Back in the US of A

I have been back in the US for a week now. Where everything is cheap! :)

When I flew into Denver last Wednesday, Dec. 19th, it was a long 15 hour journey from start to finish. Often running through airports and barely making all my flights for the day (including the one from London to Chicago). But I made it.

I spent the week with family at my sister's home just outside Denver. It was REALLY great to see everyone. Especially my niece and nephew! The holidays were great and after spending all that time traveling mostly by myself, made it just that much better.

Also good news from Indiana. My grandmother is doing as good as could be expected after her operation last week. My dad is still there helping out. We all missed him very much in Colorado.

This Monday I rode down to Dallas with my brother and his fiance Melissa, where I was reunited with Kutya! He was very happy to see me though it looks like he has really enjoyed his time here with Elod (my brothers dog). It has been a good visit, but tomorrow its just me and kutya, we hit the road heading west. Destination Portland!

I have a room in a house already rented for 3 months. Its in NE Portland near cool Alberta Street. My new roommates Kaci and her brother sound really great. The house looks nice and is across the street from a park, so I am VERY excited to get there and having a 'home' for the first time in over 2 months.

So heading out early in the morning. Today I am working and will pack shortly.

Last sunset in Europe!

I just watched the sun set for the last time in Europe. At least for this trip.

Today I was at Renee's. I meant to get out a bit and see some last remaining sites, but instead spent the day working. Me and Renee did get out for an enjoyable dinner and a nice (chilly) walk along the Thames in the evening. Thanks again Renee for being really wonderful!

I must admit, I have a strong feeling of excitement to be going home. I am really looking forward to seeing my family and then getting situated again (in Portland or wherever I end up).


All my stuff is in a mess and at some point I will need to do some major arranging so I can fit all my stuff in the two bags I have. I really brought too much with me for this trip!


My flight leaves at 11 am. I have a 2 hour layover in Chicago and am hoping that the nasty weather that has been tearing the the Midwest will not slow my progress. Overall, it should take me about 13 hours to get to Denver.

Its been a great trip, but I am ready to go.

Spain - Food, fun, beer and crazy hours!

I like Spain. A lot!

Emily and Miguel have been wonderful. They have opened up their apartment to a stranger (well, a good friend of a good friend) and they have included me in on their social events. Wonderfully refreshing people.

Spain, is by far, culturally the most different country I have been to yet. Things are just different here. But, in a good way.

For example eating. Lunch in Spain often starts around 2-3pm. Often it is broken up into at least two dishes that are served separately. Often it involves ham or sausage (chorizo) or beans. Often it is underspiced (too my tastes).

Dinner is often served around 9-10pm.


Seafood and pork seem to rule the day here. One of the more popular items here is Jamon, or the leg of the pig. Literally, they cut off the leg, dry it and let it hang for about two years. Then you prop it up and slice thin layers off and eat it on bread or with cheese or cook with it. Its quite tasty. And its EVERYWHERE! So you walk to the market or go into a bar, very often you will see Jamon (hoof and all) hanging on the walls or from the ceiling.

In Spain, quality of the meat is very important. Many of the markets have small butcher shops with all sorts of fine looking cuts of meat. And note, that in Spain they don't waste any of the meat. You can order yourself up a package of pig ears, hoofs, bull tail sliced into sections, etc. And of course you see lots of little cute baby pigs just laying in the ice. The butcher shops can be quite scary for a butcher sheltered American such as myself. Actually it didn't bother me too much but I think it would some others. But, overall you got the feeling that the quality of the meat was very high. That often, the steak you are buying was probably walking around yesterday.

Another popular dish is, well best way for me to say is just various types of sausages (chorizo). Lots of them. I have yet to try the blood sausage but I said I would, so possibly later today or tomorrow.

And obviously there is a lot of fish. I don't eat fish or seafood and must admit, walking through the markets, the smell is just about overwhelming for me. And the idea of putting a full bodied little fish in my mouth is a bit more then I can take. Yuk! It is also common to find a large octopus at the fish stand.

Tapas is the common way of eating in Spain. This seems to be just smaller dishes of various types of food that you order to make a meal. You might get like 6 tapas and share them with your group.

Drinking in Spain is different too. A common term that is unique to Spain is Caña (I will need to double check this spelling). It means a small cheap beer on tap. So, I might order dos Cañas and I would get two small tap beers. But, often you also get a small free tapas order with this. It might be a plate of cheese or chorizo and bread. Just something small to munch on while you drink your beer.

So, culturally what they do here is you head out to a bar, order a couple Cañas, which will come with something to munch on. You socialize with the people at that bar, then after a couple rounds you head to another bar. Order a couple Cañas and eat a bit of food that comes with it, socialize... and repeat the process in a new bar. Its bar hopping basically but seems like everyone does it. In these types of bars you see young people, whole families, and elder couples, all enjoying their Cañas and tapas. Its quite fun and social.

Also, on weekends, it is not uncommon to start your dinner at 11pm and then head out to drinks and stay out until 5-6am. As we did last night.

A common drink here in Spain is Sangria, which is a sweetened wine with fruit in it. Its quite tasty and you can order it by the large jug for pretty cheap. It seems quite common that people dilute their alcohol here with soda water or lemonade or something. People often order a beer with like sprite in it.


The Metro system here (subway) is very nice. I really have the hang of European mass transit these days. :)

So, I have spent most of my time with Emily and Miguel. Friday I went to El Pais and got a tour of their offices. It was a great visit and I enjoyed seeing how they do the multimedia magic that they do. We intend to keep in touch and that makes me happy.


Friday evening me and Emily went out for Sangria and some tapas, then 'bar hopped' to a jamon bar where hundreds of legs were hanging from the walls. We ordered dos Cañas and got a chorizo plate and olives with it. We talked politics and nasty state of things in various parts of the world, then headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe to meet some of her American friends. It was nice to be around americans (wow did i say that?) and the food was pretty decent too. Emily's friends were very nice. It was a 'girls night out' but Emily was able to persuade them to allow me. Though I think some of them said I had to wear lipstick and a skirt. Next time, possibly.

Unfortunately, one of the girls at the table had her purse stolen while we were sitting there. It was on the back of her chair. :(

Saturday, we all got up around noon and slowly managed to get out of the house and head to the market. I am planning on cooking a pot roast for them today and so we got ingredients for that. Miguel was cooking a lentil soup and steaks for lunch (which meant it would be ready by 3-4pm). We had a couple bottles of wine and it was a delightful meal. Some of their friends came over and we all sat around and chat until probably 7pm.

Our plan was to join Emily and Miguels friends for drinks, then dinner at 10pm. So we head out and was sitting and eating at about 11pm. For dinner we went to a french crepe restaurant, which I was actually pretty excited about because I thought crepes were only desert and was anxious to see how you make a meal out of it. It was great, they brought out many plates of cheeses and bread and many plates of different types of salads. So you could sample all types of things in preparation for your main meal. I ordered (probably a very typical american choice) the hamburgo crepe, which consists of the crepe breading around a hamburger patty with tomato, ketchup and mustard. It was actually the least pleasing part of the meal but was good enough.

Most of their friends are from Spain (makes sense) and so a majority of the table conversation was in spanish, which i know only a little of. I was able to sometimes pick up words and could sort of figure out they were talking about their apartment or something like that. But often I sat and smiled in ignorance... which was fine. It was a good time with friendly company. Often different people in the group would fill me in on what the conversation is about. Sometimes, the person on my left would tell me, then a bit later the person on my right would tell me, then the person across the table would tell me. So I was in the loop pretty good I guess. :)

We finished up dinner around 1am and was on the way to the bar. It was (I think i was told) a pretty typical Spanish dance bar. Not really a club, but a bar. It was nice. At first they played a lot of american music, but later they played almost all spanish music. It was nice. Often a song would be on and everyone in the bar would be singing the lyrics and I would be there completely clueless... having never heard it before. But it was nice. It was Spain and that is what I am here for. I had a great time and everyone was really charming.

I am pretty sure we got back to the apartment around 4 or 5.

So I am moving a bit slow. In a bit, I will put in a pot roast. One of the few dishes that I can cook well. Then I am heading to an art museum in downtown Madrid. Excited to see another good museum, its been a while.

Tomorrow, I fly back to London in the afternoon. I will be staying at Renee's apartment until Wednesday when I fly to Denver. Very hard to believe that I am 72 hours away from flying back to the states.

Also, started looking for a place to live in Portland this morning. Checked craigslist and sent out a few emails. I definitely want to make sure I find the right kind of place. I will probably be picky. Its got to have a good karma for me ya know. A healthy environment. But, clearly this is a sign that my mind is starting to move past traveling. I am starting to exit travel mode. And am excited to get back to the states and see my family and my dog and start to get situated again.

On a very sad note. My grandmother has cancer again. (dad's mom). She is getting major surgery Thursday. Dad will not be able to make it to Denver to be with all of us for obvious reasons. I am VERY concerned about her health and will miss dad very much in Denver. We will all be watching the situation in Indiana very closely.

More photos to come. But check out my flickr account.

Madrid, Spain

My plane from Barcelona has landed, I bought a 10-pack of tickets for the Metro (train) for Madrid and have arrived near the spot where I plan to meet Miguel.

The time for paying expensive prices for hotels is over. I am staying with Emily and Miguel in Madrid. They were first recommended to me from my good friend Jen, who also introduced me to Renee in London (hi Renee) :)

They are kind enough to let me stay on their famous futon for my 4 night stay in Madrid (until Monday, at which time I fly to London to prepare for my trip back to the US). Pretty daring to let someone they don't know stay at their house for 4 days. I could be a freak! Possibly I will show up with an axe just to see what they say.

So, its 5pm and I exited the Metro station and there is a small little park with benches. Its a bit colder then I thought so I dug through my backpack to get my scarf and thought, hey what the heck, i will see if there is any free wifi here. Low and behold there is. So, i am sitting in a park right now typing away on the bench. I meet Miguel in 2 hours at a nearby cafe. I told him to look for a scraggly haired dork with a big backpack. Thats me!

Later tonight it sounds like we are going to do tapas. I bet they know all the good places.

Tomorrow, I am going to the newspaper El Pais to meet their multimedia people...excited about that. They do have a position open uhhum. :)

OK, well its getting cold and I need a drink of sangria...

adios! :)

Barcelona, Spain - Its where it's at!

My whole trip I have been looking forward to Spain. I have always said, that I have always been more excited about seeing Spain then possibly all other countries on my trip. I can not fully nail down the reason I feel this way but it is how it is.

Possibly because I have met several people from Spain over the past couple years and was always impressed with them as solid people that I enjoy. Possibly because I respect their work in my industry (I am visiting El Pais Friday).

Regardless, yesterday I got up and prepared for my travels from Venice to Barcelona, Spain. I was ready to leave Italy, and especially Venice.

My flight did not leave until 6:15 but I had to check out of my hotel by 11am. So I left my bag at the hotel and wondered the streets of Venice, determined not to spend another dime in the expensive city. Eventually around 1pm I headed towards the bus depot to catch the 45 minute bus ride to my far away airport. I waited for 2.5 hours in very cold conditions before the bus arrived. Unfortunately, the listed hours for the bus on a nearby sign were very hard to figure out for someone who does not speak italian. I was not the only one sitting in the cold.

I must admit, at this point I was tired and grumpy. I even found myself being somewhat rude. I was just having a bad day and it was about to get much more complicated.

Once at the airport, I checked my bag and sat and waited for them to announce that my flight was boarding. As time went on I kept hearing something about the incoming flights being diverted for some reason. This started to concern me.

After the sun set, an intense fog settled over the airport. And as the clock got closer to my flight, they kept diverting flights to a nearby airport... and of course, when it finally came time for my flight, they came over the speakers and announced something in Italian that caused everyone in my line to sigh and start speaking quickly. Of course, I was clueless and was asking around like crazy to anyone who would listen. Finally two guys answered and told me that our flight had been diverted to another airport two hours away. They were going to have us take a bus to that airport.

Turns out, these two guys were Slovenians heading on a weeks vacation in the Canary Islands. They didn't speak Italian either but had heard from someone else. They only spoke Slovenian and English. As the whole group headed out towards the buses (which took about an hour to arrive as everyone stood outside in the cold) I got to know these two guys a bit. They were engineering students in college, basically on winter break.

As I stood outside chatting with them a bus finally arrived and I decided to go up closer and see if it was the one we wanted. The Slovenians stayed back with the bags. When I got up closer to the bus and saw that it quickly filled I was approached by a girl asking if I knew if other buses were coming. I told her I was not sure but suspected that more were on their way. She told me she was Slovenian and didn't speak a word of Italian and was more lost then I was. I quickly introduced her to my Slovenian winter breakers and so our little travel group was born. :)

They were Simon and hmmm, i cant remember the 2nd guys name. The girl was Irena. They were all three from Slovenia which is just 2 hours east of the airport on the eastern border of Italy. The country itself is only 2 million people and the airport we were being diverted to was only 15 minutes from the border.

We all did our introductions and finally managed to get onto one of the buses. We barely managed to find a seat on this second bus and that was at the very back. Simon's friend actually didn't get a seat so he sat on the floor in the back resting up against our legs.

The bus ride to the new airport was about 2 hours away. So we all started chatting and questioning each other about each other's countries. They spoke about the Euro and how it has affected their country since they adopted it some two years ago. Basically, it sounds like it raised the prices of everything, but people's salaries did not increase, so the costs of living have increased dramatically for them. Though, Simon was quick to say it has it's advantages as well (without going into detail).

They asked me about the US. About our president and Iraq. About American music (which they listen too), etc. Simon and friend were flying for the first times in their lives and were excited to be leaving their country. Irene was meeting her sister in Barcelona for a week long vacation.

By the time we reached the airport, we had all learned a lot about each other and our countries. Slovenia sounds absolutely charming... mostly countryside with forests and mountains. They also argued about which of the two Slovenian beers were the best. :)

It was a real joy speaking with them along the way.

At the new airport, we exited, recheched our bags and did security again and then the flight quickly took off. I sat next to Irene and we talked more about her country. I also sat next to a women from Holland who had just moved to Venice. She informed me that Venice restaurants charge about 300 percent more for tourists then locals. This jaded me even more towards my feelings about Venice. Again, I felt happy to leave.

During the flight (and keep in mind this was Simon and friends first flight ever) we hit some of the worst turbulence I have ever experienced. We had just flown over the northwestern part of the Mediterranean and had just reached Spain when we hit it. It was certainly enough to scare the bu-jeezus out of all of us. Of course, Simon loved it and thought it was all normal. I told him it probably wont be like that again for a long time. He was disappointed. When we landed, people clapped.

Our destination was Ginova, Spain, about an hour north of Barcelona. Irena was also heading towards Barcelona city center and so we decided to travel together for the remainder of the night. She had intended on catching a bus in Barcelona to meet her sister, but all those buses had long finished for the day. Our plan was to bus it to Barcelona and when we would arrive (around 2am) we would find an open bar and drink until the morning. I had not made any hotel reservations yet so it worked with my plan. We said our goodbyes to our dear new friends (Simon and pal who were going to sleep in the airport and catch a flight the next morning at 6am to the Canary Islands) and took a bus to Barcelona. From there we shared a taxi with the women from Holland and before we knew it Irena and I was walking the streets of Barcelona at 2am with all our bags. Turns out, on a Tuesday night, not much is open that late (Spain has a reputation of its bars staying open all night, but apparently that is on the weekends only). We did manage to find an Irish bar that was open until 3:30 and we managed to quickly drink two large Guinness beers before they kicked us out. So we luckily found a cheap hotel that was pretty nice. We got a double and crashed.

This morning we got up around 8:30 and started exploring Barcelona. We got breakfast and ate tons of food and drank coffee and lots of freshly squeezed orange juice. I expected the bill to be 30 Euros but was only 9 Euros. SPAIN IS CHEAPER! :)

Its a charming lively city that lives up to all my expectations. I love it!

I found a new hotel nearby in a great location that has wifi and booked my room for tonight. Irena finally had to head out for the bus to meet her sister. We said our goodbyes and she left in a taxi. I must admit, I was sad. I really enjoyed all of the Slovenians and thought that all three were quality people. I was once again alone (at least for another day)

So, instead of sulking in my room, I started walking. There is apparently some major soccer event going on in the city as all these Germans are here drinking and chanting loudly. Its exciting.

Come to find out, there is a major soccer match going on tonight. The German Stuttgart team vs Barcelona's team. Apparently Barcelona is the favorite. So, tonight I intend to try to find the arena and find a ticket and go experience European soccer first hand. Sounds very exciting! :)

That being said, I should probably go!

Almost forgot, last night while surfing the channels in my hotel room I was surprised to see that they had a hardcore porno channel. Just playing. No warning. Quite a surprise when you don't expect it. I wasn't offended but had I brought children along I would have been upset.

Thats about it! :)

Tomorrow, Madrid and free lodgings with Emily and Miguel!

Venice

Mainly this post will be for posting my Venice photos.

Overall I found Venice to be exciting and a unique city, but was disappointed with the high costs and the touristy feel. Also, Venice (as with most of Italy) was in a solid state of disrepair that is covered with graffiti.

Don't get me wrong, there is a romantic charm to the city. No cars, lots of canals and boats. Its charming. But lets hope a major earthquakes doesn't hit the area anytime soon as most of the dilapidated buildings appear on the verge of collapse. :)

Also, Italy has a 'terrorist' law that makes random access to the internet illegal. So, all internet access was highly restricted and expensive. :(

I will post my photos of Venice here within the next 24 hours.

Venice - First full day

I sure picked some fine weather to hit Venice. Cold and rainy. Good thing I have my very very very cheap umbrella that I bought in Paris.

This morning I got up early and took full advantage of the American breakfast included in my hotel costs. Besides the milk having a slight smell to it and the apples in the fruit basket embarrassingly rotten, it was ok. I did manage to get three eggs scrambled for me and that was the hilite that I hope to reproduce the next two mornings while I am here in Venice.

Basically Venice appears to be a city where it shouldnt be. Its centered on about 117 islands connected by some 400 bridges. Nice because there are no cars in this area. Just boats and people walking (often with their dogs). Lots of dogs in this town.

After breakfast I got cleaned up and took a decently long walk (not once seeing a car cause there are none here). I would post the photos, but I am currently logged into a very expensive internet cafe and can not hook up my laptop. I will post them on my flickr account Tuesday.

Mostly though, today, i rested. Luckily for me there are some English speaking channels, CNN Europe and some sports channel. Also I watched a movie or two in Italian. Not that I can speak any Italian, but it was fun guessing what they were talking about.

Tonight i went out for wine and pizza and found a decent little place and had an OK little dinner. Actually, for Romes standards, it was pretty disappointing. Also, all said and done it cost me about $30US. Not sure it was worth it. I miss my tasty spots in Rome.

Another thing that I just must admit... Either the Italians have no concept of waiting in line or they just feel like they have a right to cut in front of people (or possibly just tourists). Sometimes their cutting is so bold I want to say something to them like "what do you think you are doing you stupid b*****d!!!". Honestly, it makes me laugh (better then actually saying what i want to say to them) at how ridiculous it can be. Especially when it happened at the Vatican... but today was even more blatant. Possibly I should just ignore them but beat them at their own game and simply cut back in front of them. Hmmm, i will try that next time... Hope I don't get a black eye!

Other then that my stay so far in Venice has been good. Its a bit touristy and most the stuff for sale are shiny glass objects (that would look better in my mind broken), bright colored masks and capes (for who-knows-what type of events), womens handbags (sold about every 20 yards by the only black people I see in the area) and expensive shoes. Doubt I will spend too much here except for wine and food.

As mentioned, I am pleased with my hotel, but I must admit that both of my hotels now in Italy, though nice, have had a strong mildew smell to them. Very strong. So strong that at times I blame it for my continued cough.

I did run into some American girls last night who had all their valuables stolen out of their room. They went to the police station and when one of them took photos of the police, was threatened with jail. Or so they said... they were pretty loud and annoying so who knows. This made me paranoid, but so far, things in my room are well.

Other then that, I have just 9 more days of my trip. In ways I worry about the end of this adventure, but in other ways I can not wait. Don't get me wrong, its been a good trip, but its been go-go-go... and the idea of getting back into a routine of some sort, somewhere, sounds pretty good right now. I guess that is what traveling is for. Give you a better perspective on how to live your regular daily routine. Or not...

OK well I am paying bunches for this so I better wrap it up. Really looking forward to seeing my family in 10 days in Denver. Really looking forward to my last week in Spain (which for several reasons was what I was most excited about for this whole trip, I hope it lives up to my expectations)...

DJ CJ OUT!!! lol

Marco! Polo! I am now in Venice!

Arrived just a we two hours ago. Was a bit of confusion finding the hotel. Apparently, they don't believe in street signs here. And the directions on the website gives you directions from the wrong terminal. But it says the one i was at. Took me a good 30 minutes of wondering around like an idiot for that one.

Anyhow, my room is much better then I expected. Its actually nice. No internet connection and i doubt i will be able to upload any new images until i get to Spain.

But I do have a handy online store next door that charges a fortune... So i might pay a ton to post my new blogs here and there.

I did get up early this morning, ate tons of the free breakfast and went to the Vatican. Didn't meet the Pope though, so disappointed about that. I requested a visitation and they didn't even respond... go figure..

Overall though, i met my main goal. I saw Michelangelo's famous sculpture Pietà... and it was awesome... I got some great photos of it.

So far Venice seems cool. I am very tired, i just drank a liter of wine and i am ready to crash!!!!! More exploring tomorrow. I am pretty sure the new shoes are working out fine...

Last day in Rome

The last couple days have not been the best. Hardly worth going into details, but lets just say the same old ghosts are at it again.

But today I managed to get back on my feet and I hit Rome hard. I started early... because I found out that the breakfast that my hotel serves, is actually pretty good. This is saying a lot since most of the hotels I have stayed in have offered some sort of breakfast. But usually it consisted of instant coffee, stale bread and maybe a yogurt cup. This breakfast has fruit and cereal and cold scrambled eggs. Luxury. So the past two days I have gotten up early and eaten like 4 helpings for breakfast. Got to save money someone... Yesterday, that was actually my only meal!

So, I got up early, ate breakfast and was out on the street, showered and all by 10 am.

I was wearing my new shoes of course. Which I bought yesterday in a last ditch attempt to save my walking tourist career. Jury is still out on the shoes though... they tend to wear like a pair of wet leather socks. Not sure they do much foot supporting... But they don't rub against the Achilles. :)


Determined to see as many sites as possible, I immediately headed towards the old city center of Rome. First stop Trevi Fountain. I had been told by friends that it was amazing and that you need to face away from the fountain and toss a coin over your shoulder into the fountain in order to guarantee your return to Rome. Its an old custom apparently. So I looked it up on the map and it was close.

When I finally rounded the corner and found it... It was pretty disappointing. It was tiny! I figured that it was ancient and so it was probably impressive when it was introduced. I took my pictures and tossed a pence over my shoulder and headed on.

After walking a bit I took another look at my map to figure my next destination only to find that I had made a mistake. I did not just view Trevi Fountain, it was the less heralded Tritone Fountain. I got a laugh out of this and found my way to Trevi.


It was amazing and huge! I took even more photos and this time i tossed a 20 pence coin over my shoulder! Now I am guaranteed to return to Rome! :)


After that I hobbled my way over to the Piazza Colonna, which is a large ancient carved monument very much like Colonna Traiana near the Roman Forum. I actually saw a duplicate of one of these in London. They might not look like much in a photo, but up close, they are massive and rather impressive.



Finally I reached the Pantheon. From the back (I approached the building from behind) this building really did not look like much. Looks like it used to be covered with marble but all that is left now (for the most part) is the underlying brick structure.

A much different story when inside. Its unbelievable to think that this building is over 2000 years old. Built in 27 BC. It was stunning. Again, I will let the photos speak for themselves.





The dome was amazing and had a hole in the center that let in light. Stunning.


Next I hit the Museo di Roma. It would have been easy to miss, but I walked right up to it. I guess nobody else found it though cause I swear I was the only person in the place. It was ok.


At this point I got lost in the mix of roads and alleys. Next thing I knew I was back at the Monumento Vittorio Emanuele II. Which I keep running into. Though, this time they were letting people in!


Turns out the inside had been turned into a WW1 Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an overall WW1 museum. It was exciting enough for something so 'modern'. :)


What I found interesting is the Monument itself is an ancient building that is built on the ruins of an ancient building. The basement was amazing. Also, the were great views of the Roman Forum in the back of the building.

When I exited the back I got trapped in another one of Italy's nasty dead ends that take 15 minutes to realize it goes nowhere. But when I emerged I found the hilite of the day. The Musei Capitolini!


Established in 1471 (in the same building), The Musei Capitolini is the oldest antiquities museum in the world and about everything in it is at least 2000 years old. Amazing. Especially the 2500 year old original She-wolf nurturing Romulus & Remus statue. I remember this big time from Latin class way back when. This statue is duplicated all over Rome. Pretty sure I got a picture of a copy in a Paris park too.


Also, the Colossal bronze statue of Constatine, the Dying Gaul, the Marcus Aurelius statue and the broken up pieces of the Acrolith of Constatine. Not to mention the building itself. Again, this ancient building was built on the ruins of several ancient buildings. You can go in the basement and they have a glassed off wall that behind it shows the marble cornerstone of a building that used to be at street level. Pretty amazing.



My flight to Venice tomorrow is later in the day. So I am hoping to get up early enough for a hefty breakfast and a trip the Vatican. We shall see.

Yesterday was not the best of days. Things I had to deal with: unable to walk much, nasty cough, my mac not starting for over an hour (which freaked me out), my bank card not working most of the day and i was out of money (which freaked me out), the wifi internet not working most of the day, and... well i guess thats it.

I got a 3rd showing on my house today in Indianapolis. I am told to expect an offer this weekend, Monday at the latest. Not sure how I feel about that. Always thought of my house as a backup... a sanctuary that I could always retreat to.

I doubt they will give me what I want. And I wont go down.

I did manage to do my laundry tonight! I am very excited about this. :)

OK, the wine I had for dinner is putting me to sleep. So thats that for now.

Next post, Venice!

Rome: I came, I saw, I conquored... Or, well at least I came and saw.

Today is Wednesday. Two weeks from now I will be flying home. I have been in Europe for roughly 5.5 weeks and am currently ending my first full day in Rome.

Rome, what can be said about Rome. My Lonely Planet travel book says "Rome: just the name conjures 2700 years of Western civilization. Possibly the most influential city the world has ever seen." It goes on to say "Rome might now be filled with more foreigners carrying maps of Rome than actual Roman citizens. However, its storied past and legendary buildings overpower and captivate even the most jaded of visitors."

I am not jaded. At least not towards Rome. :)

To be honest, I still have not figured out if I like Rome yet or not. It is overpowering. The history and the landmarks are just breath taking. But there is a rawness to Rome that I just have not figured out yet. Its either my favorite city I have been to yet, or my least favorite. I just haven't figured that out yet.


So, in my first full day of exploration of the city, I headed back to where I had been last night. Towards the Roman Forum, the Palatine and the Colosseum. I walked of course... well, rather limped. I actually prefer walking everywhere. It lets you get a feel for the city. You start running into intersections that you had been to the day before and they start feeling 'familiar'...


I paid my 11 euros entry fee to the Colosseum (price includes tour of the Palatine Hill). I started walking through the ruins, up and down the different halls and stairwells. I could not help thinking "This is where Bruce Lee kicked Chuck Norris's ass!". Now, most of you will have no idea what I am talking about and will think I am a nerd for even saying that. While a rare few of you will think "hell yeah". I am comfortable with the coolness of the statement regardless of its popularity. :)

Anyhow, I tried to imagine the roar of the 50,000 spectators and I imagined people hacking each other to death. The lions and gladiators. But the thing that I found the most interesting, was touching the actual ruins. There were bricks that have been there for almost 2000 years. I think of the person who put that brick there. I think of the images and sounds that brick has witnessed. Its been there the whole time (well most of them have at least)... I have seen it in books all these years and now, here I am walking through it. Pretty amazing.

I also paid for entry to Palatine Hill in my ticket for the Colosseum. But for the life of me I could not figure out how to get to into it. It is a massive area of ruins that is fenced off. You can see it all from above and through the fences, but I wanted to be in the middle of it. Well, for the life of me, I think the Italy does not understand the concept of signs. I walked for 20 minutes down a fenced in road thinking it was leading somewhere. There was not one exit and there was nothing at the end. No signs warning you that it was a dead end. Nothing. It was a 40 minute trap that I and about 300 other people fell into today. At the end of it, everyone I encountered was like "what the hell" or "you got to be kidding me". While walking back, I wanted to tell everyone I passed (about 100 people) "its a dead end turn around" but for some reason I felt it best to just let them figure that out on their own.

So I spent probably 2 hours looking for the entrance to Palatine Hill and finally when I found it, it was closed. I was told my ticket is good tomorrow, but I had full intentions of going to different parts of town tomorrow, possibly the Vatican. So, we shall see.

Speaking of the Vatican. Once a week, on Wednesdays the Pope gives a public mass at the Vatican. I could have seen the Pope. Had I done a little more planning ahead. Course, Renee showed me some photos a week ago of her visit to Rome and there were the photos of the Pope and all. She told me about this but I couldn't remember what day it was. Strike three for Chris. :)

But there is still plenty to see that the Vatican. Hell I might even convert to being a Catholic! or not...

So what else can I say about Rome?

The food is outstanding. Being an American there are a few 'ethnic' foods that stand out. There is mexican, chinese and italian... not in any specific order either. Nobody really knows what French food is. German food? Isn't that like sour crout? Well there is a reason everyone knows about Italian foods. Because its awesome!

Today, on my way to the Colosseum I found a cool little stretch of back roads that were just awesome. Tiny little one lane roads that made you wonder when the stones in the street were laid. All sorts of shops lined the roads and I had a hard time picking one restaurant over the other, but for some reason I chose one.

When I walked in I found a group of older Italians all turned around and looked at me like they did not expect a customer. A few of them said something in Italian and I just responded by "hi" and a smile. One of them eventually seated me and I quickly ordered water and lasagna.

Water is an interesting subject in Rome. Nobody serves free water. You have to buy it by the bottle. Though, in my hotel I drink it out of the sink (possibly I shouldn't). They look at you funny if you ask for regular unbottled 'tap' water. So, I got a bottle without really asking for it.

As I sat waiting for my food there is a wall of pictures on the wall in the cosy little spot. Family members over the past 20 years. As I waited, I saw each and every one of them. All aged 20 years since the photos. The cook, he was the one in charge, was probably 60 in the photos and 80 at present. I saw him cooking in the back and was worried he could still make a decent dish.

Wow was I wrong. I had easily the best lasagna I have ever tasted. It could not have been healthy but I savored every taste. It was like regular lasagna that we have in the US except it was probably a bit more oily and probably had more cheese in it. It was very rich. I absolutely LOVED it and hope to get back there again before I leave.

Another point that I am glad that figured out now rather then later. My Lonely Planet guide tells me that drinking wine will save you money rather then drinking beer. Well, in my first 24 hours I thought this was a load of shit to be honest. Every place I went to had a beer for 4-6 Euros and wine for 4-6 Euros. The thing I did not know until tonight for dinner, was that the price for wine is not by the glass, its by the LITER!

Holy shit! 6 Euros for a liter of wine! Thats probably a bottle!

Tonight I decided to splurge. They had a house wine for 6 euros. I thought that was by the glass. So i was like "what the hell, I will have a glass of wine" He was like "do you want a liter or half liter" and I was confused so I said half liter. It was only 3 Euros and plenty enough to get me well on my way to toasted.

So, Lonely Planet was right again. Wine is the way to go when in Rome. I doubt I will have another beer while I am here (except for the beer I bought at the grocery store that I keep in my room refrig)... (thats right, I have a frig in my room... I am livin the life of luxury). :)

Wine it is then.

Speaking of alcohol. As an American I find it strange that everywhere you go sells alcohol. You might stop at a touristy shop with postcards and other touristy crap, and then in the cooler in the back there are cokes and booze. You can walk around on the street or go through the Colosseum with a beer. I found this strange, but I like it.

Since I believe in walking more then busing it or training it, I get to see what the shops are selling more. I have to admit, that I like the fashion of Rome better then the fashion of Paris or London. Possibly I do not speak for the 'world of fashion' but as far as I am concerned, Rome is where it is at! I am actually considering spending some considerable cash for items here. There are some shoes that are mildly affordable for 45 Euros ($70US) and a really awesome leather jacket for 150 Euros (I don't want to admit what that would cost in dollars). Anyone who knows me knows I don't really spend a lot on stuff. Normally, had I found these items in the US I probably would have bought them, but because I am on this whole budget thingy and spending more money then I care to think about on travels, I hesitate. Hard to say if I will buy them or not. The shoes especially cause they are cheaper and might help the whole walking problem. We shall see.

Traffic in Rome is pretty similar to the other parts of Europe I have been too. Completely insane. Today I gathered enough nerve to walk across a pedestrian right of way in a six lane road. I was scared and watching all directions as if my life depended on it (as a matter of fact, IT DID). Driving in Rome is probably more chaotic and lawless though. I see all types of things I probably would not see in the states. Besides pedestrians, right of way seems to be whoever gets here first type of rule.

Parking is also surprisingly chaotic. Clearly you can not block a street or sidewalk, but I think the rules end there. Smart cars seem to be the coolest thing in all of Europe. I have seen them parked in the strangest of little places. Today I ran into a smart car parked diagonal (nose to sidewalk) in a parallel parking situation. I got a laugh out of that. Also, I have probably seen 5 cars, pulling out of the spots, bump another parked car. It seems socially acceptable here to do that. I actually saw one guy bump the car behind him, pull forward and bump the car in front of him and so on until he could make it out. I think if this happened in the US, and had the person who parked in front or behind them witnessed this, there would have been a fight.

Well, that is about all I can think to write at this moment. I am limited on internet access so I am writing this before I log on and post. My room is nice and I have decided to stick it out in this room. I can buy hourly access to wifi for 3 Euros. Though, I have found that just because I have temporarily stepped up to a 3 star hotel that things are perfect. Yes, the room is nice, but it has a slight smell to it and the water takes about 8 minutes to heat up (literally). So, I am not sure the higher prices justify the 'luxury'. Looks like I am a 2 star hotel kind of guy. :)

Lastly, today I bought some cough medicine at a local pharmaceutical shop. Luckily the guy understood what I was saying. He immediately grabbed something from the stack and told me once every four hours. Not sure how the drug policies are here but I hope this stuff works. I can't read a damn thing on the bottle so we shall see. Could be fun experiment! :)

Till next time!

Not caughing as much as he used to,
Chris

Rome at last!

Just as planned, i woke up at 4:30 this morning and washed my hair in the sink. Got ready and left the Hotel de Nevers for the last time. I got the trains I wanted, caught the shuttle on time and got to the airport with time to kill. At best I got two hours sleep though. I was restless.

The flight was 1.5 hours and went smooth. I could see some really nice mountains in northern Italy and took photos from the plane. We landed, I caught the shuttle that I wanted into the city centre and found my hotel. All went smooth.

The hotel is nice but the wifi there is pay-as-you-go. Its not cheap either. So right now I am in an internet cafe. I will probably log on tomorrow evening from my room for an hour and upload new images and post another blog. I am considering leaving the hotel I have booked though the desk guys arent making it easy on me. I found a cheap 2 star hotel (pretty much all i have had since I got to Europe and thats fine by me) in the area that has wireless internet for free. Would like to transfer to that. But I might stay where I am.

I did manage to walk around and see some sights tonight. I saw the Coliseum and walked around it and took photos. Saw lots of ruins in the city center. very impressive. Tomorrow I hit them hard core.

Anyhow time running out. I am safe and doing well... cough is worse but thats OK. And I still limp... just falling apart.

anothe post tomorrow night.

Last night in Paris - Notre Dame

This is it. I have been here almost a week now and I am really getting a feel for Paris. Once again, just as I am getting comfortable where I am at, I am leaving my comfort zone! :)

Tomorrow morning I fly to Rome. I am very excited about this. Its a bit warmer there and I am excited to see the sites. I fly from Beauvais Paris(BVA) which is about an hours drive (at least) from Paris. I found a shuttle for 13 Euros on a Metro (train) station on the west side of town. So, to make sure I am prepared, I actually got up this morning, bought Metro tickets and rode the Metro to the shuttle location and bought my shuttle ticket. It takes about 30 minutes (when you get on the right train) to get from here (Republique station) to there (Porte Maillot station). So, now I know I need to get up tomorrow around 5am, be on the train by 5:30am, at the shuttle station by 6am to make my 9am flight. So I am now prepared.

Also, I was told at Hotel Notre Dame, that I would be able to keep my room another day if I wanted. When I went to the desk to stay another day, no good. They sold the room out from under me. So I went up, squeezed in a quick shower, packed my goods and headed out. I wasnt too disappointed as I knew I would be able to find something nearby. Turns out I just walked next door back to the Hotel de Nevers and got a cheaper room without a shower, which is fine cause I doubt I would have time to take one in the morning anyhow. It does have a toilet and sink though but has the hardest bed I have had yet. First time I have had a toilet in my room since I got to Paris. Also it is on the ground floor, so no more steep stairwells, its big, and I have wifi in the room again. So its all good. But I do sort of feel like I am playing musical hotel rooms.

Now that I am leaving Paris, I have been thinking about the city itself. There is that stereotype that the French are rude. I can say that so far, I have not found that to be completely true. Sometimes I think they can get frustrated that you can not speak their language but that would happen in the US a lot as well. I have met some very friendly and patient people here though, so for the most part, I would say my stay in Paris has been welcoming.

I think I could live in Paris. Especially if I had money. The architecture is similar to London, but I think I prefer it here. There are more gates that open up into the center of a building. There are less parks here then London, but I wasn't all that impressed with London parks anyhow. The Paris parks are usually a tiny little spot with gravel instead of grass. There are many more dogs here in Paris than London. I tend to think the French love their dogs and their cigarettes. They smoke here as much as people in Indiana! The bars reek of smoke and I blame that for my cough. The French bring their dogs into restaurants and bars. They often walk their dogs without a leash (which I like). And I tend to see dog shit on the sidewalks everywhere. Also, almost every homeless person has at least one dog with them... strange.

Another thing the French like is their bicycles, scooters and motorcycles. Seems like just about everyone has one. I think part of this is because gas is so expensive. Also I would not be surprised if there are huge fees for having a car in the city. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was really impressed with the Paris biking system, where you can use your Metro pass to take a bike and then drop it off at another bike center. Very cool and progressive thinking and the people here use them.

Liquids in Paris are expensive. Its not uncommon to spend 8 Euros ($12US) for a beer here. For a heavy drinking American, I could easily spend $150 on a night out on the town if not careful. Even a coke here costs at least 1.5 Euros ($2.25US). A green tea from Starbucks costs over 3 Euros ($4.50US), back home that costs me $2 dollars.

Electronics are expensive. Computer equipment is expensive. I saw an ethernet cord for sale for 20 Euros ($30US). I could get one of those back home for say $6.

There aren't any Walmarts in the city centers. Like London, because of all the old architecture, all the stores are smaller and tend to focus on one type of product. Possibly, if you lived in Paris, you would do most your buying online and only buy from these shops as a last resort.

The language barrier is definitely there for me still. But, as one of the women I met here my 2nd night told me, you must get bold to exist here when you do not speak French. And I am seeing that. I used to be hesitant to order a panini, especially when a lot of people were around me. Its like I was embarrassed to speak and ask if they can speak english. Now, I do not hesitate. I have the greeting and the questions down pat. Often the person I am greeting can tell that I do not speak French and will immediately start speaking in English.

I do not think I stand out too much though as a foreigner. Often people come up to me asking for directions and such. I actually was even able to help one of them cause I had a map.

As for Rome, I am excited to get there. I just booked my room and must say, I splurged a bit. It will probably be the nicest place I have stayed in. There were cheaper options but they were farther away from the sites and did not have wifi internet. I am staying at the Hotel XX Settembre.


So, as you can see at the top of this post, for my last day here in Paris I decided to visit Notre Dame Cathedral. I jumped on the Metro (no more walking for gimpy me). I was very happy I went. A stunning structure.



I was very happy with the sunny blue sky for my last day of traveling. :)

Lastly, I bought 6 postcards just outside Notre Dame Cathedral. I will send them to the first 6 people who send me an address through email or by posting a response on this blog. You can even choose which one you want! Here they are:


What a mix! Not sure which ones I like the best. I might have to send them from Italy.

On that note, its 7:30 pm and I am going to need to get my last dinner in Paris.

Have to admit that walking through the city today, I sort of had a sad feeling about leaving. I like Paris. I hope I make it back here sometime.

The Louvre - again

Today, Sunday, I went to the Louvre again. It is the first Sunday of the Month, which means free entry. The museum is so large, that honestly, I could probably spend a third day there and still see lots of new things. Its massive.












This was Napoleon's apartment (he lived in the Louvre). Pretty cool thinking he was sitting in this room, on this furniture.


I missed this on my first visit... The Venus de Milo. Very cool.

Saturday on the town

Last night, I was planning on meeting the American expat group. I decided to go even though I was limping everywhere. Unfortunately I got lost on my way there and 30 minutes after it was supposed to start I passed an Australian bar and decided to give up and go in and get a drink. It was a nice bar that felt familiar.

Not really sure the French have the same ideas about bars as Americans, Brits and Australians. They have cafes that serve alcohol and nightclubs. I think that if I lived in Paris, I would probably be going to Irish and Australian bars quiet often.

In the Australian bar I met a nice 60 year old women who was from New Zealand. She has lived in France for 30 years and currently lives outside the city. She was a real interesting person who has traveled the world and done many things and so she became my drinking buddy for Saturday.

She ended up taking me to a Spanish gay bar around the corner where we drank sangria and I ordered a ham omelette. But this was no omelette that I was used to. It was REALLY good. More of a egg pie with potatoes in it and the ham and veggies were in a separate bowl. It was delicious. Barbara, my new friend, told me this is what I can expect in Spain. Sounds good to me. Also, though she said it was a gay bar, you wouldn't know by looking. There were lots of straight couples there. I talked with Barbara about her daughters, her life in Paris, about when she worked in Iraq for two years with the 'Food for Oil' program, her marriage, politics, etc. It was very enjoyable.

Barbara finally had to head home, so with several drinks in me, I was on my own. I went to the first Irish bar I could find and they had a 'rock & roll' band playing. I went in, ordered a 8 euro Guinness ($12US) and was seated in a packed room where the band was playing. The band basically was a cheesy cover band that was moderately good at best. But, the audience LOVED them. I had a good buzz on and must admit I found the whole thing rather funny. Possibly there is a big shortage of US rock cover bands in Paris. Also noticed that the volume of the music was very low compared to what it would be in the US.

I ended up hitting two other bars on my way home and bought a foot long sub at the first Subway shop I have seen in Paris.

Needless to say, I woke up a bit late this morning.

The final itinerary

It has been set. I have paid for it.

So, its going to happen.

For the most part I am happy with the costs. And happy with the dates.

Here it is:

Dec. 4th: fly from Paris to Rome

Dec. 8th: fly from Rome to Venice

Dec. 11th: fly from Venice to Barcelona, Spain

Dec. 13th: fly from Barcelona to Madrid

Dec. 18th: fly from Madrid to London

Dec 19th: fly from London to Denver

I have purchased all the tickets but the 2nd to last. So, its going to happen.

Missed the American get together tonight. Got lost walking there. :(

Its 2am, time to go to to bed.

Chris

Saturday in Paris

Today is Saturday. I am lame. No, really... lame.

My achilles tendon on my left foot is as bad as it has ever been. I can hardly walk on it. That is a full week now that it has been bothering me. Damn, i must be getting old or something. Also, I am pretty sure these shoes I am wearing were not really meant as great walking shoes. And they are getting plenty of use lately.

This morning I woke up and had to get my morning parmesan panini. I hadnt showered yet and was just quickly dressed and with a strong limp I probably looked like a homeless man in the streets of Paris. Turns out my favorite panini shop is closed on Saturday! The shame. So I bobbled back towards the Hotel Notre Dame and got one from a different shop. Not as good, but tasty nonetheless.

I do have some fun plans tonight but am starting to wonder if I will be able to make it or not. I found an American Expat online group that is getting together tonight at an Irish bar that happens to be right down the road. Problem is, they are doing a bar/scavenger hunt game. Where you go from one bar to another and they recommend good walking shoes for it. Sounds great, except I walk about .25 miles per hour right now. So the people on my team would probably have to carry me and I doubt they would like that. So, if I am still limpin around like a gimp in 2 hours I might have to pass. :(

My goals for today were to get some tickets bought for the rest of my trip. But let me tell you something... that is a surprise to me... planning and purchasing tickets for a trip can be a very long and frustrating experience. I spent a good 3 hours this morning and got really nothing accomplished. Its like this:

I want to go to Destination A, B and C. I do not care what order specifically. And Destination B is not too important so I could always go to Destination D if B doesn't work out.

So, I look online, find a cheap flight to Destination A. I check for flights out of there 3 days later and there aren't ANY that wont cost a fortune. So, check flights to Destination B and there are none affordable. Hmmm, so I try C and thats ok, but the only cheap flights out take me to Destination E, which I hadnt realy considered but possibly.

You get the picture.. Its terribly frustrating cause overall, none of it is as cheap as I would like for it to be and my budget is very tight right now.

Also, to add an additional complexity level to it all. I recently found out a good friend from Portland is in Europe. She has invited me to Ireland where her and her boyfriend will be visiting her aunt this Wednesday to Sunday. I could stay at the aunt's for free just outside Dublin!

I don't really like the idea of back tracking, but its free rent! And it would be fun to be with friends again. But this might mean no Italy or Amsterdam (which I am considering avoiding anyhow cause its very expensive).

So, I have decisions to make and I am not making them fast enough. I need to buy some tickets today.... right now...

Again, this has me thinking that a bit more pre-planning could be a good thing. I mean I like the idea of being able to make new decisions on the fly, but ... oh well...


Yesterday, I walked all over Paris again and took lots of photos of the city.

I also walked outside the Louvre and shot more photos (below) of the exterior. And, I found out that the first Sunday of every month, all museums in Paris are free! Which means I can go to the Louvre tomorrow and take pictures! And I just might.