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Friday, July 27
Red Light, Green Light
Wednesday, July 25
Amsterdam, Holland, the Netherlands
Day one: rain. I watched some BBC news about the flooding in England and wondered what will happen if I can't get from the airport to where Troy lives due to flooding. Only time will tell.
Day two: Saw the Rijks museum, filled with Dutch masters like Rembrandt. I love Rembrandt. He painted with a stunning command of light and used darkness to accentuate and highlight past of his subjects. Absolutely stunning to see painting with such force. Much better than the Flemish Primitives (pre-rennaisance) folk that I saw at the last museum. I have seen enough portraits of rich folk and paintings of the vigin mother with Jesus to last me a few years.
Night two: Went to the Red Light district. It was very strange and I had to buy some cigarettes to smoke while I walked around, it is just too weird to be propositioned. I went to a live sex show. It was more strange than sexy, but interesting nonetheless. Want to know how much it costs to see people 69 or have sex, and see one special someone smoke weed with her vagina? €30. Such a strange place, this Holland.
Day three: Walked around a nice park, had a decent meal, then went to the Dutch resistence Museum and learned all about how the Dutch resisted Nazi rule in the 40s. It was a terrible time, and I felt a lot of sorrow while reading and listening to the exhibits. Even when peace returned, I could sense how hard it must have been to return to normal life. It was a good compliment to the concentration camp / survivers monuments at Dassau.
Night three: ??? Who knows? I am on my own and hungry, so maybe I'll eat and then look for someplace to go (especially if it's not the Red Light area, one night of that is enough... not to sound puritan, but I don't really like prostitutes, it seems).
Day one: rain. I watched some BBC news about the flooding in England and wondered what will happen if I can't get from the airport to where Troy lives due to flooding. Only time will tell.
Day two: Saw the Rijks museum, filled with Dutch masters like Rembrandt. I love Rembrandt. He painted with a stunning command of light and used darkness to accentuate and highlight past of his subjects. Absolutely stunning to see painting with such force. Much better than the Flemish Primitives (pre-rennaisance) folk that I saw at the last museum. I have seen enough portraits of rich folk and paintings of the vigin mother with Jesus to last me a few years.
Night two: Went to the Red Light district. It was very strange and I had to buy some cigarettes to smoke while I walked around, it is just too weird to be propositioned. I went to a live sex show. It was more strange than sexy, but interesting nonetheless. Want to know how much it costs to see people 69 or have sex, and see one special someone smoke weed with her vagina? €30. Such a strange place, this Holland.
Day three: Walked around a nice park, had a decent meal, then went to the Dutch resistence Museum and learned all about how the Dutch resisted Nazi rule in the 40s. It was a terrible time, and I felt a lot of sorrow while reading and listening to the exhibits. Even when peace returned, I could sense how hard it must have been to return to normal life. It was a good compliment to the concentration camp / survivers monuments at Dassau.
Night three: ??? Who knows? I am on my own and hungry, so maybe I'll eat and then look for someplace to go (especially if it's not the Red Light area, one night of that is enough... not to sound puritan, but I don't really like prostitutes, it seems).
Luxembourg and Netherlands
Sunday, July 22
More later, but:
Luxembourg was fun to explore. Catacombs and battle-forts are a must for such a small country. Got in late because the train was slow, the hotel was closed, and thought I may be on the street for the night. It was after midnight and it did not feel safe in the area I was. Then a nice Asian fellow offered to drive me to a hotel he knew to help me out because he ¨always tries to help people.¨ I had to pay for two places, but I was not on the street. The place I found was next to the train station and there was a prostitute in the front area on the phone, so I did not sleep well or feel very clean. But it was a bed. And the door mostly locked (it could have been kicked in). I was glad to stay because I had fun the next day.
Bruges is nice. Pretty. The locals are fun and modest. The pace of life is so much slower everywhere in Europe. Saw some windmills. Soon I leave for Amsterdam.
Every new country means a new place for the @ symbol and a new order for two or three keys on the keyboard. It´s becoming a fun game.
Luxembourg was fun to explore. Catacombs and battle-forts are a must for such a small country. Got in late because the train was slow, the hotel was closed, and thought I may be on the street for the night. It was after midnight and it did not feel safe in the area I was. Then a nice Asian fellow offered to drive me to a hotel he knew to help me out because he ¨always tries to help people.¨ I had to pay for two places, but I was not on the street. The place I found was next to the train station and there was a prostitute in the front area on the phone, so I did not sleep well or feel very clean. But it was a bed. And the door mostly locked (it could have been kicked in). I was glad to stay because I had fun the next day.
Bruges is nice. Pretty. The locals are fun and modest. The pace of life is so much slower everywhere in Europe. Saw some windmills. Soon I leave for Amsterdam.
Every new country means a new place for the @ symbol and a new order for two or three keys on the keyboard. It´s becoming a fun game.
Back to Germany
Wednesday, July 18
I am now back in Germany in a small town (Eversberg, near Meschedes) ... more of a conglomerate of three villages than a full town, and there are remnants of a castle directly in the backyard of the people I am staying with. The gentelman I am residing with is named Sebastian and went to UT for a time as an exchange student. He is very nice and welcoming and wanting to show us around. It was my first time in a car in two weeks today as we drove to a local lake, Hennessey, to go for a swim. It has been a very relaxing day. Two more days or so here before I head to the Netherlands and Belgium and Luxemborg. I will not be able to meet up with Dave because he had to cut his trip short.
Earlier today I had a time trying to find this place, not speaking any German, and not being able to read a train schedule. To describe it accurately would be painstaking, so I will copy something I wrote earlier:
I am on my own in Germany, probably should get across town and hop on the train to my next destination but I am sleepy and like the internet. I saw the sun set and the sun rise. I've been with people who speak English for most of the trip up until yesterday when I was on my own. It causes rather large psychological shifts to go in and out of knowing the language. I dont know. I have thought about a lot of things on this trip. I am farther away than I anticipated but closer than I should be. Every day the world ends and every morning the sun rises. I have no pen and no paper, no mouth, and no words. I kiss no one and no one kisses me. I am a stranger, once again, and it reminds me of my childhood.
Earlier today I had a time trying to find this place, not speaking any German, and not being able to read a train schedule. To describe it accurately would be painstaking, so I will copy something I wrote earlier:
I am on my own in Germany, probably should get across town and hop on the train to my next destination but I am sleepy and like the internet. I saw the sun set and the sun rise. I've been with people who speak English for most of the trip up until yesterday when I was on my own. It causes rather large psychological shifts to go in and out of knowing the language. I dont know. I have thought about a lot of things on this trip. I am farther away than I anticipated but closer than I should be. Every day the world ends and every morning the sun rises. I have no pen and no paper, no mouth, and no words. I kiss no one and no one kisses me. I am a stranger, once again, and it reminds me of my childhood.
The Day I Had a Thousand Dollar Bill and No One Cared
Tuesday, July 17
I have some time to kill on my own today. I am not sure how much time I have because the Czech don't print the time you depart on their train tickets. I really really wonder why they don't. It would be helpful.
So I have either four or six hours to eat and get to the train station. But I'd rather sit here and write for a few minutes because it is hot. It is very hot. Yesterday I was told it was 110 degrees F. That's too hot. For every ten degrees it cooled off in the evening I felt ten pounds lighter. I stopped at a McDonalds (they are all over the place here) for an ice cream and to rest. It saved my life. God bless McDonalds.
I have a thousand Koruny bill in my pocket but that is not as impressive as it seems because it's about $50. What to do with my time today?
Last night I took one of the two official Prague Pub crawls. Let me see if I can count correctly, I think there were five pubs--- or four pubs and a ridiculously large techno disco. I enjoyed the tour, but the highlight was really when I was feeling overwhelmed by the crew I was with and sat for a bit with about twelve or so gentelmen on a stag party (which is what Europeans call bachelor parties). They were sitting in a room in this pub which was rather snakelike, in the every room ended with a turn and a stairway and a hall to another room. To get to the end of this cavernous pub took several minutes. But I digress, the gentelmen were English and singing their countries hits while several of them took turns playing acoustic guitar. They played Sonnet by the Verve, which was so nice.
I did not hit the five story monster disco during my trip, but I saw it. It seemed like too much. I am sure it is a great place to get one's groove on, so I'll have to hit it on the next trip.
So I have either four or six hours to eat and get to the train station. But I'd rather sit here and write for a few minutes because it is hot. It is very hot. Yesterday I was told it was 110 degrees F. That's too hot. For every ten degrees it cooled off in the evening I felt ten pounds lighter. I stopped at a McDonalds (they are all over the place here) for an ice cream and to rest. It saved my life. God bless McDonalds.
I have a thousand Koruny bill in my pocket but that is not as impressive as it seems because it's about $50. What to do with my time today?
Last night I took one of the two official Prague Pub crawls. Let me see if I can count correctly, I think there were five pubs--- or four pubs and a ridiculously large techno disco. I enjoyed the tour, but the highlight was really when I was feeling overwhelmed by the crew I was with and sat for a bit with about twelve or so gentelmen on a stag party (which is what Europeans call bachelor parties). They were sitting in a room in this pub which was rather snakelike, in the every room ended with a turn and a stairway and a hall to another room. To get to the end of this cavernous pub took several minutes. But I digress, the gentelmen were English and singing their countries hits while several of them took turns playing acoustic guitar. They played Sonnet by the Verve, which was so nice.
I did not hit the five story monster disco during my trip, but I saw it. It seemed like too much. I am sure it is a great place to get one's groove on, so I'll have to hit it on the next trip.
Sunday, July 15
Munich
I said almost nothing about Munich before. The Germans are okay, if a bit brisque. Their language is harsh, as is their toilette paper, but many were friendly and helpful. I found them much more pleasant than the Italians (which I'll talk about in a bit).
On the second day in Munich I did more walking around, took a lot of pictures, and the like. I had some meatloaf, which was really just 150 grams of meat. Also some more sausage and a local Hefenweisen. Everyone in Munich is easy to communicate with, as they understand enough of what I said and I actually knew more German than I thought.
The beer is fantastic and Munich is a very professional and interesting city. It is safe to say I like Bavaria, the land of sausage and big lion statues everywhere, plus great markets with fresh produce on a lot of street corners. Amazing strawberries and cherries, really amazing. The strawberries were not even that sweet, just really wonderful and fresh. I need to visit more farm-to-market places in the States, if fresh produce is always this good. Oh, that reminds me. In Zurich behind the train station where we would wait for the train from Phil's house into the town, there was s row of apple bushes. One day I saw an old man, about 70, removing apples that were ripe to sell in the market. It was beautiful.
Anyway, back to Munich, on the last day I took the train around a bit and got caught in the rain when we were killing some time before the late train out to Venice. There was some incredible and large Beer Garden with a Chinese tower in the middle of a park that we visited after they had closed for the day. It was stormy and dark and probably not a good idea to be walking around a park. But I took an interesting photo of it I think. We'll have to see once I can upload some pictures.
Also while in Munich I recieved some very interesting directions to an internet point 'around the corner', and ended up walking a couple miles in my flip flops in the cold night. But all this walking builds character, so it's alright. We stopped for directions after a bit at what turned out to be a gay bar, called Bar Jeans, and got directions to a different internet place. This seems to be happening a lot, as it happened all the time in Venice. Everyone knows a different place for internet and one ends up wanding around a lot.
My legs are very, very strong these days.
Venice
What can I say about Venice? I was not that impressed. Firstly, I slept in a sitting car for a night transfer from Munich with six other people in the car. We pulled out the seats and layed out but a German woman on vacation occasionally nuggled or snuggled into me a few too many so it was hard to rest. Dramamine we helpful. And when it was time to wake up, the train attendent poked me about six times with his finger because someone wanted to step over me to sit on the other side for one stop. I would have appreciated a verbal warning. Italians, what can I say? They are aggressive, even if you account for the cultural difference in personal space.
Anyway, back to Venice... it was so crowded during the day with tourists that I felt like I was in Disneyland. Venice, I think, it two cities. First, it is a fantastic and romantic place with all the canals and water and good wine (really really good wine, except the house wine at the restaurants which was cheap-ish, and okay, but not great). The tourists flock to that first description of Venice. But second, it is a dead city. There are windows boarded up and so many buildings that are most certainly vacant. If you took away all the shops, there would be almost no one left in the city. You can tell at night, if you go out to the wine bars and have a pizza (I recommend getting one with Blue Cheese, Mozzerela, perhaps another random cheese you have never heard of---you American, and artichoke hearts) and walk home after the bar closes, it is surprisingly quiet. I ran into many three people on the way to the hotel. Besides the lack of locals, it does smell. It is basically a sinking city. That adds to its charm somehow, I suppose.
On the last day I toured and prayed in the Basilica di San Marco, a famous church in a city full of churches, and evidently one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It lies on St Mark's Square, which I recognised from about a dozen movies, I am sure.
If you visit Italy, have the gelato. If you are tired and feel that you can't move, have some gelato. If you are beginning to get a cold and just want to find your way to the next place on the map, have some gelato. I recommend the fruit flavored ones, especially when you have no idea what fruit it is due to not understanding Italian.
When we got to Venice we had no room so payed way too much for the one night we stayed. But we left super late the next day so had a full two days in the town. I have a ton of pictures of Venice.
Got a night train, in a sleeper car, because I have now learned to reserve things ahead of time, from Venice to Prague because after calling around for a couple hours to other parts of Italy. Wanted to visit Italy much more, but Prague seemed a good alternative. In the sleeper car met several young Canadian males itching to get to Prague and pour some beer on their heads. Two are from Toronto and two from Alberta. I liked them. They are in some club where if they drink alcohol out of their dominant hand then they are required to finish the drink. This rule evidently applies for the rest of their lives. They are biking around Europe for their summer, but when they get to Prague one of them, Tim, is going to have his bike stolen. Poor guy.
Also, about an hour from Prague the train slowed down and looking out the window, I saw what looked like an entire small village of Czech people staring into my train car. I looked behind me and saw an upcoming train car on the track next to ours which had had a terrible accident. One car was sitting on top of another car, evidently there was a collision. There were police and ambulance workers there, but no other people. It must have not been too recent. A terrible thing to see, and especially in a strange land where you can't look up the details in the local paper.
Prague
Prague has great Pilsner beer, if you like Pilsner, which I don't. But that's nice to know. There are plenty of people wanting to scam you, but they really can't since I have overdrawn my checking account by $600 to maybe $800. I have the cash, just in the wrong account. Oops.
Anyway, mostly so far Prague has been for sleep to get over this cold and doing laundry and the like. But that is okay. Actually, that is a blessing. I love doing nothing. I am an American and it's my right.
Well, maybe going to look for some goulash for dinner, and maybe visit the largest club in Europe, some 5 story monster, later. I don't have the energy for it, but I haven't seen much of this place yet so I'll at least go walk around.
Ciao from the Czech Republic!
I said almost nothing about Munich before. The Germans are okay, if a bit brisque. Their language is harsh, as is their toilette paper, but many were friendly and helpful. I found them much more pleasant than the Italians (which I'll talk about in a bit).
On the second day in Munich I did more walking around, took a lot of pictures, and the like. I had some meatloaf, which was really just 150 grams of meat. Also some more sausage and a local Hefenweisen. Everyone in Munich is easy to communicate with, as they understand enough of what I said and I actually knew more German than I thought.
The beer is fantastic and Munich is a very professional and interesting city. It is safe to say I like Bavaria, the land of sausage and big lion statues everywhere, plus great markets with fresh produce on a lot of street corners. Amazing strawberries and cherries, really amazing. The strawberries were not even that sweet, just really wonderful and fresh. I need to visit more farm-to-market places in the States, if fresh produce is always this good. Oh, that reminds me. In Zurich behind the train station where we would wait for the train from Phil's house into the town, there was s row of apple bushes. One day I saw an old man, about 70, removing apples that were ripe to sell in the market. It was beautiful.
Anyway, back to Munich, on the last day I took the train around a bit and got caught in the rain when we were killing some time before the late train out to Venice. There was some incredible and large Beer Garden with a Chinese tower in the middle of a park that we visited after they had closed for the day. It was stormy and dark and probably not a good idea to be walking around a park. But I took an interesting photo of it I think. We'll have to see once I can upload some pictures.
Also while in Munich I recieved some very interesting directions to an internet point 'around the corner', and ended up walking a couple miles in my flip flops in the cold night. But all this walking builds character, so it's alright. We stopped for directions after a bit at what turned out to be a gay bar, called Bar Jeans, and got directions to a different internet place. This seems to be happening a lot, as it happened all the time in Venice. Everyone knows a different place for internet and one ends up wanding around a lot.
My legs are very, very strong these days.
Venice
What can I say about Venice? I was not that impressed. Firstly, I slept in a sitting car for a night transfer from Munich with six other people in the car. We pulled out the seats and layed out but a German woman on vacation occasionally nuggled or snuggled into me a few too many so it was hard to rest. Dramamine we helpful. And when it was time to wake up, the train attendent poked me about six times with his finger because someone wanted to step over me to sit on the other side for one stop. I would have appreciated a verbal warning. Italians, what can I say? They are aggressive, even if you account for the cultural difference in personal space.
Anyway, back to Venice... it was so crowded during the day with tourists that I felt like I was in Disneyland. Venice, I think, it two cities. First, it is a fantastic and romantic place with all the canals and water and good wine (really really good wine, except the house wine at the restaurants which was cheap-ish, and okay, but not great). The tourists flock to that first description of Venice. But second, it is a dead city. There are windows boarded up and so many buildings that are most certainly vacant. If you took away all the shops, there would be almost no one left in the city. You can tell at night, if you go out to the wine bars and have a pizza (I recommend getting one with Blue Cheese, Mozzerela, perhaps another random cheese you have never heard of---you American, and artichoke hearts) and walk home after the bar closes, it is surprisingly quiet. I ran into many three people on the way to the hotel. Besides the lack of locals, it does smell. It is basically a sinking city. That adds to its charm somehow, I suppose.
On the last day I toured and prayed in the Basilica di San Marco, a famous church in a city full of churches, and evidently one of the best known examples of Byzantine architecture. It lies on St Mark's Square, which I recognised from about a dozen movies, I am sure.
If you visit Italy, have the gelato. If you are tired and feel that you can't move, have some gelato. If you are beginning to get a cold and just want to find your way to the next place on the map, have some gelato. I recommend the fruit flavored ones, especially when you have no idea what fruit it is due to not understanding Italian.
When we got to Venice we had no room so payed way too much for the one night we stayed. But we left super late the next day so had a full two days in the town. I have a ton of pictures of Venice.
Got a night train, in a sleeper car, because I have now learned to reserve things ahead of time, from Venice to Prague because after calling around for a couple hours to other parts of Italy. Wanted to visit Italy much more, but Prague seemed a good alternative. In the sleeper car met several young Canadian males itching to get to Prague and pour some beer on their heads. Two are from Toronto and two from Alberta. I liked them. They are in some club where if they drink alcohol out of their dominant hand then they are required to finish the drink. This rule evidently applies for the rest of their lives. They are biking around Europe for their summer, but when they get to Prague one of them, Tim, is going to have his bike stolen. Poor guy.
Also, about an hour from Prague the train slowed down and looking out the window, I saw what looked like an entire small village of Czech people staring into my train car. I looked behind me and saw an upcoming train car on the track next to ours which had had a terrible accident. One car was sitting on top of another car, evidently there was a collision. There were police and ambulance workers there, but no other people. It must have not been too recent. A terrible thing to see, and especially in a strange land where you can't look up the details in the local paper.
Prague
Prague has great Pilsner beer, if you like Pilsner, which I don't. But that's nice to know. There are plenty of people wanting to scam you, but they really can't since I have overdrawn my checking account by $600 to maybe $800. I have the cash, just in the wrong account. Oops.
Anyway, mostly so far Prague has been for sleep to get over this cold and doing laundry and the like. But that is okay. Actually, that is a blessing. I love doing nothing. I am an American and it's my right.
Well, maybe going to look for some goulash for dinner, and maybe visit the largest club in Europe, some 5 story monster, later. I don't have the energy for it, but I haven't seen much of this place yet so I'll at least go walk around.
Ciao from the Czech Republic!
Miles and miles
Monday, July 9
I walked for miles and miles today. All around Munich, all around. Buildings and street venders and everything in German. Nothing in English. Booked a small semi-hotel that I forget the word for. But now am in my first hostel and am thinking that it is good to have my own place if I plan to sleep tonight. Also, I forgot to mention that the last DJ I saw in Zurich was partially great because it was raining, faintly most of the time, but it added a special something to the show.
I dont know how to describe what all this traveling is like. I know that I need some sleep in order to process all this. Sleeping three hours a night is just intensifying the culture shock. But still, I think it is mostly the same everywhere so far in western europe. Italy next, but before that I will be visiting a concentration camp to get in some history and reconnect with those terrible tragedies. I think I will probably cry. I am okay with that.
When I walk around, I suspect around certain corners to recognise the face of a friend. I hope you are all doing well, many of you are in my thoughts. If you are reading this, you can rest assured I mean you.
Much love from Bavaria, only part of Germany following WWII. Oh, liederhosen (not spelled right I know) is sexy stuff.
I dont know how to describe what all this traveling is like. I know that I need some sleep in order to process all this. Sleeping three hours a night is just intensifying the culture shock. But still, I think it is mostly the same everywhere so far in western europe. Italy next, but before that I will be visiting a concentration camp to get in some history and reconnect with those terrible tragedies. I think I will probably cry. I am okay with that.
When I walk around, I suspect around certain corners to recognise the face of a friend. I hope you are all doing well, many of you are in my thoughts. If you are reading this, you can rest assured I mean you.
Much love from Bavaria, only part of Germany following WWII. Oh, liederhosen (not spelled right I know) is sexy stuff.
Sunday, July 8
ah, also, they have beer here that has a little area that is white if the beer is warm and turns into a blue ice cube when it is cold enough. Beer drinkers unite in supporting this new, much needed, innovation.
Tomorrow we head to Munich
Last day at Zurich Festival. Had fondue and some Swiss wine with dinner. Very good stuff, well, not the Zurich wine but the stuff from elsewhere in Switzerland. Tre fondue was good, I like cheese and what not, but oh my... can one person really eat that much melted cheese as dinner? Not regularly, I hope.
Next came more walking about downtown, but this time it was much less crowded, being Sunday, and it was so much easier to breathe. Still some great entertainment. Saw one of the best djs I have seen live, really impressive playlist even when he went into some 70s funk stuff (I cannot jive with that music). Everyone was impressed by this little Swiss girl dancing to the hip-hop and waving her hands in the air like she truly didnt care. I think Char took a video of it, it was quite fun. And the real dancers up on stage were impressive. I wish I could dance that well. For some reason it seems fake and annoying when I see that stuff in the states but here it was just cleaner and more entertaining. Yes, the dancers were beautiful but they seemed allowed to have a lot of fun with it. And no one was ogling them. It was just part of the show. The lights, the music, the dancing. Good times. Almost as much fun as the salsa dancing the night before. It was just a party.
I had fun here.
I got my global train pass today, and I now have freedom to change my plans however I wish. That feels good. Tomorrow is a train to Munich, Germany, and whatever that brings my way.
Next came more walking about downtown, but this time it was much less crowded, being Sunday, and it was so much easier to breathe. Still some great entertainment. Saw one of the best djs I have seen live, really impressive playlist even when he went into some 70s funk stuff (I cannot jive with that music). Everyone was impressed by this little Swiss girl dancing to the hip-hop and waving her hands in the air like she truly didnt care. I think Char took a video of it, it was quite fun. And the real dancers up on stage were impressive. I wish I could dance that well. For some reason it seems fake and annoying when I see that stuff in the states but here it was just cleaner and more entertaining. Yes, the dancers were beautiful but they seemed allowed to have a lot of fun with it. And no one was ogling them. It was just part of the show. The lights, the music, the dancing. Good times. Almost as much fun as the salsa dancing the night before. It was just a party.
I had fun here.
I got my global train pass today, and I now have freedom to change my plans however I wish. That feels good. Tomorrow is a train to Munich, Germany, and whatever that brings my way.
More from London (pre Zurich)
More from London. Let me see what I can remember.
A friend of Troys was dodging a call by a guy who was in the Libertines while we drank pitchers of Sangria during Hora Loca. That was interesting. We drank vodka at her place later, then Troy and I went back to his place via the Underground while her and the girls went out dancing. T and I picked up sandwiches and beer for the ride back, then went out to his local bar (not the local pub), and a Jewish girl told him "Your friend is rude, he says he cant understand me", after I couldnt understand her and told her Troy would translate. I guess she was speaking English, albeit with a thick hebrew accent. T and I left and discussed Marxism for another hour or two, Troy being more leftist than I remembered. But it was fun. Then time to get some rest.
The next day was filled with a trip to the pub for some pool played with red and orange balls only, and a walk around the theater district with Dan, his other roommate. Or one of them. Still not sure how many people live at his flat, officially or unofficially. Dan has some computer job and spends 45 min of every lunch break at the pub playing pool. He is good at it. We Walked around and saw the sights and the set up to the Tour de France. Also, I missed the bar fight later that night but it happened outside. Still, the good thing is, no guns in this country. I rather like that. Then it was home to email Charlotte, let her know my flight left at 7am, and that I would meet her in Zurich at 9:45 local time. An hour and a half hours of sleep later it was time to get in the taxi. It is amazing how little sleep you need when navigating around Europe.
A friend of Troys was dodging a call by a guy who was in the Libertines while we drank pitchers of Sangria during Hora Loca. That was interesting. We drank vodka at her place later, then Troy and I went back to his place via the Underground while her and the girls went out dancing. T and I picked up sandwiches and beer for the ride back, then went out to his local bar (not the local pub), and a Jewish girl told him "Your friend is rude, he says he cant understand me", after I couldnt understand her and told her Troy would translate. I guess she was speaking English, albeit with a thick hebrew accent. T and I left and discussed Marxism for another hour or two, Troy being more leftist than I remembered. But it was fun. Then time to get some rest.
The next day was filled with a trip to the pub for some pool played with red and orange balls only, and a walk around the theater district with Dan, his other roommate. Or one of them. Still not sure how many people live at his flat, officially or unofficially. Dan has some computer job and spends 45 min of every lunch break at the pub playing pool. He is good at it. We Walked around and saw the sights and the set up to the Tour de France. Also, I missed the bar fight later that night but it happened outside. Still, the good thing is, no guns in this country. I rather like that. Then it was home to email Charlotte, let her know my flight left at 7am, and that I would meet her in Zurich at 9:45 local time. An hour and a half hours of sleep later it was time to get in the taxi. It is amazing how little sleep you need when navigating around Europe.
Züri Fäscht
It is raining in Zurich, and it is so pretty here. I will just hit the highlights of Zurich Festival from last night.
Best fireworks ever. Timed well with the music. Some fireworks were slow, but still really interesting. Red, candle like fireworks falling from the sky at the slow part of a song makes everyone smile before the next part is louder and the fireworks start to speed up again. Zurich expected 2 million visitors for this festival but slightly less showed up. Still, they know how to throw a party. Especially if you like carnival rides and food, loud house music, or dejays in general. There was a DJ every 30 feet. Literally.
Four toilets for about four hundred people, then another four at a 20 minute push-through-the-crowd walk away. Men could use the toilets in the lake if they fancied. No idea what anyone was saying to me, but Peter teaching me to ask for a beer in German seems to work here.
"How do you feel about these tomatoes?" (meaning of course, can we eat your food) is a phrase that made Phil crack up. He is a young scholar (not sure what his job is) who comforts crying American girls who can not figure out how to use a train or a phone, and whose purse has been stolen (I mean here my friend Charlotte), and makes them feel better. And he is generous with his couch, food, and time. And his flat is in a very pretty area of town. He met me with Charlotte at the airport on two hours of sleep since my ticket was last minute. He has a shirt that says, Sarcasm, One of My Many Talents, I hear, and wears Abercrombie a lot. Most people here seem to wear Adidas or Puma clothing everywhere.
Cheese, chocolate, and bier everywhere in Switzerland. Stayed out until 5, saw the sun rise.
Oh, and in London, do not talk about a girls fanny.
They moved around the y and z keys on this keyboard just to mess with me and I cannot find an apostrophy, so forgive any errors.
Cheers.
Best fireworks ever. Timed well with the music. Some fireworks were slow, but still really interesting. Red, candle like fireworks falling from the sky at the slow part of a song makes everyone smile before the next part is louder and the fireworks start to speed up again. Zurich expected 2 million visitors for this festival but slightly less showed up. Still, they know how to throw a party. Especially if you like carnival rides and food, loud house music, or dejays in general. There was a DJ every 30 feet. Literally.
Four toilets for about four hundred people, then another four at a 20 minute push-through-the-crowd walk away. Men could use the toilets in the lake if they fancied. No idea what anyone was saying to me, but Peter teaching me to ask for a beer in German seems to work here.
"How do you feel about these tomatoes?" (meaning of course, can we eat your food) is a phrase that made Phil crack up. He is a young scholar (not sure what his job is) who comforts crying American girls who can not figure out how to use a train or a phone, and whose purse has been stolen (I mean here my friend Charlotte), and makes them feel better. And he is generous with his couch, food, and time. And his flat is in a very pretty area of town. He met me with Charlotte at the airport on two hours of sleep since my ticket was last minute. He has a shirt that says, Sarcasm, One of My Many Talents, I hear, and wears Abercrombie a lot. Most people here seem to wear Adidas or Puma clothing everywhere.
Cheese, chocolate, and bier everywhere in Switzerland. Stayed out until 5, saw the sun rise.
Oh, and in London, do not talk about a girls fanny.
They moved around the y and z keys on this keyboard just to mess with me and I cannot find an apostrophy, so forgive any errors.
Cheers.
London
Thursday, July 5
Very very long first day in London, yesterday. I slept for a couple of hours on the plane until someone put a pastry and fruit cup in front of me at about an hour before we landed. I had an orange juice instead of coffee because I felt awake, relatively, and was feeling some of the first pangs of excitment about arriving. Customs was not bad, though someone in line compared the line to the lines at Disneyworld. Sounded about right. Troy found me after I got my bags and we headed to his flat in north London. He went to work and I got an Oystercard to ride the Underground (subways). I walked around Tralfagar Square, saw Big Ben (not that exciting) and some small Egyptian tower which was on the side of the road for no apparent reason. I got used to looking left instead of right to cross the street and not paying much attention to the 'not a good idea to cross the street right now' signs, since all the pedestrians seem to ignore those signs. There are no jaywalking laws, it seems. In that way the place reminds me of Boston.
Anyway, saw some basic sights. Stood in the rain. Took some photos (I'll try and post some later). And then Troy met up with me and we visited a touristy pub, then walked through the chinese restaurant district and headed back to north London to a real pub to meet up with his flatmate, Andy. But before that we spent an hour at a local pub Troy worked at for a bit and met up with his current boss, wife, and kids (Troy does 'security' and translating work, as far as I can tell). I played patty-cake for about an hour with the guy's 7 year old daughter and learned that biscuits are cookies and one would not eat them with gravy.
Oh, I was getting a bit tipsy at this point-- we are now back at the third pub with Andy that I mentioned and I am trying to ascertain if my favorite british band, the Manics, are even popular here. Instead we discuss Muse for a bit and how Troy ran into one of the Oasis Gallagher brothers and spoke to him for awhile not knowing who he was. But we did not really have dinner and my "Cheedar and Pickle" sandwich from about 15:00 that I got at a sandwich and coffee place was not holding up.
I ended up passing out at about 22:00 local time and sleeping until about 2am when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Slept from 5 to 8am, then got up for a traditional english breakfast (egg, 'bacon'which is really ham, sausage link, baked beans, toast, and something called Bubble which is a friend mixed vegetable dish) across the street. Now I am off to unlock my phone or get a cheap new one and a local SIM card.
I learned that 'cheers' means thank you, and the kids actually do say 'wicked'. And the best way to say good, I've found, is smashing and not brilliant.
Anyway, saw some basic sights. Stood in the rain. Took some photos (I'll try and post some later). And then Troy met up with me and we visited a touristy pub, then walked through the chinese restaurant district and headed back to north London to a real pub to meet up with his flatmate, Andy. But before that we spent an hour at a local pub Troy worked at for a bit and met up with his current boss, wife, and kids (Troy does 'security' and translating work, as far as I can tell). I played patty-cake for about an hour with the guy's 7 year old daughter and learned that biscuits are cookies and one would not eat them with gravy.
Oh, I was getting a bit tipsy at this point-- we are now back at the third pub with Andy that I mentioned and I am trying to ascertain if my favorite british band, the Manics, are even popular here. Instead we discuss Muse for a bit and how Troy ran into one of the Oasis Gallagher brothers and spoke to him for awhile not knowing who he was. But we did not really have dinner and my "Cheedar and Pickle" sandwich from about 15:00 that I got at a sandwich and coffee place was not holding up.
I ended up passing out at about 22:00 local time and sleeping until about 2am when I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Slept from 5 to 8am, then got up for a traditional english breakfast (egg, 'bacon'which is really ham, sausage link, baked beans, toast, and something called Bubble which is a friend mixed vegetable dish) across the street. Now I am off to unlock my phone or get a cheap new one and a local SIM card.
I learned that 'cheers' means thank you, and the kids actually do say 'wicked'. And the best way to say good, I've found, is smashing and not brilliant.
Sunday, July 1
I know that I need to be away from this country. I can't find any music that fits me perfectly, rounds out my edges, fixes my posture. I like the small silent moments the best. Can you feel the contradiction against my lips? Take me there. It's not happening, not yet, it's not real. Look at me, in my eyes, don't be so imprecise. Take me. Take me away.
