone mail me a Eurail pass.

This hostel is much better than the last. A lot cleaner with friendlier staff and more of a mix of people and ages. So when I got here Nikki picked me up at Amstel station and we headed back to her place. We caught up for a while and then headed out for a bike tour of Amsterdam. I didn’t even fall off once! Yeah me. Then because the weather was nice she took me to this hippy beach area. It was nice and weird at the same time. It was sort of like a shanty town with a make shift restaurant/bar. Everything decorated in psychedelic patterns – apparently it was very “Dutch”.

Then we headed out and met some of her friends for snacks/drinks and to watch the Euro Cup finals. Yes – I watched a sporting event (will wonders never cease). All her friends were nice enough to speak English for me which I’m sure was more of an imposition than they let on.

I’ve spent the last two days just walking around the city taking pictures. Just when you thing you’ve seen it all you turn the corner and there’s something else beautiful. It’s really amazing (and the city layout is totally confusing so I probably have 200 pictures of the same square). But I did take a canal boat tour ala Monica’s suggestion and that was helpful. But seriously, my dogs are barking and my footwear is giving me blisters. So I’ve decided to tone down the walking a little and make better use of public transport. It’s supposed to be lousy weather tomorrow, so I’m planning on doing the whole museum thing. It’s been so nice here weather-wise I wanted to make sure I did the outdoorsy stuff while I could. More later and I’ll post the pics as soon as I can.

So now on the R rated stuff (Mom, you can stop reading now). This Red Light district is completely disgusting. These girls, who are in no way attractive, sit in windows like store mannequins, and try to entice you to buy their "services". This enticement may come in the form a leg spread (ala Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct) or, to my surprise, the windows actually open (like doors) and they reach out and grab your unit.

Now I’m no prude, but getting your unit grabbed should never be a surprise (and never when your attention is somewhere else) – it ends badly. In this case in ended with me jumping backwards and tripping over the cobblestones behind me (cobblestones really have an issue with the Jacomes) and grabbing onto the hooker for balance – which just made us both fall down. So there we are on the ground while passers by laughed at us. She apologized for startling me (which I though was nice considering – even though it was totally her fault) and then tried to get me to have a go. I declined as I wouldn’t have had sex with her for free – never mind for money. The rest of the district, where there aren’t hookers, is all sex shops selling toys and porno. I just kept thinking, “Wow I know someone who would think he had died and gone to heaven to be here.” But I’ll leave him nameless so as to spare him any embarrassment – but you know who you are.

So I headed out of the red light district (I’m sharing a room with six people – what use do I have for porno) and went to sit in a square. While I was sitting there these two older women in red vests that said “Aide” come over and started talking to me – asking me where I was from and if I was liking Amsterdam. Then they asked me if I’d allowed Jesus to save me and I thought, “Jesus freaks just steps from the red light district?” Well I guess they know their audience. So, because my momma and poppa taught me to be polite, I said that I wasn't interested. But they weren’t taking no for an answer – which I guess is as it should be. You can't spread the word if you give up too easily. I mean Jesus did die on a cross – these ladies should at least be persistent. Finally they gave up when I told them that I thought Jesus was the son of the devil and that he was going to bring about the end of humanity. After that, I guess they figured I was crazier than they were and left me alone.

Leavin' On a Jet Plane

Well a "coach" actually. I leave tonight from Britain and get into Amsterdam tomorrow at 9 AM. Turns out Nicole Hrycaj, who some of you might remember from High School, lives in Amsterdam now and she's crazily agreed to meet me at the station tomorrow morning and take me bike riding around Amsterdam - how cool is that? It should be a great way to see the city and not something I would have done on my own (I don't even remember the last time I was on a bike - but I haven't told Nikki that). So I'm really looking forward to it.

Other than that the last day in Britain was pretty much just a recap. Went back to Trafalgar (I know I mispelled that) Square because it was raining the other day when I went and today was bright and sunny. Went back to a couple of other places as well. Now I'm back at the hostel where I'm going to hang out until 6 then I'll collect my bag and head to Victoria Coach Station for the (hopefully) uneventful overnight trip to Amsterdam.

I've posted some of the London pics (http://www.adoramapix.com/jjtest/London/), put only a small sample (like 30 of 300). This internet access at the hostels kinda sucks but I'm trying to figure out a better solution. But the cell networks here are just as screwed up as they are back at home with roaming charges being crazy expensive. So y'all are stuck with the sporadic posts and emails, the lack of spelling and grammar checking and watered down pic uploads until I figure something out.

I have to say I'm starting to get a little homesick already which I hadn't expected. But isn't entirely surprising either. So that's it for now. I'll post more rantings and, hopefully, some pics of me NOT falling off a bike into oncoming traffic (kidding Mom - i'll be fine) tomorrow or the Monday.

Days 2 and 3

Spent time just walking around for these days - checking things out. I walked my ass (arse) off - well I would have if I actually had an ass to walk off. But you get what I mean. I went and checked out all the sites: Big Ben and Parliament (look kids), the London Eye, the Tate, Westminister Abby, and all sorts of other very British things.

Then today I went and checked out the British Museum and they supposedly have this really good section on Mummies but I didn't see that (though I did get to see some Egyptian stuff and the Rosetta stone). But the mummies were upstairs through throngs of Asian tourist groups (at least 6 different groups - I kid you not) and I just couldn't deal. I hate crowds as it is, but tourists groups are a whole different animal. And then Asian groups on top of that - all the cameras - it was mind boggling. So, sorry Monica, no mummy pictures for you.

I'm still getting used to the whole hostel thing. My lack of patience for people who aren't me coupled with the fact that most of the people here are about 18 years old has been a challenge. It's getting better though. I'm learning to cope (or just avoid) and it is way cheap to stay at these places. I will say this - if these kids are the future - we're all pretty screwed.

Day One

So day one was a success even if I didn't do too much. After begrudgingly leaving the airport arrivals lounge and my free massage - I headed to the hostel in Piccadilly. No one should ever go from the first class arrivals lounge to a hostel - ever. It's way too much of a shock to the system.

But the hostel is good enough for me and it's cheap and cheap=good. Don't really know what I'm going to do today - maybe just head out and see where I end up. I'll post pictures soon.

I've seen how the other half lives...

And I'm not going back! So I'm here in London (though I haven't left the airport yet - more on that later). So after going on ad nauseum about this trip - I'm finally here. Thanks to all who put up with and encouraged me while I planned this hare-brained scheme (especially Nancie who took the brunt of it). And thanks to Monica, Kerry and James who made my last weekend in DC (for a while anyway) lots of fun.

So, now I have to say, this first class plane tripping is the way to go. From the departure lounge at Dulles, to the flat bed on the plane, to the arrivals lounge with showers and a complimentary massage (which I'm still waiting for - hence my still being at the airport) - this is the only way to travel by plane. So I guess I should thank American Express for sending me a crazy points deal - this is the best 50,000 points I've ever spent.

So the plan is to see London until Saturday and then grab a coach to Amsterdam for 5 days. I’ll keep you posted on how things go.

Hope everyone is well and I’ll post some pics later…

Getting Ready

OK, so this space is for me to keep up with folks while I travel around Europe. It's easier, though geekier, than postcards and phone calls. I'll still be trying to keeping up via email as well, but this gives me a place to do general updates and share some pics and stories. It also gives all my friends and family a place to leave some comments and messages for me (just remember that my parents will be reading this - so let's keep the comments G rated please). I'll also be posting pics here: http://www.adoramapix.com/jjtest This site let's you view and save the pictures and even order prints you find one you like.

So I leave on Tuesday, 24 June and don't get back until September 20th. I'm just busy trying to make sure I have what I need and that I take care of stuff before I go. Stay tuned here for more updates...