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).