MIKE'S EUROTRIP
September 10 - October 5
Please Note: I accidentally deleted the original page of this website. Therefore, all entries made between October 5 and November 15 have been lost. I have recovered the majority of them in paper format; however, if you have the last couple entries made after November 10 I'd love to get them from you...please let me know. Thank you! Mike
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 5 - DAY 25
Hey folks... really quick note here before I hit the sack... just finished having a few beverages for the nght.. found 26ers for 8 euros.. WOW what a reliefe from beer and wine!!! GIDDY UP... chilled out on the rooftop terrace for the night with a couple fellow travellers... tried to avoid the typical questions and it was all good. A bit buzzed right now so bare with this entry. Woke up around 9 am to a noisy roommate.. wanted to kick the guy's ass as he was making sooo much damn noise... drove everybody nuts.., luckily he checked out today though. Went for some McDonald's breaky this morning... mmmmm it was sooo darn good... it's tough findiing bacon and eggs in europe for breakfast.. mmmm mmmm good!!! Went to Vatican... saw Sistine Chapel - not as cool as expected - too much hype - the rooms leading to it were just as cool but get no recognition - really amazing thing to see though - afterwards hit up St Pete's Bascilica... really cool church.... was more impressive then anything I have seen here thus far.... took subway home ... grabbed a shower and some din din (went to this italian restaurant - felt like we were eating in a basement or something).... the restaurant was definitely a mom and pop's kinda place.... really cool experience.. grabbed some cantelloni and split.... felt rude asking for the bill but ya gotta do what ya gotta do..... anyway.... I'm pretty zonked.... surrounded by annoying 18 year old girls ("Like that is sooo cool, Like I can't wait to go to Milan to go shpping, Have you not finished your wine, Like that is a cute little bottle"...."OH MY GOD"... dude they're driving me nuts!!!) so time for bed... talk to ya guys later... cheers!!! Love, Mike
MONDAY, OCTOBER 4 - DAY 24
Hello from Rome! Alright,,,, I've had my fair share of cities and quite frankly I was sick of them... UNTIL TODAY... Rome is AMAZING!!! Leanne and I took a night train last night and slept in our seats rather then a sleap couchette... to save about 20 euros or so to recoup some cash lost in Venice on our one night hotel fee. The ride wasn't too bad.... didn't get a heck of a lot of sleep though but that's fine. We chilled out on a terrace from about 5pm to about 11pm drinking white wine and eating pasta.... needless to say we were both feeling good... I think I was feeling a bit better... at least that's what the shirt I was wearing thought when I dumped a glass all over myself. We met a few people while hanging out and chatted a bit. To be quite honest... we're both getting sick of meeting people... don't get me wrong... meeting people is totally cool and you get to learn a vast number of things from each individual you bump into, however, we're just sick of hearing the same stories from everybody along with the same questions (where are you from, where have you been, where are you going, etc.)... everybody here is the same... all doing the same thing... it really isn't cool hearing the same story over and over again... nor is it cool repeating myself time after time. What can ya do though?? We've had a few days off of from travellers and it's been nice.... though it's always cool hanging out with people our age as well.... Anyway.... I'm in Rome... hanging out in our hostel... today is the 3rd day since I've been away that I haven't had a sip of alcohol... I think I have a problem. I had a coke tonight with dinner even though the booze was cheaper.... just needed a break! So we got in today around 9 am by the time we found our hostel and everything... we dropped our bags off in the luggage room and took off to check things out.... MAN is there ever a ton to see here.... saw the Colosseum - bit of a bummer, too many renovations going on, etc... cost too much for what it is, every seems like it had been restored.... still a pretty cool spectacle though... then off to the ruins.... amazing! we hooked up a free tour here which helped us understand everything a whole lot more... it was great seeing things and not having to make up what they were! GOOD TIMES! From here we went to the Trevi Fountain... now this totally exceeded my expectations... even if it was packed with tourists tossing coins over their shoulder... we met an older couple (about 80) and chatted for a bit.... the man filled us in on a ton of traditions, etc.... quite enlightening... from here off to the Patheon, followed by a stroll around the Piazza Navona.... something Toronto is definitely lacking (huge courtyards surrounded by quaint little bars).... picked up a book about Rome to learn a bit... did some bartering... ended up paying about 1/3 of the original price... it's sad how easy it is here... too bad things didn't work so easily when bargaining for more money in a job interview.... it's kinda like stealing candy from a baby here. Afterwards just came back to our hostel... doubles as a hotel so it's rather nice... and CHEAP too!! Rome is awesome... from what I've seen thus far... a place I definitely want to come back to. We're off to the Vatican tomorrow... really looking forward to checking it out!! Rome is covered in Scooters,, it's crazy how many scooters are parked along the roads,,,, they're packed soooo tight I don't know how people get on and off of them... or in and out of the cars that park next to them... this city is crazy for pedestrians too... I think I was nearly clipped on about 3 different occasions today.... they apparently don't like to use their brakes! I tried to upload some photos today but was unable to unfortunately... I'll have to try again another time from somewhere else. Wish me luck! Well it's almost 10 pm... I'm zonked tonight... 9 hours of walking and no sleep will do that to ya I suppose. Talk to ya soon!! Mike : )
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 3 - DAY 23
Hello hello! Sorry for the rather lengthy delay once again... internet service cost a fortune in switzerland... about $20-hour... not cool... needless to say i barely used it. Where did I leave off next... hmmm Oktoberfest... got bombed both nights we were there... had a blast and met tons of people... very cool place... the biggest bash iàve ever been to for sure. Second night was a total gong show... got ripped... drank way too much... forgot a whole lot... reminded of many things in the morning.... stole a stein from the beer tent... carrying it around with me in my bag... quite heavy... gotta mail it home soon... found cases of beer in the handicapped washroom.,.. opened one up and shoved a couple beers in pockets... didnàt get caught... drank them on way home with some german dude (Marcus) we met... he chilled with us back at our hostel in the bar.... some guy told me to shut supposedly in German on the walk home because I was speaking in english... Marcus met stepped up and told him where to go in German.... things were cool afterwards... Leanne basically looked after me this night... thank god for that or I donàt know where iàd be today. The next morning we took off for Interlaken Switzerland... the most beautiful place weàve been thus far... absolutely breathtaking views of mountains, rivers, treed areas, etc. This is the kinda city people say hello and smile at you when you walk by... sooo peaceful... sooo amazing!!! We went hanggliding from a mountain a few thousand feet in the air.,.. totally amazing experience... just me and the wind... felt like i was a bird soaring through the air... no motors making noise... NOTHING... very relaxing believe it or not... exciting when the instructor would make sharp dives or turns, etc. Also went canyoning... which involves rappelling through waterfalls and off cliffs, jumping off the edge of a massive rock... a couple jumps were some 15 metres supposedly.... it also involved sliding down rock slides... pretty scary but a blast nonetheless... had mor fun thinking about it afterwards... was more scarey then anything while doing it.. hahah. Was able to draw a few parallels between life and extreme sports - great life lesson learned. We rented a fun car one of the days (a funny looking golf cart - best way to describe it) and went up to a mountain.. it was dug out like a cave and we walked in it...waterfalls poured through it - sooo cool! Leanne and I want to move to INterlaken sooo bad... we figure BC would be the closest thing to home so maybe thatàs an option... something Iàm considering now big time. Anyway... now iàm in venice... had a really tough time finding a place last night... everything was booked solid being a sat night.... we were ready to jump to a new city and just skip this place... luckily we didnàt.... itàs pretty neat here... we quadrupled our budget for a nightàs stay which sucked but we got a chance to check things out... not a place iàd come back to I donàt think...pretty dirty and just another city... but neat to see once anyway... had a great pasta dinner last night.. finally Iàve ate a local cuisine.. hahah... and we got some red wine on tap (weird I know)... really cheap stuff here so Iàm becoming quite the wine conoisseur....went to San Marco and had pigeons all over me eating some seed this afternoon.... i literally had goosebumps... weird sensation... along this journey Iàve been jotting down business ideas to either bring home or persue here.... noticed today that I could probably bring a tinted hockey visor here for people to use as shades... everybody wheres these massive sunglasses that cover half their face practically... they look ridiculous! Anyway,,, weàre off to Rome tomorrow... and then off to the Amalfi Cost for about 4 nights... hope to get in touch with you before this time elapses,,, but if not... have a great week! Cheers, Mike
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 - DAY 17
HELLO AGAIN! look at this... a couple entries in as manz dazs. soooo last night we went to oktoberfest... got there too late though... the tents closed down at about 10 30 so we onlz hung out for about 30 mins or so.... totallz weird setup and not what i expected. the roadwaz leading to all the tents looks exactlz like the CNE at home... games, rides, stuffed animals to win, etc.... felt like I was in toronto! We hit up 1 tent... it was massive... a band was plazing in the centre on a rised platform.... plazing north american tunes which was weird... sweet home alabama was one I can remember... i think we were in the tourist tent so thez trz to plaz tunes we know... mazbe tonight weäll go to a local one as well. The atmosphere was too good.... everzbodz was jolllz... smashing glasses etc... guzs and girls dancing around the aisles, etc... prettz cool stuff!! Dachau the concentration camp was an experience for sure... about 20 mins from our hostel,,,, seeing graves where thousands of peopleäs ashes were buried... tomb stones that read 'grave of thousands unknown'... verz chilling... not to mention walking through the gas chambers and rooms where people were left in piles dead... waiting to be cleared out.... saw a few ovens where people were hung and then dropped in to be cremated... prettz sad stuff.... people were crzing as thez walked through.... serious eze opener! on a brighter noteÖ this hostel Iäm stazing in is sweet.... 2 weeks new... just opened and everzthing is clean and modern... weäre sharing a room with 4 ozzie guzs... all good eggs so far.... hung out todaz and shared some tales.... one set of the guzs were robbed 4 dazs in a row in Spain.... what luck! We chilled out in the hostel bar last night... happz hour was from 6 to 8 pm... 1euro beers... too sweet! got prettz loaded.... tonight we hit up the convenience store and bought a few beckäs before hitting up a beer tent.... bought some souvenirs todaz and sent them home... 30 euros (50 Cdn)just to mail them home... ouch! Anzwaz... just wanted to send a note home... off to Interlaken, Switzerland in the morning... 8am train.... canät wait to just chill somewhere longer then 2 nights.... weäll be in interlaken for 4 nights. I have 2 mins left on here... have a great daz... see za!! Love, Mike
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 - DAY 16
WHATÄS UP???????? okaz super quick entrz here kids.... totallz neutered at the moment... about 941 pm on sundaz night.... in munich... off to oktoberfest tent right now... leanne actuallz chugged a few pints üback tonight.. first time for everzthing... met tons of aussies and a couple americans tonght... should be a good time... went to concentration camp (Dachau)todaz... what a downer that was but an amaying experience... everzbodz here is dressed in short shorts... knee socks... tinz skirts... etc... prettz cool stuff... see za guzs later.... wish me luck in the land of 1.5 litre beers... cheers! mikez!
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 - DAY 14
Happy Friday folks! Well itäs me again here and i have about 30 mins to tzpe and catch zou up on leanne and mz doings. Sooooo i left off in berlin with my last quality entrz... berlin was alright... just another city... didnät really stand out... besides all the history... which was reallz cool! the first daz we checked in we did some laundrz... met a dude from colorado there... he was staying in our hostel too... we met up with him that night... grabbed some dinner and a few beers and chilled on a fountain for the night swapping stories, etc... it was great having a new face around.. an excellent source of entertainment... great guy too! We were offered weed by the locals a number of times. later in the evening a dude from the states approached us asking if weäve seen some turkish drug dealer.. we said yes and he so he just chilled with us too for about an hour or so... told us how sketchy it is to buz anz drugs from the locals and we experienceed this later that night... he had a chick from germanz waiting across the street out of fear.... weirdness... but she came over and chilled with us for about 30 mins or so... until the drug guzy came around... this guy from the states, collin... spotted the dealer... walked up to him... then in a matter of seconds he was taken into some undnerground place bz about 4 big dudes.... reallz weird... but he came out alive... with the goods and split. Lots of people were chilling and booying in the square we were at... pretty cool. The next daz we scored a free tour of berlin... seeing the wall, symbolic gate, hitleräs bunker, etc.... all reallz intersting.. that night we chilled out with a few drinks... hung out with the Colorado guz again, Jeff... just plazed some cards on the terrace. Was a good night. Itäs weird how people just come and go from zour life while on a trip like this. From Berlin we headed over to Prague, Czech Rep.... this place was phenominal!!! Absolutely breathtaking scenerz and architecture.. the town itself was pretty sweet as well.... I loved this place and would recommend it in a heartbeat. The train ride from Berlin to Prague was also something out of a movie. I know Iäve said this before but I mean it. It feels like I was in these places ages ago so I canät reallz remember all the details.... sorrz! In Prague we scored a quiet little place... a pension I think thez call them.. just Leanne and I in a room to ourselves.. sharing a bathroom with a few others... reallz affordable too! We just chill out in restaurants usuallz,,, hit up a couple bars/pubs.... walk around the city... all great ways to get a feel for the locals.... not to mention cheap. Iäm living on pasta and piyya... same crap I eat at home... itäs sooo cheap though so it works for us... weäre on a tight budget! Yesterdaz we went to Vienna Austria.. it was about a 5 hour train ride... we love the train rides though.... itäs sooo peaceful... the seats are huge and zou get tons of leg room.... the first class seats were the best investment we made on this trip! We pull into the train station at about 1 pm.. go to the hostel we reserved... the place looked like a rundown apartment... no signs outside to speak of with the exception of a tinz little one on the buzzer to get in.... total gong show!! we notice a sign on the damn thing 'I am not in at the moment, please call mz phone... will be there in 10 mins'.. so we figure the dude will be back in 10 mins so we wait patientlz... we even give him 30 mins.. still NO SHOW... so we call him... the phones are messed up... first I went to find aphone but couldnät figure it out... and leanne chilled with our bags....then leanne went when i got back... she left the guz a message sazing we were there... we wait about 3ß mins and heäs still not there... anzwaz were pissed at this point and give up on this place.... we go to the train station and toss our bags in a locker... we go check our email and trz to book another place in vienna... everzthing was booked! I noticed a buddz of mine was in vienna too so we arranged to meet up.... leane and I go looking for his place )not know what weäll do that night).. we cruise down the main street in Vienna... Mariahilfer I think it was called... we couldnät find his hostel anzwhere...we turn around and head back up the street about 20 more mins.... finallz we find it... go in and check our email to see if he had replied to the one I sent earlier... blah blah blah... anzwaz.... when I was checking mz mail i heard his voice at reception.. we chilled for about an hour or so and then he split to a moyart concert.... we were to hook up that night if we were still in vienna... at this point though we were just gonna take off to another citz... Innsbruck... needless to saz we werenät liking it at all in Vienna... it reallz was nothing special from what we saw... plus we were a couple bitter kids just looking for a place to sleep... train station even closed at 1 am so that was not an option... we were readz to hop on an overnight train to Innsbruck..... We said bze to Sam.. he told me to email him that night to hook up .... anzwaz... the night goes bz... itäs not about 9 pm... about an hour awaz from our train departure... i go on mz email and send sam a note to tell him weäre taking off... then i notice i have one new message... low and behold itäs from the hostel we had been trzing to get into all daz.... DO STEP INN.... the guz emailed with some lame excuses... i wrote a nastz email back and called him... we just wanted a bed damnit!!! He actuallz answered his phone... now about 915 pm.... I talk to him for a bit... he thinks I should apologiye or something.... not a chance... i lip off a bit and demand a free night... he actuallz said cool after quite a struggle.... he tells us to go meet him at the place.... we grab some piyya and head over... he meets us in the hallwaz and tells us we have to go to his friendäs place... what the hell eh? We go outside and he heads to his car.... reaches for his kezs to open the door... I ask what heäs doing.. he wants to drive us.... ummmmm NO!! haha.... mazbe iäm a puss thatäs afraid of his own shadow but hopping into this dudeäs car didnät appeal to me... I tell him weäll walk... it was about a 5 min stroll... eh seemed normal.... but he kept calling some guz and speaking german... I figured we were gonna get robbed or something for sure... I put on some fake TOUGH GUZ act... puffing out mz chest trzing to look a bit bigger... talking in a deeper MANLZ voice... hahahhahah....didnät smile at all... just looked pissed.... we get to this super dark area.... nobodz was reallz around.. he starts waving at someone.... i donät know what is up... leanne is following behind not too far.... weäre both wondering whatäs up... we get to his buddz finallz... we shake his hand and the other dude then takes off up the street.... too weird.... weäre standing in front of some place... no lights on outside or inside.... hmmmmm... total sketchbag.... the guz heads into this joint... I wonder whatäs up..... leanne heads right in no problemo... I saw no signs or anzthing stating it was a hostel or hotel... anzwaz.. I notice a tinz sign on the buzzer just like the first place and then decide itäs cool... or somewhat cool at least.... we go up... again Iäm acting tough just starting this dude down... I reallz wanted to saz I was a cop or something and pull mz taxi cab routine out (guzs from home will know what this is) but i didnät... anzwaz the place was cool once we got settled in and the people were super friendlz.... it was a 3 bedroom flat... kitchen and bathroom... and one night free! We stazed for 2 nights... rained the whole time... VIENNA SUCKED.... it was a reallz nice citz though.... had some beautiful parts to it. Anzwaz we split todaz and headed for Salyburg ... the train ride was amaying... the countrzside in Austria is something else.... pictures will have to be shown to do it justice.. we went for a stroll todaz and checked out the mountains... took it all in.. it was great being awaz from the citz!!!! This is our escape... a place to chill for a couple dazs before heading to Munich for Oktoberfest!!!! GIDDZ UP'!! Itäs raining here now... about 445pm.... so here I am... we grabbed some stuf from a supermarket and made our lunch... picked up a couple bottles of white for the night... onlz 1.5 euros each... SCOREVILLE!!! Last night I had some wine with dinner... not too bad and cheap so I figure I should give it a go again tonight.. how good can wine be though for 1.5 euros-bottle??? Anzwaz... time to jet.... have a great weeekend kids!! Talk to za soon!!!! Mike
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 - DAY 13
OKAY an UPDATE is here but I really have to make it short. Iäve been on the net booking hostels.. hopefully quality ones for the next few days. Iäm in Vienna, Austria right now in my hostel and the dude next to me has the most disgusting smelling feet and I canät take it anzmore... I think i should tell the old dude to take a shower or something. Anywaz... since I last wrote... Iäve been in Berlin... checked out Hitlers Bunker, The Wall, etc.... via a FREE walking tour... we lucked out because on the way to a tour we were gonna have to pay 9 euros for some dude from Michigan offered one for free... pretty sweet! The tour was very informative though I did realize Iäm not a fan of the tours... I prefer to do them on my own. We met a guy from Colorado in a laundry joint and chilled with him for two nights. Pretty good egg... reminded me of Chris Miller. It was weird saying bye FOREVER to him after hanging out for a couple nights..
but I guess thatäs the waz it goes. I forget a lot of stuff we did but thatäs probablz better since I donät want to take forever.... the feet are killing me!
Next we went to Prague, Czech Republic... talk about a beautiful city... anybodz going to europe in the future must toss this on a list of places to check out... we saw the Prague Castle, Charles Bridge, Astronomical clock and a few bars/restaurants... beers here were ridiculouslz cheap... about 28 crowns for a half litre... or less then $2 cdn roughlz. We hung out in Prague for a couple nights then off to Vienna Austria.... really sketchy storz here but Iäll explain later. We walked around the city today but just want to leave... really crappz first impression. We scored a free nightäs staz though so that was pretty nice... weäre just using our time here to rest up. Tomorrow weäre off to Salyburg for a couple nights... then off to Munich for Oktoberfest for two nights... then off to Interlaken Switzerland for 4 nights to chill out and relax in the mountains... canät wait to go there and get out of the citz!!!! ANywaz... his feet still stink and people are waiting to hop on mz PC... hope all is well back home with ALL... thanks to all the newbies that have signed mz guestbook... donät be shy to sign it again if zou have alreadz. Time for Leanne and I to go grab some dinner and FRESH AIR.... talk to zou
guzs soon!! Mike
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 - DAY 8
Hello folks! before i begin... keyaboard here is messed up large! i apologiyze for this entrz and others to follow from countries with screwed up kezboards. i donät even know how to put spaces in this damn entrz for shit sakes! oh well! sooo a lot has happeneed since mz last entrz... hope i can remember enough to entertain zou. i left off from a inet cafe in amsterdam... a beautiful citz.... tons of stuff alwazs happening but itäs quite sketchz at the same time... zou cant trust anzwbodz in that place! i never hooked up with mz buddz sam and his girlfried from home unfortunatelz and still havenät... he seems to be a daz or two ahead and we keep missing each other.. oh well. mazbe in prague weäll hook up! soooo i didnät see a sex show... figured it would be a waste of coin... i donät reallz think looking at a naked man was reallz worth the coin... i could rent a porn for a fraction of the cost... okaz I just found out some dude is in mz room that shouldnät be there and heäs making a bed of one of the american guzs that was supposed to be there... gotta go check it out... if i donät get back to this tonight... see za soon... writing from berlin, germanz! cheers! mike.
ps. hez bennz! thanks for the email bud! it was great hearing from za... i tried to mail zou back but mz computer was messed... hope zou have a good weekend and enjoz zour new pc... : ) Okaz 10 mins later and iäm back... it appears leanne is drunk and the guz in our room is just a guz that works here changing the bed sheets.. weird since itäs about 7 30 pm now. okaz.... soooo iäve had a couple pints here... thez sell them in .5 litres so itäs prettz sweeet and cheap... zou can booye on the streets here which i hope to experience in mz couple nites....itäs weird seeing people drinking a beer in the middle of the daz but thatäs just how it goes i suppose. a couple texans just let me on their computer... got prettz luckz... thezäre nice... okaz enough of that. soooo where did i leave off on mz last entrz. sooo no sex show.. no heineken tour... weäre quicklz learning if zou donät spend more than 1 nite in a place zouäre SOL... no waz zouäre doing anzthing but check in, eat and sleep... we did manage to find a coffee shop though.... interesting experience but overrated! we hit the sack after getting for about 1 hour or so in a citz we thought we knew like the back of our hand.. haha verz humourous.... kinda scarz too though as we felt we were in the ghetto part of town. we went to bed.... first hostel of our trip... IT SUCKED! there was a snorer.... sooooo loud... tons of zoung punk ass kids running around all nite screaming and being retarded... a german dude in our room that would pace in the middle of the night in the dark... and just sit straight up in bed and stare at us.... weird!!! anzwaz... the next morning we woke up around 6 am and hopped on a train to leannäs dadäs hometown essen in germanz... the place was prettz cool... nice and small compared to amsterdam and i felt at home more here then anzwhere thus far based on the environment and our surroundings. we walked around and looked for a pub that her dad used to hang out that was now owned bz her dadäs friend, karen... we had no directions or anzthing.. just the name of the bar sort of... PUMKIN or something like that.. hahah... we walked around for awhile... we found a subwaz so we each grabbed a sandwich and ate... split a drink to save some loot and then refilled and walked around some more... we finallz found it!!!! pumchen or something it was called. we went in... leanne was quite nervous as she knew karen couldnät speak english... we went in and ordered a couple beers... a .5 L came to me and leanne got some mickeu mouse brew,,,, probablz because sheäs a girl.. as she didnät order a smaller one or anzthing. anzwaz... this place had no karen but we had a couple beers ... the bar was sweet though... total small town feel to it... nobodz could speak english.. one large guz thought he could and we tried to chat with him... to no avail.... MEH! we then left and wanted to go to the train station to go to cologne.... instead we stumbled across a CANADIAN bar.. hahah... funnz since the night before i said i never saw one before... onlz irish pubs, english-scotish pubs at home.... i slammed on the breaks )mz legs) and had to go in... onlz moosehead availabvle so i had one... took a ton of photes kissing a moosehead on a wall.. hugging it, etc. we then left and went to look for a hotel as i was buzzed and was loving essen!!! we walk around forever to find a place we saw in a guide... on our waz we ran into a place for 70 euros close to the staion but it was out of our budget.... then we went to the place we saw in our guide for about 5ß euros...it didnät even exist... then we went to a holidaz inn next door and it was 90 euros... our budget was 60 max....so instead we decided to crash in a field across the street... we locked our bags to a tree and crashed.... for about 30 mins... we listened to some live szmphonz tunes that were pouring out of an open window across the field... it was great to hear... we decided to screw the budget and went to the holidaz inn.... NO VACANCZ.... sooooo 2 hours later... we head back to the first place we checked out and for 70 euros we had a place to rest our heads. I havenät showered in 4 dazs at this point so i was stoked to hop in the shower.... just as i was finishing a pound on the door... and screaming!!! i freaked out... hopped out.... it was leanne... screaming something but i couldnät understand... i open the door and she sazs she lost her camera... OH BROTHER... i felt sooo bad for her.... i got dressed quicklz and headed to the train station where we had our bags locked up for the daz in a locker... noathing there... then to info desk... line was too long so we split... then to the CANADIAN BAR... and presto... there it was... talk about a GREAT FEEELING. we grabbed the camera.... and wento to mcdonaldäs for lunch... mz food selection is limited bz monez and mz pickiness... this trip i have realiyed will not be cultural foodßwise... iäm okaz with that... mz time is about to expire on here i gotta run..... on the train ride to essen we sat on the floor as no seats were available.. a guz came around and asked for our tix... we showed him... he laughed and aksed if we liked the floor more then first class,,.. hahahah little did we know that first class was not full.. we are morons... we got to our seats... nice big leather chairs with tvs in them....score!!! i gotta go ,,, less then 1 minute left.... in berlin... just did laundrz...t alk to za later... love, mike
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 - DAY 6
G'day ALL! thanks for popping by to see what's shakin'. just in amsterdam now sending you a note from the inet cafe... only cost a couple euro for an hour so not too bad... about $3 cdn. Anyway not really sure what i haven't reported on.
we went to rotterdam on tuesday... it's the second largest city in holland.... pretty nice... the weather was lousy though,,, super windy and it pissed rain.... it held off just long enough to get in a boat tour of the harbour... MASSIVE... one of the largest in the world for sure! I forget all the facts but it was sweet to see such transportation at work... cargo boxes packed storeys high all over the place. once the boat tour was over and poured so we hopped in the car and just drove around a bit.... afterwards we headed over to some family's.... they were sooo welcoming it was great.... they had 3 daughters,,, one whom was celebrating a bday... they spoke english quite well as a result of going to a summer camp this past summer in Mass, USA.... they were delighted to use it when speaking to us which was great for us... again.... the gardens at this home we visited were spectacular... something you only see in theme parks back home!!
ON Wednesday we went into AMsterdam for the day... now this is a CITY!! Stone everywhere... like most of Holland... the city seems sooo big too... not what I expected either... and it's absolutely beautiful... the canals are what makes this place stand out from any place I've ever been... not to mention the interlocked roadways.... the roads here blend into the sidewalks... people just walk all over the place... quite the scene. Leanne and I went here with Hillco and Marlieke... quite the tour guides i must say!! THey did a great job showing us around. When we first got here we just walked around... I finally found a paperback verson of (the da vinci code - i'll let ya know how I like it uner - thanks for the link!) which wasn't avalilable in canada.... just the hard back.... we then went to the Van Gogh museum... highly overrated and commercialized joint but ya gotta do it... I liked the architecture of the building moreso then the paintings... my favourite paintings weren't even those of da vinci but of his friends... 2 really stood out to me.... but everything in this museum could very well be enjoyed just as much from canada on the internet. I've yet to go to the Heineken brewery... hopefully today if there's time! I love this place... sooo much action ALL THE TIME! After the museum we went to a courtyard terrace... it was really nice to just sit and chillax for a bit with a beer and a ham and melted cheese sandwich (dutch snack supposedly)... it was great... I was starved! Oh ya... funny thing here.... on the patios in front of the bars.... ALL the chairs are lined up along the road ROW AFTER ROW... like a movie theatre or something... ALL FACING towards the road... as if something spectacular is going to happen on the roadway... hahah kinda funny but cool at the same time. Afterwards we went for a cruise in a nice little glass boat around the canals etc... tour guide was a tape recording so a bit impersonal but it did the job... well worth the 6.5 euros... a case of 24 Heini here costs 9 euros or so... about $15 cdn... pretty sweet!! Gas on the other hand is about $2 cdn/L OUCH!! A normal mini van here (ie, a Dodge Caravan) costs about 35 000 euros or about $55 000 Cdn. ON average 1 car drives into the canals/week. Just a few facts/figures for you to digest that I found interesting. It has also been kinda cool to see companies that I heard about while working at Dominion Securities (ie, BP-British Petroleum)... it's nice to see what I've read on paper sooo many times. BP here thouh always seems dead... Shell seems to be the way to go! After the boat cruise we went to a UNIQUE Dutch Irish pub... hahah okay it was an irish pub like at h ome so nothing special... mind you it was actually really nice inside... had a couple pints of something I couldn't pronounce and it was all good! then off to the district.... not what I expected. I thought I'd just walk down 1 street and see about 20 women in the windows... instead there are tons of little tiny alleys... back streets... side streets... filled with the little red light above the window and a woman inside filing her nails... reading a book.... putting on makeup.... etc. The women were actually rather attractive surprisingly... nothing like the cracked-out prostitutes in toronto.... and every ethnicity... whether it be caucasian, asian, black, etc... you can find it all... just like the drugs! The pimps were lined up along the alleys as well just waiting for some takers.... kinda intimidating but no big deal as you're surrounded by people... little old ladies... kids... etc... all walk through and check things out.... quite the experience. And of course the coffee shops... they're not everywhere like I had expected... the shops are mostly in the district area... pretty cool nonetheless to see people rolling and smoking in public... though it seems kinda touristy more then anything. Afterwards we hit up a Burger King as Hillco had to get back home to play some soccer... unfortunately we weren't able to hop on the Metro (Subway) to get back to the car as a fight broke out at a soccer arena (Ajax's)... between both teams.... it's pretty messed up how people have to take a special bus into the arena if you cheer for the opposing team,,, and it drops you off in a cage-like thing that goes right to your seat so the fans can't get to ya... I guess the cage wasn't enough to hold the fans back last night or something. ANyway.... the Metro was down for a bit... so we thought we would have to take the bus... then the bus was too packed so we just waited for another... then we heard the metro was back in order so we just hopped on there and went back to the stadium where we had parked to get the car... on the ride home we met a dude... pretty drunk guy but he mentioned having a nephew in canada and he was a farmer,, blah blah blah... it was sooo nice to hear something I could relate to.... Montreal, Ottawa, etc.... when we finally got to the stadium the place was a MESS... total GONG SHOW.... beer cups and cans scattered all over the place... it was disgusting... supposedly it happens every game... but it all gets cleaned up really quick so I guess it's not even a big deal here... there were coppers all over the place too.... BIG vans ready to be packed with drunk fans. Something neat to see. When we got back home it was pretty late.. we stayed up for a bit and looked at some photos and whatnot and then packed it in for one last sleep in Wijchen.... today we departed at about 9 30 am and hopped on our first train. ANyway... we liked AMsterdam sooo much we decided to come back for more... so here I am... 2 30 pm on thurs afternoon.... just killing some time before the exploration continues!! Let the BACKPACKING begin!! Hope all is well back home.... see you from Germany most likely!!
Love, Mike
ps. JUST found out Canada won 3-2! SWEEEEET! Talk about a major delay in finding crap out. Bragging rights for me. Cheers!
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 - DAY 3
Was just checking email and thought i'd type something quick too while i was on here. it's getting late and am ready for bed though so it'll be a short one. first of all... thanks to everybody so far that has sent an email or signed my guestbook... even though it's only been a couple days since i've been gone... it's amazing to hear from you guys!!!! keep the comments coming and i'll keep the entries coming... i know a lot of you could use a break from work so i'll do what i can to give you something to read.
oh damnit i gotta run... sorry folks... all is well here and will update soon! okay NO i don't... haha small miscommunication as i don't understand dutch all that well. haha funny moment but you had to be here.
Anyway, the day started off around 11 when we woke up ... starting to get used to the time change now which is a bonus. had some brunch (they had chocolate and candy sprinkles to spread on buttered bread, i opted for the turkey/chicken sandwich instead)at home before heading out for the day. it was about 18 degrees celsius and overcast... rained off and on throughout the day but at least we get to experience the true dutch weather so we're told. we started off going to a place called zaanse schans about an hour away... it was pretty sweet... quite a few windmills (molen)... even got to go inside one and climb up it and stuff... went out on the deck of it too and overlooked a canal and a ton of pretty sweet homes along the water. it was super windy out though so wer'n't able to chill outside too long. in this village/town (not really sure what to call it) we got to see how cheese is made (big thing here is cheese) and clogs (wooden shoes)... even tried on a pair even though i don't really think i was supposed to. MEH! what can ya do? anything for a phote i suppose. the place was pretty hype... experienced our first pay toilets here. from here we went to chill out on a beach... it was super windy though so no beach towels were sprawled out on the sand... just walked around.... tons and tons of beachfront... the cottages are little portables right on the sand lined up across the waterfront... they were all boarded up now as it is out of season. next we headed out for dinner... went to a pretty cool restaurant... looked totally chinese from the outside but it was dutch food... kinda weird combo but it seemed to work as it was rather busy.
then we went to a bingo hall and cleaned up (something ans and ad do once in awhile for a club their a part of to help out) and then nwe had a couple beers.... forget the name of them but they were quite good! the beers here all come in their own glass which is different from home... the chick serving us would dip the glasses in some soapy water and then just fill them up with beer... thought it was gross but didn't even notice when i took a sip... so maybe it adds flavour or something. also,,, it's like she pours the stuff so she can get the most head as possible,,, then she runs a thing over the top to clean it off... not sure if this is normal or if she's just a weird bird.
a super weird thing around here is seeing really hot chicks (and dudes leanne says) riding around on old people bikes (aka oma bikes here). biking here is a total culture... there are three lanes everywhere around this joint... one to walk, one to bike and moped, and one for cars.... people are in great shape here compared to home... train stations are packed with bikes,,, like our parking lots are packed with cars... pretty cool to see.
there's a ton of stuff i'm sure i've forgotten.... but if i remember it later i'll be sure to add it then.... take it easy...
Mike
anyway,,, it was a good day... full of activitiy
cheers,
mike
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 - DAY 2
HELLO HELLO! Just thought i'd check in to say hey and let everybody know i've arrived safely! the flight was great... only about 6 hours in total so it was an hour shorter then scheduled... i guess the pilot was freaked out flying on sept 11 so he just booked it! no complaints here though. the shift key is messed up here so i will not be using capitals just for the record. we had some mushy noodles on the plane... not too good... but what can you expect? the seats were squashed... it was a total tease when i first hopped on the plane and saw the first class seats... stupid me didn't realize they were first class so \i thought we totally scored! haha.
sooooooo we arrive at the airport... get our luggage, etc... no problems at all. it was about 530 am here so the day was young. ans and ad were awaiting our arrival and it was great to see a familiar face. leanne and i would've been lost if it weren't for them. we were shocked by all the signs being in english. it's taking some getting used to another language... i keep saying thank you and please trying to be polite but people don't have a clue what \i'm saying half the time so it kinda sucks... time to learn these words in dutch... danku wel is thank you and that's all i know. the airport in amsterdam was massive or so it seemed... and it was really colourful compared to pearson back home.
we got a drive back to ans and ad's and it was about an hours drive or so.... it was pretty cool to see the scenery along the way. tons of open fields and sheep... and saw a couple windmills too of course. when we got to their home at around 7am or so we hung out for a couple hours and just talked... we looked around their house... pretty funky stuff here. their gardens and landscaping in general are quite impressive... a nice pond in the backyard and interlocking everywhere. the streets, the sidewalks, the bike paths (tons of bikes here) are all interlocked... you'll see some pavement but nothing like home... very beautiful! i guess i appreciate it more having done some brick laying myself. some things that stood out.... their blinds are on the outside of the windows and you open them from the inside... the entire house is made of concrete... there is no drywall for walls....quite different.... lots of things are different just can't recall them all right now. we hit the sack at around 9/10 am or so and slept for about 5 hours, waking around 3 or so
trying to type quick so i apologize for the shortness/dullness of this entry. on saturday we met sanne and marlieke, and en ans'children... as well as Hillco, marlieke's boyfriend. they're all really nice.... we all had lunch outside and had a couple beers (grolsch)... on saturday night leanne, hillco, ad and i went to a football game... it was crazy. we saw PSV play RKC in eidhoven, holland. PSV was the team we were rooting for and they won 1-0. The fans are nuts!! i wish our fans for leaf games were like this. everybody is given a program at the beginning of the game... at the kickoff little did i know that you're supposed to shred the hell out of it and throw it... i've got crap flying all over me.... hahaha it was pretty wild! little paper airplanes are floating through the air throughout the game. the chants were sensational... sent chills up my spine just hearing it. they have to have barb wire around the field to keep people off... pretty crazy stuff. when PSV scored a fan climbed up the fence like an animal and started shaking it like mad... hahaha. QUITE the experience. nobody was boozing in our area... the beer is only 2% alcohol at the games in an attempt to control the crowd... people can smoke anywhere here it seems... pretty weird considering how things have changed back home. after the game we went back home... had a couple beers and hung out before hitting the hay.... probably around 1 am.
it's amazing how friendly and inviting people that barely know us have been... it's rather touching actually. ans and ad have gone out of their way to show us a good time and we have appreciated every minute of it. sometimes we feel bad because we've been pretty tired and may not seem like we are all that enthusiastic or happy about things... i'm sure they understand though as they've been overseas as well.
Today we woke up around 10 or so and went over to Ans'Mom and Dad's apartment... the place was gorgeous... a beautiful arrangement of flowers on their balcony. We started off drinking coffee (which I don't normally do) and it was actually pretty good. from 2 coffees we went to 2 beers... hahah i thought they were kidding when they asked if i wanted a beer but they weren't. apparently every sunday the family gets together and has a coffe or two and a few drinks.... seems like families are very tight here and keep in touch quite a bit. after this we went for a stroll through the town... it was pretty neat... interlocked pathway lead you from shop to shop... a band was playing and walking around... had quite a neat feel to it.... saw some old cars at a car show... then we went back and had some lunch (just finished eating it)... ans made some great soup with roast beef and meatballs in it... tons of veggies which was good for an energy boost. then we had some desert... it was a yogurt kinda thing that was a lemon/raspberry mix... topped with whipped cream... pretty good stuff! now i think it's time for a nap... it's about 6 pm on sunday and i'm feeling kinda wiped. Everybody is making fun of me for typing so much... so i should get going.... talk to ya all soon!
Love, Mike
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
Sooooo today's the day!
I'm about to take off for 9 weeks. I'm not really sure if I even know what I've gotten myself into. I know this sort of trip has been done by tons of people before me and it really isn't a big deal... however I can't help but wonder what I'm going to do for 2 months to entertain myself. I kinda like the routine of a full work week... I kinda like the idea of coming home to my own space... sleeping in my own bed.... hanging out with my friends and family.... shopping at the local mall.... getting a hair cut down the street... riding my bike around the neighbourhood... having 30 minute showers.... eating my favourite meals from home....plopping down on the couch and turning on the tube... eating Swiss Chalet... etc etc etc. I have never really even been away from family and friends for much more than a week in my entire life, something I never really even thought about before just now... kinda weird actually. Come to think of it, I can't remember the last time I've had more then a week off without working or going to school. The time has come... time to venture off to a new land and explore... both the land and myself (no jokes please.. haha)!
I'm sitting here in the comfort of my home... racking my brain for anything I may have forgotten to buy, anything I've forgotten to pack, etc... I guess it's not really a big deal if I've forgotten anything though as I can just pick it up when I'm there.
1
The emotion I am feeling is nothing of excitement which I thought it would be... instead I feel like a nervous wreck. I haven't really had time to think of the trip itself... I've been running around picking things up (rail pass, flight tix, etc.), spending $$$ here and there, seeing friends and family, getting my license renewed (just found out yesterday I had to), trying to sell my car (1997 Neon... sweet!), etc. I can't wait to just hop on the plane (even though I'm a bit weary of plane rides) and think of what's to come in the months ahead!
Our flight times at a glance: Departing Toronto on Sept 10th at 4:55 p.m. EST and arriving in Amsterdam on Sept 11th (didn't realize significance of the date until shortly after booking, lets hope all goes well) at approxrimately 6:30 a.m. their time. Coming home we'll be departing from London @ 8:45 a.m their time and will be arriving in Toronto at 11:55 a.m. EST on Monday, November 15th.
The following is my pre-departure itinerary. It will be interesting to see how much this route will change as I start touring around. For those that may not be all that familiar with the location of various countries within Europe, I have included a map (above) to help you navigate with me.
The following cities/countries will be visited in the order which I list them. Toronto - Netherlands (Wijchen, Amsterdam), Germany (Essen, Cologne, Berlin), Czech Republic (Prague), Austria (Vienna, Salzburg), Germany (Munich-Oktoberfest), Switzerland (Zurich, Interlaken), Italy (Milan, Venice), Greece (Corfu, Athens, Mykonos), Italy (Naples, Rome, Florence), Nice, Spain (Barcelona, Madrid), France (Paris), Belgium (Brussels, Brugges), England (London), Scotland and Ireland would be great to squeeze in at the end of our trip if time and money permits, then we'd go back to London and head back to Toronto from there.
I definitely don't expect to follow this itinerary to a tee. I'm sure it will look nothing like this once I'm through; however, it's nice to go over with something in mind... things can always be altered once I'm there.
Anyway, time to get my things together and grab some lunch before heading to the airport. Take care and try not to miss me too much folks!
See ya from the Netherlands!!! : )
Mike
