Today is the end of our Euro tour as we make our ways on planes, trains and ferries to Mumbai. It has been recommended that some concluding thoughts be recorded:
On transport: Yes you can get everywhere by train! trains here are cheap comfortable, and in some places you can even sneak a smoke between cars. Why don't we have trains that go 200mph! Also -- If everyone has a small car no one has to worry so much about dying of SUV encounter. Scooters and super minis dominate, they get 70 MPG easy, their fun and with rare exceptions they are all you need.
On Youth: This is a place that acknowledges that you are not obligated to grow up at 22. Youth Hostels, and other discounts on everything from museums to transport dominate until the age of 25.
On the Euro: There are a lot of losers and not a lot of winners. Nothing is as cheap as a it used to be for anyone.
On Getting Through Europe on the cheap:
Get the Eurail pass, but know that you will have to pay 10-30 euro for ticket reservation
Be careful about getting hostels -- cheap hostels may mean more transport cost where as paying more can get you a kitchen and save you big time on tasty meals.
Renting a car can be much cheaper than a cab. Check the rates, you might be able to get a whip for 30 euro a day with insurance, where cabs can easily get above 75 euro an hour.
Buying groceries may or may not save you money. In some places ponying up for a basic meal at a cafe may be a lot cheaper than eating groceries.
More thoughts may emerge.
It's been awesome.
**Should you find yourself in sun-baked areas such as Italy and Greece, wear at least SPF 50+...even so, Stephan still became a fine shade of lobster red after reapplying multiple times. Also, when in Greece avoid Retsina Wine, very cheap but tastes exactly like Pine Sol, as it is made with Pine resin.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
death of an icon\ pedo
word has spread rapidly of the death of a certain mj and his nusic has been inescapable. bbc world service has pushed aside bombings and sad ploar bears for coverage of prayer vigils in every corner of theworld. commemorative plate makers are undoubtedly firing up their kils for the greatest industry wind fall since lady di or dale earnhardt.
we are taking in our last days in europe in a small town hookah bar over looking the beach and obligatory ruins.
tomorrow is the start of a 45 hour travel day starting on crete and ending in mumbai. were both pretty wiped from endless sun, poor nutrition and 4-6 miles a day of walking. meg has asked me to clarify that poor nutrition means too many gyros and cheap wine as opposed to starvation.
as piddidle has gotten old we have invented a new game called sbbg... or small boy big girl. the object being to spot couples where the women is at least twice the weight of her male companion. lastly we have uncovered a close relative of the street panty in greece, thebeach panty.
don't worry about photo documenaion. between us there are 500 picturs so far of which 3 have both of us.
not sure what india will offer for internet but at least we know tech support will be well covered
we are taking in our last days in europe in a small town hookah bar over looking the beach and obligatory ruins.
tomorrow is the start of a 45 hour travel day starting on crete and ending in mumbai. were both pretty wiped from endless sun, poor nutrition and 4-6 miles a day of walking. meg has asked me to clarify that poor nutrition means too many gyros and cheap wine as opposed to starvation.
as piddidle has gotten old we have invented a new game called sbbg... or small boy big girl. the object being to spot couples where the women is at least twice the weight of her male companion. lastly we have uncovered a close relative of the street panty in greece, thebeach panty.
don't worry about photo documenaion. between us there are 500 picturs so far of which 3 have both of us.
not sure what india will offer for internet but at least we know tech support will be well covered
Friday, June 26, 2009
Island Life
Today is our third day on Crete and it has been amazing. Every it's been sunny with a light breeze, the food is cheap and the beach is beautiful. As frosting on the cake, the place Meg found to stay is a "guest house", which despite being hostel priced was in fact a suite with balcony and kitchen.
Yesterday we headed down to the tourist stip with the plan of renting scooters but were rejected for not having adequete licensces etc... ready to give up we tried the place next door which did not have scooters, but for the same price handed us the keys to a small korean car. All they had was sticks and when I explained that I did not have a license with me and Meg only could drive autos the kindly old man at the rental counter simply shrugged, handed me the keys and said "Why not?"
We covered about a quarter of the island stopping in small towns for beach breaks and croissants. Having gotten a little lost having and having a tourist map with only main roads we were soon faced with a road that was more like a goat path and which lead over mountains. Echoing the advice of the kindly old rental man, we said "why not" and got our happy little Kia over the mountain and back to the beach.
Yesterday we headed down to the tourist stip with the plan of renting scooters but were rejected for not having adequete licensces etc... ready to give up we tried the place next door which did not have scooters, but for the same price handed us the keys to a small korean car. All they had was sticks and when I explained that I did not have a license with me and Meg only could drive autos the kindly old man at the rental counter simply shrugged, handed me the keys and said "Why not?"
We covered about a quarter of the island stopping in small towns for beach breaks and croissants. Having gotten a little lost having and having a tourist map with only main roads we were soon faced with a road that was more like a goat path and which lead over mountains. Echoing the advice of the kindly old rental man, we said "why not" and got our happy little Kia over the mountain and back to the beach.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I'm on a boat...
and it's going fast and I got a nautical themed pashmina afghann...
w e are on the ferry for athen to crete where further transport will bring us our hotel.
greece is much like italy but a little more locked in the past. the writing is indecipherable, communists are populars (or at least have the biggest poster budget)and the motor pool is testament to 70s toyota reliability. further more crime is rampent and police squads march through neighborhoods in groups no smaller than 6 with riot gear and billy clubs out.
another observation is the cats. as we go south the herds of steet cats have gotten gotten larger and more visible. upon arrival in crete we are expecting the weaker pasengers to be liquadated for kibble.
s
w e are on the ferry for athen to crete where further transport will bring us our hotel.
greece is much like italy but a little more locked in the past. the writing is indecipherable, communists are populars (or at least have the biggest poster budget)and the motor pool is testament to 70s toyota reliability. further more crime is rampent and police squads march through neighborhoods in groups no smaller than 6 with riot gear and billy clubs out.
another observation is the cats. as we go south the herds of steet cats have gotten gotten larger and more visible. upon arrival in crete we are expecting the weaker pasengers to be liquadated for kibble.
s
Monday, June 22, 2009
time traveller
we just stepped off an overnight ferry from italy to greece in what is shaping up to be a 36 hour travel day. our seats which turned out to be one class above sitting outside were still in a hot sticky room. fortunately we had come equipped with a bottle limoncello which we poured into sprite cans and brought to the bow to watch the sea.
when bedtime came we built a fort out of our backpack and two massage chairs and slept on the soft carpet of the lounge.
when bedtime came we built a fort out of our backpack and two massage chairs and slept on the soft carpet of the lounge.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
A Driver with a distaste for humanity
Today we dragged our selves out of bed early to catch a ferry. Although the hostel in Naples is amazing in most respects, it has been about 90 degrees here at night, and the neighbors seem to be on a constant 24 hour routine of partying, fighting and fucking. Sleep has been tricky to come by. Our destination today was Procida, an island 60 miles off the coast which has tried hard to keep itself locked in time. There are not many cars and repairs seem to be conducted on houses and infrastructure about every 25 years.
It has beautiful beaches where we spent most of the day, it is also somewhat of a photogs paradise. There is an endless parade of wooden gates, lizards, wild flowers, wrought iron, classic cars and wayward kitties vying for attention. My camera suffered an accident in May that makes it so I cant see pictures before I put them on a computer, but I am hoping there are some good ones.
Worth mentioning - the drivers here are absolutely insane. This morning our bus driver stumbled onto the bus cigarettes in mouth, and before leaving the station managed to hit a 13 year old girl as lightly as a bus can, and force a BMW M5 onto the sidewalk. There is a general sense that motorists are playing reverse Frogger and anything not on wheels is actively targeted. Aditionally, there seems to be some kind of Italian math in play where there must be a minumum of two passengers per wheel. At every intersection there are families of four perched on Vespas, while Smart sit packed with passengers extended out the windows.
We are off to Greece tomorrow morning in what is shaping up to be a 40 hour travel day. We bought the cheapest ferry tickets which may have been a mistake... we were advised to make sure to sit in front of the smoke stack or end up covered in soot. I hope the ferry has a bar.
It has beautiful beaches where we spent most of the day, it is also somewhat of a photogs paradise. There is an endless parade of wooden gates, lizards, wild flowers, wrought iron, classic cars and wayward kitties vying for attention. My camera suffered an accident in May that makes it so I cant see pictures before I put them on a computer, but I am hoping there are some good ones.
Worth mentioning - the drivers here are absolutely insane. This morning our bus driver stumbled onto the bus cigarettes in mouth, and before leaving the station managed to hit a 13 year old girl as lightly as a bus can, and force a BMW M5 onto the sidewalk. There is a general sense that motorists are playing reverse Frogger and anything not on wheels is actively targeted. Aditionally, there seems to be some kind of Italian math in play where there must be a minumum of two passengers per wheel. At every intersection there are families of four perched on Vespas, while Smart sit packed with passengers extended out the windows.
We are off to Greece tomorrow morning in what is shaping up to be a 40 hour travel day. We bought the cheapest ferry tickets which may have been a mistake... we were advised to make sure to sit in front of the smoke stack or end up covered in soot. I hope the ferry has a bar.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Piddidle
Travelling with one other person carries the threat of some monotony. Meg and I have set some boundaries and some reading time aside to avoid fatigue. So far I have gotten through a Huxley book on 15th century posessions and the catholic church which I set aside and a book called Small Wars Permitting about being a correspondent in places full of upheavel. I recommend both, more so the latter.
The other thing we have done is kept a running games of piddidle. If you are not familier this is the game usually played by 15 year olds with a friend who can drive. When said teenagers see a car with one headlight out, they yell piddidle and are allowed to extract some penalty (usually a punch) from another player. We have adopted this game in a special European edition in which, rather than dead headlights, the game is played upon spotting the morbidly obeses.
Green Peace seems willing to give me my money back, which had turned from a $20 donation into random withdrawels from my back account totalling $80 in the the last 3 weeks.
We were off to Pompei today which was pretty interesting, but extremely overwhelming in its size. We wandared off the beated path after having our fill of mosaics and charred remains and found a nature trail that ran around the outside of the city wall.
The other thing we have done is kept a running games of piddidle. If you are not familier this is the game usually played by 15 year olds with a friend who can drive. When said teenagers see a car with one headlight out, they yell piddidle and are allowed to extract some penalty (usually a punch) from another player. We have adopted this game in a special European edition in which, rather than dead headlights, the game is played upon spotting the morbidly obeses.
Green Peace seems willing to give me my money back, which had turned from a $20 donation into random withdrawels from my back account totalling $80 in the the last 3 weeks.
We were off to Pompei today which was pretty interesting, but extremely overwhelming in its size. We wandared off the beated path after having our fill of mosaics and charred remains and found a nature trail that ran around the outside of the city wall.
Robbed by Greenpeace
[Update April 26th, 2011]
I noticed recently that there are people, some who I don't know, who read this blog. To set the records straight - I contacted Greenpeace who clarified that I had signed up for a recurring gift. After explaining that I had misunderstood what I had signed up for, they worked to come to a support level that fit my budget. I have now been giving to Greenpeace for over 3 years and have not had anything but positive interaction since the initial misunderstanding.
I never clubbed a baby seal.
We are in an awesome hostel in Naples close to transport Pompei and the beach. Another perks is steady internet access.
Needless to say finances have been a concern on the trip, so I was pretty upset this morning when I found out that based on a donation I had given last month, Greenpeace has been syphoning money from my bank account. I wrote them a nasty email but who know what that will achieve.
I am so angry right now. I am spilling the first oil tanker I come across into a nest of baby seals.
I noticed recently that there are people, some who I don't know, who read this blog. To set the records straight - I contacted Greenpeace who clarified that I had signed up for a recurring gift. After explaining that I had misunderstood what I had signed up for, they worked to come to a support level that fit my budget. I have now been giving to Greenpeace for over 3 years and have not had anything but positive interaction since the initial misunderstanding.
I never clubbed a baby seal.
We are in an awesome hostel in Naples close to transport Pompei and the beach. Another perks is steady internet access.
Needless to say finances have been a concern on the trip, so I was pretty upset this morning when I found out that based on a donation I had given last month, Greenpeace has been syphoning money from my bank account. I wrote them a nasty email but who know what that will achieve.
I am so angry right now. I am spilling the first oil tanker I come across into a nest of baby seals.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
François the gay cannon
Today is our second day in rome and the weather has been amazing (so of course I am sunburnt). We spent all of yesterday walking through the city through various ruins with the MO that we were going to old stuff. There are literally ancient structures in various states of disrepair on every street, our favourite being a fort which had been turned into a very secure parking garage.
The train ride in was long, but we shared our compartment with a couple from Switzerland and a couple from Brazil. Cross cultural hilarity ensued. As much as there is some resentment about Americans not speaking other languages, there was a grudging acceptance that its nice that there is a common language. It is really funny to hear people who are close to fluent create there own expressions as in "Bump Hour" for Rush Hour.
After several hours of walking we ducked into a free museum that has AC. The museum certainly shed some light on why Italians of late have not been famed for their military tenacity. This was most exhibited by a cannon which had giant brass laurels over it at the end of the barrel and and the other end what I believe was a music stand. This fashion over function approach can be seen in the federal police that circle the streets. They drive Alfa Romeo 159 which look like the offspring of a Bentley and the batmobile, but which seem hard pressed to get anywhere in a hurry. It goes without saying that the police all wear suits and strangely shaped sunglasses.
Last night we ate at the hostel, which provided free pasta. An archealogist abnd true Indiana Jones wannabe gave us a bottle of wine and pontificated on the many job opportunities for a Mezza focused Archealogist with a specialty in Ceremics. Slightly toasted after dinner we manged to walk half way across the city in search of a bar with kid from Chicago also staying at our hostel. An international incident almost errupted when I was told that I had finished the last of the Jack Daniels on the Premises.
Today we are doing laundry for the first time (not in a sink with shampoo) and then off to the catacombs. If there is time we are going to cruise to Catholic Disneyland.
There has been one street panty sighting, in of all places a car tunnel.
s
The train ride in was long, but we shared our compartment with a couple from Switzerland and a couple from Brazil. Cross cultural hilarity ensued. As much as there is some resentment about Americans not speaking other languages, there was a grudging acceptance that its nice that there is a common language. It is really funny to hear people who are close to fluent create there own expressions as in "Bump Hour" for Rush Hour.
After several hours of walking we ducked into a free museum that has AC. The museum certainly shed some light on why Italians of late have not been famed for their military tenacity. This was most exhibited by a cannon which had giant brass laurels over it at the end of the barrel and and the other end what I believe was a music stand. This fashion over function approach can be seen in the federal police that circle the streets. They drive Alfa Romeo 159 which look like the offspring of a Bentley and the batmobile, but which seem hard pressed to get anywhere in a hurry. It goes without saying that the police all wear suits and strangely shaped sunglasses.
Last night we ate at the hostel, which provided free pasta. An archealogist abnd true Indiana Jones wannabe gave us a bottle of wine and pontificated on the many job opportunities for a Mezza focused Archealogist with a specialty in Ceremics. Slightly toasted after dinner we manged to walk half way across the city in search of a bar with kid from Chicago also staying at our hostel. An international incident almost errupted when I was told that I had finished the last of the Jack Daniels on the Premises.
Today we are doing laundry for the first time (not in a sink with shampoo) and then off to the catacombs. If there is time we are going to cruise to Catholic Disneyland.
There has been one street panty sighting, in of all places a car tunnel.
s
Monday, June 15, 2009
night train
two days ago we left the glamour and hedonism of amsterdam for zurich on a night train. despite our 3rd class accomadation the night train was still very comfortable with a small bunk and reading light for each passenger.
going from amsterdam to zurich was truly a culture shock. zurich has the same statuesque people, the same canals and the same bike lanes as amsterdam but that is where the similarities end. being in zurich is like being inside a giant bankers paradise. people are efficient and courteous but not friendly. the streets are lined with atms to fill ypur wallet and boutiques to empty them. a chicken sandwhich at mcdonalds is 13 usd.
the big draw of zurich is a lake filled by the ice melt from the mountains above it. it is clear and green and cold. along the shore people sprawl in the grass as flocks of various water birds lightly harrass the for snacks.
tonight we are off to rome on another night train.
s
going from amsterdam to zurich was truly a culture shock. zurich has the same statuesque people, the same canals and the same bike lanes as amsterdam but that is where the similarities end. being in zurich is like being inside a giant bankers paradise. people are efficient and courteous but not friendly. the streets are lined with atms to fill ypur wallet and boutiques to empty them. a chicken sandwhich at mcdonalds is 13 usd.
the big draw of zurich is a lake filled by the ice melt from the mountains above it. it is clear and green and cold. along the shore people sprawl in the grass as flocks of various water birds lightly harrass the for snacks.
tonight we are off to rome on another night train.
s
Friday, June 12, 2009
the bike ride
today when we woke up the sun was shining and it had warmed up for the first time on the trip. after breakfast we rented a pair of heavy red bikes and took off.
the bikes popular with commuters in amsterdam are large framed steel bikes with big tires. they are slow to get moving, but the 40 lbs frames pick up momentum and cruise with a solid sense of confidence.
we headed around most of the central city which is connected by a network of pths that run between the road and the sidewalk. we peddled from snack to snack for the afternoon.
the only incident getting through traffic today happened when a gang of vespas came charging through the bike lane. I would not say they were intimidating but they definitely made staying on the path a tight fit.
aside from thebike lanes the city is connected by trams which run smooth fast and quiet around the city.
the bikes popular with commuters in amsterdam are large framed steel bikes with big tires. they are slow to get moving, but the 40 lbs frames pick up momentum and cruise with a solid sense of confidence.
we headed around most of the central city which is connected by a network of pths that run between the road and the sidewalk. we peddled from snack to snack for the afternoon.
the only incident getting through traffic today happened when a gang of vespas came charging through the bike lane. I would not say they were intimidating but they definitely made staying on the path a tight fit.
aside from thebike lanes the city is connected by trams which run smooth fast and quiet around the city.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
weefee
Today is day 3 in Amsterdam, and what a place. Deceivingly pint sized, the entire city seems to be made up of 20 cafes, 10 coffee shops and a heard of healthy looking but homicidial cyclysts.
We've been spending most of the days napping in the parks and walking along the canels. It is beautiful here, and with few cars it is busy without the noise and pollutions that comes with cities.
We have a few definite favourites here which include a chain of falafel shops called Maos (and pronounced by Brits as May-Oz) and a mini-mart stocked floor to ceiling wtih wine and chocolate.
The most disconcerting thing has been the birds that swim in the canel that we have dubbed death ducks. They are black with a white face and beak. They have monstrous green feet and while they do not attack us, they are at very least passive agressive about their desire to take croissants off our hands.
s
We've been spending most of the days napping in the parks and walking along the canels. It is beautiful here, and with few cars it is busy without the noise and pollutions that comes with cities.
We have a few definite favourites here which include a chain of falafel shops called Maos (and pronounced by Brits as May-Oz) and a mini-mart stocked floor to ceiling wtih wine and chocolate.
The most disconcerting thing has been the birds that swim in the canel that we have dubbed death ducks. They are black with a white face and beak. They have monstrous green feet and while they do not attack us, they are at very least passive agressive about their desire to take croissants off our hands.
s
Monday, June 8, 2009
street panties
street panties... I see you in every city, but you are always lacy, racy and out of place. did you fall out of a laundry bag? or did something much more scandolous happen?
a tantalizing mystery.
today was our last day in paris and it poured again. we headed to the louvre for the morning and walked through acres of egyptian objects. we briefly dabbled with the renaissance paintings but it was a zoo so we said hello to mona and left.
we spent the afternoon at the picasso museum which was queit perhaps in part due to it hidden placement. finally we went to the pompadeu and looked at beautifully designed household items priced impossibly high.
tomorrow we are off to amsterdam. a word to the wise... the eurail pass is pretty loaded with fine print which is making life more complicated and expensive than we had anticipated.
a tantalizing mystery.
today was our last day in paris and it poured again. we headed to the louvre for the morning and walked through acres of egyptian objects. we briefly dabbled with the renaissance paintings but it was a zoo so we said hello to mona and left.
we spent the afternoon at the picasso museum which was queit perhaps in part due to it hidden placement. finally we went to the pompadeu and looked at beautifully designed household items priced impossibly high.
tomorrow we are off to amsterdam. a word to the wise... the eurail pass is pretty loaded with fine print which is making life more complicated and expensive than we had anticipated.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
city of lights, city of naps
paris so far has been largely sleeping and eating. we got up at noon today and walked most of the cental sights including the arc, champs elysee, eiffel tower, louvre and touleries.
every euro car company plus toyota had a building rented on the ce touting green concepts and racing heritage. the highlight was a citroen that looked like a racing 2 door wagon. also there were ample massauge chairs.
it was a bit rainy but we made it through.
tomorrow we are back to the louvre and prowling on bikes.
every euro car company plus toyota had a building rented on the ce touting green concepts and racing heritage. the highlight was a citroen that looked like a racing 2 door wagon. also there were ample massauge chairs.
it was a bit rainy but we made it through.
tomorrow we are back to the louvre and prowling on bikes.
Friday, June 5, 2009
drag me to heck
We are on our way as of 6 this morning. one sad little buddy holly fuck plane ride to jfk followed by a 8 hour layover. we killd time at the movies in queens. at first it was annoying to have two moviesin a row narrated by teenagers but it grew on us and certainly added to the enjoyment of "the hangover". we are now on the tarmac headed for paris hoping for sleep or at least a movie that is not marley and me.
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