I've been injected with so many diseases this past year, I can't even count them anymore.
Had a flu shot a couple days ago. It was the first time I'd ever gotten a flu shot. It gave me the flu. I won't be getting anymore flu shots.
Getting the first of three rabies shots this morning. Apparently they hurt...
Friday, November 24, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
And.... Central America
Who knew I'd be using this site again so soon?? Off to Central America for 6 weeks in February/March. Just booked the tickets!
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
And.... Yellowknife
I took off from my hostel in London, got to the airport three hours early, made it through the rigorous but surprisingly quick (One hour. It's relative to my expectations.) security checks, sat down for some fish and chips (last meal in London, could I really have anything else?), perused the abundant and over-priced duty free shops and got on my plane. After some barely made connections and misdirections from well meaning but hardly competent airport staff, I got back to Yellowknife.
It's raining. And it's cold.
1 summer. 92 days. 17 countries. 35 cities. 1207 pictures. Hundreds upon hundreds of new people. Thousands of conversations.
Man....
It's raining. And it's cold.
1 summer. 92 days. 17 countries. 35 cities. 1207 pictures. Hundreds upon hundreds of new people. Thousands of conversations.
Man....
London
I only spent one night in London. Having been there on multiple occassions before, I felt no real need to see the sites (again). After a brief visit to the National Portrait Museum (going through the last day of my trip and not seeing at least one museum would have been just wrong somehow) I spent the rest of the afternoon in London shopping and then decided to see a movie.
And then the least likely thing to ever happen, happened.
I bought my ticket to A Scanner Darkly (if you like Philip K. Dick, then go see it, or if you just do a lot of drugs, go see it, or if you just really enjoy high concept cartoons, go see it) and walked into the lobby. I walked past someone who looked vaguely familiar, but seeing as how I have met hundreds, upon HUNDREDS of people this trip I am very used to seeing familiar people around, so I ignored it.
I sat down in the exact center of the theatre, as I could determine it, for the best audio quality (simulating audio accurately is very difficult, and impossible with multiple listeners, so theatres calibrate their audio according to one point in the theatre, typically the very centre of the theatre seating. Movie geek aside - Done). After a few minutes the familiar looking man walks in and sits a few rows in front of me.
"Huh" I think.
"That guy looks like Barry.", Barry being my old roommate from Yellowknfe.
"Actually, that guy looks A LOT like Barry."
"...."
I get up, walk down a few rows and look over to the man. He looks back. We just stand there for a few minutes. Slowly a look of complete and total disbelief takes over both of our faces.
IT IS BARRY!
Barry had just finished working the summer in Gambia, Africa as a biomedical technician and was spending sometime in London before heading to Edmonton and then back up to Yellowknife.
So after randomly wandering London (Pop. 7.5 million), and picking any old movie theatre to go into, I run into my roommate from halfway across the world.
And that was London.
And then the least likely thing to ever happen, happened.
I bought my ticket to A Scanner Darkly (if you like Philip K. Dick, then go see it, or if you just do a lot of drugs, go see it, or if you just really enjoy high concept cartoons, go see it) and walked into the lobby. I walked past someone who looked vaguely familiar, but seeing as how I have met hundreds, upon HUNDREDS of people this trip I am very used to seeing familiar people around, so I ignored it.
I sat down in the exact center of the theatre, as I could determine it, for the best audio quality (simulating audio accurately is very difficult, and impossible with multiple listeners, so theatres calibrate their audio according to one point in the theatre, typically the very centre of the theatre seating. Movie geek aside - Done). After a few minutes the familiar looking man walks in and sits a few rows in front of me.
"Huh" I think.
"That guy looks like Barry.", Barry being my old roommate from Yellowknfe.
"Actually, that guy looks A LOT like Barry."
"...."
I get up, walk down a few rows and look over to the man. He looks back. We just stand there for a few minutes. Slowly a look of complete and total disbelief takes over both of our faces.
IT IS BARRY!
Barry had just finished working the summer in Gambia, Africa as a biomedical technician and was spending sometime in London before heading to Edmonton and then back up to Yellowknife.
So after randomly wandering London (Pop. 7.5 million), and picking any old movie theatre to go into, I run into my roommate from halfway across the world.
And that was London.
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Rotterdam/Brugge/Ghent/Brussels
Alright, long time no update...
Rotterdam
Boring, but met some cool people, rained the whole time. The hostel staff was very friendly and helpful. Got taught a new drinking game by some Dutch girls.
Brugge
I had been saying that Cesky Krumlov was the most beautiful town in Europe.... nope, it's Brugge. Absolutely stunning town. I have TONNES of pictures from there because everything is photo-worthy. I am glad I had three days there, even though it is a small place and you could do it in one or two days.
I stayed in a hostel (supposedly the best in town) for one night and then a cheap hotel the next two nights (a room to my self... such luxury to a backpacker), but went back to the hostel bar every night. Hung out with Belgian girls who I think were mocking me the entire time the first night, but as the Belgians speak English, German, French and Dutch I could never keep up to make sure. I went to bed early the second night. The third night I hung out with some really cool Aussies and Kiwis who were on a busabout tour, and had a chat about first impressions with a property analyst. Tried a couple dozen different kinds of beers. Paid for it the next mornings.... But developed a good rapport with the bartender.
They really like spareribs there.
I kissed a vial of Jesus Christ's blood.
Top notch street musicians.
I think that's it...
Ghent
On my way from Brugge to Brussels I stopped in Ghent, since it is almost exactly half way. It was also a very pretty town, I just wandered around it for five hours. But don't trust the tourist info lady, she has no idea where internet cafes are.
Brussels
Kinda dull.... definetly second-rate compared to Brugge and Ghent. However I have met some fun people. Spent last night with some English people who are travelling around for a week. "I fucking love this shit" "... and this is the Brussels of church." Mixed with late night street calamari, it was Good Times. Today I walked around town. Met up with some Canadian girls who were going to the train station, so ended up walking all the way across all of central Brussels chatting with them about the nature of backpacking. Other than that... checked out ANOTHER cathedral, saw the Grand Place.... not very interesting stuff, really.
Tomorrow I am off to London for a night, and then home! CRAZY. It's going to be strange making the switch from a backpacking lifestyle to being in the same place for more than three days... I am looking forward to it and also not.... My own room and space will be nice, and I am pretty tired, but not being able to pack up and go to another country whenever I feel like it.... it will be different, that's for sure.
PS - oh, I never blogged about Munich, did I? Lots of beer gardens, hungout with some cool Jews.
Rotterdam
Boring, but met some cool people, rained the whole time. The hostel staff was very friendly and helpful. Got taught a new drinking game by some Dutch girls.
Brugge
I had been saying that Cesky Krumlov was the most beautiful town in Europe.... nope, it's Brugge. Absolutely stunning town. I have TONNES of pictures from there because everything is photo-worthy. I am glad I had three days there, even though it is a small place and you could do it in one or two days.
I stayed in a hostel (supposedly the best in town) for one night and then a cheap hotel the next two nights (a room to my self... such luxury to a backpacker), but went back to the hostel bar every night. Hung out with Belgian girls who I think were mocking me the entire time the first night, but as the Belgians speak English, German, French and Dutch I could never keep up to make sure. I went to bed early the second night. The third night I hung out with some really cool Aussies and Kiwis who were on a busabout tour, and had a chat about first impressions with a property analyst. Tried a couple dozen different kinds of beers. Paid for it the next mornings.... But developed a good rapport with the bartender.
They really like spareribs there.
I kissed a vial of Jesus Christ's blood.
Top notch street musicians.
I think that's it...
Ghent
On my way from Brugge to Brussels I stopped in Ghent, since it is almost exactly half way. It was also a very pretty town, I just wandered around it for five hours. But don't trust the tourist info lady, she has no idea where internet cafes are.
Brussels
Kinda dull.... definetly second-rate compared to Brugge and Ghent. However I have met some fun people. Spent last night with some English people who are travelling around for a week. "I fucking love this shit" "... and this is the Brussels of church." Mixed with late night street calamari, it was Good Times. Today I walked around town. Met up with some Canadian girls who were going to the train station, so ended up walking all the way across all of central Brussels chatting with them about the nature of backpacking. Other than that... checked out ANOTHER cathedral, saw the Grand Place.... not very interesting stuff, really.
Tomorrow I am off to London for a night, and then home! CRAZY. It's going to be strange making the switch from a backpacking lifestyle to being in the same place for more than three days... I am looking forward to it and also not.... My own room and space will be nice, and I am pretty tired, but not being able to pack up and go to another country whenever I feel like it.... it will be different, that's for sure.
PS - oh, I never blogged about Munich, did I? Lots of beer gardens, hungout with some cool Jews.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Amsterdam
- I went to a coffeeshop. I had a latte, it was nice. I don't get what the big deal is.
- Free tour guides are awesome.
- I stayed in the most ghetto, sketchy hostel. It was appropriate for Amsterdam.
- A two person outing can quickly become a dozen person adventure.
- Germans continue their streak of being friendly in a really, really weird way.
- Heinekein Experience well worth experiencing.
- Elementary school teachers do coke? I feel my innocence draining away...
- I hate my hair SO, SO MUCH. Semi-fro = not cool.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Dresden and Berlin
Dresden
Didn't do much. A lot of sleeping. Wandering around old buildings, that weren't actually old since they all had to be reconstructed after the firebombing.
Berlin
Great, great city. Very funky architecture, lots of history. Did a walking tour one day and say the place where they had the book burnings and the Riechstag and the Bradenburg Gate and stood on top of Hitler's bunker. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in really something. It's made of uneven solid black columns, approximately 12 feet in height and in a depression. You wander between the tightly packed columns, never knowing if someone is around the corner... the designers point was to simulate the paranoia and fear that the Jews in Germany felt... I'd say it works.
I now have some very excellent photos.
Went on a pub crawl that night too, and I must say Berlin has some very interesting clubs... one was underneath train tracks and the entire place rumbled and shook with every train that passed. It was a 'authentic' East German bar. I suppose it might have been authentic 18 years ago, but now the tourist shtick on the wall kinda ruins the ambience. Other than that, lots of bars within bars and wonderfully sarcastic Yale English lit majors...
The next day I just wandered around Berlin, through this huge outdoor festival of bad DJ music, bratwurst and beer, in through the Sony Centre which is supposed to be a glass and metal Mount Fuji.
Munich
Berlin made me really, really tired. 4am bedtime the first night, 5am the next, took it easy with just a 2:30am night the next. Plus hours and hours of walking, so I haven't done a lot in Munich yet, except of course visit a beer hall last night. So I just booked another day, because today I have just laid around and read. Those days are nice too sometimes.
Didn't do much. A lot of sleeping. Wandering around old buildings, that weren't actually old since they all had to be reconstructed after the firebombing.
Berlin
Great, great city. Very funky architecture, lots of history. Did a walking tour one day and say the place where they had the book burnings and the Riechstag and the Bradenburg Gate and stood on top of Hitler's bunker. The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in really something. It's made of uneven solid black columns, approximately 12 feet in height and in a depression. You wander between the tightly packed columns, never knowing if someone is around the corner... the designers point was to simulate the paranoia and fear that the Jews in Germany felt... I'd say it works.
I now have some very excellent photos.
Went on a pub crawl that night too, and I must say Berlin has some very interesting clubs... one was underneath train tracks and the entire place rumbled and shook with every train that passed. It was a 'authentic' East German bar. I suppose it might have been authentic 18 years ago, but now the tourist shtick on the wall kinda ruins the ambience. Other than that, lots of bars within bars and wonderfully sarcastic Yale English lit majors...
The next day I just wandered around Berlin, through this huge outdoor festival of bad DJ music, bratwurst and beer, in through the Sony Centre which is supposed to be a glass and metal Mount Fuji.
Munich
Berlin made me really, really tired. 4am bedtime the first night, 5am the next, took it easy with just a 2:30am night the next. Plus hours and hours of walking, so I haven't done a lot in Munich yet, except of course visit a beer hall last night. So I just booked another day, because today I have just laid around and read. Those days are nice too sometimes.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Berlin
During Drinking Poker last night in the hostel bar, amidst the standard misbegotten collection of travellers you get in such places, it occured to me to write a breakdown of the different types of backpackers:
Australians: Laid back, friendly, loud, they will claim that they feel they are most like Canadians even though they are perhaps more like Americans, but you forgive them for that fault because, well, they're not Americans.
New Zealanders (Kiwis): Almost EXACTLY like Canadians, if a bit quieter.
Americans: Fall into either the category of "Offensively obnoxious" or "Polite Darlings", with no variations in between. Most likely to be the ones the rest of the group is embarassed by around 3am in the bar.
Mexicans: Continually smiling and cheerful, most likely because they are thinking "Oh, thank God I am not in Mexico".
English Boys: Quiet and reserved until you get a few drinks into them, and then.... well, they're still quiet and reserved, but at least then they're a bit racist too, which is entertaining.
English Girls: See "English Boys", but add "sluts".
Scots: They hold this silent intensity about them (that only maginfies after a few drinks). Their accent ranges from "muttering and incomprehensible" to "primal grunts and moans".
Irish Guys: I've been told that Irishmen are allowed to take a break from drinking whiskey and sheep farming to travel, but I've never seen any evidence to the fact. I also haven't been looking very hard, because who cares when you have....
Irish Girls: Charming, winsome and as lovely as a group of unbelievable drunks can be.
Spaniards: They will smile, nod and laugh for a good 30 minutes while you're talking to them before you realize they don't speak a word of English. Prone to forming impromptu dance parties to whatever music happens to be playing at the time.
Italians: Really not as degenerate as everyone would have me believe.
Germans: Friendly in a very weird, weird, sort of way. Never trust the ones who look normal, the punks are the much more endearing of the species.
Canadians: Conceintous, friendly and beloved the world over. Except for French Canadians. No one likes French Canadians.
Japanese and Argentinians: Miserable bastards who will wake you up early in the morning (11:15) with their inconsiderately loud packing after a night of Drinking Poker, right when you're hangover is gaining steam, but past when all the tours you were thinking of doing have already gone past, forcing you to waste time writing up cultural stereotypes on your blog.
Australians: Laid back, friendly, loud, they will claim that they feel they are most like Canadians even though they are perhaps more like Americans, but you forgive them for that fault because, well, they're not Americans.
New Zealanders (Kiwis): Almost EXACTLY like Canadians, if a bit quieter.
Americans: Fall into either the category of "Offensively obnoxious" or "Polite Darlings", with no variations in between. Most likely to be the ones the rest of the group is embarassed by around 3am in the bar.
Mexicans: Continually smiling and cheerful, most likely because they are thinking "Oh, thank God I am not in Mexico".
English Boys: Quiet and reserved until you get a few drinks into them, and then.... well, they're still quiet and reserved, but at least then they're a bit racist too, which is entertaining.
English Girls: See "English Boys", but add "sluts".
Scots: They hold this silent intensity about them (that only maginfies after a few drinks). Their accent ranges from "muttering and incomprehensible" to "primal grunts and moans".
Irish Guys: I've been told that Irishmen are allowed to take a break from drinking whiskey and sheep farming to travel, but I've never seen any evidence to the fact. I also haven't been looking very hard, because who cares when you have....
Irish Girls: Charming, winsome and as lovely as a group of unbelievable drunks can be.
Spaniards: They will smile, nod and laugh for a good 30 minutes while you're talking to them before you realize they don't speak a word of English. Prone to forming impromptu dance parties to whatever music happens to be playing at the time.
Italians: Really not as degenerate as everyone would have me believe.
Germans: Friendly in a very weird, weird, sort of way. Never trust the ones who look normal, the punks are the much more endearing of the species.
Canadians: Conceintous, friendly and beloved the world over. Except for French Canadians. No one likes French Canadians.
Japanese and Argentinians: Miserable bastards who will wake you up early in the morning (11:15) with their inconsiderately loud packing after a night of Drinking Poker, right when you're hangover is gaining steam, but past when all the tours you were thinking of doing have already gone past, forcing you to waste time writing up cultural stereotypes on your blog.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Dresden
The guy at the front desk looks like David Bowie! Phew, man, I have been trying to figure that out for days.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Prague (cont.)
Alright, so more on Prague.
I left Cesky Krumlov with reluctance, since I had met some really fun people there the night before I left. And I still HAVE NOT gone rafting, and they were going the day I left. I am going to stop talking about it because it makes me sad.
I made my way to my hostel, The Boathouse. Turns out it is way out there. It took half an hour to get there from the train station, and for a European city that is a lot. It was an odd kind of place... First of all, it was in the middle of a golf course. We constantly had golfers walking in front of the hostel. The building itself seemed like an old club house, or a yacht club that was no longer being used. The old lady who ran it, Vera, was really nice and fun. I got in during the late afternoon and hoped to meet up with some cool people and go czech out the Prague club scene ('Czech'? Get it?! Man, I am SO funny). Unfortunately all I could find were Americans. Oh well. We went out anyway.
We started at this little bar with numerous shots of absinthe which is DISGUSTING. Then we tried to get to the famous five level club in Prague but the line was an entire block long, so instead this guy took us to a club where the locals go. Which is cool because you can meet the locals, but not so cool when they (for the most part) do not speak English.
After a while I got bored and wandered off (as I do) in search of a kebab. And I swear, THERE ARE NO KEBABS IN PRAGUE. I spent over an hour wandering around looking for one. It was ridiculous, at this point I began to seriously question what kind of backwards society I found myself in.
The next day I went to Prague castle for the day. It was alright. The cathedral there was filled to the brim with art, which was interesting. The 'castle' itself is actually more like a small village. It is a massive complex. I probably would have been more impressed with it a couple months ago, when I started this trip. I am just too worldly now for my own good.
That night everyone in my room was leaving and looking to get rid of all our change. Beers were really cheap (20 crowns for a half liter, which is about one Canadian dollar) so we each bought a half dozen or so and just hung out with some Irish girls.
Today I caught a train with two of the guys from my room who are on their way to Berlin. Now I am in Dresden, hanging out in the lounge, looking to meet people for the five millionth time this trip. I hate socializing...
PS - It is STILL raining..... Been going solid for a week now....
I left Cesky Krumlov with reluctance, since I had met some really fun people there the night before I left. And I still HAVE NOT gone rafting, and they were going the day I left. I am going to stop talking about it because it makes me sad.
I made my way to my hostel, The Boathouse. Turns out it is way out there. It took half an hour to get there from the train station, and for a European city that is a lot. It was an odd kind of place... First of all, it was in the middle of a golf course. We constantly had golfers walking in front of the hostel. The building itself seemed like an old club house, or a yacht club that was no longer being used. The old lady who ran it, Vera, was really nice and fun. I got in during the late afternoon and hoped to meet up with some cool people and go czech out the Prague club scene ('Czech'? Get it?! Man, I am SO funny). Unfortunately all I could find were Americans. Oh well. We went out anyway.
We started at this little bar with numerous shots of absinthe which is DISGUSTING. Then we tried to get to the famous five level club in Prague but the line was an entire block long, so instead this guy took us to a club where the locals go. Which is cool because you can meet the locals, but not so cool when they (for the most part) do not speak English.
After a while I got bored and wandered off (as I do) in search of a kebab. And I swear, THERE ARE NO KEBABS IN PRAGUE. I spent over an hour wandering around looking for one. It was ridiculous, at this point I began to seriously question what kind of backwards society I found myself in.
The next day I went to Prague castle for the day. It was alright. The cathedral there was filled to the brim with art, which was interesting. The 'castle' itself is actually more like a small village. It is a massive complex. I probably would have been more impressed with it a couple months ago, when I started this trip. I am just too worldly now for my own good.
That night everyone in my room was leaving and looking to get rid of all our change. Beers were really cheap (20 crowns for a half liter, which is about one Canadian dollar) so we each bought a half dozen or so and just hung out with some Irish girls.
Today I caught a train with two of the guys from my room who are on their way to Berlin. Now I am in Dresden, hanging out in the lounge, looking to meet people for the five millionth time this trip. I hate socializing...
PS - It is STILL raining..... Been going solid for a week now....
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Friday, August 04, 2006
Cesky Krumlov
I only have a little over three weeks left!! AHH!!
Cesky Krumlov is supposed to be one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. I would say that is accurate. It tiptoes dangerously close to be cheesy, since it is very touristed and pretty, but manages to walk that razors edge. Next year it will probably be crap.
It would be even better if it would STOP RAINING. I have been blessed with fantastic (if overly hot) weather this entire trip, with next to no reason to use my rainjacket or sweater, and I was beginning to resent carrying them around for two months, but huzzah, at last, in one town, I have had occassion to use both! I was actually rather happy to use them for the first time (s?), because I'm a dork, but now the novelty has worn off and I have been informed by Australians that the 'Roots' that is emblazoned on my sweater means 'sex' in Australia, so I may be advertising the wrong (right?) message.
And the penultimate reason I would really like it to stop raining is because in Cesky Krumlov (pop. 15,800), after you've spent half a day seeing the castle, there are only two things to do. Dance to Gypsy music at night, and float down the river during the day. However, when it is cold and drizzling (not even real rain, DRIZZLE. I hate weather that can't make up its mind) getting together a group of people to spend the day on the water, under the water, is difficult.
But the wandering of the town and the reading I have accomplished has been nice and mild. I just finished off Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' and feel very close to figuring out what it was about any moment now.
Next on the list is the Prague of No Expectations and then Dresden, and then the oft recommended Berlin. There is so much left and so little time!
Cesky Krumlov is supposed to be one of the most beautiful towns in Europe. I would say that is accurate. It tiptoes dangerously close to be cheesy, since it is very touristed and pretty, but manages to walk that razors edge. Next year it will probably be crap.
It would be even better if it would STOP RAINING. I have been blessed with fantastic (if overly hot) weather this entire trip, with next to no reason to use my rainjacket or sweater, and I was beginning to resent carrying them around for two months, but huzzah, at last, in one town, I have had occassion to use both! I was actually rather happy to use them for the first time (s?), because I'm a dork, but now the novelty has worn off and I have been informed by Australians that the 'Roots' that is emblazoned on my sweater means 'sex' in Australia, so I may be advertising the wrong (right?) message.
And the penultimate reason I would really like it to stop raining is because in Cesky Krumlov (pop. 15,800), after you've spent half a day seeing the castle, there are only two things to do. Dance to Gypsy music at night, and float down the river during the day. However, when it is cold and drizzling (not even real rain, DRIZZLE. I hate weather that can't make up its mind) getting together a group of people to spend the day on the water, under the water, is difficult.
But the wandering of the town and the reading I have accomplished has been nice and mild. I just finished off Salman Rushdie's 'The Satanic Verses' and feel very close to figuring out what it was about any moment now.
Next on the list is the Prague of No Expectations and then Dresden, and then the oft recommended Berlin. There is so much left and so little time!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
The Internet Lies
So I am in Prague right now... even though I should be in Cesky Krumlov. The internet lied to me, and told me that there were buses out of Prague to Cesky Krumlov after 6pm. Apparently this is not the case.
So after finding this out I tried to wander through Pragues streets, looking for a hostel my guide book recommended that is right by the bus station. Prague has the most complicated road system EVER. It is horrible, I think it was designed by Escher. So after wandering around the same 5 block area for an hour I just went inside a building with a huge HOSTEL sign outside (never a good sign, by the way) and got a room for a night. This is one of the worst hostels I have stayed in so far, which actually still is not that bad. And I have a ticket for 9 am tomorrow to get to Cesky Krumlov. I might even run into MEgan and Chrissy, who are also going to Cesky Krumlov, but opted for the night train rather than the day one. Smart girls....
I am not impressed with what I have seen of Prague. I just got back from wandering around for a while, and it all seems to be casinos and neon lights... not so charming. Coming back from Cesky Krumlov I will stay give it a couple days before heading to Germany, but I will not be expecting much.
So after finding this out I tried to wander through Pragues streets, looking for a hostel my guide book recommended that is right by the bus station. Prague has the most complicated road system EVER. It is horrible, I think it was designed by Escher. So after wandering around the same 5 block area for an hour I just went inside a building with a huge HOSTEL sign outside (never a good sign, by the way) and got a room for a night. This is one of the worst hostels I have stayed in so far, which actually still is not that bad. And I have a ticket for 9 am tomorrow to get to Cesky Krumlov. I might even run into MEgan and Chrissy, who are also going to Cesky Krumlov, but opted for the night train rather than the day one. Smart girls....
I am not impressed with what I have seen of Prague. I just got back from wandering around for a while, and it all seems to be casinos and neon lights... not so charming. Coming back from Cesky Krumlov I will stay give it a couple days before heading to Germany, but I will not be expecting much.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Krakow
Bratislava was great, for the short time I was there. The Communist influence in the city was so palpable. And yet they were also so proud... a very interesting mix of people. A little dirty, a little run down, but all part of the charm.
Now I am in Krakow, Poland (I know, I don't know how I ended up here either!). It is giving a good fight for one of, if not the, favouritist (making up words is fun!) city in Europe. It is a lovely city, with lovely people, all so dramatic, loving, sad. The past two days I have spent seeing Wawel castle and cathedral (I LOVE tombs. Is that strange? I find them cozy...) with MEgan and Chrissy (Aussie girls... naturally) and wandering around the town square (which is all of - literally - 15 seconds away from my hostel) and watching live Polish music and dance and visiting the Jewish quarter.
Today I finally worked up the never to go to Auschwitz. I really can't even describe what it is like. There is so much horror and sadness in the place. Even sixty years later it saps every last piece of you. I went on a three hour tour. Most everyone in my tour group was under 25. By the end, no one was talking, no one was touching, holding hands, kissing. We plodded forward, dragging one foot in front of the other, heads down, hearts heavy.
I have seen displays showing tonnes and tonnes of human hair that was cut off of women after they were murdered in the gas chamber and then sold to make blankets. I have stood in a room, not an arm span across, where they would cram 4, 5, 6 people for days as punishment, no light, barely any air, pissing, sleeping, shitting, standing breast to breast. I have looked at the certificates that were paid for by Jews for homes and land in Poland after their Nazi "relocation". I have touched the furnaces where hundreds, thousands of bodies were burnt after dying from the gas chamber. I have a pebble in my pocket from beside the Killing Wall where anyone who opposed the Nazis was executed.
I would go again, without hestitation.
So..... next is Czechy Krumlov! It is a little town in the south of the Czech Republic. It is supposed to be beautiful and fun and relaxing. I need it....
Now I am in Krakow, Poland (I know, I don't know how I ended up here either!). It is giving a good fight for one of, if not the, favouritist (making up words is fun!) city in Europe. It is a lovely city, with lovely people, all so dramatic, loving, sad. The past two days I have spent seeing Wawel castle and cathedral (I LOVE tombs. Is that strange? I find them cozy...) with MEgan and Chrissy (Aussie girls... naturally) and wandering around the town square (which is all of - literally - 15 seconds away from my hostel) and watching live Polish music and dance and visiting the Jewish quarter.
Today I finally worked up the never to go to Auschwitz. I really can't even describe what it is like. There is so much horror and sadness in the place. Even sixty years later it saps every last piece of you. I went on a three hour tour. Most everyone in my tour group was under 25. By the end, no one was talking, no one was touching, holding hands, kissing. We plodded forward, dragging one foot in front of the other, heads down, hearts heavy.
I have seen displays showing tonnes and tonnes of human hair that was cut off of women after they were murdered in the gas chamber and then sold to make blankets. I have stood in a room, not an arm span across, where they would cram 4, 5, 6 people for days as punishment, no light, barely any air, pissing, sleeping, shitting, standing breast to breast. I have looked at the certificates that were paid for by Jews for homes and land in Poland after their Nazi "relocation". I have touched the furnaces where hundreds, thousands of bodies were burnt after dying from the gas chamber. I have a pebble in my pocket from beside the Killing Wall where anyone who opposed the Nazis was executed.
I would go again, without hestitation.
So..... next is Czechy Krumlov! It is a little town in the south of the Czech Republic. It is supposed to be beautiful and fun and relaxing. I need it....
Friday, July 28, 2006
Bratislava
So turns out that Venice is way, way, WAY out of the way of where I was. Oh well. And it also turns out that ticket people should not be trusted. After not getting the ticket I wanted to Venice and showing up there a day night and having to take a night train, I decided to be smart and get my ticket to Bratislava as soon as I got into Venice.
"A ticket to Bratislava on the 27th please."
Confused look on ticket lady's face.
Uh oh.
"Bratislava. 27th. Vingt-sept?"
I trace 27 on the window of the ticket counter.
"Oh, okay."
She checks the computer.
"Umm... no trains to Bratislava on 27. Vienna?"
Vienna has a train every 20 minutes to Bratislava, so I say okay.
I get my ticket, hang out in Venice with LCD, walk across the entire city twice, go to the beach, heart-wrenchingly buy a mask and hope it won't get broken during the next month in my bag, go back to the station to get on my train.
I used my Eurail pass to get the train reservation, so I take it out to write down the date for this day of travel. I look at the date on the ticket, and write down 25/07 on my ticket. Oh, wait..... Turns out she gave me a reservation on the day I bought the ticket, not on the day I had requested. I have half an hour left before the train leaves. I go and stand in the ticket line for what seems and eternity and finally get to the ticket office.
"Hello. English?"
"No."
Crap.
I struggle through it and manage to communicate that I was given a reservation for the wrong day, and he gestures that I have to go to the Railiway Information desk to get it resolved. So I do. 15 minutes left. I stand in line for the Information desk and he tells me I have to go to the Ticket desk. 10 minutes left. I cut through the line and he again tells me to go to the Information desk. (I told this story to Josh, an Italian student I met on the train and at this point he laughs and says "That is SO Italian!"). So this time a young guy who speaks some English goes with me and has a long conversation with the Information desk guy, and I can tell from the conversation that this still isn't going to help me at all. So I turn to the young guy and he says "Ummm... Just get on the train."
So I do. Apparently it wasn't an issue that I had no reservation. Just being told that would have been very useful.
So now I am in Bratislava. It is dirty, poor, cheap, proud and I love it.
More later!
"A ticket to Bratislava on the 27th please."
Confused look on ticket lady's face.
Uh oh.
"Bratislava. 27th. Vingt-sept?"
I trace 27 on the window of the ticket counter.
"Oh, okay."
She checks the computer.
"Umm... no trains to Bratislava on 27. Vienna?"
Vienna has a train every 20 minutes to Bratislava, so I say okay.
I get my ticket, hang out in Venice with LCD, walk across the entire city twice, go to the beach, heart-wrenchingly buy a mask and hope it won't get broken during the next month in my bag, go back to the station to get on my train.
I used my Eurail pass to get the train reservation, so I take it out to write down the date for this day of travel. I look at the date on the ticket, and write down 25/07 on my ticket. Oh, wait..... Turns out she gave me a reservation on the day I bought the ticket, not on the day I had requested. I have half an hour left before the train leaves. I go and stand in the ticket line for what seems and eternity and finally get to the ticket office.
"Hello. English?"
"No."
Crap.
I struggle through it and manage to communicate that I was given a reservation for the wrong day, and he gestures that I have to go to the Railiway Information desk to get it resolved. So I do. 15 minutes left. I stand in line for the Information desk and he tells me I have to go to the Ticket desk. 10 minutes left. I cut through the line and he again tells me to go to the Information desk. (I told this story to Josh, an Italian student I met on the train and at this point he laughs and says "That is SO Italian!"). So this time a young guy who speaks some English goes with me and has a long conversation with the Information desk guy, and I can tell from the conversation that this still isn't going to help me at all. So I turn to the young guy and he says "Ummm... Just get on the train."
So I do. Apparently it wasn't an issue that I had no reservation. Just being told that would have been very useful.
So now I am in Bratislava. It is dirty, poor, cheap, proud and I love it.
More later!
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Budapest, Venice
Internet in Venice is tres expensive, so this will be a short one.
Budapest
Funky, beautiful, cheap, Terry is a maniac. Definetly a place to go back to at some point.
Venice
THRONGED with tourists. I cannot take it. The canals are kinda cool, and I may have got a picture of the library from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and even if it is not it I am just going to say it is. Oh, and I hung out a bit with those Vancouver people, whatever their names were :P.
Next
Train to Vienna at 3pm, getting into Vienna around 9;30pm, trying to make it Bratislava, Slovakia that night. I better, I have no where to stay in Vienna that night!
Budapest
Funky, beautiful, cheap, Terry is a maniac. Definetly a place to go back to at some point.
Venice
THRONGED with tourists. I cannot take it. The canals are kinda cool, and I may have got a picture of the library from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and even if it is not it I am just going to say it is. Oh, and I hung out a bit with those Vancouver people, whatever their names were :P.
Next
Train to Vienna at 3pm, getting into Vienna around 9;30pm, trying to make it Bratislava, Slovakia that night. I better, I have no where to stay in Vienna that night!
Friday, July 21, 2006
Vienna
It just took me a couple minutes to remember what city I was in. Travelling does that....
So I am in Vienna (duh), about to leave for Budapest in a couple hours. Vienna is a massive, MASSIVE city, it sprawls more than any other city I've been in. It also has an incredible amount of tourist attractions and historic sites. So many in fact that I couldn't decide which to go to, so went to almost none of them.
My first night I met up with some Aussie girls, Emma and Cass, and we went to a film festival that was playing outside the city hall, in a huge square with tonnes and tonnes of booths and people. They were playing a recording of a jazz concert with Harry Connick Jr. We sat in the front and chilled.
The next day we went to the amusement park! Much fun was had. Then we got a load of food from the supermarket and had a three hour picnic in a park. We talked, bonded, etc. They are currently living in London, and offered me a place to stay should I have a couple days in London to kill at the end of my trip. About half an hour before we parted ways I turned to Cass and said "Do you know my name?". She didn't. Heh. That also happens when you travel.
The past couple nights have been long and fuzzy. I switched hostels and in the hostel bar met some working class Brits (James and John) and some people I had met in Madrid (Jerry and Jane) and we hooked up with some more people and all went down to the riverside with the assistance of our appointed Austrian tour guide, Chrissy. We found an outdoor bar and hung out there till about 4am. After fending off attacks of a sleazy German (30) who tried to bring Chrissy (17) back to his place and declining an invitation from some Nigerians to go back to some place that they wouldn't specify, we hopped into a cab and crashed.
The next day I slept through a date to go touring Vienna made the night before and ambled around Vienna before running into the working class Brits and we checked out Parliament and some more parks. Then we met up with the people from the night before and we went to a free open air Sean Paul concert. Sean Paul is insanely irritating. So we go back to the hostel bar and some people go to bed and others hang out and I meet some recently gradded engineers from Queens and they destroy me and a English girl at fooseball.
Now I am killing time till my train leaves for Budapest where good times will be had with Mr. Terry, and then after that Venice with LCD (Lauren, Caroline, Danielle).
And what I REALLY want to do right now is sleep. Stupid 10am checkout time....
So I am in Vienna (duh), about to leave for Budapest in a couple hours. Vienna is a massive, MASSIVE city, it sprawls more than any other city I've been in. It also has an incredible amount of tourist attractions and historic sites. So many in fact that I couldn't decide which to go to, so went to almost none of them.
My first night I met up with some Aussie girls, Emma and Cass, and we went to a film festival that was playing outside the city hall, in a huge square with tonnes and tonnes of booths and people. They were playing a recording of a jazz concert with Harry Connick Jr. We sat in the front and chilled.
The next day we went to the amusement park! Much fun was had. Then we got a load of food from the supermarket and had a three hour picnic in a park. We talked, bonded, etc. They are currently living in London, and offered me a place to stay should I have a couple days in London to kill at the end of my trip. About half an hour before we parted ways I turned to Cass and said "Do you know my name?". She didn't. Heh. That also happens when you travel.
The past couple nights have been long and fuzzy. I switched hostels and in the hostel bar met some working class Brits (James and John) and some people I had met in Madrid (Jerry and Jane) and we hooked up with some more people and all went down to the riverside with the assistance of our appointed Austrian tour guide, Chrissy. We found an outdoor bar and hung out there till about 4am. After fending off attacks of a sleazy German (30) who tried to bring Chrissy (17) back to his place and declining an invitation from some Nigerians to go back to some place that they wouldn't specify, we hopped into a cab and crashed.
The next day I slept through a date to go touring Vienna made the night before and ambled around Vienna before running into the working class Brits and we checked out Parliament and some more parks. Then we met up with the people from the night before and we went to a free open air Sean Paul concert. Sean Paul is insanely irritating. So we go back to the hostel bar and some people go to bed and others hang out and I meet some recently gradded engineers from Queens and they destroy me and a English girl at fooseball.
Now I am killing time till my train leaves for Budapest where good times will be had with Mr. Terry, and then after that Venice with LCD (Lauren, Caroline, Danielle).
And what I REALLY want to do right now is sleep. Stupid 10am checkout time....
Monday, July 17, 2006
Pictures!
I found an internet cafe that has a card reader! Which means I can try to post some of my 500-of the past month and a half! Huzzah!
Drinking and looking generally disreputable with Lauren, Caroline, Terry, Myself and Danielle in London, England.
Temple Bar District in Dublin, Ireland. Yeah, that is what I remember it looking like.
The Cliffs of Moher on the west coast of Ireland.
A crazy person singing, dancing, and selling doughnuts from a board that he balanced on top of his head on the beach in Barcelona, Spain.
Dancing in Granada, Spain. On the right is Melissa and Terry and I cannot remember the names of the two girls on the left, but I dearly, dearly wish I did just for the sake of that facial expression.
The hostel kitchen in Seville Spain, Paget, and the beginning of a nights good work.
My old dormmate Fiona and I, late one night in Lisbon, Portugal.
Port tasting at the Sandeman in Porto, Portugal.
Paul doing his best pirate impression on a beach outside of Nice, with Laura laughing in the background. Hey Paul, your nipples are on the internet!
Me, Ethan and Paul trying to look all tough and manly on the Nice beach. Well, I was anyway.
Waterfront in Geneva, Switzerland at night.
Wandering Liechtenstien at night, trying to score some dental products.
Today! I took a day trip around Salzburg with Aryanne (pictured, but very, very smally) and one of the stops was at this luge thing down a hill that you took a little cable sled to get to the top of.
And I finally bought new shoes!
Yep, definetly moving to Austria when I am rich and powerful.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Liechtenstien
It is true my friends, I am in Liechenstien! It is as entirely delightful as I had hoped. The idea that some people travel to Europe and do not visit Liechenstien saddens my heart. It puts me in mind of a country-themed amusement park, on a massive and grand scale. It is the distilled and condensed essence of an entire nation, squeezed into a scant 160 square kilometers.
Today I walked between the most populous city in Liechtenstien (Schaan) and the capital city (Vaduz). It took 20 minutes! My original hope of walking across the entire country, widthwise, has been unfortunately dashed, due to a rather sizable and inconsiderate mountain bisecting my supposed path. I did attempt to walk up to Vaduz Castle, home of the Prince of Liechtenstien and his family, but after 30 minutes of fruitless searching for a path not marked "private" I gave up. Considering that you cannot go into the castle (Could you imagine tourists wandering through your home!) I decided that I could see it well enough from where I was.
My only regret is that I have not found anyone to share my rapture of this fairytale place with. Throughout my time in Switzerland I had been taking a break from talking with people, having gotten quite sick of the same repetive conversations that occur between backpackers (Where are you from, where have you been, where are you going, oh, was it pretty?, repeat ad naseum) and it was a glorious time to be solely in the company of my own meandering thoughs but now I again feel up to setting upon myself the great burden of conversation. Unfortunately, the other guests of my hostel are:
Today I walked between the most populous city in Liechtenstien (Schaan) and the capital city (Vaduz). It took 20 minutes! My original hope of walking across the entire country, widthwise, has been unfortunately dashed, due to a rather sizable and inconsiderate mountain bisecting my supposed path. I did attempt to walk up to Vaduz Castle, home of the Prince of Liechtenstien and his family, but after 30 minutes of fruitless searching for a path not marked "private" I gave up. Considering that you cannot go into the castle (Could you imagine tourists wandering through your home!) I decided that I could see it well enough from where I was.
My only regret is that I have not found anyone to share my rapture of this fairytale place with. Throughout my time in Switzerland I had been taking a break from talking with people, having gotten quite sick of the same repetive conversations that occur between backpackers (Where are you from, where have you been, where are you going, oh, was it pretty?, repeat ad naseum) and it was a glorious time to be solely in the company of my own meandering thoughs but now I again feel up to setting upon myself the great burden of conversation. Unfortunately, the other guests of my hostel are:
- Three Koreans who share my room and speak very little English. One makes loud smacking noises with his mouth for no reason, I may have to smother him in his sleep.
- A gang of middle-aged German bikers, who despite their hardened appearances are actually very polite. But again, speak no English.
- An American family with a slow-witted patriarch and two young daughters.
- A German-Swiss family
Friday, July 14, 2006
Zurich today, Liechtenstien tomorrow!
I have some internet time left at this cafe, so might as well expound on my trip.
Nice
Hung out with a this soon-to-be Masters of Computer Engineering dude, Paul, a lot. He looks kinda like Jon Heder. Oh, and where is he going to get his masters? UBC of course! I have met so many UBC students this trip, it is surreal....
I switched rooms a lot in Nice, since I kept on adding how much time I wanted to stay there. For my last night I was in the "dungeon", a huge dorm room underneath the hostel bar filled with passed out revellers and building supplies. Two nights before a rager had destroyed a good number of the beds. But thankfully the had been replaced by the time I got there and slept in moderate comfort. Oh Terry, I ran into a poli sci grad from McGill who said she knew you from French class. Her and her friend were kinda annoying though, so I did not spend too much time with them.
Geneva
Definetly international. And definetly beautiful. A good place for sweethearts, but even by myself I enjoyed walking along the waterfront. I never did do the boat trip, but I did watch Superman Returns. Bryan Singer, you have done it again. And I think my guide book writer girl is crazy. She said that there is very little English spoken in Switzerland, but I have yet to meet one person who did at least not know passable English. And the hostel she recommended in Geneva did not love up to my expectations. I was in a 6 bed dorm room that was very spartan and dungeonesque. I have stayed in worse, but it was not as "cozy" as she described. I think she just reviewed the female accomodations and not the male. From what I saw, it is a great place to stay if you are a woman. I am pretty sure I was the only guy there (the yonly have the one male dorm room and I was the only occupant).
Zurich
I like Zurich better when it rains. It is just one of those cities that looks good in the rain. It suits it.
Future Plans
I have my ticket to Liechtenstien!!! I am ridiculously pumped to see this tiny, tiny country. I have to send people postcards from there and buy some dental products. I was hoping to run across the entire country (it is only 6 km wide), but I am still a bit sick, so my have to statisfy myself with merely walking across it.
Terry, I am booked in the Prima Hostel in Budapest (on Laurens suggestion... I will be seeing her shortly after Budapest so she better hope it is all she promised! :P) for the nights of the 21, 22 and 23. If you have some place else you want to stay or have booked somewhere else, let me know.
Nice
Hung out with a this soon-to-be Masters of Computer Engineering dude, Paul, a lot. He looks kinda like Jon Heder. Oh, and where is he going to get his masters? UBC of course! I have met so many UBC students this trip, it is surreal....
I switched rooms a lot in Nice, since I kept on adding how much time I wanted to stay there. For my last night I was in the "dungeon", a huge dorm room underneath the hostel bar filled with passed out revellers and building supplies. Two nights before a rager had destroyed a good number of the beds. But thankfully the had been replaced by the time I got there and slept in moderate comfort. Oh Terry, I ran into a poli sci grad from McGill who said she knew you from French class. Her and her friend were kinda annoying though, so I did not spend too much time with them.
Geneva
Definetly international. And definetly beautiful. A good place for sweethearts, but even by myself I enjoyed walking along the waterfront. I never did do the boat trip, but I did watch Superman Returns. Bryan Singer, you have done it again. And I think my guide book writer girl is crazy. She said that there is very little English spoken in Switzerland, but I have yet to meet one person who did at least not know passable English. And the hostel she recommended in Geneva did not love up to my expectations. I was in a 6 bed dorm room that was very spartan and dungeonesque. I have stayed in worse, but it was not as "cozy" as she described. I think she just reviewed the female accomodations and not the male. From what I saw, it is a great place to stay if you are a woman. I am pretty sure I was the only guy there (the yonly have the one male dorm room and I was the only occupant).
Zurich
I like Zurich better when it rains. It is just one of those cities that looks good in the rain. It suits it.
Future Plans
I have my ticket to Liechtenstien!!! I am ridiculously pumped to see this tiny, tiny country. I have to send people postcards from there and buy some dental products. I was hoping to run across the entire country (it is only 6 km wide), but I am still a bit sick, so my have to statisfy myself with merely walking across it.
Terry, I am booked in the Prima Hostel in Budapest (on Laurens suggestion... I will be seeing her shortly after Budapest so she better hope it is all she promised! :P) for the nights of the 21, 22 and 23. If you have some place else you want to stay or have booked somewhere else, let me know.
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