Back at This

So I had taken a break from the blogging thing - mostly because I wasn't traveling and because it can be a pain in the arse to take time out.  But I've been encouraged to get back to it, so I figured I'd give it another shot.

So the blog will now follow me and my friend, Monica, as we travel around the USA on what we've dubbed, "The Great American Roadtrip."  As I right this, we're about a week into the trip and are in Chicago, IL.  So far, we've been to: Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Detroit (don't ever go to Detroit), New Buffalo (MI), and Chicago. 

I don't have a ton to say about the places we've been too so far - mostly because I've been to them all before (except Michigan).  What I will say is that Detroit is a mess.  I don't know what we were expecting, but we were going to park and walk around a bit.  We didn't plan to stay there very long because, it's Detroit (we do listen to Eminem), but we were going to see what we could see. What we ended up seeing was a stunningly heavy police presence including what appeared to be two separate S.W.A.T teams, two or three helicopters, and a series of streets being closed off.  Needless to say we hauled ass out of there. 

Oinks

But what was a miss in Detroit turned into a hit in New Buffalo, MI.  Here we found a place called Oinks.  It's this ice cream place with a whole pig theme going on - including kitchy signs and all manner of pig related knick knacks scattered about.  It was a trip and a fun little stop. 


I'll write more as we head to each location so everyone knows what's going on and I'll try to get all the pics uploaded in a timely fashion. 

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)…