On the Move (Paris, Amsterdam, Brugges)

“I don't know Lloyd, the French are real assholes“ - Harry Dunn

Arriving in Paris gave me a bit of culture shock, no longer was I in an English speaking country and our walk from the train station to the hotel yielded some challenges. First; we were farther away from the hotel than we thought we would be so we had to get in a cab. Second; the cab driver we waived down spoke no English, so I proceeded to reach into the cab and show him on the map where we wanted to go. He looked at me and said something; so I said “yes”, and we got in the cab not knowing where we would end up. Driving in Paris is thunder-dome; anything goes! Around the Arc de Triumph there is a rotary about seven to eight lanes wide, none of which are marked in anyway but our driver barreled into it with no reservations. While I was clutching my seat and clenching my jaw, the driver had one hand on the wheel while talking on the phone to his friend. We got out alive and he actually brought us to where I had pointed on the map.

We met up with our friend Matt at the La Meridan hotel where we stayed for two nights. During our time in Paris we saw most of the tourist attractions; most impressive being the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was enormous on the outside and when you walk in, it seems even bigger because the whole cathedral is one room. With the dim lighting and the ever present statues, I felt like I had walked into the 17^th century.

Are Parisians Welcoming? - No. Are Parisians pretentious? - Yes. Did I enjoy the Parisians? - Not really, but that may have been because of our simple differences or because we were only there for two nights. I would be ignorant to think I could judge a population so briefly. One thing is for sure though; the handle sizes on their coffee cups are borderline absurd – either have a handle or don't!

After Paris, we caught a train to Amsterdam. What an interesting city; they have a canal system like Venice and use them for transportation and recreation. It was relieving to finally get away from the huge cities like London and Paris, and to be in one of Amsterdam's size. It's not big and it's not small; just cozy. The people reflect an attitude appropriate for the way the city looks. They are laid back and very friendly, not to mention they speak near flawless English – a welcoming aspect after Paris. That we only had one night did not stop us from enjoying the city's questionable behavior – let's leave it at that! From Amsterdam we took a train to Brugges, Belgium where we stayed at a backpacker hostel known as the Snuffle Hostel. We watched some more soccer; Barcelona v Chelsea, played some chess with a local and then went out to drink that famous Belgium beer. The guy we played chess with was a Belgium national champion when he was younger, suffice it to say he beat us, but then he decided to show us around ( maybe he felt he needed to after embarrassing us so much ). He took us to a cellar pub and we enjoyed some of the best beer I have ever had. Not only did it taste amazing, but it had almost 10% alcohol. We talked a bit about Belgium culture versus American culture, which was interesting if nothing else; then it was time for foos-ball! I have always considered my self a good chess player and a great foos-ball player, but man, that night was humbling. The two guys we played didn't let us even touch the ball, and I think through three games we scored maybe five goals.

Next we have a nine hour train ride to Interlaken, Switzerland via Belgium and Luxembourg. Nice it is to finally get some down time considering the trip's elevated rate of movement.  Pardon the expression, but our Blitzkrieg through Northern Europe is at an end.  Here come the Alps!

Arrival - London

“Too much safety seems to yield only danger in the long run“ - Aldo Leopold

So here we are at Trafalgar Square in London, England for two nights. So far, so great! We've spent most of our time walking around, getting acquainted with the city, the people; seeing all the tourist attractions (traps), etc.. Honestly speaking, London is everything I assumed it would be, good and bad. It's a civil city with charm and an enormous amount of history with fantastic architecture. The pubs are filled with character, and the tasty warm ales hurt nothing at all. However, the weather has done very little to change my preconceptions of gloom. Since we've arrived, I've seen the sun twice (briefly), and the rest of the time it's been overcast with that constant drizzle commonly associated with the city. No worries though! I find myself welcoming the cloudiness as a resident of London; accepting it for what it is.

Sweet Jesus is it expensive here! London makes New York look cheap. How do people working here come out in the green? Seems to me they would be constantly taking one step forward and two steps back, getting chewed up and spit out by the thousands, sent packing back to wherever they came from, but I suppose my ignorance on the subject is evidence enough as to why I don't have a full time job, yet alone work in London.

The People? Well, first off they speak English – that helps. A very direct and literal people - the English. It seems they are always willing to discuss and lend whatever knowledge they've acquired – I respect that. Moreover, they are friendly and helpful. Not one time yet have I gotten a bad vibe or a rude attitude. It's comforting to visit a place where that is the case. Now, I'm sure the English have a great sense of humor in their own right, but I've gotten the impression sarcasm is lost on them, or maybe it is just our kind of sarcasm; who knows, but there has already been multiple occasions where I've said something sarcastically and gotten a look as if they thought I was being serious: not sarcastic, just unintelligent. Maybe they knew I was being sarcastic and just thought the sarcasm was stupid, then the jokes on me right?

Lastly, my apologies go out to all before me who have been allowed to try black pudding. My good word it is terrible. I would love to sit here and say I enjoyed it for it's rich and different flavor, but that would be unfair to everyone who has never heard of it and could find themselves one day in a situation where they are presented with the chance to taste it. I would never forgive myself, and that inevitable “what the fuck is this?” face they get would be my fault. I don't know exactly what it is but from what I gathered it's pig entrails coated with salt, why it's called “pudding” is a question I don't want to know the answer to.

Overall, I think London is a wonderful city that is hurt only by it's food and it's sky high prices.

Departure

“Not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves” - Henry David Thoreau

My story begins with the first words in this passage. Surely, a man of 25 years has plenty to tell about previous experiences; previous travels, previous acquaintances and the like, but it's all in the past, and there it will remain. So, I reiterate, my story begins here, with my desire to see Western Europe. Why Western Europe? Primarily because I have never been there before, but also because of it's diverse culture and grand scenery. I hope to witness things so confusing, so foreign, I'll feel like I'm in a movie. I want to be clueless and bewildered; surprised by something around every cobbled corner. I suppose I have a sick desire to spend a shit-load of money as well.

I will be traveling for 2 months through 10 different countries, mostly by train, but occasionally by other means. My brother Jeff will be with me for the first few weeks and then I go it alone. Along the way I hope to meet a variety of different people, see a variety of wonderful sights and experience not a second of boredom. That I hope to “live life” is a bit cliché (what the hell else are you suppose to do with it?) but it's the best way to sum up my objective. Collectively, hotels, hostels and campgrounds will act as home away from home, where I add up the days expenses in Euro's, convert it to US dollars, and calmly say to myself, “Fuck”. Yes, I am not exactly looking forward to Europe's high prices (if you couldn't tell by now) but it's the nature of the beast, and it is a beast.

Mark Twain wrote while traveling in Europe; “there was everything to choose from, yet no choice” - I understand exactly how he felt. There are so many places to see, it's almost overwhelming. My plan is liquid, free to flow where it may, but as a rough outline I intend to visit: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Barcelona, Sevilla, Tangier, Provence, Berlin, and anywhere else that I find attractive. I intend to hike in: The Jungfrau Region, The Pyrenees Mountains, Southern France, The Black Forest and once again, anywhere I find attractive. Now, if I'm able to do all this I will be very surprised because plans change and things happen, but that's the plan anyway, for what it's worth.

Along the way, I will be blogging and posting pictures as frequent as time allows. So, I invite all to hop on the train with me through Western Europe.