London 5/26/10

I’ve been here three days and what can I say, I love it.  The weather has been beautiful, 60’s the entire time.  My first day I spent with my couchsurf host in her neighborhood, which is a very quaint part of London.  Day two we hit the city and saw Parliament, Big Ben, hell we even saw the Queen (some royal procession.)  London is beautiful, historic, and the heart of England.  It’s the political, entertainment, and tourist center.

Some bad things though, there are some public restrooms that charge you 30 pence a pee.  Ridiculous.  I will never use this.  Ever on my trip.  Also, London is damn expensive.  One pound=$1.35.  So prices are high, plus conversion, ohh boy!  Good thing I have a CS host, otherwise I wouldn’t been able to afford it.  Speaking of, I have about 50 pounds left of the original 140 pounds some I got converted back in the States.  I consider that doing pretty well.

Tonight I’m going to perform at Comedy Café some stand-up jokes. Let’s see how well that goes!  Other than that, I have a few errands to run to get my trip ready to France and Belgium.  I still don’t have a place to stay at either place. Shit.  Worst comes to worst in Paris I’ll find a monastery. 

That’s all for now, will write again before Paris if something interesting happens.

Got global SIM card to make calls abroad.  Relatively cheap, average 15 pence a minute.  Need to re-get everyone’s phone numbers.  Comedy Café tonight, couldn’t perform (late for sign-up).  Impressive show, though.

London 5/28/10

Last day in London.  Wonderful time.  I really got it on with my host.  Saw Dawn French, who is famous in England, saw street theatre, and a gory production of Macbeth.  (Henry VIII tickets went to waste.)  Had classic fish and chips and went to England’s olde style pubs.  Today I leave for Paris and I’m scared out of my mind.  Luckily, my host was able to book a hostel last minute at €22 for three nights.  What really set me back was reserving my train from Paris to Brussels.  Reservation charge was 24 pounds plus 8 pounds booking fee. WTF?  At this rate, I’ll be out of money by July.  Also boat rides are not included in Eurail pass.  Oops!  That’s another couple hundred.  But enough about money, I’m having an excellent time and meeting wonderful people.  London has been a wonderful experience; it’s going to be hard to top.

Paris 5/30/10

It was a struggle getting here.  I didn’t book a hostel until the day I left London.  Luckily my London host helped and I got one for €22 a night.  I arrived at Gare du Nord without a clue (I didn’t print directions to the hostel, lesson learned.)  I called the hostel and it was okay.  By the way the public transportation is crazy here, 14 metro lines.  Hostel Auberge de Jeunesse Leo Lagrange.

Got lots done day two.  Day One I lost my train pass.  Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumphe, Champs Elysees, et le Louvre.  Je t’aime, Paris.  I have been trying to speak French to everyone, but they automatically hear my American accent and speak English back to me.

My flatmates in the hostel are cool French-Canadian guys- I might meet up with them later.  It’s like a whole new community of people, travelers-international.  Things have been going so well.  Also, I’m okay on budget…je pense.  Buying groceries cost €10 a day.  Plus cheap beer and wine.  I drank a whole bottle of wine in one sitting my first night.  Tonight I want to see Les Miserables, Invalides, Pantheon, et Notre Dame.  Bonne chance, Philippe!

Brussels 6/1/10

Brussels is something else.  A bit more…Eastern(?) than Paris or London.  Limited metro lines, mainly use trams and buses.  Some excellent artwork, graffiti, and of course, chocolate, beer, and waffles.  I almost forgot their pommes frites!  It’s actually a bit more expensive than Paris which shocked me.  Public transportation is essentially free,  you don’t need to buy a ticket, however, if the ticket inspection people get you, you’re in trouble.  I went to the Grand Place, the heart of Old Town Brussels, took the Jacques Brel tour, the EU building, (did you know Brussels was the center of the EU?) parc du cinquaitaine, and the Atomium, an attraction close to Mini-Europe. (An amusement park featuring the best of Europe.)  I of course enjoy the beer, the public parks, and the churches are very nice as well.  I can get by with the little French I speak, pretty much everyone here speaks French (even though French and Flemish are the two national languages.)  It’s interesting because everything is written twice.  I’m not here for long, I booked my hostel only for two nights (because I’m stupid) so tomorrow I brace myself for Amsterdam.  I will be there a bit longer. (4 nights).  I will have some fun there.  In short, Brussels is great, but it’s hard to top after London and Paris.

Amsterdam 6/4/10

What a totally different experience.  Amsterdam doesn’t seem like a “city” like London or Paris.  No real famous buildings or sculptures, the appeal is of course the sex and drugs.  What else is the laid back style the Dutch people have.  The park close to my hostel is teeming with people: playing catch, having a picnic, etc.  Now I can really start to feel myself pacing just about right and taking time to enjoy the city.

So far, first night I had a “space cake” which after 5 dissappointing hours, hit me like a brick.  I saw a BOOM Chicago improv show, saw the Heineken experience…Today I might do the Van Gogh museum and the Rijkesmuseum.  I also did a free walking tour which I loved and hope to do in other cities.

Shit!  Amsterdam is expensive.  I am way over budget.  It’s impossible to spend less than €80 a day.  Well, I decided to add Eastern European countries to the tour in hopes that they’ll be cheaper and balance out the expensive places like Amsterdam, London, and Copenhagen.

Keep on losing my shit.  I may even have lost that little dog, Helena.  Shit, shit, shit.  I’m also sunburnt.  Lost the phone charger.  I’m fucked.  Shit. Fuck.

Hamburg 6/8/10

My first impression of Hamburg was excellent.  I had beautiful weather when I got in.  The hostel I’m staying at is very nice, and I get to see an excellent production of Woyzeck at the Thalia theatre with music by Tom Waits.  Only €10!  Hamburg is a beautiful, laid back city, full of beautiful bridges, rivers, lakes, and awesome parks.  Everyone of course speaks German, but most everyone is English-friendly.  If I ask a question in German, they will reply in German.  Yesterday I did the free walking tour (with a British guide no less) in it was a wonderful way to get to know an overview of the city plus the history.  Some personal shit hit the fan yesterday which put a damper on the mood.  That aside, groceries and beer are pretty cheap here, (which I am taking full advantage of, by the way.)

It’s getting really easy to talk to people, because we all have something in common, we are all young, and traveling.  I rarely feel lonely in a city, because I usually find people who are usually traveling alone too, and they are eager to explore with someone else as well. 
Last thing said, Hamburg is great for breaking into Germany, and what I didn’t do here, I can get back to it in Berlin a couple weeks from now.

Copenhagen 6/13/10

Wonderful time in Copenhagen.  Quite a different expereience from Western Europe.  It must be the most expensive city I have encountered so far, which is saying a lot considering London and Amsterdam.  But I was super cheap and actually gained 140 Kroner, or €20. 

Unfortunately, for me the weather was awful, cold and rainy almost all the time.  I spent my first two nights in a hostel, (quite nice, apparently the largest hostel in Europe) and the last two I couchsurfed with Erwan, 24 years old.  He is actually French, which I forgot, so his Danish was not great.  We conversed in English and sometimes French.  I now believe I have a good advantage over most (especially Americans) because of language use.  The German I know is helping me with the Scandinavian languages, which I cannot hear anything of what they say, French is very useful and mine is getting quite good, and Spanish which I haven’t used yet, but I will.

Quite an awesome experience yesterday because of the World Cup; I got to watch a football game between USA and England.  To be in a Danish bar that was very exciting.  Also how could I forget Christiana?  Crazy hippie town in Copenhagen.  They are essentially lawless.  Long story short, it’s getting cold, days are longer, it’s expensive, and the language is hard.  Good for me because most Scandivians speak English very well.

Oslo 6/15/10

Oslo isn’t half bad.  A lot of what people told me about it was very correct.  It’s small, new, clean, and safe.  Maybe four days here was too much.  I’m grateful though because I pretty much wasted an entire day on the trains from Copenhagen all because I missed a connection.  I left at 8:23, didn’t get to Oslo until 21:45.  So that immediately pissed me off.  Oh, and of course it’s very expensive here, even more so than Copenhagen: yippee!

As you may know my camera bag was stolen along with the charger, so I just bought a new one here.

Back to Oslo, you can master the city in a day.  Indeed, I went on a very informal walking tour and saw most of it already.  But what you do see is beautiful.  Everything here is very new and the architecture is so modern and clean.  I love it.  Today I will try to see an Ibsen play at the Ibsen theatre, what else is cool is the Royal Palace where the king and queen live.  It’s protected by two guards, probably 19 years old, and you can practically see into the windows.  Also, when you’re in Oslo, check out the heavy metal scene.  Norway’s 3^rd largest export.  Try a bar called Rock Inn.  I think I may tonight. 

Stockholm 6/21/10

Quite a fun trip!  I’m actually on the boat to Helsinki, for some reason, it doesn’t make much sense to write about a city before I’ve been there for a few days.  Well what to say about Stockholm.  Everyone has blonde hair.  Prices are a bit cheaper.  It’s still cold.

I actually came at an opportune time.  The princess (future queen) of Sweden was getting married, and they were celebrating by holding a big festival in Stockholm called Love Stockholm.  That was much fun.  Bands playing everywhere plus a parade where I saw the princess.  My host, however was…interesting.  He’s a mask maker and puppetmaster, so I stayed in a room full of puppets.  He is single, 61 year old man with no kids.  And in theatre.  How did I not see this one coming?  After an embarrassing conversation where he suggested we walk around the apartment naked, I felt kind of estranged from him.  In fact I was so annoyed by his habits I took a day trip to Uppsala just to avoid him.  (Nice city, though)  To give him credit he’s a badass cook and made me a Smorgasbord.

What else for Stockholm?  Saw the Erisson globe, Absolut Ice Bar, Old City, and some museums.  I don’t know if Scandinaviajust isn’t as impressive or charming, or maybe it’s me getting harder to impress.  I have much more down time now-especially on a 15 hour boat cruise to Helsinki.  Anna Karenina and my banjo keep me company.

Helsinki 6/24/10

What a wonderful city.  Not too big, not too small, just right.  It’s a bit pricey, but it beats Stockholm, Oslo, and Copenhagen-and they are on the Euro, so tha’s a plus.  What I think is making Helsinki so awesome is my host-Jesse Sipola, 23 year old native Finn who is very charismatic and impulsive.  He brought me along fishing on a beautiful island (we actually dug up the bait ourselves.) And then, jumped off a cliff into freezing water.

He has to work a lot which is nice too, because sometimes I like to be alone to explore a city.  Helsinki has some wonderful attractions: Olympic Stadium, Sounmentinna, Museum of Contemporary Art, and the Church of the Rock.  The city is very modern and it was recently chosen as the Design Capital of the World.

A word about the language: Finnish is hard, and unlike any other language.  Even with my linguistic knowledge, the best I could do is hope there’s Swedish, from that I get German, then English.  It’s interesting fact Swedish is an official language, when only 5% of Finns speak it.  Everyone’s English, however, is very good.

Still the White Night effect here, which is lovely.   Everyone is so nice too.  Yesterday we BBQ’ed with some Ukranians who gave us vodka and hookah (which he got from Egypt.)  Everyone is so kind and trusting here, it’s almost unbelievable.

Rostock 6/28/10

I decided to spend at least one full day in Rostock.   I needed it.  I was cooped up in a cabin on a boat from Helsinki for nearly 27 hours, stranger still, I had the cabin all to myself.

When I arrived at the hostel, (barely in the knick of time: I had to take a cab with some Germans/Austrians) I went out on Saturday night and it was dead.

Next day however, I did some fun things-I went to the beach, situated on the Baltic Sea (nude beach)-and I’m an idiot as I forgot sun screen.  I’m so burnt ...all over...yeah, I know.  Then caught the Germany-England game which was much fun (1^st time I’ve been in a country when they have had a home game.)  Then German Catholic church, Eishalle to watch the Argentina-Mexico game, then back to the hostel.  That night the entire room to myself.  Solitude is killing me.  I am currently looking for a pen pal.  Preferably French.  Next stop, Berlin!

Berlin 7/2/10

What can I say about Berlin?  Beautiful city.  Gigantic.   Nine times the size of Paris.  I loved hearing about the history of the city especially.  Over 90% of Berlin was destroyed after WWII, so almost everything is new-even if it looks old.  That aside, the walking tour was very interesting, particularly the Berlin Wall.  I had no idea, that they still had parts of it.  Also, I didn’t realize how ignorant I was of the history.

Also, I went to a concentration camp-Sachenhausen, which I’m glad I did because it definitely was an experience to remember I really can’t describe it.

But I can describe the Weinerei, a place where it’s a wine buffet essentially, and you may fill your glass to your hearts content-on a donations only basis.

What else?  Majority of the museums are on a separate island aptly called Museum Island-which is free (all museums) on Thursday nights. The Pergamon is definitely the highlight there.  What else?  So much in four days I loved it.  Cheap food and beer.

Prague 7/5/10

What can I say?  Incredible experience.  First night getting in I wasted some time lost in city-did a pub crawl which advertised free beer/wine/shots/absinthe for nearly 2 hours.  Dangerous.  Went to 4 bars and a club, played drunken jenga and blacked out.  When I came to, I was at a strip club?  Maybe I was thrown out too.  There was throw up on my shoes and only a stripper pamphlet in my jeans.  Taxi home when I realize I don’t have any money.  Wallet was either stolen or lost.  I have to use ATM card and I still haven’t cancelled my cards because I need the number to book hostels.  Nonetheless, I’m taking it like a champ.  Just have to reduce budget to €40 a day.  Meanwhile, Prague is excellent.  Cheap, great architecture (with a sense of humour: check out two men peeing on Czech pond at Kafka museum.) I tried the absinthe and blacked out.  (seeing a pattern) and from what I was told, quite quite drunk.  Don’t think I hallucinated however.  I went skydriving today-right after the absinthe, I know.  Great experience.  Only cost about €150.  That’s as cheap as it gets really.  What else?  I’m getting so much better at being social, I also feel I have grown so much this past five weeks.  I might change my travel plans-if Germany makes it to the finals, I will go to Munich.

Vienna 7/9/10

I shouldv’e written for Vienna a day or two age but, eh.  What’s to say about Vienna?  It’s big, relatively cheap, and everything is in the same architectural style: baroque.  At first it’s beautiful and grand, but it becomes excessive.

There isn’t much as far as attractions go: Schloss Schonbrunn is a beautiful royal palace where some real history went down; such as Maria Theresa and Franz Joseph, Mozart, Boneparte, and all that.  Also interesting because of the strength of the Austro-Hungarian empire.  Other than that, you’re typical beautiful big church, McDonald’s, and cafes.  Cheezy classical music souvenirs, it’s just a nice old city.

As far as food goes, however, I had a most delicious meal of weiner schnitzel, chokotart, and melange (coffee with water.)  I also went to a classical music concert which was good fun (but not great.)

As for me, a bit of a downer from Prague, also Germany lost in the semi-finals, which forced me not to go to Munich.  That’s ok though, I discovered that Bratislava is only an hour away, so I booked a hostel and stayed there for one night.  Stay tuned, I write about it.  By the way, I hit my halfway mark: 6 weeks in.  6 weeks out.

Bratislava 7/9/10

Ah Bratislava!  What to expect?  The most Americans know about Bratislava is Eurotrip (epitome of Eastern Europe) and Hostel by Eli Roth, set in Bratislava.  I didn’t plan on going but it was only one hour from Vienna, the hostel was only €10, and why the hell not?

Pretty neat, very small, some good architecture followed by much unflattering communism era buildings-usually painted pale pink.  By far my favorite thing was the free walking tour in Bratislava.  The guide knew his history well, I was very interested especially in WWII and the Slovaks role in the war.  Besides that, I did a pub crawl, which was pretty fun (85% guys though).

I tried to do like the Europeans and party until the sun comes up (then I would take the earliest train to Ljubljana, but unfortunately, I only made it to 3:30am before I fell asleep.

By the way, just watched Saw V, only one more of these shit movies to watch.  Bratislava is nice and cheap for a day or two, then I recommend moving on to bigger and better things.  This morning I was pissed--the train controllers got me and fined me €40 on the spot.

Ljubljana 7/17/10

Dear Ljubljana,

Sorry it’s taken me so long to write.  I enjoyed you very much, even if it was only for two days.  You had a beautiful river going underneath your famous triple bridge.  You are quite small and didn’t require much public transportation with the exception of a few busses.  The hostel you provided me with was nice and had a great location right on the river.  You were pretty affordable, even if you are on the euro.  I enjoyed your free walking tour, but more than that, I enjoyed your fresh milk dispenser, giving me gloriously fresh, new, unpastuerized, organic, ice cold milk for €1 a liter.  I’m sorry to say I got a bit bored with you after two days and tried Lake Bled for something different.  Lake Bled was beautiful; crystal clear water and an excellent view of the mountains.  Slovenia has great people and a bit of everything, I would visit you again, if you visit me,

Love,

Phil

Zagreb 7/17/10

Dear Zagreb,

Sorry again I didn’t write this when I was there.  And to think, I had an eight hour train ride from you to Budapest.  Zagreb is okay, bigger than Ljubljana, and I couldn’t really get a good intimate feel of you however.  I only spent two nights in Zagreb, and the following day I went Canyoning.  What is this?  A new extreme sport where you jump, slide, and glide down a canyon.  Quite fun (and cheap, only €50).  What else for Zagreb?  I liked the Museum of Arts and Crafts, especially featuring the work of Jagoda Buic.  She does tapestries, mainly.  Other than that, not much to say about Zagreb.  Ok city, but in retrospect, maybe I should have gone to Dubronik or Split.  Eh, that’s all.

Or is it?  I almost forgot that I did Canyoning.  It’s a new extreme sport-just saw I already mentioned it. 

Now I remember, as an experiment, I decided not to book a hostel in Zagreb.  Stupid choice.  I arrived at the train station with no clue what to do.   I ended up following two guys from the UK to their hostel: Hobobear.  I also met up with some UK girls I met in Ljubljana: walked home drunk at 1:30am and realized I didn’t have a key into the hostel.  Slept on floor for a couple of hours before I broke in and climbed through the window into the kitchen.

PS. What about the awesome classical guitar concert?  I saw one there for €15.  Excellent show.

Budapest 7/18/10

Now here’s an experience.  My first night in Budapest, walked along the main avenue and was stopped by two pretty Hungarian girls.  I expected a scam but I had my wallet secure.  They lead me to a bar/club and ordered expensive drinks (But it’s Hungary, nothing is too expensive)  I stick to beer anyway.  Well the bill comes around

Bucharest 7/23/10

A lot has happened since I arrived to Bucharest.  Mistake number one was taking a 16 hour train from Budapest that arrived at 1am.  Unfortunately for me, it actually was 2am due to the time change, so I was stranded at Bucharest train station with no public transport and no money.  (ATM wouldn’t take my card.)  Had to rough it for three hours until the metro opened and I arrived at my hostel at 5:30am.  (They didn’t charge me for that night, though).  Met up with a wonderful girl named Bella and we travelled to Sinaiai, Brasov, and Istanbul together.  Bucharest is…um, the Parliament is magnificent, and the recent history of  Ceauşescu's regime is very real and present.  Not much else to do in Bucharest, they don’t see much tourism.  However, cheapest country I have seen.  Beer at the bar is €1.  Bella and I went to a couchsurfing meeting on the rooftop on the National Theatre.  Much fun.  The next day we decided to hitchhike to Brasov to see Bran’s castle AKA Dracula’s castle.  Luckily, Ron, an Israeli, and Jason, another New Zealander, happened to be going to Brasov so we hitched a ride in Ron’s rental car.  First hitchhiking experience I had--a success.  We stopped at Peles Castle in Sinaiai along the way and did a lovely tour and we had a great time eating a watermelon.  After that, where Bella and I switched hostels to stay with Ron and Jason.  Ate out at a wonderful restaurant for maybe €10.  Then Bran Castle, fun bus ride with locals coming back from scything (we tried their bootleg whiskey) then last night in Brasov.  Bella and I had a fun time.  Then, we were able to hitchhike from Brasov back to Bucharest this morning (I had to skip my trip to Varna.) Luckily, after literally one minute, a man, Marius, pulled over, picked us up, and brought us all the way back to Bucharest.  I was planning to go to Sofia, I had to meet Boris that night, unfortunately, I missed the afternoon train and the night train was full, I would have to wait a whole day.  Bella was going to Istanbul so last minute she and I convinced myself to go along for the ride.  12 hour bus ride for €50.  Sure why not?  So I will spend 3-4 days in Istanbul (another country, another continent) then head to Sofia.   Some other country will suffer for this detour, but come on, it’s Istanbul!  Romania has probably been one of the most exciting countries on this trip. I also drank a 2,5 liter of beer in one sitting.  It cost €1,30.

Istanbul 7/28/10

Wow!   What an experience!  I didn’t believe I would go to Istanbul this trip-it was a spur of the moment thing plus some encouragement from Bella (who’s travelled with me for more than a week now.)  Istanbul is unlike anything in Europe—I would say it’s the Middle East.  The city, which is very large by the way, is full of mosques, street vendors, busy tourists and locals.  The ice cream is excellent (Dondurma) as with the Turkish coffee and tea.

What did I do?  I visited the Princes Islands and took a swim in nasty water, went to a Turkish bath—ahhh, words can’t describe how great I felt after that, they scrub away all of your dead skin!  I saw a Whirling Derviches show which was pretty beautiful, smoked hookah, and played (learned to play) backgammon, just like a local.  I am feeling a bit of a money squeeze, especially now since I have to pay for Bella until she can pay me back.  I probably need to cut Switzerland and Ireland from the remainder of my trip.  C’est la vie!

Anyway, I had a cool group of people to hang out with in Istanbul and we slept on a rooftop in the hostel for €9 a night.  It doesn’t get any better than that.  Now, Bulgaria with Bella to visit my friend, Boris.

Sofia 8/1/10

I arrived via bus from Istanbul (with Bella, some fun on the bus) at 6am: luckily Boris met us at the station.  Boris was such an awesome guy he even took Bella in for three days.  I was thrilled to stay in an apartment after all these hostels 1) cut costs: I went overboard in Istanbul and I had to pay for Bella and 2) it felt like couchsurfing again.  I spent maybe €50 in total in Bulgaria, including €10 on a bottle of Havana Club (Cuban rum banned in the US).  Also, Bella payed me back €125 so my money situation is okay.  I have some credit on my phone and I cancelled my credit cards (at last).  I might try to get my wallet back from Prague too.

As for Bulgaria, so-so.  Much different than I imagined.  I was thinking along the lines of Bucharest but it was much more like Zagreb.  Very clean, pretty, and super cheap.  Unfortunately, there just wasn’t a whole lot to do.  We walked the main street went up Mt. Vitosha, saw some churches, and ate out, but that’s about it.  I stayed 4 days out of courtesy for Boris, who, by the way, is a bit different than I remember.  He’s quite pompous and flamboyant, but in an endearing way.  Well, he was a good host and I got a bed to sleep on with Bella, so it wasn’t all that bad.  I am now closing the chapter on Eastern Europe and going to Southern Europe.

I also made some changes to the trip.  No Ireland, Portugal, or Luxembourg.  Instead of Zurich, I go to Bern, and I will visit Marseille en route to Barcelona.  I will have to save everything else for another trip.

To pass the time I’ve been downloading movies, music, reading the Qu’ran, and trying to figure out this damn Rubik’s cube.  Also, my to-do list has gotten bigger and I should start thinking of how to work out my problems at home.  Lastly, I decided I don’t need the credit card in Europe, but I for sure will need it in Chicago.

Thessaloniki 8/2/10

I arrived from Bulgaria to wonderful Thessaloniki: a great introduction to Greece.  It was hot.  There was the Thessaloniki gulf straight ahead of me but I couldn’t swim: the beaches were a good 10 km away.  Thessaloniki is a small city and it reminds me of Rostock a bit.  I am a bit dissappointed that I won’t visit any more cheap cities.  That was Eastern Europe and it’s now in the past.  However, I have saved quite a lot from Bulgaria, I might be okay with my budget.

By far the best part of Thessaloniki is the ancient ruins which are scattered throughout the city:  it’s good anticipation for Athens.  In Thessaloniki they have the Rotunda of St. George, the White Tower, and the Roman Agora, (I went in after hours and got kicked out).  It blows my mind seeing these pieces of history from 4^th BC right next to a Pizza Hut.  Thessaloniki was one of the three Greek cities that St. Paul went at preached at.  Wow!

Another super plus was the hostel.  A bit steep at €17, (Hey, I find just the cheapest now) but it had AC, fridge, 2 bathrooms, nice shower, patio, and free safe storage.  Nice, plus I met a German, Croatian, Turk, and Brazilian where we played chess and Backgammon and drank all my Havana Club.

Athens 8/5/10

What a pleasant experience!  Athens is semi-clean, very large, and filled with ancient history.  The first day I walked around and found a hostel I saw the Partheon, and I was mesmerized.  I simply had to walk towards it. It’s so impressive to see in person it is worth all of my travels to see it.  I spent the whole day (with Markus, German guy I met in Thessaloniki) and two Norwegian girls.  We did a walking tour, which I paid €13 for, which wasn’t that great of a tour, considering it was our tour guide's first day.

Nevertheless, it’s a bit sad to pay more money, even though Greece is in a money pinch, prices are high.  However, I went to Cornith which had some beautiful beaches and not to mention Markus and I bungee jumped from the Corinth Canal (70 M high) for €60.  Words can’t describe how I felt bungee jumping.  Easily the scariest thing I’ve ever done.  It’s simply better than sex.  Other than that, Greece is OK in my book, but if you want to go to ancient Athens to see ruins, realize that it’s just that: ruins.

Rome 8/11/10

Alas Rome!  What a wonderful city!  I’m glad I went to Athens first, because if I went after Rome, Athens looks like a joke.  Rome is huge, clean, and littered with ancient ruins which are in excellent shape.  There are a ton of things to do in Rome; you need at least 4 days, plus one for Vatican City.

Vatican City was marvelous, you pay €15 and stand in line for awhile, yet it’s worth it.  The Vatican Museum includes some of the best Roman antiquities plus wonderful paintings from the Renaissance: noteably Raphael and Michelango.  Also, the Sistine Chapel is marvelous to behold—you look up in awe.  You’re not allowed to take pictures, so in other words, you must be sneaky.

Rome is fairly inexpensive for what it offers and cheaper than Florence.  I luckily found a hostel for €20, but it was quite a shithole and none of the staff spoke English.  My best bet was to speak with them in Spanish with an Italian accent and I could make myself understood.

Rome has beautiful piazzas, a pyramid, (who knew?)  and great food: gelato, pizza, pasta, etc.  Not to mention the Colisseum, which is even more spectatular at night.  Rome might be a contender for my favorite city, however, I didn’t do anything super special in Rome.

Florence 8/12/10

I’m quite behind writing about these cities but then again, I’m going through Italy at a rapid pace.  I had two nights in Florence.  When I arrived, my best bet was to get some food and then I went out with an English guy and two Danes.  We checked out a couple bars, got drunk, and I stumbled in at 4am.  Day two I thought to visit the Galleria Accamedia (Michelango’s David) and the Galleria Uffizi (Boticelli’s Birth of Venus) and perhaps Florence’s famous Duomo.  But as luck would have it, sightseeing in Italy in August is brutal: two hour ques plus reservation fees and the streets are littered with tourists.  I was so frustrated I actually left the city and went to Pisa for a few hours.  (It’s a mere hour from Florence.)  I pretty much waltzed in, saw the tower, took my picture, and left.  On the train back I met an Italian girl who was very nice, in fact we met up later that night for drinks and she gave me the recipe for Tiramisu.  We said goodbye and exchanged facebook.

By the way, I did get to the Galleria Uffizi and saw some wonderful Renaissance art.  I better have, Florence is the birthplace of the Renaissance.

PS-Almost got another bus fine for €45.  Talked myself out of it by saying I arrived in Florence only 20 minutes ago.

Venice 8/12/10

I unfortunately had only one night in Venice, so I had to make it last.  As luck would have it I ran into two American guys I met in Rome and I decided to go to their hotel, (which saved us all money, only €20 each).  They had nothing to do, so we all hung out together for the day.  Nice guys.  We of course got lost in Venice, (which is not so hard to do, by the way).  After wandering for a while, we came upon San Marco’s square, then on a neverending quest to find beer; we literally walked into a hostel to buy beer.  We were invited by the guests to a pier party which we graciously attended with two bottles of wine.  Wonderful night.

Oh, I failed to mention earlier, we met some other Americans (possibly a couple) and the five of us haggled ourselves a gondola ride for €14 each that night.  Venice at night in a gondola was a great choice, not so romantic with random dudes though.  Venice is so unique, I can’t believe it’s a manmade city on the water.  It’s very picturesque and it hasn’t changed since the 1500’s.

In short, Venice was great.  I had good company, a cheap hotel to sneak into, (I also stole breakfast) sort of affordable, and a fun night of drinking.

One more thing, Venice is deserted at night.  You can walk one kilometer in any direction and see virtually no one.  Also, finished Gulliver’s Travels, gave away this and the Qu’ran to the Americans and got Life of Pi.

Milan 8/12/10

What I can say about Milan is short and sweet: just like my visit.  Unfortunately due to a train delay I had only three hours to see Milan.  Plus rainy weather, all the locals had disappeared, €8 for luggage storage, and no food to eat—plus I couldn’t even see The Last Supper—you need to book a reservation in advance.  All this combined gave me a pretty negative view of the city.  I walked around, went into the Duomo, (thing is, after Rome, these other Italian cities have trouble measuring up).  Milan offers nothing special—they’re known for fashion, meaning they have many overpriced high fashion stores, but everyone I saw walking around dressed as well as me.  I’m sure I would have had more fun had I had the time; but time is pressing and I’m rushing into the final stride.

Bern 8/17/10

True, I am very late writing about Bern, but here goes.  I arrived in the night, greeted by my extremely shy couchsurfing host.  We had a mix of sunny days and crummy overcast but that’s life.  My host, Eve, urged me to spend maybe only one day in Bern, then go to Zurich, Interlaken, or Basel.  I protested.  However, she was quite right. Bern, while being the capital was very small and quite frankly, not a whole lot to do.  Luckily for me, Buskers Bern happened to be over the weekend, so I got to see some great street artists.  Also, I learned about geocaching and orienteering.

Things to do/see in Bern: Bear Park, (live bears in Bern), Rosengarten, time clock, and the city hall, maybe Parliament (which I couldn’t get in to).  Then you’re done.  I finally took Eve’s advice and went to Interlaken and hiked a mountain.  This was fun as well but rainy weather got the best of me.  Not to mention I haven’t seen prices so high since I left Oslo.  Switzerland ain’t no joke.  I almost forgot, what’s cool about Switzerland is that they speak Swiss German or French.  Swiss German is another language as far as I’m concerned.

Marseille 8/18/10

I must have some special attraction to France because it never fails to impress me.  Marseille is the second largest city in France and it borders the Mediterrean Sea.  The view is astounding, prices reasonably low, and the city is unique.  I have to say it’s a bit grudgier then Paris, and, depending on where you go it can be a bit dangerous, considering which neighborhood you’re in.  One fourth of the population of Marseille is North African.  Just throwing that out there…

Anyway I stayed at an excellent hostel my first two nights and the last night I couchsurfed with Diane: who was extremely nice, great cook, and I could speak French or English with her.

Marseille has some great things to offer: Vieux Port, Las Calanques, Le Panier, (pour sabon) La Canibiere, and Notre Dame de la Garde.  Marseille has a real individual feel to it which separated it from the 40 other cities I have gone to and I appreciate that.  I was getting much better at speaking French with the locals and I didn’t find any of them arrogant.  I also learned a lot from Diane about French culture in just one day.  I admire the French lifestyle and I hope to bring some of this back with me.  Especially pertaining to drinking.

Barcelona 8/23/10

Whoa, I’m super late writing about Barcelona but here goes: so awesome!  In the top three I think.  I was able to use Spanish (even though this is Catalunya, and the locals speak Catalan).  Barcelona is filled with art and architecture which is unlike any other city I’ve visited.  It’s quite a new city that has exploded over the past 20 years thanks to their Olympic open in 1992.

I was able to book a great hostel off Las Ramblas for only €20  a night.  My last night I decided to homeless it and actually stayed out ‘til 7am, and crashed on a fellow American traveler's couch.  The night life here is amazing, but you have to be warned that the party doesn’t even start until around 2am.  Also this effects your sleeping schedule and many people take a siesta from 3-5pm, with good reason, it’s mucho calor aqui.  I was lucky to have such a great group of people to meet and went out practically every night.  There was so much to do I booked an extra night; sort of short-changing Madrid, but what the hell?  Barcelona has everything: a beach, art, nightlife, tourist stuff, and anything done by Gaudi.  There’s also hundreds of street performers on Las Ramblas, and I made some extra cash by playing banjo: naked.  Public nudity is legal in Catalunya, so I cleared €15 in 15 minutes.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have a permit so the police kicked me out, but it was one hell of an experience.

Madrid 8/24/10

Madrid was much better than what everyone made it out to be.  It’s big, modern, clean, and the people are friendly.  It’s rather inexpensive for Europe, and the quality of food is rather good.  Unfortunately, I only had two nights to see the city, and I was up early to catch my flight.  Both nights I had some luck with women: first night I joined Joy (from New Zealand) for dinner, the night went well, and almost brought it home but I had to run back to my hostel to prep and I missed her.  (I think I took too long.)  But she was very attractive and 31.  I never remembered her number or a last name.  Second/last night in Europe, I went out for a walk with Tanya, 41 year old photographer, model, nurse from US. (but she was Vietnamese)  Nearly brought it home again but she was skirmish about having sex in hostel next to two sleeping dudes.  However, she was quite attractive.

Anyway, about Madrid.  Saw a bull fight. Which was awesome and went to Reina Sofia museum (free on Monday nights) but I missed Picasso’s Guernica because I ran out of time.  Mierda!  However I loved speaking Spanish, really helped me with the women and I’ve grown so much on this trip.