Schmidt World Tour 2006

suggestions for India?

2008-01-20T23:07:00.000-08:00

Does anyone have any tips on get non-metro, non-Taj, non-Himalaya destinations in India? Any Rajastan tips to offer?

Cool new photo site

2007-09-20T12:09:00.000-07:00

Cool new photo site called ZoomIn.com. I wish this site had been around when we were on our trip:
- Free unlimited storage
- Slideshow widgets that you can embed in a blog (see below)
- Professional quality prints (only $0.25 for a 5x7!)
- Earn free prints credits by referring friends

Worth checking out!

Queen Hatshepsut: Unbelievable, My Body Was Discovered in the Valley of the Kings

2007-09-13T22:29:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, I was inundated with emails (actually about 5, but Clint also got 5) directing me to news reports about the fact that my body had been discovered by Egyptologists/Archaeologists in the Valley of the Kings. I could not believe it for several reasons. First, I thought I had my body (how else could I move around, etc.). Second, one of my friends (Carol) told me I was a fat woman who may have diabetes. As far as I know, I do not have diabetes. Third, I thought I did a really good job of instructing my servants to hide me far within the crevices of the Valley of the Kings. Apparently, they did not exactly follow orders. Otherwise, my body would never have been discovered. But, on the bright side, I was buried in the Valley of the Kings and not in the Valley of the Queens. Last, I am the most important discovery since King Tut…sweet! Honestly, I was far more powerful than Cleopatra. As the saying goes, I was the Queen who ruled like a Pharaoh. Here’s a link to a news article in case you are interested about the discovery, which includes a picture of my body: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/main.jhtml?xml=/earth/2007/06/27/sciegypt127.xml

The World Tour Book Report

2007-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

The book report is a bit tardy....it is being posted over one year after we returned from the trip. Oh well.

Below is an example of what I do when I have a lot of free time on my hands, lots of trains and planes to take and want to escape from my husband for a few hours….I read.

I think I dragged Clint into at least one bookstore per country and at times in just about every city we visited in certain countries. Depending upon our locale, the selections could be limited (e.g. reading Naomi Wolf in Essaouira, Morocco). But, because I was traveling I had the opportunity to read a variety of works by foreign authors that I likely would not have read if I was at home.

The books are in no particular order and the reviews may be repugnant to some:

1. The Moscow Club (Joseph Finder) - purchased in Sydney, Australia and read in Byron Bay, Australia. Decent mystery novel and had me transfixed while I coped with very sun burned legs and, as a result, was stuck indoors.

2. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (John LeCarre) - purchased at the Salvation Army store outside Sydney, Australia and read in Byron Bay, Australia. You have to be a LeCarre fan to read this book. I am one.

3. The Shadow of the Wind (Carlos Ruiz Zafon) - purchased in Barcelona, Spain and read in Morocco. Great read and amazing story. I would definitely read this again and again.

4. Dangerous Summer (Hemingway) - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain and Morocco. Perfect book when you are on your way to Pamplona for El Encierro and La Corrida (the running of the bulls and bullfighting, respectively).

5. The God of Small Things (Arundhati Roy) - purchased in Rome, Italy and read in Italy. Interesting.

6. The Unforgettable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera) - purchased in Rome, Italy and read in Italy. Thought-provoking.

7. Dante's Inferno - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain. I only read this book because Clint bought it and I had nothing else to read at the time.

8. DaVinci Code (Dan Brown) - purchased in Florence, Italy and read in Spain. Decent story but by far the worst book I have read in a long time. The writing is perfect for a second grader.

9. Catch 22 (Joseph Heller) - purchased in Byron Bay, Australia and read in Thailand. One of the best stories I have ever read in my life. I love crazy people, is that a reflection of me? I would read this book again and again.

10. No God, But God (Reza Azlan) - purchased in Cairo, Egypt and read in Egypt, Israel and Turkey. This book should be read by everyone in the world who does not have a clue about Islam. It might not bring world peace but it would be pretty close to those with an open mind.

11. Book of short stories by Egyptian woman author - purchased in Cairo, Egypt and read in Greece. Interesting stories because it revealed a side of Muslim women not typically seen. I wish I remembered the name of the book or author so I could find some more books by this particular author. Unfortunately, all I can remember is the shopping experience at the American University in Cairo bookstore.

12. Countless guidebooks - We did travel around the world so I suppose guidebooks are a necessity.

13. Countless language books especially Italian, French and Arabic. Again, we did travel around the world so being able to speak or try to speak a language is invaluable. I can’t stress this enough!

14. The Life of Pi (Yann Martel) - purchased in Sevilla, Spain and read in Spain. Awesome book, captivating story. Anyone who likes animals will like this book.

15. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer) - purchased in Sevilla, Spain and read before making it to Poland. It’s about 9/11 and has some great phrases…the book is definitely “heavy boots,” not “shitake.”

16. The Ciderhouse Rules (John Irving) - purchased in Prague, Czech Republic and read in Hungary and on way to Austria. What can I say: I absolutely love John Irving’s writing and am currently trying to read everything he has written.

17. With No One As Witness (Elizabeth George) - purchased in Salzburg, Austria and read in Austria and on way to Pamplona. Fun read.

18. At First Light (Ernest Hemingway) - purchased in Pamplona, Spain. This is a fictional autobiography about Hemingway’s time at camp in Africa. I really enjoyed this book and firmly believe Hemingway led a privileged (not necessarily monetary but rather all of the adventures he found himself in) and interesting life.

19. Great Expectations (Charles Dickens) - purchased in Barcelona, Spain. Loved it.

20. Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) - purchased in Munich, Germany and read in Berlin. I really enjoyed this book. The story is peculiar and fascinating.

21. Samarkand (Amin Maalouf) - purchased and read in Essaoira, Morocco. Interesting read.

22. Misconceptions (Naomi Wolf) - purchased and read in Essaouria, Morocco. If you are pregnant, have been pregnant or contemplating pregnancy, then I strongly urge you to read this book.

23. Well Schooled in Murder (Elizabeth George) - purchased in Munich, Germany. George taught at my high school. She would have been my honors English teacher but for the fact she stopped teaching to pursue writing full-time. She’s a great story teller and writer. Dan Brown could learn a thing or two from George.

24. Ghostwritten (David Mitchell)- purchased in Paris, France. Interesting read.

25. The Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell) - purchased in London (England), Great Britain (U.K). Read in Ireland. This book is a must read for everyone, especially those in the business world.

26. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (Tom Robbins) – purchased in Dublin, Ireland. Robbins’ writing is maniacal – still reading this book.

27. The Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini) – purchased in Ireland and read in Seattle. I love, love, love this book. The book comes alive as you read it.

Venice Meat Wagon

2007-06-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

An ambulance working the canals of Venice. Not sure why I found this so amusing... something about the romantic ambiance of Venice being fractured by a loud and routine reminder of death and injury. I suppose the wake of the ambulance splashed some water (or even cap-sized) one of those emblematic gondola boats that you pay $100 dollars to ride for an hour of storybook dream fulfillment.

VIDEO: Enchanting prayer call in Essaouira, Morocco

2007-04-10T07:48:00.000-07:00

We had the luxury of spending time in a small, laid-back seaside town in Morocco called Essaouira. We made the trip on a bit of a whim, looking for surf (which we found) and unsure how long we'd stay. We had no accommodations secured at our destination before we departed, a sign of success in my mission to get my wife to relax, be spontaneous, and go with flow. As luck would have it, we really dug the place and stayed for a week.

After a peculiar and eventful 2-hour bus ride from the admittedly sketchy bus station in Marrakech, we meandered and negotiated Essaouira until we found a decent place to stay. Our pension was brightly decorated, affordable, comfortable, and only 2 blocks from the rocky Atlantic shore. Each night, we would go to the roof to soak in the sunset, watch the swallows streak through the corridors above the streets, and listen to the most magnificent prayer call.

I am humbly ignorant of what constitutes a "good" prayer call from the muezzin towers of Muslim mosques. Most of the prayer calls I heard while traveling were an odd cacophony of blaring chant and speaker fuzz, and it wasn't always the most pleasant sound to my ear. But this prayer call that we heard each night in Essaouira was extraordinary! It was beautiful, booming, heartfelt, and powerful. I'd get a soothing sensation in my chest when I heard it. With an audience of only me and sometimes my wife, I'd embarrass myself trying to imitate it as a chanted along with the parts that I knew. It was amazing, and I was glad to capture that rooftop bliss on video one night.

Now back in the US, nearly a year later, I wish I could hear it every night while I watch the sun slip into the sea...

Quickie on Tasmania

2007-04-09T11:37:00.000-07:00

Lots of people struggle on the decision to go to Tasmania: is it worth it? Once you get to Australia, there is SO MUCH to see and do, and the trip out to the island of Tasmania seems out of the way. The logic goes as follows: there is a lot to do on the mainland, why burn so much time getting to and fro to Tasmania?

Well, seeing the Tasmanian devils and hiking in Walls of Jerusalem (see short slideshow below) made it worth it to us. Here's a picture of our not-so-nice, growling little friend:

Drunken buffoonery in Keri, Greece

2007-03-02T14:45:00.000-08:00

Who let this guy out of his cage?

Homemade wine courtesy of Stavros Bratis, the proprietor of Pansion Limni in Keri, Greece (on Zakynthos Island)

Amazing Morocco

2007-03-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, Morocco is the next "IT" country. Muslim and Berber culture make it exotic and intriguing to a westerner, and the mountains, desert, and ocean offer a diverse natural buffet table from which to choose. The people are amiable and approachable, but definitely aware that you are a potential source of income. Here are a few slides from Morocco.

Photos: The Best of the Best

2007-01-23T12:32:00.000-08:00

After much gnashing over several thousand photos, we've finally narrowed down our picks as our best photos from 8 months of world travel. If you'd like to see The Best of Best photographs from Schmidt World Tour 2006, please follow this link to our shared album on ImageStation.

Also, thanks to all of the strong encouragement from many of friends, family, and colleagues, I'm now starting to pursue some writing opportunities. Not sure whether it will be a memoir about this trip, a new adventure, or perhaps some articles for a magazine, but I am at least looking into the possibilities. If any of you have specific ideas that might hold potential for me, please let me know. -CS

Movie: Running with the bulls in Pamplona

2006-11-27T18:09:00.000-08:00

I started tinkering around with some of many movies clips we captured during our trip, and I created this little thing from Pamplona:

I might upload a few more if I find myself (again) wishing I was not back in the US...

Schmidt World Tour

2006-10-29T08:48:00.003-08:00

Clint's posts:
NZ 1, 2
Aussie 1, 2, 3, 4
Thailand
East Africa: Kilimanjaro , Serengeti
Egypt 1, 2
Israel
Turkey
Greece
Italy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Mid-Trip Awards
Barcelona, Spain
Morocco
Sevilla, Spain
Granada, Spain
Madrid, Spain
Switzerland 1
Eastern/Central Europe
Pamplona 1, 2, 3
northern Spain
Swiss Alps hiking
Munich and Bavaria, Germany
Berlin, Germany
Denmark
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Paris and UK combined post
End of trip SHOUT OUTS

We’re back…..and it’s the end of the world as we know it

2006-10-17T17:06:00.000-07:00

The above picture taken at Lincoln Park is why I love West Seattle!!!!

While I enjoyed Ireland, (amazing views of the sea, sheep, cows, camping in the rain, drastic landscape and of course, Guinness), our drive around the country seemed to drag on forever. I think part of the problem was that the weather just did not cooperate. It rained most days and the few days it was sunny, we would drive all over in order to take in as much of the country as possible. As a result, we were not able to do much in the way of outdoor activities other than to walk from the car to the pub and back. I am not opposed to this but between my Guinness half-pints and cheap fried food, my girlish figure soon began to suffer.

I hate to say it but Ireland is a quaint country. There are castles, rolling hills, sea views, sheep, small pubs and tons of B&Bs. Unless you count me, (although I do not have red hair or pointy ears), we did not see any leprechauns while we were in Ireland. In addition, we did not spot pots of gold, rainbows or Keebler elves. All things promised by our tour company. Also, while I did kiss the Blarney stone, I do not believe it has made me eloquent but it has resulted in my mouth flapping a little bit more than usual.

The flight back to the States from Ireland felt like it would never end. It was a long flight…about 11 ½ hours. Unfortunately, Aer Lingus failed to provide me with the proper entertainment equipment. Basically, I did not have my own personal movie system. I was not pleased. I tried to read a bit on the flight as well as sleep but was basically pretty restless. Someone was kind enough to throw up in one of the bathroom sinks. I don’t quite understand the point of that…why not throw up in the toilet where it can be flushed down as opposed to clogging up the sink in effect letting everyone know on the plane, there’s a barfer. Whatever! Our arrival in L.A. was greeted with enough smog to blanket half the country. I am now convinced that the smog makes people in Los Angeles a little off; it is full of chemicals and the people there do enjoy plastic. Need I say more? Aside from the smog, we were greeted by my cheerful mom. As we exited the airport, Clint and I immediately recognized we were back in America. How could we not with the humungous trucks and SUVs that use up more gas in one day than some people use in a year. The excessive consumption and materialism of America really hit us hard that day. When you’ve been out of the country for eight months, it really hits you between the eyes.

My days in Southern California were spent going to a few Angels games, spending an afternoon with my friend Jenny, the future Parker James and her husband Ryan, painting my mom’s bathroom (because that’s what anyone wants to do when they come back from an eight month trip around the world), and convincing my cats and dog to forgive me for leaving them at Stonehenge and with Old Man River, respectively. Every time I go back to Orange County, it makes it that much easier for me to leave. I just can’t take it anymore…the pollution, traffic, materialism and unnecessary SUVs. Clint ditched me in Orange County 2 days after we arrived for greener pastures….finding the “Hottest Mom in America.” As a result, I got the privilege and honor to drive back to Seattle in my GTI with my mom, Sir Charles, Chloe and Dali. Yes, 2 people, 2 cats and a dog in the GTI (could make for a good Volkswagen commercial). The drive was effortless as my furry children were really quite well-behaved. Although, Sir Charles did make a point to remind me he gets car sick by barfing at least once each day he was in the car. We were all very happy to get home and my mom was quite a trooper for gutting out the car ride with me. Now I have the privilege to begin a Master’s program in law at the UW. While I am sure I could create a blog about my experience in the program (e.g., people freaking about where they sit in class during my second week of school), I shall refrain from doing so. I am sure many people will be disappointed by this fact.

Blogging continued

2006-10-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

There may be some additional savory blogging to be seen at Seattle Superfly.

Here's a blog from another US couple who are still in the midst a world trip that is very similar to ours in many ways, but longer... http://www.runonsentence.com/allysonandbryan.html

We're back...

2006-09-15T18:41:00.000-07:00

Maybe if you are lucky, The Missus will get buzzed after a few sips and you can have the rest.

Dork Patrol
-or-
The Two Coolest Cats You've Ever Seen?

You decide...

Finishing up the last 12 days in Ireland was rad, but now we're back. With a vengance! Whenever I feel like it, I'll post my not-yet-finished post about our Ireland travels. But right now, I ain't inclined to do so. Now it feels like I'd be reminiscing, therefore giving the trip all the more finality. And that makes me mildly despondent, and definitely irritable. See shout-outs below.

Clint's posts: NZ 1, 2, Aussie 1, 2, 3, 4, Thailand , Kilimanjaro , Serengeti , Egypt 1, 2, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Italy 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, Mid-Trip Awards, Barcelona, Morocco, Sevilla, Granada, Madrid, Swiss 1, East/Cent Europe, Pamplona 1, 2, 3, northern Spain, Swiss Alps hiking, Munich and Bavaria, Berlin, Denmark, Amsterdam, Paris and UK combined post, SHOUT OUTS

Clint Shout-outs

2006-09-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

We return home tomorrow (from Dublin), and I wanted to send my shout-outs...

To Travis, for holding it down for me back in the US

To the Denmark crew, for setting a new standard in hospitality

To John and Marcy, for the lovely rendevouz in Menaggio

To my sister April, for writing me entertaining emails while I was on the road

To Chris Finnin, who might be the only person besides my father-in-law who is interested in this blog

To my stepmom Cathy, for sending the lifesavers and the picture of my 2 nieces and nephew

To the porters on Kilimanjaro, who carried our gear all day at a jog then let me kick it with them in their tent for a chat

To my wife, for holding my hand on my slow, zombie-like shuffle at the top of Kilimanjaro

To Shannon Stubo, for the hug and for providing us with a Swiss base camp

To Bob Hebeler, a good man and former colleague at eBay whom I respected. Rest in peace.

To Felipe Carr, for the sweet tapas bar tips in Granada

To Samu and Ruth, for being so damn helpful to us in Barcelona

To Lior, for the hook-up

To Nurit and Avi, for your kindness, guidance in Israel, and tips on Cappadocia

To the Limni family in Keri, for making our stay unforgettable

To Jane, for providing us with a "real English experience" and a great meal

To the Irish couple we met in Budapest, for helping set our Ireland itinerary

To Clare MacMillan, for being our mom for a few days

To Egyptians, for being shockingly friendly to a couple Americans

To Danielo and Fabio, for a helluva fun night in Pamplona

To the huge Pamplona bulls that spared me a goring

To my mother-in-law, Rose, who got conned into taking Samantha's 2 cats. (but she did con me into taking her daughter, so, no guilt here)

To Erik, for meeting me in Amsterdam and for being a trustworthy friend

To my Grandma, for giving me a soul, which came in very handy on this trip

-Clint

Thoughts on Paris and the UK

2006-09-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

First, I want to thank my friend Erik and our friend Clare for allowing our smelly butts to stay in their homes in London and Edinburgh, respectively. It's really such a bonus to be able to relax in a comfortable home rather than whisking from hostel to campsite, not to mention the huge cost-saving considering the ridiculous USD-to-Pound exchange rate. So thank you both very much! It was really a pleasure.

Scottish Highlands

Samantha detailed our Paris itinerary already in her post, so I only have a few ramblings. I agree that Paris is the most beautiful city that we saw in Europe, hands down. But I can't use words like "stunning" or "unbelievable" because such superlatives are reserved for sights like Fjordland in New Zealand, the Swiss Alps, Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, and so on. But Paris was a pretty town, no doubt.

Tons of tourists, perhaps more tourists than Parisians since it was a French holiday weekend.
Paris competes with London and Switzerland for the most outrageous prices for food.
French baguettes ARE the culinary cat's pajamas, perhaps only matched by the occasional Italian baguette.
I did not drink more than a glass or two of French wine, which I deeply regret, because I carried some kind of lingering stomach ailment from Amsterdam.
The Musee D'Orsay ranks right up there as one of the best art museums in Europe.
As for nightlife, we really didn't attack Paris in this way; low energy levels and high costs proved to be effective barriers.
I did not have fondue, either, which I also deeply regret.

But we did walk all over the goddamn place because, well, walking is free and it's a eyeful of a city. Not much more to say on Paris... lots left to experience should I return, but I was glad to leave because Samantha was like a hungry dog in a butcher shop with all of those stupid fashion shops on every block.

Deb Siegel, thank you very much for the copius guidance you provided us about Paris. There is no substitute for a friend's advice, and I/we appreciate it.

London was a different experience for a few reasons. First, we'd both been there before. So hanging out with my friend Erik was more of a priority than seeing the sights a second time. Also, Erik's apartment was super-comfy, so we rested our feet from all of our Paris walking. The lack of a language barrier and an absurd exchange rate also made our London trip a different endeavor than other European cities. But we did manage to cover a lot of ground during our combined 5 days there.

Speaker's Corner is a corner of Hyde Park in London where people congregate to rant. Various opinionated ranters bring some kind of stepping stool or soapbox and carry on with the shouting. It got really noisy in amongst them, as one would guess, and you had to strain to hear some of them above the cacophony. Many of the ranters were spouting about some religious matter, be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or whatnot. Some were more philosophical in nature, preaching anarchy or nihlism or morality in general. One rather mean-looking guy in particular was shouting about how American and British governments are trying to "create their own reality in the Muslim world" and had commanded quite a crowd. But the best was a fellow who was mocking the whole scene by loudly begging anyone within earshot to please consider their options: "It's going to bloody pour [rain] any minute now, what are YOU going to do? Are you going to put on a rainjacket? Or carry an umbrella? Or just get bloody SOAKED? The Moment is coming!!" Satirically deadpan as can be, complete with red face and bulging veins. Hilarious.

My buddy Erik lives in Chelsea, which is a preposterously wealthy part of the London metro area. Insane. I have never seen so many Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Aston Martins, Bentleys, Maseratis, and Porsches creeping around a neighborhood, not to mention the lowly BMWs and Benzs. So this sets me off on another tangent... My man Erik is a trader and will soon be a high-roller like these guys, and he has worked hard to get there. But I couldn't help thinking about Africa; I wonder if all of these rich folks in Chelsea and the rest of the civilized world are as happy about life as many of the poor smiling Africans we encountered a few months ago. While driving a Porsche would be fantastic, I don't want to let myself be lured into thinking I'd be happier if I had one. I'd like to think I will be just as happy without it. I'm not going to be an apologist for being born a healthy white American with a functioning brain that I choose to use, but I don't have to let materialism define my happiness. But I digress...

The Tower of London was a rip-off at ~$30 USD per person. I implored Samantha that we should go there, because I remembered that as a 13-year old, I'd seen diamonds there as big as a human head. I swear, you wait and see! In reality, the diamonds were substantial but about the size of a kiwi fruit. That's a big gem, but when you're expecting a skull-sized chunk of diamond, anything less than a fist is, well, a letdown. I cursed my infuriating and exaggering memory, apologized to the missus, and went through the sight-seeing motions in the remainder of the Tower complex trying desperately (and unsuccessfully) to eek out $30 USD worth of enjoyment. Bummer.

From London, we went north to Edinburgh, Scotland. We stayed in the home of Clare and Clive MacMillan, a lovely Scottish couple who are currently living in our home in Seattle. They have a brillant and accomodating home in Edinburgh, and we were very happy to stay there. We were lucky that Clare was back in Scotland during our visit, and armed us with all of the info we needed to experience Scotland properly. Most importantly, we would see the Fringe Festival - before we left Seattle, Clive made me promise to see a day's worth of shows. If there was an place in town where 10 or more people can collect, there was a play, comedy act, singing group, or gallery there. Really a remarkable event, and I was glad we'd experienced it. Clare and Clive: thank you so much for the hospitality and guidance. You are both diamonds!

While in Edinburgh, I had haggis, neeps, and tatties for lunch. Actually not bad. Plus I get to say that I ate tatties. That just *sounds* cool. I shall henceforth now refer to any and all potato dish as "tatties". It's a way better word, and it makes me sound much cooler, having cooler "lingo". And the words "bollocks" and "rubbish", too. As in: "Those tatties were rubbish, really bollocks." I think that sounds cool.

The Scottish Highlands were really extraordinary to see. We took a day-trip north as we left Edinburgh. After some rocky farmland, we saw windblown mountains, geologically smoothed as if shaped by a potter, with very few trees and muted earth tones. Unimposing but weathered, in subtle light and shade, and carefully measured spaces between the rolling mounts, foothills, and lakes. It really captured my attention, and I was very glad to have seen the terrain in decent weather.

From Scotland we drove south to Leeds, where Queen Hatshepsut had purchased one-day tickets to the Leeds Festival. Pearl Jam would headline on the first day of a 3-day festival. The grounds of the festival were massive, with acres of farmland packed beyond reason with tents, with often less than a foot or two between tents. This created a maze effect for people trying to find their tent, at night, drunk, with all of the guylines acting as tripwires late at night. The common toilet area stank from 50 yards away (already on the first day of the event), and the insides of the "stalls" were predictably vile. $6 USD for a hotdog, $11 for a shoddy burger. We camped in there on Thursday night before our Friday shows, although our ticket specifically precluded us from camping. We'd spent 2+ hours in traffic trying to get into the event grounds, only to be told to come back tomorrow. If not for a very lenient and understanding security dude, we would have have a meltdown-type of situation - fortunately,I was not directly or indirectly responsible for this outcome because my head would roll otherwise. But after experiencing a night among the hordes of drunken and hilarious British kids, Samantha wanted out again. So Friday morning, before the shows, we left the grounds for a quieter nearby camping area, then went back to the festival. It turned out to be a much more civil and sedate set-up for us.

Dozens of bands played all day on 3 different stages. None of the other shows could even touch Pearl Jam, though, and it was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. I was drenched in sweat about 5 or 6 bodies back from the front. Since Samantha is too small to contend with the mob down in front, I tried to expend the energy of 2 people, and I was totally spent after the show. Energy, adrenalin, intensity - damn I love a rock show. The UK crowd had trouble sustaining their enthusiasm when PJ went off the hook and extended a song with a jam for more than 4 minutes... I suppose these crowds are built for the bite-sized pop-trash that I heard from the other bands on the radio in days before and on the stages throughout the day.

Samantha met a nice Aussie gal during the show (more international friends!). She and her husband own a place in British Columbia, Canada, where they like to snowboard. We hope to meet them there in the future. :)

Now in Ireland, return to US on Sept. 9th. Bummer.

LONDON -- WELL, IT'S NOT NEW YORK

2006-09-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

Both Clint and I have been to London before so in many ways this trip was a bit reserved for us. In other words, neither one of us were that keen to spend our time wandering from one tourist sight to another. I also think we may have been a bit burnt out from going to the sights and museums in Paris. Further, our friend Erik from college recently moved to London and so we wanted to spend some time hanging out with him as well. The flight from Paris to London was super quick and it was an easy tube ride from Heathrow to the South Kensington tube stop. Erik lives in Chelsea so we were meeting him at a restaurant so he could guide us back to his place on his way home from work. Erik's flat is sweet and the area (Chelsea) is one of my favorites in London. His place is right near King's Road which is a shopper's paradise and features lots of stores I like, including Molton Brown.

During our first weekend in London, we managed to take in all the touristy sights. There were a lot places I had not been to and so while Clint had been to most (if not all) of the places, he was gladly willing to act as my pseudo tour guide and map reader. From Erik's we walked down and past Buckingham Palace. There were throngs of tourists standing in front of it waiting for who knows what since the Queen was out of town at her country residence. I wanted to run for the hills but ended up walking into one of the many parks to escape the tourists. Next, we saw Big Ben and then went into Westminister Abbey after paying around $20 each (after the exchange rate) to go inside. I am really astonished that a church charges people but that is neither here nor there and, I refuse to debate or pontificate my beliefs about organized religion on this blog. Westminister Abbey is enormous and while it was interesting to see the graves of famous royalty (including Elizabeth I -- my favorite - another Queen who ruled like a King), I kept thinking to myself I paid money to look at people's graves - disgusting!! Also, it did not help that a ton of people are buried underneath the floor of the Abbey and I have a huge problem walking on top of people's graves. So every time we have visited a church during the trip, I am always careful to step around the floor graves. Sometimes this is not easy because it seems they are always clumped together and I am not the tallest person which means my legs tend not to be long enough to step over or around some graves. The one funny notable at the Abbey was they were selling a book attempting to dispell the rumors created by the Da Vinci Code. On a side note, I read the Da Vinci Code while we were on this trip. I have no idea what the fuss is all about. Interesting story? Yes. Well written book? No. The book is total rubbish and written for a nine-year-old. In fact, I think Dan Brown should be ashamed of himself.

After the Abbey, we headed to the Tower of London stopping along the way at the Court of Justice to check out the barristers (lawyers) and judges in their wigs. It was a pretty funny sight for me to see. I can't imagine going to court looking like that or having anyone take me seriously, including my client. Clint was not as amused as I was to see the wigs. We then walked by St. Paul's Cathedral, one of the largest churches in the world, to find out they too were charging admission. We chose not to go in because, quite frankly, we are both churched out. After St. Paul's Cathderal, we proceeded to make the biggest mistake of our London trip...shelling out about $30 each to go into the Tower of London. What a waste of money. The Tower of London was a total bore. The Crown Jewels were not that spectacular and I could not wait to get the hell out of there. Plus it was crowded with tourists and honestly, I hate being around a lot of people. They drive me nuts! What can I say, I am a crumudgeon (thanks Carol). After the Tower of Lameness, we headed back to Erik's to meet him for dinner and drinks. Clint's apertivo creation led to us to not being ready to go out until all the pubs had closed for the night. So, rather than partake in some after-hours club drinking, we ordered beer delivery. It is bloody brilliant. We called up a company, placed an order and within 20 minutes we had some Stella Artois and a 24 pack of Kronenburg without going anywhere. I love it. Of course I love it because then I do not have to be around other people at a smoky bar and pretend I am enjoying myself.

As a result of the beer delivery the night before, we did not get up until the rock hour of noonish. We had our morning coffee (thank you Starbucks) and then headed out in search of some breakfast. We found a great Brasserie (ironic to be eating at a French restaurant in London when we were just in France) and had a good meal. After breakfast, we went to Harrod's. Of course, Erik and Clint left me in Harrod's. I needed new sunglasses but ended up going elsewhere to buy them. That night, Clint and I went over to our friend Jane's house for dinner. Jane was one of our climbing buddies from Kili and so we were looking forward to seeing her. She also had told me that she wanted to take us to an "english" experience after dinner so we were looking forward to the surprise. It turned out to be greyhound racing. So after a delicious dinner, we headed to the tracks. Erik even came out to hit the tracks with us. We had a fun time betting on the dogs and yelling at them to win. Jane's luck was the best that night, closely followed by Erik. Let's just say, my days are better spent elsewhere since I am apparently no genius when it comes to placing bets on racing dogs. After the races, we finished the night with a pint at Jane's "local", the Nag's Head. I loved the name and Clint implied the name was perfect for me. So I fired him as my husband for the evening. The Nag's head's mascot was a black and white cat that had at least 10 pounds on Chloe (if you can believe it since Chloe weighs in at about 300 lbs) and was trying to take up an entire cushion on a couch but for the person also sitting on that same cushion (also sounds like Chloe who lies in the middle of Dali's dog bed forcing Dali to the edge).

On Sunday, we peetered around all day. We walked around Hyde Park, saw the Diana Memorial (designed by Catherine Gustafson from Shannon Nichol's firm) and listened to a lot of different people postulate on religion at Speakers Corner. In fact, Speakers Corner could be an example of why religion will always create animosity but it also exemplifies how that animosity can be quelled in a democratic society -- everyone is free to speak their opinion and openly practice their religion. After Speakers Corner, Erik left us for drycleaning and Clint insisted on going to Picadilly Circus. Apparently when he saw it the first time, interesting people, rather than tourists, hung out in the circle. It was not interesting and overrun with tourists. It also did not help that I had a coughing attack. Later that night, we went to see Nacho Libre. While, I thought it had potential because Jack Black is in the movie, it was not funny. But I did find out something very important while watching previews -- JackAss 2 is coming out. Sweet!! I loved the first movie (in fact I own it on DVD) and so I am definitely looking forward to seeing the second one. Hopefully I can drag my mom to it when I am back in California. Otherwise, I will make her watch it on DVD like I did with the first one. She did not think it was funny.

After our weekend in London, we picked up a rental car on Monday and headed to Edinburgh, Scotland for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We had no idea that not only was the Fringe festival taking place but also the International Film Festival, Book Festival and the Edinburgh International Festival -- 4 in 1, how lucky are we? We stayed at Clive and Clare's house in Edinburgh. They are the couple who rented our house in Seattle. Their house in Edinburgh is brilliant and very accommodating. Clint and I both felt very fortunate to have met Clive and Clare and for the hospitality they extended to us at their home. Thank you again Clare!!

We had the chance to take in some of the exhibitions and performances at the Festivals. So, after checking out the Edinburgh Castle and getting some good pictures of the town, we headed to a 1960's photo exhibit. Great pictures of the Stones, Beatles and other British icons of the 60's. Afterwards, we headed to the National Gallery to see a special exhibition of Van Gogh paintings. There were some great works featured in the exhibition. I was thrilled to be taking in more Van Gogh works. We also checked out a Harry Benson photo exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Clare even joined us for that exhibition. Benson was a photo-journalist and so his pictures spanned from the 50's through current times and featured some candid pictures of the Clintons, the Beatles, Reagans and also featured pictures depicting pivotal moments in American and World history. We also saw some live performances including "According to Jesus" (not funny), "Clean Living" (thought provoking because it was about the buying and selling of emissions) and "Jane Bussman's Holiday" (very funny and thought provoking - why is Africa ignored?).

After our time at the Edinburgh festival, we decided to drive around western Scotland around some Lochs to take in the scenery before heading down to Leeds for the Leeds festival. The drive was beautiful and the Scottish landscape was desolate but diverse. We arrived in Leeds to a 2 hour traffic crawl to the festival parking lot. While I thought we could camp on the grounds, I was wrong. My ticket did say "No Camping." But a security guard was kind enough to let us in for the night anyway. The campgrounds were a zoo. Everywhere you looked there were tents; it was nuts. We think there were at least 40,000 (probably more) tents set up in the various campgrounds. The attendance was estimated at over 100,000 people. We've never seen anything like it before -- maybe Burning Man or Coachella is that big but I am not sure. Because it was so packed in with people, I got very little sleep. It also did not help that some people got to the site really late and set their tents up by banging into our tent. Further, it did not help that some fellow campers were participating in extracurricular activities early in the morning for all to hear. I was glad to get the hell out of the campgrounds the next morning. We booked it for a nearby campground that we saw on our way in and it was quiet, grassy and clean....camping heaven. After showering, we headed back to the festival via the residence entrance -- no lines and very few people. I have always wanted to go to the Leeds and/or Reading Festival since I was in high school so I was pretty psyched to be there. But the main reason we went was to see Pearl Jam! Since Pearl Jam played last, that meant we sat through sets by My Chemical Romance (not good), Slayer (good but weird and hardcore) and Placebo (good, but what is up with the lead singer's eye make-up? It looked like he stole my NARS purple eyeshadow). We also checked out some Brit pop bands with some Brits we met at the Carling, warm beer for cold beer, beergarden. The Brit bands weren't bad but I was unenthusiastic because I was so excited about Pearl Jam. Clint and I split up for the Pearl Jam concert so he could be in the middle while I hung out on the side avoiding the crowd crush. I am only 5 feet 1 inch. I ended up meeting an Aussie named Leanne and so we hung out for the entire show. Hopefully we will meet up with her and her boyfriend in canada for some riding (snowboarding for those who do not know the lingo). Pearl Jam was amazing and I am not just saying that because I am a huge fan of the band. They put on an energetic show that was reminiscent of the days when Ten had just been released and Eddie Vedder use to climb the stage pylons and crowd surf. They rocked and it was worth all the trouble to see them. On a side note, in a past blog I said I thought I saw Eddie Vedder in a porsche, listening to cuts for their recently released album, on 45th near my house when I was walking Dali . After going to the concert, I have changed my mind. It was not Eddie but instead, I think it was Stone Gossard. Travis, you may snicker at me for this but I think I am right.

Clint and I had to get up early Saturday morning after our day at the festival to drive back to London to drop off our rental car. By the time we arrived in London, we were both exhausted and had a terrible time finding our way back to the rental car drop-off location. So we ended up doing a whole lot of nothing that night but I did discover the "Family Guy" thanks to Erik's DVD collection. It is hilarious, particularly Stuey. I wish I had his balls when I was his age (around 1), I would have loved to call my mom an "incorrugible shrew". Brilliant! The next day was spent hitting London's musuems. Specifically, the National Gallery with Clint and the Tate Modern by myself (clint had to participate in a fantasy football draft). It was a low-key day.

DENNIS MILLER RANT ABOUT LONDON

While I think London is a great city, it is no New York. In New York, you can get pretty much whatever you want at any hour of the day, something you take for granted until you travel through Europe and need something on a Sunday. Also, while New York certainly has a concentration of wealth, London's seems exaggerated and stodgy. The English are just a little too proper and stiff for me. Also, there seems to be this over consumption of materialism and status in London. Londoners are very concerned with showing off their wealth and status in society -- it reminds me a little of San Francisco or even L.A. New York has this a bit too but it's different -- there are no cars involved. But it could also be that we spent a lot of our time in the Chelsea and Kensington neighborhoods, two areas with a very high concentration of wealth and luxury vehicles. Basically, if I had a choice between visiting London or Edinburgh, I would take Edinburgh.

WHAT? THE TRIP IS ALMOST OVER?

After our low-key weekend in London, we caught a flight Monday morning from Heathrow to Dublin. Ireland is the last leg of the trip before we headed home and complete our circumnavigation around the globe. Clint is pretty depressed about the prospect of returning home while I am looking forward to seeing my "kids", my family, friends, sleeping in my own bed, using my own bathroom, having a washer and dryer at my disposal and having a clothes and shoes choice.

I LOVE PARIS ALL THE TIME

2006-09-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

During the course of the trip, I decided to hate the French. Did I have a reason for this? No, not really. I simply choose to hate them because I could. However, I also heard during the course of our trip, from other Americans, about how rude the French were to them. So, now, I am ashamed to admit I really do love Paris and I am indifferent to the French people. I do not hate them but I do not love them and I am still ecstatic that Italy beat them in the World Cup finals. Viva Italia!! Besides, after spending several days in Paris, the Italians were doing enough on their own to poke fun at the French and rub in their World Cup victory. Last, Clint and I did not have one bad experience with any French person. While one woman at a store was not overly friendly, the native San Franciscan woman also working at the store, countered any coldness I felt from the Frenchwoman. But the lack of rudeness towards us could also be because we opened every conversation with French and not English. A major tip from our world travels. If you are going to travel to a non-English speaking country, do not expect or automatically assume they speak English. Further, be considerate and learn some words in the native language; it goes a long way. Otherwise, do not complain when they are rude to you because you have been disrespectful by expecting them to speak English.

For me, Paris is by far my favorite city in Europe. I never thought I would say that, but now I have. Paris offers everything -- stunning architecture, delicious food, amazing art and of course, fabulous shopping! Everyday my eyes were riveted by the stores we passed on the streets, the gardens, the bridges we crossed over the Seine and the neighborhoods we encountered. I would move to Paris in a heartbeat, but Clint does not want to live in a big city.

I arrived in Paris to some dreary, rainy weather. Clint and I decided to have some "alone time" which meant he stayed in Amsterdam with a friend enjoying the herbal delights and sexual fantasies of that city, while I attempted to do some shopping in Paris before he arrived Sunday night. I only had one shopping mission in Paris -- to go to the Herve Chapelier store. I love their bags and they are waterproof (a major bonus for Seattle weather). My mission was accomplished very quickly and I was able to take in the Champs D'Elysee at the same time. I also got a glimpse of the Louis Vuitton flagship store. Of course, it was the first thing I saw as I exited the metro. After making my purchase, I headed to the Modern Art Museum at the Pompidou Center. The museum was interesting in that it forced you to walk through a bunch of exhibits of varying degrees of artistic talent in order to see such classics as Warhol, Pollock and Kadinsky. Needless to say, I was not pleased by the shit I was seeing on my way to these artists' work. After the museum, I retired to the hotel early and was asleep by 8:00 p.m., since I had not had much sleep before I arrived in Paris. A sad life I lead on the world tour.

I spent my first full day in Paris touring more art museums (I can never get enough) because the shops were closed. Actually, that's not true. I really do love art and it is hard for me not to visit major cities without going to at least one museum. My first museum of the day was the Musee D'Orsay. All I can say is the permanent collection is amazing. They have all the big name pre-impressionist, impressionist and post-impressionist artists. The museum itself is located in an old railroad station which provides an unique backdrop for displaying the work. The building strikes a fair balance between making you feel like you are not clustered together with the rest of the patrons, while at the same time providing an intimate environment in which to display the works. I was thrilled with the amount of Rodin sculptures in the museum's permanent collection as well as an entire room dedicated to Van Gogh. The museum also had one Klimt painting and alot of works by Monet, Manet, Sisley, Pisarro and Renoir. After the Musee D'Orsay I headed to the L'Orangerie. Unfortunately, the line to get in was very long and I also remembered Clint expressing an interest in going to that museum so I took off for the Fashion museum. It was closed. But I was blown away by the walk to the Fashion Museum. I walked along the left bank of the Seine and saw the magnificent Pont Alexandre III bridge, the Obelisk as well as the grand and petite palaces. Everywhere I looked, I was amazed by the architecture of the buildings, the manicured gardens, the flow of people and the Seine. Paris took my breath away with each step as I moved forward along the Quay. After my walk, I went back to the Jardin Tuilleries and into the Jeu de Paumes museum to see a special exhibition of Cindy Sherman's work. The exhibition featured several different series of photographs featuring Cindy Sherman in various costumes, make-up, prosthesis and poses. It was thought-provoking and even a bit perverse at times. Having still not seen quite enough artwork for the day, I headed to the Picasso Museum in the Marais neighborhood of Paris. Picasso's family donated the collection to France in lieu of paying Picasso's back taxes. After a short visit to the museum, I wandered the streets nearby looking for the subway in vain and discovered some delights. First, there were quite a few boutiques in the area with some great stuff and they were open (even on a Sunday, quite good fortune). Second, I ended up in a garden/courtyward of sorts that was interesting and provided some good rain cover. I eventually headed to the metro and went back to the hotel. For dinner (Clint's train did not arrive until late), I ended up going to an Cameroon restaurant near the hotel. The food was delicious and I downed a half-bottle of Bordeaux (so tasty) by myself. Let's just say when Clint arrived at the hotel, I was in a very jolly mood.

CLINT IN PARIS = NO MORE SHOPPING, BUT I CAN STILL TRY.....

Once Clint arrived in Paris, my shopping days were over. So we headed to the infamous Louvre to see the Mona Lisa. [Travel tip for anyone traveling to Paris and planning to go to the Louvre. Buy your tickets for it at the Virgin Megastore in the Carousel. You pay 1 euro extra for each ticket but it is worth it because you avoid some major lines.] The Mona Lisa is a beautiful painting but there are serveral other DaVinci's at the museum which, in my mind, surpass the beauty of the Mona Lisa. The Louvre is enormous and houses tons of artwork extending over several different periods. As a result, it can be very overwhelming. We did not see everything in the Louvre. But rather, picked a few areas of interest and went there. Clint is interested in sculptures and Spanish paintings, so we spent quite some time checking out the French and Italian sculptures as well as perusing the Spainish galleries. We were both disappointed to see there were no Goyas. We also perused the Egyptian Antiquities collection as it is suppose to be the second best in the world after the Egyptian Antiquities museum in Cairo. The pieces in that collection were varied and impressive but I did not see any Queen Hatshepsut relics. But Clint was pleased to see plenty of Horus and Ramses II statues. Whatever. When will these people learn Queen Hatshepsut was the best ruler ever! After the Louvre, we walked around the Jardin Tuilleries and ate some baguettes not too far from the U.S. embassy. Our embassy in Paris (like many around the world right now) was a fortified fortress. It gave me goosebumps to see the amount of security surrounding our embassy. After baguette eating (which is a must for the French), we headed to the Eiffel Tower. On our way to the Tower, I took Clint on a tour along the left bank of the Seine that I had undertaken the day before. He was impressed with the beauty of the bridges, river and architecture but not quite blown away. The Tower is impressive but the lines to go to the top of the Tower were massive. I thought for a second I was in line for Space Mountain at Disneyland in the middle of July. We decided to skip a trip to the top because of the long lines and instead continued our walk to a viewing point across the way from the Tower. The views were excellent and Clint got some great pictures. After the Tower we headed to the Arc d'Triumph. The Champs D'Elysse runs off the Arc and Clint wanted to walk down the Champs to see it first hand. The wide boulevards in Paris (such as the Champs D'Elysee) are alluring. After our romantic (not really since I was pumped up on espresso) stroll down the champs D'Elysee we headed to the L'Orangerie. It is a small museum located in the Jardin Tuilleries. It has recently reopended after some renovations in order to allow more natural light to capture Monet's "Water lilies". This particular museum was created around 8 of his "water lily" canvases that are enormous. The paintings were impressive but, as Clint pointed out, it was easy to be distracted by the seams in the canvases. The museum also had a decent collection of other impressionist painters including several Renoirs that I fell in love with -- his paintings of flowers are magical.

Our next day in Paris was again spent mostly at museums. First up was the Rodin museum which I had read about in a travel magazine. Since Clint had expressed his interest in sculpture work, I thought he might enjoy the museum and he did. I was delightfully surprised to find out that the museum also exhibited some of Rodin's own personal art collection, including several Van Goghs. As it is my goal to see every single Van Gogh painting in the world, this was perfect. Rodin's sculptures are impressive and his Gates of Hell sculpture (which I first saw the cast at the Musee D'Orsay), blew me away. The detail of the sculpture along with the symbolism is brilliant. There is no other way to describe it. Rodin's work in general is very expressive -- the sculptures come alive. The museum is located in Rodin's old home and gardens and, as a result, it is an intimate experience and a quiet place to whittle away a few hours from the bustle of the rest of the Paris. After the Rodin Museum, I dropped Clint off at the Musee D'Orsay and I headed for Paris' biggest department store, Gallerie Lafayette. Unfortunately, it was closed because of a National Holiday. How unfortunate. A few hours alone in what was to be shopper's paradise was ended just like that. But along the way, I saw the Opera House which is an ornate, gold-guilded, large building. I was impressed enough with it to drag Clint to it the next day and also drag him into Gallerie Lafayette. He was actually pretty cool about letting me walk around the store. I didn't take long and he was able to find himself an ice-cream so we were all happy. After meeting Clint at the Musee D'Orsay and finding him something to eat, we headed to the St. Germaine neighborhood, Latin Quarter and finally to Notre Dame. We were sightseeing tourists in full force. While the Notre Dame is large, I was really disappointed when I saw it. For some reason I thought the architecture would be even more gothic in nature and the gargoyles would be larger and more menacing. Also, where the hell was the hunchback?

Our last day in Paris was spent wandering around the city with no purpose. We walked around and around and around. I managed to Jedi mind-trick Clint into walking down the Rue St. Faubourg Honore several times --- great shopping street which made me very happy. Hey, at least I could window shop even if I could not actually go inside the store. While we were in Paris is when the British police thwarted the airplane bombing attacks which meant we could not buy any French wine. :(

I am looking forward to my next trip to Paris. But as I told my friend Brandy, I think (even though everyone says Paris is a romantic city) that Paris is the perfect place to go with girlfriends so you can shop, drink wine and eat the delicious cheese and other Parisian food. Now, I am off to learn some French.

Amsterdam and Southern Holland

2006-08-14T12:36:00.000-07:00

Samantha and I met a Dutchman and a Greek one night when we were in Athens, both young guys, and we had a fun night out drinking with them. I have kept in touch occasionally with the Dutchman, Rolph, and he offered to host us when we visited Amsterdam. So after arriving in Amsterdam's main train station on Thursday night (Aug 10th), we took another local train to the Amsterdam airport where Rolph would meet us. We had only met him once but he seemed like a good guy and so we weren't sure what to expect.

After we met him and his charming girlfriend Judit at the airport, we all jumped into the car for a 3-hour drive down to southern Holland. Rolph was a very eager tour guide and had lots of information to share about Holland. That night, we stayed at Judit's very nice apartment and had pizza and beer - who knew pizza with sharwarma topping was so tasty? The next day, after a good homemade eggs-n-bacon breakfast, Rolph drove us around southern Holland for some sight-seeing. We saw the impressive water control systems used by The Netherlands to protect their below sea-level land from surging sea storms, and we also spent a few hours strolling around the old Dutch town of Middleberg. We ended the day with a long, traffic-ridden drive back to Amsterdam, where we managed to squeeze in a trip to the Van Gogh Museum before the 10pm closing time. Although I am at times unsure of Van Gogh's artistic genius, I really dug a few of the paintings and it was worth the visit. Then we checked into our budget hotel, where my old buddy Lou, who lives in London, would meet us a short time later. Although we only had 3 single beds in the hotel room, we invited Rolph to join us for a night on the town in Amsterdam (I slept on the floor). Samantha had visited Amsterdam before, and she knows A) what that scene is all about, and B) what kind of damage Lou and I can do together... so she made it an early night. So Rolph, Lou and I prowled around Amsterdam on Friday night looking for a good time.

After much more walking than was necessary, we rolled into one of Amsterdam's numerous and infamous "coffee shops". The marijuana was sold over the counter by the joint or by the bag, and I opted to start with a pre-rolled joint. It was low-quality bud and I can't say I really enjoyed it too much, but it was fun to smoke up legally and I enjoyed the novelty. We hit a few other spots, but the rest of the night was a bit of a snooze, and after a late kebab dinner, we were back in bed at the hotel by about 2am.

The next morning, Samantha left very early for Paris, and Rolph took off as well (thx again for the photo book!). So that left Lou and I to our own devices, and those devices are usually not decent or safe ones. We started with a few beers and billiards and then progressed to a bag of weed. The day started to shred into progressively smaller pieces and fleeting flickers of memory. I remember lots of smoking and drinking, and a cheesy sex show involving a banana. I remember thinking how stupid and fun it was to be so torn up in the red-light district in Amsterdam, but with an old trusted compadre alongside, well, I had no fear. I recall that the sex show had a pricing scheme in place that encouraged us to drink as many drinks as possible during our alloted time in the show, so we attacked the bottom-shelf gin and tonics like it was The Last Supper and I don't remember a damn thing thereafter. Suffice it to say that we made it back to the hotel somehow and I had a massive fucking hangover the next day (well deserved).

On Sunday, Lou and I didn't do a damn thing since I was hurting from the hangover and he was dragging a bit as well. We both left later Sunday afternoon (train to Paris to rendezvous with the missus). I swear I will come back to Amsterdam sometime and do justice to the vices that the city has to offer. Two days was not enough, and I had the unbelievably bad luck to smoke fairly crappy grass while I was there. I didn't think such an outcome was possible. (see all Hooland photos)

Maybe I will move to Denmark...

2006-08-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

When we left Berlin for Denmark (photos), we were really winging it. We were going for 2 reasons: 1) I am half-Danish, so visiting a land from which I descend was mildly intriguing, and; 2) we wanted to visit our 3 Danish friends from our Mt. Kilimanjaro climbing group (Sine, Peter, and Frants). Via email, I had corresponded with our friends and had a somewhat unclear idea of what our 3 days there would be like. The day before we left, I received an email from Peter telling us to get off our train at the Ringsted stop, about 40 minutes before it would reach Copenhagen. Peter and Frants would meet us there, take us to Frants's house nearby, treat us to dinner, and invite us to stay with them. Map checking revealed that Ringsted was, well, rather small and amidst rural-ness. And beyond the first evening, I had no detailed plan for Denmark. We would just wing it.

I was really overwhelmed by the hospitality we enjoyed in Demark. It was tremendous.

No gameplan was needed, because EVERYTHING was taken care of. Everything! Frants and Peter live in the same town of Glumso, within walking distance of each other, and they tag-teamed, along with their wives (Lisbeth and Marianne, respectively) to treat us to perhaps the most relaxing and enjoyable 3 days of our trip. We received a grand reception at the train station with Peter and Frants sporting little US flags to show their enthusiasm for their dignitaries (and that IS how we were treated). Dinner our first night was a feast from Frants's backyard grill and fantastic in everyway. Our Danish friends know how to cook, and we reaped the rewards as many of our meals were home-cooked.

We spent our first fun evening eating, chatting, and getting better acquainted with Peter's wife Marianne, Frants's wife Lisbeth, and their 3 kids Sofus, Holger, and Albur. Great people, which of course makes everything better. Marianne is very pregnant and a very cool customer. Lisbeth is a super-mom and a first rate hostess. The kids were also a blast. Sofus is the oldest and a very warm-hearted kid, Holger was to become my new appendage and Viking warrior comrade, and little Albur was adorable and a respectable power-eater. I often found myself drawn to the backyard to play with the two older boys, which was fine with me. They liked to play like fighting Vikings and well, so do I. We chopped on apples and whacked each other with swords and had many fine Viking victories in the back yard. Good fun, and I did grow attached to those boys in my short time there. I hope to see them again someday.

The next day, Frants and Peter loaded 4 bikes into a trailer and hauled them into Copenhagen so the four of us could go on a bike tour of Copenhagen. Such a great way to enjoy this lovely city, and we kept moving all day and covered a lot of ground. Frants was a solid tour guide and he added some relevant knowledge as we saw the sites around town. Copenhagen ranks right up there on my list of Europe's beautiful cities with Venice, Prague, Barcelona, and Munich - especially when the weather is as perfect as it was that day. At midday we parked the bikes and grabbed take-out sandwiches and beer and plopped down in the new harbor for a casual lunch and some good people-watching. Then we took a short boat tour of the city, prowling around the various canals and harbors of Copenhagen and catching an eyeful of the city. From the boat, we saw the Little Mermaid statue - very underwhelming and I'm not sure why it's such a friggin' tourist attraction. Then we climbed a tall church tower for an awesome bird's eye view of town. Then we took a quick walk into Christiana, a neighborhood full of pot smokers and post-hippies disillusioned with modern society who have claimed a narrow strip of land as some kind of sovereign country, which they claim is independent in some way from the rest of Denmark. Super liberal, and a bit odd - but interesting.

That night, we met up with Sine, our third Danish climbing comrade, at her sweet apartment in Copenhagen. Frants headed back to Glumso and Peter, Sine, Samantha and I went out to eat some real Danish cuisine. Peter and I had some super-thick fried bacon strip meal that you dip into gravy. I forget the name of the dish, but it was delicious even if it did take 2 years off of my life with artery clogagge. After an after-dinner coffee at Sine's place, we headed back to Glumso. Lucky for Samantha and I, Frants and Lisbeth were anxious to have us and we ended up staying at their house for all 4 nights that we were in Denmark.

Day 2 in Denmark was also a blast. The whole gang (except Sine and Marianne) went for a day trip to Moon Klint, or translated as the cliffs on the isle of Moon (i think). We swam in the ocean (not that cold once you're in) at the base of some very steep and tall white chalk cliffs. Really cool beach, and we had a good time frolicking in the water for a while. The boys were in the water too and having fun - it was really a pleasure to be surrounded by 7 smiling faces all afternoon. Afterwards we stopped at a fresh food takeout and ate in the adjoining picnic area. Smoked salmon, sole, shrimp salad, herring in curry sauce, and lutefisk, with brown bread and beer. Having good company and a relaxing swim, topped off by delicious fresh fish - ah, it was bliss. That night, another fantastic meal at Frants and Lisbeth's house. A great day.

Day 3 was very chilled out and relaxing. A 5-person crew of Frants, Peter, Marianne, Samantha and me visited a very old but thriving village town of Naevstead. Buildings that were hundreds of years old, an open-air market, perfect weather and a quiet pace made it an enjoyable visit. Next we headed to a nearby beach where Frants, Peter and I dove in for an afternoon swim while Samantha and Marianne chatted on shore. Then we stopped at the harbor for another relaxed outdoor lunch of delicious fresh salmon, brown bread and beers. At this point I was having too much fun and I was concocting plans of how I could remain in Denmark to hang out with our friends. Frants reminded me that although I was welcome, I should remember that my opinion might be different if the weather was cold and dreary, but I schemed nonetheless. Later that afternoon, Frants, Peter, the boys and I ducked out to Peter's father's big country house for a ride on Peter's quad, a beer, and a chat. [Frants, I will remember our short chat very fondly, and I hope we get to spend some time together in the future. Peter, as for you, well, get your ass out to Seattle and we'll find some good terrain for the quads and get into the mountains for some peaks that you can summit.]

That last night at Frants and Lisbeth's house, we feasted on a massive multi-course meal with bottle after bottle of excellent wine to conclude our "tour de luxury" in Denmark. We were lucky that Sine was able to come down from Copenhagen to join us, and we had a great night. At this point, I *really* did not want to leave. In addition to the great hospitality and great weather, we'd had the fortune to visit while everyone was on summer holiday, so everyone was able to free up time to dote on us, play tour guide for us, feed us, and generally lavish us with TLC. I'd befriended the boys and they were just as upset as I was that we had to leave. But the World Tour could not grind to a halt in Denmark, and our gracious hosts had to return to their jobs.

Just when we thought we had been pampered enough, Marianne sent us off with a huge bag full of enough delicious food to feed 5 men, and Lisbeth drove us to the train station and personally delivered us to our platform. I mean, really, does it get any better than this? I think not. To Lisbeth, Frants, Marianne, Peter, Sofus, Holger, Albur, and Sine: we thank you whole-heartedly for everything you did for us. We are very eager to try to match your amazing hospitality so please come to Seattle.

Next up: Amsterdam.

Berlin

2006-08-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

Berlin is a lovely and international city, and I found it to be unmistakably more urban than Munich. Obviously it's a historically pivotal city as well, but I did not find Berlin to be as culturally emblematic as Munich is to Bavaria. The makeup of the city is an attractive but sometimes odd mix of 21st century progress and the classic styles of centuries past. (Photo: Sammy inspecting shrapnel and bullet marks in an old pillar. See other Munich and Berlin photos)

The Wall was a big focus for us. Samantha and I are both low-caliber history buffs, of a sort, and in our heads we brought to Germany just enough of our European history from high school. We knew just enough to have a curious interest to learn more, but not enough to have an in-depth appreciation for the history that oozes from every corner of the city. We both remembered, in different ways, the excitement surrounding the fall of The Wall and beginning of the end of Communism in Eastern Europe.

We arrived by train in the whiz-bang high-tech Zoo Station in Berlin, and took a city tram to our very centrally located hostel (City Stay) in the Mitte neighborhood near Hackescher Garden. Usually, after a train ride of any length, we bust out and want to do some walking. But it was late in the day and there was plenty of perusing to do near our hostel. Our first evening, still in "B`avaria mode", we went to a beer pub only two blocks away for an "apertivo" drink (thank you, Firenze). While there, we discovered a chess board and Samantha played me to a stalemate. Considering my long list of consecutive victories in both chess (which isn't fair to gloat about as she is just learning the game) and Travel Scrabble (she has no excuse for these thrashings), this was worth celebrating. We headed out to another, more traditional and Bavarian-looking bierhaus for wiessbeer and wursts - we were still thinking of Munich. Samantha after 2 respectably-sized German beers is a hoot. I've never seen anyone faster to smile, laugh, or cuss someone than Queen Hatshepsut with a buzz.

The next day we set out for some informational tourism. We walked through the heart of central Berlin, to the extent that such a thing exists. Berlin has a very large footprint and required a mix of walking and subways and trams to cover a substantial portion of the city, but there is a central core of sorts and we trod it well. We crossed the River Spree and hit the infamous Checkpoint Charlie and the Topography of Terror museum, both of which provided dozens of posted info boards to read about the history of the Berlin Wall and the Nazi regime, respectively. More creeping feelings in my guts about the utter evil of the Nazis and the oppressiveness of the Communists. Samantha seemed very keen to absorb the intrigue of the Cold War spying that took place in Berlin, but she can discuss that in more detail if she chooses.

We also climbed a commemorative landmark tower for a great view of Berlin. Lots of crains scattered on the horizon testify to the amount of building going on here. We also visited the Brandeberg Tor and the infamous Book-Burning Square. The Holocaust Memorial and the corresponding museum beneath it (fittingly grim, but why did they put it UNDERGROUND? Think!) gave me heavy boots about the 6 million people that were clinically eradicated. [And why do we keep reading about these anti-Semites and various Muslim leaders who claim that the Holocaust was a myth?! Come see the film footage of the corpses being plowed with a bulldozer and it becomes very real, very fast. Sheesh the world is chock full of idiots.] At any rate, you can open any guide book on Berlin that includes the most popular tourist traps, and we likely saw them. Including of course, The Wall.

We split our time in Berlin between 2 different hostels in different parts of town. Both were in the old "East German" side, but the second (Lettem Sleep) was in an older neighborhood that seemed trapped, blissfully, in a time warp with Hausmann-style buildings and small but well-visited urban parks. Dotted with some decrepit old poured concrete buildings, too - the modernization of Berlin hasn't reached the entire city yet.

But Berlin had a very international flavor, literally. We ate at a beer hall, a pizza joint run by Italians, a Mexican breakfast, drank tea at an Arab cafe, had Thai food, and of course, one of my favs, Turkish Doner. A far cry from Bavaria, indeed.

The US Embassy in Berlin is fortified like the White House.

On our last day in Berlin, Samantha and I split up for the afternoon. I took a long walk through the neighborhood and then caught a few subways to the German-Russian museum. Most of the museum commemorated the Soviets for their extraordinary perseverance and sacrifice during WWII, and some of the old black and white film footage of the Siege of St. Petersburg was really remarkable. Being an infantryman doing battle in the middle of a waist-deep Soviet winter at 20 degrees F below zero looks like hell. The hot slop they were served for meals looked like sewage and their faces lit up with joy upon getting it. Man, if I ever have to fight in a war, it had better be for a DAMN good reason.

Anyhow, the afternoon in Berlin sans wife gave me lots of time to think. I thought about how much this trip has changed my opinion of government. For millenia, governments, while often providing better living standards, have also often been guilty of fleecing their citizens for various reasons, most frequently greed and power. Is our own US Government, the richest and most powerful in the world, impervious to those temptations? The US Department of Defense admitted that a recent audit showed that $1 trillion of taxpayer funds cannot be accounted for - they don't know what happened to it. The US defense budget is now 40% higher than it was in 2001. Before September 11th, there was pervasive public enthusiasm for cutting defense spending in a post-Soviet world that did not pose an imminent military threat. When they collapsed, the World Trade Towers appeared to show signs of expert demolition. These facts imply a sick and infuriating possibility - but is it unpatriotic to mistrust your government? If every red-blooded American ruled out government manipulation as "impossible", doesn't that make it all the more possible?

That said, if there is one lesson I have learned on this trip, it's that this is a dog-eat-dog world, through and through. I think Darwinism is perhaps the most powerful dynamic on the planet - definitely stronger than religion. If America is guilty of manipulating it's own people in order to maintain the most advanced killing capability money can buy, is that wrong? Because if it was another country in the Dominant position, would they do any different? To preserve their own preeminence? I think it unlikely. Sometimes you are born a lion, and sometimes you're born a lamb. That's just the way it is.

I voted for George Bush twice. Feels like a decade ago when he stomped Kerry. When I get home, I am switching my voter reg to Independent. If there was a party called Elect Us But Don't Trust Us, I'd join them.

Over the course of this trip, I have had so much time to think of stuff like this. I'd like to write it all down, but it's not really interesting to anyone but me. Sometimes I want to rant and rave about what I've learned and what I've encountered in the world, sometimes I think it's pointless. I suppose it's just a maturation process that, without a blog, would be private but just as pointless.

But I disgress. I wouldn't characterize our time in Berlin as special in any way. In 3 days and 4 nights, we simply went about visiting the various tourist sites and blah blah blah. I am convinced that I would be MUCH more enthusiastic about Berlin if we had not just seen umpteen other European cities before it. Berlin wasn't boring, but it just wasn't steak... it was one of the other dishes on the buffet table that didn't make me ask for the recipe.

Berlin -- No, not the band

2006-08-09T14:18:00.000-07:00

I had a real hesistation to travel to Germany because of its horrific history. I had especially heavy boots after visiting Auschwitz (Germany's biggest concentration camp) in Poland. But I realized, I could not let one lunatic leader's (and his followers) insane, archaic and grotesque ideas overshadow an entire nation. Nevertheless, it is still difficult for me to shake the image of the Nazis, Hitler and the Holocaust while traveling through Germany and not blame the German people for allowing the Nazi ideas to take over the entire country. I just do not understand how an entire nation could allow Hitler to accumulate so much power or agree with his propaganda to expel and murder Jews, Gypsies, Russians, Polish and many other nationalities. I just do not get it.

Berlin pushes the issues of the Holocaust, WWII and the Cold War to the forefront of one's mind when you are exploring the city. You cannot escape seeing bulletholes in older buildings or sections of the Berlin Wall. There are many beautiful parks, museums, historic squares and buildings in Berlin; but WWII and the Cold War seem to overshadow this beauty. Most, if not all, of our experiences in Berlin revolved around seeing sites or visiting museums related to WWII and the Cold War.

We visited Checkpoint charlie, a tourist trap. Once at the checkpoint, we crossed over from East Berlin to West Berlin. We read about the escapes east Berliners orchestrated in order to get over to the west side, along with the GDR's (East Germany's government) "shoot to kill" policy in the event someone attempted to escape.

Near Checkpoint Charlie, there is the incomplete Topography of Terror museum. It is currently an outdoor exhibit and begs the question why a permanent building has not been built to detail the crimes committed by the Nazis. The museum exhibits describe the Nazis rise to power, how the Nazis started WWII (by destroying a radio/t.v. tower in Germany on the German/Poland border and, then, blaiming it on the Polish), and finally their campaign of terror against the Jews, Gypsies, Polish, Russians and whoever else they decided to hate. The museum also had an exhibit about the Nuremberg trials after the war, which resulted in the conviction and execution of some top Nazi officials. The actual site of the museum is located on the ruins of the former Nazi headquaters which were bombed to shreds during WWII by the Allies. It is strange to be walking on top or around former Nazi headquarters while at the same time reading about the destruction and murder caused by them.

After sampling some organic currywurst (I love my organic food), we walked past the Reichstag (which Hitler allegedly burned down), Germany's Parliament building, on our way to the Holocaust memorial. The memorial is comprised of grey cement blocks in varying size on a sloped site. It is a somber memorial, but with the setting sunlight hitting the blocks, it is also a very beautiful. We went into the information center where I learned that the Nazis had set up a concentration camp in the town of Minsk (it is located in Belarus), where my grandmother was born. Aside from the concentration camp, the Nazis also massacred 5,000 - 6,000 Jews there. It was heart wrenching to read family stories and postcards sent by Holocaust victims. Clint and I had heavy boots leaving the Holocaust memorial.

After taking a circuitous route to reach it, Clint and I also visited the impressive Soviet War Memorial. It is located in the middle of a park in East Berlin. On top of a mound (where 5,000 Soviet soldiers are buried) there is a statue of a soldier cradling a child. While I do not agree with the Soviet's policies after the war ended, including building the Berlin Wall, stoking up the fires of the Cold War and cracking down on religious minorities, the fact they sacrificed a lot of lives to defeat the Germans in WWII should not go unnoticed. On our way to the Soviet War Memorial, we walked up into a guard tower that once housed GDR soldiers guarding the wall. It was eery to be inside the tower and think about how the soldiers reacted when they saw someone attempting to escape over the wall.

I found the Cold War leftovers to be the most fascinating part of Berlin. In particular, we went to the East Side Gallery which is a section of the wall that has been preserved displaying artwork created before the fall of the wall in November, 1989. The art is thought provoking and at times disturbing. But most disturbing is the fact people have begun to graffiti the wall. We saw several Basque nationalist slogans written over some of the paintings. I also poked my head into Cafe Adler which is located near Checkpoint Charlie. Apparently, John Le Carre (one of my favorite writers) hung out there when he worked for the British spy agency and the CIA had offices above the cafe.

East Berlin is still very much up and coming. Construction cranes fill its sky line and new shops and restaurants line its streets. The neighborhoods in East Berlin are eclectic and remind me of Nolita (Mulberry and Elizabeth streets for those current and former New Yorkers) or the Lower Eastside of Manhattan.

I will never travel to Germany again. There is nothing redeeming to me about Germany. The beer is potent but I am not a fan of German beer. The food is comprised of sausage or other forms of meat, potatoes and sauerkraut, none of which I particularly fancy. The German people are arrogant, rude and obnoxious. In fact, I would rather return to arrogant, flamboyant Italy than go back to Germany.

Zeb needs to move to Munich

2006-08-09T14:10:00.000-07:00

Clint has done a fine job of describing our trials and tribulations (we actually had neither but I just finished a book by Charles Dickens and so it seemed appropriate to use "trials and tribulations" in the opening sentence of my blog post) in Munich so I will not bore myself with further details. But, instead, I will provide my opinion (I do love to pontificate) about the city and Bavaria in general.

My brother needs to move to Bavaria. If he cannot afford to live in Munich (because what exactly do you do with a Sociology degree?), no problem. He can live somewhere else that is cheaper. In fact, I saw lots of farmland on our way to Lake Chiemsee and quite frankly, my brother is built to be a farmer. He can definitely take down two cows and a bull with one hand. More importantly, the food and beer portions here are enormous; perfect for Zeb. A large Stein of beer here may look like a mini-swimming pool to the rest of us, but for my brother, it is merely a thimble. The Germans love their meat, potatoes and bread. My brother's food staples are meat, potatoes and bread. A lot of the men and women here are large, not necessarily large in the sense of fat (but there are lots of those types too), but rather just big-boned. My brother would no longer be the "big man on campus" in Bavaria. As for lederhosen, well Zeb, whatever you do please do not wear any. The lederhosen outfit consists of shorts made out of what looks to be a suede material, suspenders, a button-down shirt, socks pulled up to the knees, and a hat fit for a man yodeling on top of the Bavarian Alps. This would not look very becoming on my brother but it could make a good Halloween costume for him this October. It would definitely get some chuckles. So Zeb, when you finish college in the Spring, buy yourself (or ask mom or dad to buy one for you) a one-way ticket to Munich, Germany. You will not be disappointed.

Muslims in Munich

I was surprised by the number of Muslim families we saw walking around Munich. Clint and I had read somewhere that either Munich or Berlin had the largest Turkish population outside of Turkey. But most of the men and women we saw in Munich, were not all Turkish Muslims. In fact, the McDonald's had Arabic writing underneath one of its signs while the rest of the signs were in German. Just so we are all clear, Arabic is not the dominant spoken language in Turkey. At times, I thought I was back in Cairo because there were so many women in black hijabs at cafes and walking around the streets. It was interesting because it was more than just seeing the families walking together in the late afternoon/evening which is very traditional. We saw this in Egypt and Morocco. But rather, seeing the women peruse the most expensive stores in Munich. For instance, you would see Muslim women in all black head scarfs and dresses going into Chanel, Gucci, Dior, and Louis Vuitton to purchase what appeared to be only handbags. You would also see them walking around the streets of Munich (always together) with their Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci or Dior handbag prominently displayed on their arm. I also saw several Muslim women piling into and out of chauffered Mercedes. I found the whole scene a bit odd. On Friday, we saw people protesting the events in Lebanon near a main square. Given Germany's history, it is ironic to me to see so many Muslims living in the country.

Being naked in public is not okay

Shannon (Clint's friend living in Zurich, Switzerland) told us that Englisher Garten had an area where people laid out naked. When she told us this, I thought to myself, "how weird" but really did not think much of it until we walked through the naked people. Surprise, surprise not many naked women but rather lots of naked men letting their dongs hang out. When will men realize, the dong is not meant to be on display? I wanted to shout out at the top of my lungs to these men, "NO ONE WANTS TO SEE YOUR DONG!" But instead, I walked with my head down and tried not to glance at the dongs. At one point, we saw a man (naked) on top of a women (naked) rubbing her back. Even Clint said that was a little much. I mean honestly with some small movements they could have been engaging in "whoopee" (Newlywed game?) in the open. It was disgusting. I still cannot believe no one is arrested for this indecent exposure and/or the city is not in an uproar over the people being naked in the park. Although it would have been funny to see the naked men eating a wurst. I understand the body is natural and we should celebrate it, but why can't it be celebrated in your own home? Why must people celebrate it in public?

Munich: mmmm, beer...

2006-08-03T13:08:00.000-07:00

All this time, I thought I knew good beer. How wrong I was.

The beer here in Munich (Germany photos) is simply the best in the world. I love Guinness. I am an unabashed fan of Red Hook, a Seattle-based brewing company. We had some exceptional Czech pilsner in Prague. Monteith's (only from the Greymouth brewery) and Speight's (The Pride of the South!) in New Zealand were also fantastic. But the beer in Munich tops them all easily. By law, German brewers are only allowed to use 4 ingredients: hops, yeast, malt and water. The result is strong and flavorful; I like Augustiner brand the best. Their Dunkel (dark), Wiessbier, Wiessbier Dunkel were an absolute pleasure to guzzle. But they are super-potent and I have not yet been able to surpass 3 liters in one night.

I am loving it in Munich, although beyond a single art museum there have not been any tourist sights that we have deemed to be worth entering. The town is visually "historic", well-preserved, and clean, and we did quite a bit of exploring on foot. In fact, because we weren't trapped indoors in any tourist traps, we spent almost all of our 3-4 days doing two things: eating and drinking in bier halls and gardens, and racking up mileage perusing the town on foot. Bavarian culture is really interesting... lederhosen, huge steins of potent beer, bratwursts with sauerkraut, pretzels, oompah bands, and some large people. The acclaimed Hofbrauhaus brings them all to bear under one roof. Lots of tourists in the joint, but also many bona fide Bavarian beer drinkers there as well. Based on what we can discern, there is quite a bit of Nazi lineage in Munich as well, since this was kind of the homeland for the nationalist movement of the 1920's and 1930's. Our guide book said pre-power Nazi party members used to meet upstairs in the Hofbrauhaus, and supposedly Hitler made a famous speech to townsfolk here as well (I admit I didn't know of this speech).

Partly because of Sam's limited drinking stamina and partly because of budget, we have sort of evolved into more mellow drinkers on this trip. Sam goes from buzzed-to-bombed-to-sleepy in about 3 drinks (or one big Bavarian Wiessbeer), and I require more time and liquid to get a buzz (or one Bavarian Wiessbeer). Spain was great because we'd take it slow and eat and drink our way through the evening. Italy was great because we'd drink store-bought wine and I'd drink most of it. Munchen has proven more difficult in terms of buzz-management, however, because Sam wants to take a nap after a half-liter of this delicious German beer. That said, we have had some fun in the biergartens of Munich. Thanks to my man Craig Cummings for the strong encouragement to come here - I love it. I got rocked the first night on 1.5 liters of Augustineer Wiessbier. Strong stuff!

Not sure which other European cities he has been to, but I respectfully disagree with Craig's assessment that Munich is the most beautiful city in the world. Prague was more visually arresting, in my book, as was Barcelona. Along with Madrid and Venice, I would put Munich in the top 10 of what I've seen, for sure, but nowhere near #1. Once again, you on the wrong muthafuckin page, Craig. (Sorry Grandma!) (For the record, I would like to kick my friend Craig, who is a fan of the French(!) soccer team, directly square in the balls. He stood us up in Thailand and his advice on Germany would have helped to heal that emotional wound except that he countered it by rooting for the French. So I took great pleasure in capturing and now displaying this photo of a chalk drawing we saw in Munchen. It's an eerily Craig-resembling androgenous figure - perfect because it looks exactly like him AND he likes the French.)

All that bollocks notwithstanding, we also followed his instructions and spent a couple days in Chiemsee, a big lake area between Munchen and Salzburg. 2 nights of camping in Prien, one crowded and rocky campsite right on the lakshore, another grassier, quieter site about 10 min walking from the lake. Rented a bike one day and cruised the area, including the town of Bernau. No doubt that this area still adheres strongly to the old school Bavarian traditions. Even though it's essentially a holiday area, I would not have been surprised to see a lederhosen clad yodelling from a hillside. Something about the area and the people just oozes Bavaria-ness. It's really too bad that the legacy of Nazism taints the heritage here. Although that vile piece of German history is entirely taboo now and not visually present, I can imagine in the 1800's or so that Bavaria could have been an idyllic place. Beer, sausages, bread, mustard, sauerkraut, cheese, men that sweat and work, and so on.

Germans love to camp, almost always in their RV rigs, and we have seen them all over Europe. They very often seem extremely content and almost smug about the mobile comforts they can provide themselves while in a campsite. All sorts of sweet set-ups, including a few that appeared to have totally replicated their home at the campsite, with a full kitchen, grill, and satellite TV. "Why not just stay at home?" is the question that keeps coming to mind, because the bigger the set-up the more often you'll see them sitting there in the campsite to savor it. But you can't dispute the fact that they are enjoying themselves. That smug look is unmistakeable.

A few other things:

Many more Middle-Easterners living in Bavaria than I expected. Samantha will surely take the podium on this topic. We had awesome Dururm Doner in Prien. Fancy that.
They really love dated American pop music hear. It was like audibly re-visiting my youth.
No sign of any David Hasselhof affinity, sorry to spoil this often-snickered at image of Germans.
English Garden, the Munich equivalent of Central Park in NYC, has a not-so-discreet area where people sun-bathe nude. This breached and assaulted every fiber of my wife's sense of propriety; I was perturbed only by 40+ year old dudes who were striking provacative poses and seemed to be begging others to gawk at their junk. Not cool.
Kind of bummed I did not actually see anyone yodel. Drat.
I think everyone in Germany has a BMW or Benz. It's worse than the eBay employee parking lot.
Sadly there were not that many hot chicks in Bavaria. I expected at least a couple of blond, fair-skinned Bavaria babes but they never materialized. Even the backpacking foreigner chicks were a bit trollish. I must be spoiled by the Prague and Budapest showcases.
These older guys are not embarassed at all about donning their lederhosen. It's not for the benefit of tourists, either. It's legit, and they like it. I love this ambivalence about what other people think, especially because I think it looks effing hilarious. I saw one guy wearing what looked like an upside-down feather-duster on the crest of his hat. Awesome.

After lots of prosting (one hand only; i've been instructed by Craig that prosting the massive steins full of bier with two hands is strictly for girly-men -- bad) and some occasional crappy summer rain to dampen our days, we leave Munchen and Bavaria for Berlin. My sources Travis and Craig each tell me separately that I should expect a more urban experience with colder, less hospitable people. I shall see for myself, but I will likely be okay as long as I can get my hands on some Augustineer and a wurst or 3.