The Wetlands...

It was a long night as I battled the creatures of the night. About 2 hours or so into my slumber I began itching and was wondering (based on the look of this place) if there were creatures in my bed. There were creatures, but not in my bed. They were buzzing about my head. I left the window open to get a cool breeze in the room. Otherwise it would've been stifling with no airflow. When I started to notice the itching is also when I started to notice the buzzing. Right by my ear. OOOOH! I hate that. I thought they were flies in my tired state and dismissed it just getting annoyed. I tried to go back to sleep. An hour later I noticed another one buzz right by my ear and I could hear them in the air amongst the silence around me. I flicked on the light and noticed there were a good group of mosquitoes right by my head on the wall. Yikes! I was being feasted upon. I immediately got up and closed the window. I grabbed my hand towel and began swatting. The battle begun. I killed off a good portion of them only SEEING one lingering and always on the ceiling. I hear her buzzing about in the air. I believe with mosquitoes it is the female who goes out and gets the food. I turn the light off again and try to sleep. Some time goes by and buzz, right by my ear. OOOOH! These damn creatures! I get up and swat again immediately killing the one on the wall next to me. I still hear another one buzzing about so I search. I find her and she's lingering near the ceiling. I try a few times to get her, but fail. So I turn out the light and wait a bit. She's brave and hungry and she comes close to my ear again. I wait a few more minutes, slowly get out of bed, flick on the light, find her, and swat. She's gone. Ahhh. Silence. No more buzzing. Unfortunately I have some bites on my hands and neck as a casualty of battle. I guess with all the rivers and wet areas this is a haven for them. I forgot about that minor detail since it's a humid climate as well as a wet one. This is why Ft. Lauderdale is called the "Venice of Florida." It has the same canals and the same problem with the mosquito. I finally got some rest and woke up to the bells of the churches surrounding me as well as the bells on my alarm clock. It didn't look like it was going to start off well with the cloud cover and occasional spat of rain, but as I sit here typing it turned out to be gorgeous. Again. Yay for me.

This morning I stored my bags at the hostel. They allowed it. I went up to the rail station just to figure out what I wanted to do today and to get out of the annoying sprinkle. I saw the water taxis and remembered the travel book saying something about €6 water canal rides. I bought a ticket and rode around on the water getting a different perspective of the island for about 2 hours. It was great. I was under cover AND I got to get around the city and see new things without walking or getting wet. As I was getting onto the taxi I noticed the logo was a fish. I looked at the map of Venice with the whole island in view and noticed it DID look like a fish. Who'd have thunk. It may be common knowledge, but I never knew. The train station is right where the brain would be and where I picked up the canal boat was where the eye would be. The belly is San Marco Piazza and the tail end is down by the park I went yesterday. The canal ride took me out of the Grande Canal into the open water along the belly and around the tail to the topside of the island. The views were stunning. The boat then took a trip away from the island to another island called Murano. I should've done this yesterday and got off on Murano. It looked cute, but I can see only exploring it for about an hour or so. The boat road through its "Long Canal" giving some splendid views. I was just relaxing on the outside back of the boat breathing in the salty air and watching the scenery go by. This I will be doing a lot of tonight into tomorrow morning on my way to Prague on the train. I got off at the same stop 2 hours later and the weather is now perfecto. I did notice one sad thing as I was floating around the outer perimeter of Venice. It was the trash build up. I don't know if people put it there or if it just washes up that way from the canals and currents. Yesterday I saw a man throw a cigarette butt into the canal and I thought "how gross." People just have no mind of the beauty around them and what they are doing to it by now properly disposing of trash. That's why the cities and governments pay for trash removal and disposal. It's to keep cities clean and comfortable. When we take it upon ourselves as human beings to just disregard this wonderful service and dispose of trash on the streets, in fields, sides of roads, in canals, or whatever it's just gross and disgusting behavior. We should treasure the beauty we have around us and remember we aren't the only animals on the planet. It seems as though sometimes we feel that since we are so high on the food chain that we have complete reign of everything. Then someone gets attacked by a shark, killed by a stingray, or eaten by a polar bear and we're put into check (but only for a moment). We should realize that sometimes nature fights back when we take advantage of her beauty. Hence the greenhouse effect. Another sad thing I noticed was the water level. As you look around the city you realize how ancient it is and even though it's remarkable being built on water for the time period the city started, there were a few faults in the process. One was the city being built on such unstable and changing ground. A lot of the buildings lean (especially some of the towers) and some of them are even partially underwater and crooked. The city is sinking and at high tide here, which seems to be around 2:00PM from what I've seen, the water levels come right up and over onto the walkways. Wow. I couldn't believe it. I also heard that in the winter San Marco Piazza and a lot of the walkways in Venice flood for the entire season. I also heard this season is getting to be a longer period of time with the rising water levels over all combined with the sinking city. I consider myself very fortunate to see this city while it's still ABOVE ground. One day this could be the next Atlantis.

I wanted to check out this café that my travel book said would have free wifi. They do advertise it as such, but alas my broken antennae must not get the signal. Drats!! I will definitely be getting a new Mac when I get back on American soil again. Smaller and stronger. Right now I have to deal with what I have, which works well otherwise, but it is dying. Today I'm just going to finish up with a little browsing. I think I've seen of Venice what I wanted to see. My train leaves at 8:45pm, so I have some time. I'm at the café now relaxing a bit and then I'll be off to browse the shops a little. Tonight is my first train ride overnight. I can't wait to see what it will be like. I hope I can sleep. I hope I can get accommodation in Prague. My friend says you can just walk up to the hotel reservations kiosk when you get there and book one really cheap. I wanted to do this in Prague as opposed to booking online since I know nothing about Prague at all. It would suck to book something like I had in Rome not knowing anything about the city. At least in Rome I had been there before and knew what to do other than the misfortunate thing about getting to and from the hostel from Ciampino.

Scary Rome to Charming Venice...

Today started off a little scary. First as I was sleeping (or trying to in the intense humidity) my roomie came in. I had one after all, but only one. Not so bad, but I now felt bad about getting up and shuffling about come 3:00AM when my alarm was set. I dozed back off hearing him mumble and snore all through the night. C'est la vie. It IS a hostel and boy did I find out about that one this morning. I got up and was ready to go for when my cab was supposed to be there at 4:00AM. I went to go out, but the reception was locked. Was I locked in? How was I going to get out? Minor panic, but I just left my bags while I investigated. There was no need lugging those around while I wandered the halls. Ha! I found an opening. Okay, I was out into the parking lot and popped a squat. The wind was blowing fiercely and the trees were rustling like mad. The sun hadn't come up and I'm surrounded by barracks and cornfields and this creepy warehouse type building down the road in the darkness with candles glowing in the windows. I look around and notice the iron gate was shut and bolted. I hope they left the door for me. I checked and wha-la. It was open. Now I was on the outside of the compound and the creepiness factor increased 10 fold. Trees right next to me just being blown by the wind and covering the lamp post shining light onto me and the letters on the gate which read "Ostello Casale del Monaci" where some letters had fallen off their hinges and were crooked. Since this was inevitably creepy and getting creepier by the moment with the random cats wandering the fields, I decided to try and take a picture of this funny sign to remember this moment and how stranded I felt. Finally 4:00AM rolls around. No phone call. No cab. I would be able to tell if a cab was coming down the road at least 10 minutes ahead of time because of the moving lights that's how dark it was. I waited until 4:15AM. I know I told the front desk clerk to order one for 4:00AM. Well, I figured this was a challenge and since I had about 3 hours and the airport was near, I'd walk. I walked down the dark road to the main street passing the weird warehouse with the candles in it. I waited a few, looked around, and then decided to walk in the direction of the airport with no idea where it was. Finally, the phone rang. SAVED!! It was the cab company saying the cab would arrive in 10 minutes and it was 4:20AM. Okay. I passed 2 creepy stray dogs and made my way back to the entrance to the hostel. I wasn't about to re-walk that dark road past the warehouse, so I just waited at the intersection. A car came 10 minutes later, but not a cab. Just residential. It was now 4:40AM and I was wondering where the cab was. The call came in blocked and the stupid stubborn Italian front desk clerk said they'd take care of the cab and wouldn't give me the phone number. The one they did give me didn't work from my cell. I waited for a bit and then pulled out my "Let's Go" travel book to see if there was anything about being stranded in Ciampino on a dark humid morning with no phone numbers, lol. No I was looking to see what the country code was so I could try information or the cab company again. Another car pulls up. In desperation I asked the guy if he could take me to the airport and just as I was doing that the cab pulled up. Hallelujah!!! Lesson: Never book a remote hostel with no front desk or transportation service when you book an AM flight or don't book an AM flight period. I should've just stayed in central Rome anyway. Cabbie took me to the airport, but upon getting in I noticed the fare was already €20. Hmmm. Maybe I was reading it wrong, but the price kept increasing and he got lost at one point. We finally get to the airport and I realized without the cab, I would've never found the airport. Whew!! Someone was watching over me, but for a price. I tried to fight the cabbie on the price, but I guess the simple fact is that here if you order a cab to get you, the meter starts when the cab leaves the station. Bullshit is what I have to say to that, but the cabbie knew very little English and I knew no Italian and I was losing time to check in. I was there and I needed to go. I gave him my card and he screwed me with €35. Yikes!!

The flight was fine and I landed in Treviso Airport, which is about 50 minutes from central Venice. There was a shuttle waiting that took you there for €5. I slept most of the way as we drove through the countryside. We arrived at Piazza Roma and here it was. Venice and a gorgeous day to start. This truly is THE city of canals. I have been in cities with canals, but none like this one. Every corner is a beautiful moment. Flowers in the windows, beautiful architecture, and just plain ancient things. The city is sinking and you could tell since some of the houses are a bit underwater. This morning as I arrived I went to the train station to get my ticket to Prague. I'm all set for tomorrow for an overnight train to Prague. My first overnight train ever. The return will be just in time for me to high tail it over to Pisa to catch my flight to London. Then London for 4 days. I arrived at the hostel after doing this to check in, but I was early of course. I was staying in an old college building. This should be fun. I left my one bag and wandered through the streets just absorbing everything and doing it at a relaxing pace. There were merchants bringing their cargo in from somewhere on gondolas. Fresh fruit stacked high in one gondola, water and soda (beer as well) in another. People were milling about on tour or just going to work. The city was breathing of history and culture. The sun was strong this morning, but now a dark cloud or two have rolled in. I've had perfect weather all trip. I would hate to see rain, but here for some reason it would be okay. This place makes me smile. I bought a map for reference, but I'm just going to love getting lost in all the side streets without worry of time constraints like you have on a ship. There is a ship in port today. It's one of the Celebrity ships. I went back to the hostel to check in when it was time. Here I go. I walked up the 3 flights on an outside staircase. The building after walking through the hallways looks like it should be condemned, but I guess it's safe. It was definitely a college hall for classrooms converted to a hostel. My room used to be an office I gather since I have a window right next to my door as if to receive mail or talk to someone in reception. It's just one small room about the size of my space on the ship. Just for me. No bathroom. This I will have to walk down the hall to take care of business. Yup. My first communal hostel. All the rooms I stayed in so far had attached bathrooms. This one is totally communal and reminds me of a college dorm. I have a wonderful view of the rooftops of Venice out my window though and I'm SURE it's going to be quiet tonight. I think I'll definitely sleep in as much as possible tomorrow. I have to check out at 11:00AM, but my train isn't until 8:00PM. Now I wander the streets of Venice. This and Paris were one of the highlights of my trip. Prague and London are as well, but I was most excited about these 2 places.

Okay as I was typing it struck noon here in Venice. WOW!!! There are bells everywhere!! Just ringing outside my window. I'm overwhelmed.

So it's about 9:00PM and I'm about to turn in. There was a little group of people in San Marco Square listening to the various classical duos at the restaurants play and at the Santa Margarita Piazza there was a spattering of people just sitting around drinking vino and speaking in foreign languages. I'm in what's called the Dorsoduro, which is the college area and the happening part of town. I was told there would be a lot of backpackers here, but they must be filtered in with the Italians and other folk and my hostel is pretty quiet right now. I think there are only 3 of us on this entire floor and it's pretty large. After I heard the bells I pulled out my "Let's Go" travel book that my M1, Daniel, gave to me before he left. It's been quite the weight, but also handy at times and I don't think I'll rid myself of the extra weight until London. I'll just give it to Kerry when I see her. I was reading and all of a sudden a huge afternoon thunderstorm happened. It poured and poured rain for about 30 minutes. It let up and that's when I went out. When I got outside, the water in the canal was already flooding onto the sidewalk. Not from the rain I suspect, but from the tide shift. I couldn't believe it. The sidewalk right outside the hostel was almost completely under water. I walked into San Marco Piazza and that was flooded as well. People were walking around with their shoes off dancing in the puddles and wading through the flooded piazza. I made my way to the Bridge of Sighs. This is what I didn't see last time. I wanted to see places and experience things I didn't see on my cruise ship visit. When you're here on a cruise ship, you don't see the sun set, experience the nightlife, or get to various parts because of time. I did ALL those things today. I went along the harbor past the Bridge of Sighs. Incidentally it's called the Bridge of Sighs because that's what the prisoners did as they were carted off to prison and went under this bridge. They knew it was their last taste of freedom before being entombed behind bars. I walked to the exhibition park and beyond because my curiosity took me there and then turned around. I went to the Arsenale to check this fortification out and then headed in to see the Rialto Bridge and take the route I did on the cruise ship to check out masks. There were Venetian masks, artwork, and glass everywhere. There are so many beautiful things and people here it'll make your head spin. I was also looking for an adapter for my electronics since I must've left it in the French plug. To my distress the Italians have a different plug that's LIKE the European plug, but with an extra middle piece. No good to me in Prague or Amsterdam. I headed back to the hostel to ask the desk clerk if they had one and sure enough there was one to use. Thank God. Nevertheless I still went into the electrical shops after to see if they had one and I FOUND one. Yay!! I went on into this restaurant near San Marco Square to eat. I wanted to live it up tonight. It was called Al Vaporetto and it was reasonably priced. I just seemed to get a lot of food. I was living on bread and tomatoes all day (pizza, pannini, etc) and gelato. I needed something substantial and I was sick of pizza. The fare was okay. Nothing spectacular. In fact I had a suspicion they were doing what the French did at the restaurant in "National Lampoon's European Vacation" where they took microwave meals and stuck it on a fancy plate. Oh well, it was good food nonetheless. I ordered a half carafe of Cabernet and figured that might fill 2 glasses. Wrong! It filled way more and I was a little tipsy leaving the restaurant. I walked through San Marco Square again at night and like I said earlier there were about 4 musicians or groups of musicians playing various pieces of classical music at the restaurants that echoed through the piazza. People were sitting around drinking vino and just enjoying the cool air and breeze with the atmosphere. I walked through and wanted to check out the other hot spot. I got a little lost and walked through this highly fashionable area where all the high-end Italian goods were sold. Whoa! The fashion in trés chic right now and everyone is wearing these silky scarves including the men. I was overwhelmed by all the high-end clothing I was seeing taunting me in the windows. Luckily they were closed, but I probably still wouldn't buy. I'm a horrible shopper. As I was walking I couldn't believe I was actually here. In Venice. It was too perfect. The weather perked up for the rest of the day after the afternoon thunderstorm and it was gorgeous. The light hit the old buildings and flowers in new and interesting ways. As I walked through Venice at night I expected to see a girl or boy just in college with a uniform and a nametag sweeping the streets a la theme park style. It feels like a theme park here. It's too perfect and manicured to be a real city and that's how it was for Rome and Paris as well. The city gets dirty; don't get me wrong, but the architecture, the sights, the ruins, the people. It all feels contrived and not real at all. I still can't believe I'm sitting in an abandoned college turned hotel/hostel with shared bathrooms and where my room used to be some sort of office. I headed home after stopping to get some gelato. I was tired. After all I've been up since 3:00AM and dealing with eeriness all morning before getting to Venice. Now I will turn off my light in complete darkness and almost silence. The night attendant downstairs is practicing his clarinet and playing beautiful classic music. Only in Venice. By the way. It was the Vivaldi festival this week. There was a concert tonight, but with all the wine I had I would've dozed off. That's a €28 nap I was looking at. I like classic music, but I don't love it like some. So as I sit in the dark with the cool breeze blowing into my humid room, the thunderstorm now brewing for the evening plays it's music in the distance along with the solo of the clarinet from downstairs and the occasional rumble of children and others in the streets below. Ahh. This can be the life.

AQUARIUS!!!!

Finally it is here!!! I can't post my adventures yet since internet has been inaccessible through my computer (bad antennae bad) and finding it elsewhere has been a drag. So here's something to keep you occupied whilst I update later:



Enjoy.

Airways to Southern Italy...

The alarm clock woke me up at 4:00AM this morning. Ugh! That's what I get for booking so early. I got ready and packed my bags for my first Ryan Air experience. The train was easy and apparently free. There were no stalls open for me to scan my ticket and I just walked right onto the platform and walked right out the door upon exiting. I guess if an official came on board, you would need to present a ticket, but no collections were made at the stations themselves. Cool. I got to the bus depot early and no shops were open to get food. Blast! Oh well, I got on a bus pretty much right away and within 30 minutes I was on my way to Beauvais Airport. It would be a 70-minute drive. I was asleep for most of it, but when I did wake up for some of the trip I noticed we were traveling through beautiful farmlands and the sun was just rising over the horizon. This airport was definitely remote and I have a feeling the other 3 airports will be just as remote. I get to the airport with time to spare so I grab some eats at overpriced amounts. Of course. It's an airport. Would I expect anything less? No. I get in line to check in and there is a lot of activity at this airport. Wow! I never expected this much traffic. My Rome flight looked packed. I got up to the counter and I packed well. My check in bag only weighed 9 kilos. This means I have an extra 6 kilos to spare and I will definitely take the load off my backpack in the future flights. I went to the gate and here's where the shuffle began. You see, Ryan Air, like it's counterpart Southwest in the U.S., doesn't have assigned seating. You are first come and first serve. I thought I was in a line for the right counter since all the seasoned travelers were standing there. Turns out it was for a flight to Dublin. Next we shuffled over to another gate while losing space I had in the line. There's a gentlemen at another gate opening a computer terminal and all it took was one man to leave the massive line to check it out before all heads turned and people began shuffling again. I lost more space in line on this third shuffle, but no worries. I got on just fine and got my seat by the window in the rear of the plane. The plane is nothing special. Food and drink are extra and I got the unfortunate luck of being seated next to very curious and playful children. I hope I can make my transfer from the airport in Ciampino to the hostel in the same city smooth so I can maximize my time in the city. Tomorrow I fly from this airport bright and early to Venice. I'm not tired, yet. If I get that train to Prague, I will definitely utilize the sleep time there. I plan to go go go while I'm in Rome and Venice. My next task will be to find the airport supporting Ryan Air in Pisa. That's where I need to catch my flight to London. I think I'll have a nice 3 relaxing days in London before heading back to Amsterdam and the end of my journey.

Well Ciampino is at least closer to the central part of Rome than Beauvais is to the central part of Paris. I flew right over Rome and it was so interesting to see the Coliseum, the Vatican City, and all the aqueducts that once ran through the various parts of the city still standing. We landed and the journey began. I was exhausted. I got my luggage okay and it turns out there was a transfer for €1 to the Ciampino Train Station. This was good because then I would know where it was so I could get to Rome after I checked in. I waited for the public transport to take me to the Ostello de Castello. I didn't realize it was a retreat. It's out in the vineyards of Ciampino. I have a knack for picking these places. Also there's a restriction on when the shuttle operates from the hostel to the train station. Apparently it ends at 6:00PM and I found that out later. I was told it would end at 8:00PM. So I wouldn't get to see Rome nightlife and it was probably best since I have a 6:00AM flight. I learned a few things now since booking this adventure. One is to really check out the places you're looking at no matter how limited you are on time. Make it right. Make it central. The other is being wary of connection times. I was so eager to book flights cheap and fast (same with hostels), I didn't realize I would miss out on things by making flights so early. No bother. I still had a fabulous day in Rome and I still can't believe I'm actually here and doing this. I went into the city and sought out the Spanish Steps. I came here on my first visit to Rome thinking that the cistern at the bottom of the steps (also a fresh water public drinking fountain and a very decorative one) was the Trevi Fountain. Sadly I was mistaken and I didn't see it that day. That was way back in 2000 so even though the Spanish Steps aren't much of a spectacle on a Wednesday afternoon, it was special to me. Normally this place is bustling with artists and musicians, as it was when I came here last time since we had an overnight. This place did house such shops as Armani, Dolce Gabana, Prada, and the like. It was full of chic Italian shops and the people that were shopping in them were dressed for it. I was just in my shorts, T-shirt, and squeaky shoes. I wasn't about to stop since the average price tag was about €400, which is a hell of a lot of money for a piece of clothing. I went out and sought the Trevi Fountain again. This time actually finding it. I was here just months ago, threw my coins in, and alas I return. I did it once again and the right way (over my shoulder). One for return, one for love, and one to find love IN Rome. I grabbed a pizza and gelato and was off again. I debated going to the Vatican City and going up in the Basilica, but my time limit and my aching body was against it. I did stumble upon the Forum and the awesome ruins that surrounded the area between the Emmanuelle Statue and the Coliseum. I spent about an unexpected hour and a half here wandering around taking in all the beauty and the angles and everything. I found an ancient theatre on the outskirts and along the river down below there was an entertainment area where it looks like they were setting up for a reception or conference of some sort. That entertainment/restaurant area was gorgeously set in the valley along where two rivers converge and there was a water fountain on one side. The old ruins were on the hillside behind it leading up to the main road and all the foliage that is representative of Italy and the Mediterranean. It was stunning. I knew now I had to make it back to the train station not only for my rest, but just to get there. Just like being on a cruise ship. Lol.

The place I'm staying in looks like a military barracks situated in the countryside. It's quiet no doubt and I have a 6-bed dorm room all to myself. Woo hoo! I can see why this place doesn't fill up though. After unpacking everything I discovered I lost my adapter for European plugs. Drat!!! That burned me because I could see it sticking in the wall at the other hotel. I'm sure I packed it though and it could have easily fallen out of my bag somewhere it was so small. Ohhh!! It just burns though and now I'll be even more OCD before leaving the hotels. I already am because I do leave at least one thing behind. Why is that? Damnit!! Oh well. I hope I can get one in the next couple stops. Maybe in Venice or at the airport. Now I'm off to be. I have a short sleep to catch up before tomorrow's flight. I'm really excited about Venice and the prospect of going to Prague. If I don't get to Prague, my plans are still open for doing the Tuscan countryside and Verona. This is the part of my itinerary that was a little unplanned and now it's getting a little exciting. I haven't really met anyone yet of note other than those strangers. I suppose if I was meant to meet a friend to travel with, I will. I've been doing fine though and there's only been a few moments where I wish there was someone to talk about how great the day was.

Casual Paris...

Last day in Paris. Ah, c'est la vie. I woke up early enough to catch breakfast and that was about it. I left to explore the city casually and to find out about this transfer to the airport. I got off at the Port Maillot stop and made all my mistakes today instead of tomorrow with all my luggage in tow. I finally found it and know how to get there. The bus leaves at 6:15AM. Whew that's early. At least I have that cleared up. I'm thinking Rome might be a wash. I get in at 11:30AM in Ciampino (I don't know how far from the city that might be) and then I leave at 6:00AM the next day. I'll see how it goes. I should've booked more time there. I wanted to stay in Paris, but I think now it's time for a change. Especially since my hotel is in the burbs. I found some of the hotels I saw on line in their perspective areas and know that when I come back here (which I hope to do in the future), I know where to stay and where to go. The trains here are great. It couldn't be more convenient. The only time it could get confusing are on the suburban lines where you really have to pay attention to the final destination if you're traveling outside the city's main center (zone 1). Some of the subways I found are on rubber tires. That's weird. I noticed this last night as I was wondering how the subway moved so quietly fast when the subways in NYC were so noisy. That would explain why. Even the suburban trains on the ole metal tracks and wheels are quiet. I wonder what the secret is there. There are no rubber tires on the suburban trains. After figuring out my transfer I headed into the Latin Quarter again by the Notre Dame. I like that area. I walked over to the artsy area on the Rue de Halles. I found a huge garden shopping center and another cathedral. There were people just bathing in the sun on the grounds surrounding it all. Paris is just lovely that way. The weather was a little cooler today, but perfect in every way. I got lucky and had a fabulous 3 days of weather. I was searching for an internet café at this point and I found some, but none that could hook me up or that were broadcasting a signal. In my urge to make connections for my upcoming Amsterdam overnights, I paid to use the messed up French keyboards to book my hostels so I wouldn't be homeless and I did just that. I have a hostel right near the beaches. This should be fine. It says I'm about 30 minutes from the city, but I can take a bike and do my thing or even take a day trip somewhere else. Ahh, relief. I also looked into the Prague trip and saw that the train is going to be a little more expensive than I expected, but the hostels available are under $20 for the night!!! Fabulous!! I grabbed a sandwich and just walked around enjoying the people and the sights around me. My only plans now are to take this heavy load back to the hotel, pack a little for my early departure in the morning, and go out again for some sunset and evening photos of the area. I didn't really meet anyone other than the folks that just sparked a conversation with me on a random occasion, but I'm fine with that. The only time I really wished I could enjoy an event with someone was at the Lido last night. I know a few people where we would have had a blast seeing the production value of the show, poking fun at some moments, and just realizing together that we couldn't believe what we were seeing. Another time and place.

I got into the city for the last time. I just remembered as I was walking to the train station how lovely the walk was every time I went to the station. The station was Chemin de Fer du Nord. The street itself had these stone brick houses that were so gingerbread cute. It was like these houses were plucked from Provence or Bréton and put here. This was definitely a positive to coming and going from Paris. Another positive was the quiet neighborhood and my sizeable room. The restriction of the train schedule and the distance away from central locations were the negatives of it. Such as today when I had to use the restroom and I gave up on my computer, it would have been nice to walk right there to the hotel I was looking at online right by Notre Dame (I didn't know this when booking) and drop my stuff off and do those things. Also last night I possibly would've stayed out later and slept in more if I knew I could walk there and still get a good night's sleep. The thought of staying out all night until 6:00AM when the first train to my area would go out was not too pleasing. Especially since that's what tomorrow might bring. Anyway, I headed into Paris also remembering there was a Statue of Liberty here and right at one of the stations that was accessible from the line I took into the city. I got out, snapped a few photos, and headed on my merry way to the Latin Quarter. In the Latin Quarter I found fondue place offering a prix Fixe menu for €11 and thought I would stay. I enjoyed the sit down meal immensely, but eating alone at a sit down restaurant was weird. The waiter didn't seem too thrilled I ordered from the Prix Fixe menu either. In such an instance I should've gotten take away and gone about my business. There was a sunset shot I wanted to get on the Seine and this meal was heading a little too long in that sunset photo for my taste and I had to power walk to the spot to grab the photo I saw last night without my camera. I walked on into the college area and then to see the Louvre at night. I still didn't see that Rose line. I guess that was added for effect in the story. I did a quite dangerous thing and walked the entire Champs Elysées. Now the second part wasn't dangerous at all since that's where the glitzy shops are located. It was the first part, the park that was sketchy. I should've turned around and walked out when I saw the dodgy people heading in and out of the hedge maze one by one. I did see a few couples walking along the parkway and a few single people with headphones, so I was put at ease since these were probably locals. I walked the entire path though all the way to L'Arc de Triomphe. Call me crazy. I just wanted to get in my last sight of Paris before I flew out the next day. I had my new French design shirt on (I shouldn't have accumulated more since I'm approaching weight limits, but I saw this and could not pass it up and that's rare for me) and I was strutting down the boulevard. I got stopped a few times from people this evening with my new shirt on asking for directions in French. I wish I could've helped, but I couldn't understand the French so well, couldn't speak it, and I had no clue about specifics of the area. I must've looked Parisian or something, lol. Well, it's off for a short nap for me before my alarm clock wakes me up for this 9:30AM flight I booked in which I have to be at the shuttle stop by 6:15AM. Yikes!! Au revoir Paris.

French Flair...

The day started off later than I expected. I didn't want to get out of bed and rightly so after yesterday and being so overwhelmed by things. My mind is on overload right now. I knew today was going to be a busy day. The first thing I wanted to do was go into Montmartre and see the Bohemian village. After that I planned on maybe finding an internet café or renting a local bike from the city bike racks. The internet at the hotel is pretty much nonexistent. It's €5 per 30 minutes and the keyboard is all messed up for the French language. Keys are in the wrong spot and in a time crunch it takes a lot longer to type things in than I'm used to. I went down and had the breakfast in the lobby. It was okay. It's convenient for €5/day, but not the best. The croissants are really good though. I went back up to my room to get a few things, straighten up for the maids, and head out. Just as I was heading out, the maid was heading in. Good deal. I had my iPod and I was set to go. Yesterday I had thins inkling of an idea to make a music video of my adventures just like I did with the cast. Problem is the places I chose to visit are HEAVILY touristy and I am all alone so it makes it weird to leave my camera in a spot to video myself going crazy. Who knows? I still have another day in Paris to try it at all the hot spots. I certainly had my fill of hot spots today. Unfortunately none of them were for my computer, lol.


After leaving the train and going through all the transfers to get to the Anvers stop on the 2 train (I took the C train to the 13 to the 2 much like transferring in NYC) I came out near the climb to get to the Church of Sacré Coeur (Church of the Sacred Heart). The sight was beautiful this morning and I had another perfect weather day. It was cool in the shade and warm in the sun. I thought when I left this morning it might actually be too cool. I was fine. I climbed all the stairs to get the overview of the city. This was heavily populated for being a Monday morning. I walked around the area and took in the beautiful gardens and parks once again appreciating every angle and every color that crossed my view. I'm so amazed at the beauty here. My next mission was to find the famous Moulin Rouge. I was in Montmartre so it was just a matter of finding it. I came upon the Bohemian village around the church. There were artists in the streets of various kinds. Most of them were sketch artists milling about the various cafes and boutiques around the area. All the streets were stone and they were all thin and winding. Some even had steep drops or even were broken by stairs to get to the next level. I roamed all around taking it in before I stumbled on my first windmill. I thought, "Yes!" I found it, or something. It was the Moulin du Gallette. Another cabaret garden, but not THE cabaret of note. I still stumbled on some sort of Parisian l'histoire so I was happy to grab some photos. I wandered around for a bit more before I finally had to ask. I had to use and understand the French dialogue I had with the shopkeeper. I did understand his directions and I followed them all the way to the Boulevard de Clichy. The MAIN road I was on before heading up the stairs to the church and into the artist village area. It was there. I found it!! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. All this talk of crazy parties and cabarets and here I was staring at that very venue. I went up to it to see how much a show would cost and thought it might be cheaper than the ritzier Lido show. No way. It was more expensive. I debated. It looked so good from the photographs, but the advertising of the Lido was grabbing me for a show called "Bonheur" 70 performers, 23 sets, and 600 costumes. Plus the Lido male dancers!! Who could resist that? I declined the Moulin Rouge and went on my merry way. I opted for the transit system since I DID buy a 3-day pass AND I had my heavy computer with me. I made my way to the Champs Elysées again to try to purchase a ticket at the venue since I didn't find an internet place and I didn't want to make the order online. I walked up to the venue and the woman was very nice. I bought my ticket for €60 (the coupon was not valid for the bar sitting and I didn't see the savings in spending the €90 to sit at a table with half a bottle of champagne for €15 off the price). The bar price includes 2 drinks and I thought that was sufficient enough. I was going to the 9:30pm show. Task #2 complete. Next I wanted to grab something quick to eat and grab a bike. I walked down Avenue George to the bike station I saw the other day. To my dismay it was still inoperable. I was led to another bike station that was inoperable and I finally stumbled on one that worked. I followed the steps, but again to my dismay it wouldn't accept my card. I guess I need that global chip. Oh well. No worries. I walked across the bridge to the metro station, hopped on the C train and went to the Notre Dame. Here I knew I could find the Latin Quarter and lots of bistros, cafes, and take away places to have a bite. Sure enough I got out there, walked down one of the narrow and bustling cobblestone streets, and boom. I found a place with a huge baguette sandwich for just €3.50. I chowed down on that until I made my way over to the Notre Dame du Paris. I saw this on one of my last trips to Paris, but this time I had all the time in the world to take it in and absorb it all. I sat down for a spell to finish my treat and made my way inside to the Cathedral. Yes, I have seen SO MANY cathedrals on my travels in Europe and around the globe, but this was THE Notre Dame du Paris. The place where the story Hunchback of Notre Dame was set. "Sanctuary!!" I went inside and just wandered through the catacombs, arched ceilings, and marveled at the light peering through the large stained glass windows. When I had my fill of it all I left the monument and got a 360° view of it from the outside. I walked all the way around and got it from many angles. My historic journey continued over the Seine River and into the St. Louis Quarter that was simply French. Everything about it reeked country French. I got a crêpe here and wandered through the ones street area to the Bastille. This monument was erected to commemorate the French Independence and the day the Bastille Prison was stormed by the people. I walked along this area for a while soaking up all the people in the various cafés and shops lining the streets. There were so many people out this afternoon. Work must let out early or something. I came to La Place des Vosges in the Bastille area. This place was happening. There was a huge green square surrounded by this palace structure that resembled some of the shops and places in La Rochelle in Bréton, France. All these people were out in the sun just laying and tanning. It was their beach, just like they do by the library in NYC. This place feels like NYC except for the constant French language. More likely than not I will here the occasional English and especially on the subway and then I for a moment think I am in NYC. Then I see the Eiffel Tower, and phew, I know I'm not. Lol. One interesting thing here is you CAN see Lady Liberty perched up in the Seine River. I have yet to see that, but I'm sure it's interesting with the Eiffel Tower in the background. I eventually ended up at the Hotel De Ville. This was a massive structure and looked like it should be some sort of city hall. Especially with the Notre Dame in the background from where I was viewing. I was taken aback by the sudden opening of the streets in the Bastille area to this plaza. I turned my head to look up the street and what should I find but the famous modern art structure of the Centre Pompidou. This building was built with thinking outside the box. Literally. All the structures you normally find inside of a building are on the outside of the building. Pipe work, elevator shafts, emergency stairs, electrical, etc. All of it brightly colored and on the outside of the building. I figure if I had lots of time on my hands, it's raining, or for whatever reason in my last day, I might check it out. It's a museum and a very large one. It looks like it would take forever to go through. There were tons of artists around this area as well. I was definitely around all the Bohemians today. I was exhausted at this point and knew I had to start making it back in order to get ready for the evening. I wandered through the Notre Dame area again and made my way into the subway station.

On my way there I found an info stand and just out of curiosity asked where the Beauvais Airport might be. I hadn't seen it on any of the maps or train routes since getting here and I know my Ryan Air flight is out of there at 9:30am in 2 days time to Rome. I know Ciampino Airport in Rome is a good distance away from the city center as is the airport in Venice. She said there was a shuttle that took people to the airport 3 hours and 15 minutes before flight time. This would mean my transfer comes at 6:15am. Yikes. I don't think the trains start running out here until 8:00am. Should be interesting. I'm going to ask the front desk people how far it might be. I hope it goes smooth.

So after my freshen up shower I headed back into the city to catch dinner and a show. I'm making good use of that metro card as I always do no matter what city. I headed into the Latin Quarter again since I knew it might be a night of take out and I knew I could find it good and cheap there. I was roaming around and stumbled on a falafel stand. I grabbed one of those and just walked around the area. I stumbled on many a place offering a prix fixe menu for €10 and under. This is good! I can use this info for tomorrow. I think I'll be eating in the Latin Quarter again. It's populated with mostly tourists, but there's still a nice vibe there. It's better than the snooty Champs Elysées area, which I got from tonight. After I finished my pita I grabbed a cheese crêpe from a local stand and headed for the subway station. I was far from it and needed that extra boost to get there on time. After winding down and around through many tunnels, which I didn't expect, I finally got on my train. Whoa. I thought NYC had catacombs. These subway tunnels and their connections put NYC to shame. I made it to L'Arc de Triomphe and hiked it to the Lido. I went inside and I was blown away at the presentation. I felt like I walked into a ritzy cruise ship show lounge or Vegas. It was glitzed out. Gaudy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and some on poles coming up from the ground. People were DRESSED to the nines. Wow. It was dinner and a show for some. I just didn't feel like shelling out the €250 to do that and after seeing all of the show, I'm glad I didn't do that even though I would've gotten treated better. I showed up in what I could bring on a backpack adventure, which doesn't include your flashiest clothing. I had my jeans, a nice shirt, and my dressy sneakers. I looked good and ready to go out no mistake, but it wasn't the tux suits, flashy suits, or shirt and ties the other gentlemen were wearing. I guess that explains the waiter's reaction to my order of a glass of wine. I guess he was expecting me to say champagne. I should've. That was the faire for the night. The band was playing on stage and there was a girl singing while people were tearing up the dance floor. I waited anxiously for the show to begin once the curtains closed on them so the tech crew could get the stage ready for the show. Finally it was time. The chandeliers went up into the ceiling and the ones on poles shrunk down into the floor. Fashion that. I saw the chandeliers going up into the ceiling as a possibility, but only hoped the ones on poles in front of me would go down. Wha-la!! The lights went out and the dramatic music started. From the right a bundle of feathers came in on a track above the audience and appearing from below them being lowered to the stage was the lead female singer. She had this sleek white dress on with white wings as she sang about Bonheur and what it was. The curtains opened and there were the dancers in all their glory. The colors were fashioned on their bodies like they had been painted there 'cause there wasn't much color. The huge feathers on their back covered their cheeks that their thong was not covering. Some women had color on their breasts and some didn't. That was the them running through the whole show with the dancers. Some had a piece of costume over their chest and some didn't. All I saw of the guys were an occasional thong. They were pretty covered. The show was a spectacle for about 90 minutes. There was only 1 singer and she was the star. There were also two "Cirque du Soleil"-like acts. One was a clown of some sorts who did this magical thing with a head that looked completely real. Another was a strong man/balancing act. At least their style and costume was reflective of "Cirque du Soleil." Another act was the web act by this beautiful man and he wasn't wearing much. The show had lavish sets and costumes. There was one section where the women came out a la Paris chic in these costumes that looked straight off a fashionable runway, although some were missing the crucial part of the clothing that covered their chest. Always. It is the Lido. Lol. Even the lead singer strutted her clothes off or lack of at several moments. Her midriff seemed to always show and there were two costumes where she was pretty bare. One that came just across her breasts and another where the part of her pants from the side cut to the back was missing, and she was only covered by a thong. She had tails, but she swaggered up the stage purposefully so you could see her bottom. At one point in the show a plane came on stage and the lead singer got out. She sang as the plane moved on its track back into place. There was one scene leading into the Asian section where the stage dropped away and soon up came this Egyptian temple with girls surrounding it a la Nile fashion and some even came out of it. The whole piece dipped back down, cleared away, and the stage was back up in moments. That must be some tech crew down there. Another point in the show was when the fountains came up. Yes, I said fountains. No one swam, but there were feathers involved. This was the introduction to the silk web artist. Later on in the show and near the end an ice rink came out of that pit with he stage to present to figure skaters. It had EVERYTHING!! I was blown away at moments and definitely in the first 20 minutes and by the specialty acts. The show lost it's "it" factor midway through though. The dancers weren't all that clean in their steps nor were they doing much because of all the costuming. The lead singer was okay, but I know a few ladies that could do better. She really had to dance though, so I can understand. Some of the boys weren't really cut and reminded me of a skit where Will Farrell wanted to be a "Chip-n-Dales" dancer. All the girls were gorgeous. The show definitely lost its steam though and needed to be pepped up a bit with some hard core dancing and more singers. I still enjoyed it thoroughly and was amazed at what could be done on that stage. I walked around the Champs Elysées afterward before heading back to the hotel. Last train was at midnight and I didn't want to miss it. I know now not to book hotels or hostels too far from the city centre. I was too tired to go out after today's activities, but it would've been nice to have that option. I could stay out and catch the 3:00AM train back, but I wasn't feeling it tonight. Speaking of bed, this might be my last good night's sleep and that's what I wanted to take advantage of before getting to Rome. I can't believe I'm here in Paris!! Wow!!

Making Connections...

Day two and it's starting off okay. I went out last night to check out the scene and maybe have a drink. I wasn't feeling it and I was a little anxious about leaving all my bags at the hostel in a room with 6 strangers from different countries. All I had on me was my wallet and various other forms of cards and Ids. My passport, computer, electronics, and all my clothes were sitting on my top bunk at the hostel. They were locked inside, but since it was my first time out I was concerned after all the stories I heard. Surprisingly enough first impressions are the most important. I met my two self-contained roomies earlier and I immediately trusted them. They seemed like seasoned travelers and respectful people even though all we really said to each other was hello. I never met my other roomies since it was Amsterdam and people were out seeing things and partying all night. However, when I ran into this random American man on the street I was suddenly aware of everything I was carrying and every zipper and pocket that could be reached. His shirt was open, he had bad teeth, and he was telling me his story of how he came back to Europe from America and became a European citizen. All he could really do was put down Europe and then two of his buddies breezed past me. I immediately put my sack from my back to my front and held onto my pockets, and I especially held onto the pocket holding all of my money. He completely spoke my language and was totally friendly, but there was a characteristic about him I didn't trust. He just seemed like the disgruntled Americans you find on the streets of NYC who try to con you into something since they practically have nothing. As soon as I told him I've been to Amsterdam on several occasions since I worked on a cruise ship, he was gone. Funny the people we trust. After my shower I just roamed around the city seeing how compact it was in certain popular areas and then how quiet and eerie it was in others. Despite the fact that this is a bustling metropolis, it was quiet all over the city other than the noise coming from the various crowds of people. It's quite amazing how quiet it was compared to NYC or any other U.S. metropolis. Especially one so large as Amsterdam. It's renowned (as I have learned especially with the IBC Conference coming up). I think I chose one of the most expensive European itineraries to travel by backpack. London, Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Venice, and Prague. I think Prague will be my only cheap venture. Leave it up to me to choose such a ritzy vacation. Anyway, back to quiet. There just aren't that many cars in use. The trams are electric so you only hear the hum as they go by on their metal tracks. It's nothing like the subways in NYC either. These are much quieter as they pass by. There are cyclists EVERYWHERE! Wow. I've never seen so many people at night of various ages riding bikes. Not just any bikes though. There are bikes with baskets of various shapes, bikes with attachment carts, bikes built for speed and low to the ground, and bikes that look like cars. These have to be some of the fittest people on earth. They are also like NYC taxi drivers. Don't get in their way, whoa. I felt just as uneasy about crossing the street here as I do in NYC and there were 85% less cars driving around. It's the bells of the bikes and the ding of the tramcars that keep you on your toes.

Amsterdam at night is such a different experience. Coffee shops are happening everywhere and they're serving very little coffee. I didn't partake only because I was alone and I knew that I wasn't taking a shower in the morning until I got to Paris so I didn't want to reek of smoked weeds. I probably will try a brownie on my next go, but I have to find a place to stay first since this whole IBC Conference has taken all the available hotels. I went to all the gay areas just to see if I wanted to sit down and have a drink. They were all loaded with pretentious tourists (from first impression) and I didn't feel comfortable or the need to sit down and have a drink. Like I said earlier, I wasn't really into it and the bar scene in general is not my scene unless I'm with a group of friends or a friend I know well. I got myself an ice cream and headed back to the hotel. I was exhausted. Especially after WALKING everywhere during the day. As soon as I got myself situated in bed, I was out. I woke up when I heard some roomies coming home, and then went back to sleep again.

This morning I quietly got myself out of the room. I hope I have everything since I didn't do my OCD check of the area before I left. I didn't want to disturb anyone too much since it was 7:00am and judging from when I heard them come in way after midnight, I don't think they wanted to be disturbed. I got on a tram that I and I took advantage of the honor system. I know. Bad me. It all came back though and besides I bought 2 tickets yesterday ON the tram when I only needed to buy one so I feel I paid my dues to the tram. I got to the train station and thought for a moment that I might not make it to Paris since most people nowadays pre-book tickets for everything. So much for "off the cuff" travel these days. I would've pre-booked my trains, but they wanted to snail mail me the tickets, which was not convenient for me at all being on a ship. I was already leery of having my phone delivered to me on board. I got to the international counter and sure enough a ticket was available. Now the question as to whether I had a seat or not was the ultimate question. She asked me to check with the conductor since it was an overbooked ticket. I did pay about $60 more for it than I expected since it was a last minute ticket and seats were sold out. Yikes!! I think it's mainly because it's international travel. I'm sitting in a seat now though and on my way to Paris. My experience there should be a little more relaxed since I have my own room and I have more time there before jumping off to Rome. I just hope I get internet access from my laptop soon.

I'm now sitting in my new room after a completely full day. A song that came on today that I feel summed my emotions up would be "its Today" sung by Angela Lansbury in the musical Mame. It came on since I had my iPod with me when I went to venture out into the city and I felt that was the perfect feeling for the events today. After I finished typing my earlier paragraphs here, I put on my iPod and zoned out taking in the Dutch, Belgian, and French countrysides going by outside my window. I was in and out of sleep after getting exhausted from yesterday's events. In one of my wakings, the guy across from me began to chat. We had been dodging each other's knees in the confined space we were in while trying to make ourselves comfortable. He and his friend were from Guatemala and they were backpacking it through Europe as well. The only difference was that they were doing it for a month and that they had friends to stay with. They were baffled by my story about the last hostel and about how cheap I found my flights to various places. We just talked about different things, but it was very slow and labored since there was a language barrier as you can imagine. Still I'm surprised by how much he could communicate since even being in France with my little knowledge of the French language I couldn't communicate with a French person as well as this guy was communicating with me. He kept conversation going for a while and I didn't mind listening. I could've shut him out, but that would've been rude and I had nothing to do anyway. It was great talking to these people and they seemed as adventurous as I. We exchanged e-mail and they told me to contact them if I ever came down to Guatemala and needed a hotel. He said things were VERY cheap down there. Especially compared to these places in Europe. Four hours later we arrive in Gare du Nord in Paris. I bid my farewells and head off on the platform to make my connections on the metro. I had to take about 3 subway trains to get out to the suburb of Epinay sur Seine. It was the same commute from Paris central to Epinay sur le Seine as it is from Manhattan central to Forest Hills. There is one train that will take me there if I'm in the right area, but since I was coming from an odd location for that route, I had to transfer quite a bit. It was here that I learned that what I packed might be a tad heavy. Yikes! So I made it out there unshowered and a little hot and exhausted. It wasn't what I expected and the neighborhood and distance from Paris was definitely not what I expected. The room is okay. It's a nice sized room with a small bathroom a la dorm style. It smells like mold, but after being on a ship that doesn't seem to faze me anymore. The first thing I did was trying and find food and water. I was extremely parched. I found a Chinese place a few stores down and went inside for a spell. The food was great and then I had Bananas Flambé for dessert. Yummy! I took a shower after getting settled in the new place. It took a while. I didn't want to rush out since I found out when I got here that I didn't originally plan on getting here until 10pm. Good thing I arrived so early because now I could go out and explore the city for a bit of unplanned sightseeing. I wanted to get back early so I could catch up on some rest. I'm here for 3 days so this was fine with me. I ventured out after my body felt clean. Yay!

Here's where the song really comes into play. I was on the train and decided that after 2 attempts of getting to Paris and NOT seeing the Champs Elyseé or the Louvre that would be the FIRST thing I would do. I got out at the Museé d'Orsay and got my bearings. I crossed over the Seine to the Champs Elyseé. As soon as I entered the park its beauty took me aback. It was a long stretch of stone road with trees in perfect rows on either side. There were manicured gardens and fountains all over the place. People lined the area in masses. The vibe was incredible. I walked first toward the fountain that was just next to the Obelisk and the Place de la Madeleine.
A huge square that later I found gave a great picture for the Arc de Triomphe. I snapped some shots and headed toward the Louvre on the Champs Elyseé. People were everywhere just enjoying themselves. Children were playing in the rocks and running around. There were hot dog vendors and people on bikes. If Georges Seurat were alive today this would've been an opportune moment for one of his paintings. In fact, his work and Van Gogh's works were on special display at the Museé d'Orsay. It definitely was a "Sunday in the Park" moment. I came upon an absolutely breathtaking garden and I can now thank my new friend Scott for teaching me to slow down and take in all the beauty around me when it's presented. He definitely had an appreciation and a passion for color, light, and angles and now I see that. I always love new perspectives and interesting ways to take a photo, but now I have this new appreciation especially for different ways the sun comes in and colors these objects. I saw the pyramid in the distance and knew I was near the Louvre. I began to well up with emotion because this is what I always wanted to see in Paris along with the Eiffel Tower and after 2 tries last year, both failed to get me here. It was an absolutely gorgeous day with nary a cloud in the sky other than the poofy white ones that always give me an interesting photo against a sharp cornered object like these old European buildings. I was now on a sight that was part of the story in "The Da Vinci Code. " I never saw the rose line, so I think that was a fictional part that was created unless I didn't look hard enough. I just took in all the beauty here and I must have had a huge smile on my face because as I was taking photos of myself I saw this Asian couple trying to get photos of each other and I offered to take a picture of them. They were grateful, but then the guy asked me to be in a picture with his girlfriend. Okay? I thought this was awkward, but did it anyway. I bid my adieus and went on my merry way. I continued to walk down the Champs Elyseé to find the Lido. Not the Lido restaurant like on the ship, but the famous Lido entertainment center. There's a show there with 70 performers in it much like a flashy Vegas show. I wanted to check it out since I had a coupon for €15 off the price of admission. I got some awesome shots of the Arc de Triomphe as I passed through the square with the Obelisk in it and I saw the Eiffel Tower in the distance and got some great shots of that as well. More parks, more people, and more photo opportunities. Earlier I saw a girl playing with pigeons in the Louvre plaza, a boy and his father looking onward into the fountain as one of the motorized sail boats drifted by, and a couple kissing in the warm sun with the backdrop of the fountain and the Louvre. Ah Paris!!! I was in heaven with beauty and ambiance. I walked onward and came upon the glitzy fashion area of the Champs Elyseé with all the big names like FCUK, Armani, John Paul Gautier, and the like. People were dressed to the nines in fashion (or not in some tourist cases, especially moi). I found the Lido and looked at the prices. Whoa!! Up to €240 for premium service on dinner and a show. It looked like you had to be dressed as well. I was looking more at the €60 option to sit at the bar and order 2 drinks. My discount would bring the entrance cost down to €45 and I could muster that and order the 2-drink minimum. The €15 discount would go towards the drinks anyway. I really want to see the show tomorrow, but I have to make a reservation either by phone or online. I hope the online option works out. I do know the last train to Epinay sur Seine is at 12:30am from the transfer points just down the street from Montmarte. The Lido isn't far from there, but I think I'll catch the 9:30pm show just in case. I had dinner at Georges V right there on the main strip and enjoyed a fabulous meal and some excellent people watching. It was a little pricy, but hey, when am I going to have this opportunity again? The waiters looked like a typical French waiter you'd see in a movie. It was hilarious to me. I was trying to use my French, but most of the time the lack of it got in the way and I broke down and used my English since they knew how to speak it. I left here very satiated and wanted to see Montmarte, but was torn by seeing the Eiffel Tower at sunset. I turned around and headed back to the Eiffel Tower at a fast pace. I was racing the sunset here. I got to the complex just as sunset was happening and got some fabulous photos of the tower. People were lined up all over the place by the Trocadero to grab a photo. The sun seemed to disappear leaving a pink haze over the skyline and then suddenly I saw it. The tower was already lit, but then it was sparkling. It was the Eiffel Tower light show. Whoa!! Didn't expect that one. I went up to the Trocadero area and tried to grab my best photo. After taking all this in on top of the Bohemians also hanging out up there and on the stairs I headed back down since it was getting dark and I knew I'd be heading back to the dorm room soon. Suddenly I saw another surprise. The large orange moon was coming up right behind the tower!!! Whoa!!! What was this?!?!?! I tried to grab my best photo, but I don't think my camera captured it well enough. I was definitely on a high now and was craving something sweet. I went to the ice cream stand and got a cone. Yummy. I took another gander at the tower from its underbelly before I felt satisfied enough to make the journey home. Once I got to the train station in Epinay sur Seine, I check the timetables to find out about the last train. Got it. Then I saw that the local mini mart was open and got a very cheap bottle of water. Tiredness hit me and I was set on getting back now. As I was passing a bus stop a guy directed me over and asked if he could swig off my drink. I thought "why not?" He only wants a swig. This turned into an hour-long conversation of him telling me about his woes with his father. All this done in broken English and me in broken French. I stayed to chat only because he seemed like a nice guy AND I thought if this wasn't immersion into the language, what else would be? He had about as much knowledge of English as I did French, but I think he still had more knowledge than I in the language matter. This was good since he was talking so much. Evidently his father is a billionaire and wants him (his only son) to follow in his engineering business. He (the son) wants to be in politics and his father says he's crazy and doesn't support him. He was looking for some advice and all I could tell him to my best ability was to follow his heart and not let other people influence decisions that might make him unhappy. He went on to tell me about his crazy father and unsupportive family. I tried to communicate, but it was getting frustrating for me because sometimes I could barely understand his English let alone his mumbled French. I told him we're at opposite ends of the spectrum here. He comes from billions and I come from nowhere near that; he's French & I'm American; and he travels. He has a lot of ideas in his head about businesses he's like to give a chance, but his dad will not help. He kept on going and I so wanted to fully understand. I just couldn't. I finally left, but I don't know why that was supposed to happen. Now I sit here satisfied from an incredible day. The leaves are turning here too, so this adds so much more to the beauty of things. It was a full moon out tonight, so this may explain all the weird things that happened.

Tomorrow is another day and night in Paris. I'll see what transpires. There are city bikes you can pay for with a credit card. I think I might look into that one. I also have to find Beauvais Airport since it's not on he local city map. I shall sleep good tonight. Wow.

Waves waves waves...

The infamous day is here. I have signed off the ship and I'm now sitting along the inlet to Amsterdam as the Prinsendam prepares itself for sail away. It was a wave of emotions as I left the ship today. I woke up for an early breakfast hoping to catch some friends and prepare myself for the process that is disembarkation. It wasn't a normal disembarkation for me. Right now as I type, my life is in 3 different places. I have my two large suitcases being stored on board as I go off into Europe and I will meet the ship back in Amsterdam on September 8, my other bag of clothes is sitting on my top bunk at the hostel with my French roomie and my Swedish roomie, and I sit here with all my electronic valuables. I digress as I return from my tangent. I finished my large breakfast not knowing what the day would bring me as far as food and returned to my cabin. I told my friend that I would help him with his luggage situation by shipping a box of music books home for him today while he made his way to the airport. He gave me €50 and I gave him a huge hug and started to get teary. This friend of mine has become not only a good friend, but someone special in my heart and I hope he finds what he needs to experience life to its fullest. I had a wonderful time getting to know him and I look forward to hearing from him in the future. One thing about working on ships or in this industry is that you make really good friends and then the bulk of your friendship with them is via letters and the occasional phone call. He was off and I was sad. Step one finished. With bags all set to go I made my way to the various offices to get paid out, pick up my passports, and etc. Around 10:00am I woke another really good friend of mine up and gave her my goodbyes. Oh the goodbyes. I hate them the most. With bags in tow I was off the ship. The anxiety began to pile up and my mind was going everywhere thinking what I had to do next. I suddenly didn't know what day of the week it was and I needed to find a post office. I asked a bus driver and he led me there and assured me it was open. Well, it wasn't Sunday then. I got there and shipped off my friend's box. Next order of business was getting to the hostel and just finding it. I now began to realize that backpacking this trip is going to be an athletic one. I have about two bags weighing in around 30lbs on my back or just on me in general as I walk around the city. It was mild weather today and I was sweating big time. I finally found the hostel, but check-in wasn't until 3:00pm and I had to change into Euros. I found an exchange that took about $900 of my money and converted it to €655. Ouch!! I went back and paid my difference so I could make sure the room was on hold. I was free to go and my other duffle bag was being stored in a closet.

I decided to head over to the Anne Frank house and see how the line was. It wasn't as bad as I had heard so I waited and it only took 20 minutes to get to the ticket window. This place is just fascinating. This is when another wave of emotions hit me. The fear that these people lived in and the way they were treated made me sick. This was a warehouse with offices on the second floor. The back part of the house (the secret part) was converted to a two-story apartment for the Franks and for the other family living there and a few others. I was familiar with the story and the events that happened with their hiding, but to be walking in the same house where all this happened laid heavy with me. Her stories were told as you went through the house. Various quotes and testimonials were written on the wall or in a presentation on the TV or projected. There were artifacts left behind and images of what the rooms looked like before the Nazis came in and took it all away. It was a real clever set up with the two-bedroom apartment completely hidden by all the buildings around it. I couldn't even get a view from the streets. The actual entrance was covered by a bookshelf that was re-created to show how they came and went when no one was around. The men in the warehouse below them had no idea that they were hiding up there so the families couldn't use the toilets, water, or even make noises during business hours. With all the old wood I found it so hard to imagine creeping around as gingerly as possible so as not to make the boards creek and raising suspicion. Also they had to whisper or write to communicate to each other. Anne Frank was an inspiration to me because she seemed so positive through all this. She wrote her thoughts and emotions down with hopes to publish them later to tell everyone about the secret apartment. With all her writings she even made up stories to parallel the things that had already happened in her life also with the hope of being an accomplished writer and getting them published. Eventually someone ratted them out and the Nazis raided the apartment. The people were sent to concentration camps and some were executed by gas. Her thoughts on why people just can't see them as Dutch, English, or German instead of Jews were so touching and I had to do everything in my power to hold back the tears. It's pretty much the same things that are happening today with races and sexuality. You're identified as your race (if you're not pale-skinned) or by your sexuality and not where you are from. People hate you if you show them you are different and some can't even accept who you are. I spent a good hour in their taking it all in before I finally left because hunger took a hold of me. I had my snack of a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich before I was off again.

I took advantage of every sight I could take in. If there's one thing my musician friend taught me it was to appreciate the beauty in everything I see. Especially the colors. He saw so many ways to capture a photo with the way the light was hitting it and found new beauty in things he was seeing. He loved "old shit" as he would say so Europe was full of it. I checked into my hostel where I met my roomies. I don't know how this is going to go over with me. We all share one key. So it involves knocking on the door if I don't have the key and someone else is in the room. I changed clothes and went out again feeling the awkward energy from my foreign roomies. Now I can see my ship sailing past and it is so surreal. One thing that our Cruise Director said was right. It sure does make an awesome picture when you see your ship sail away from the pier. It was always meant as a joke when talking about missing the ship, but now I see the reality in it. My adventure truly begins now. I don't know what to do with myself tonight. I figured this first day in Amsterdam would be a wash, but I got a lot of sightseeing in already. I walked A LOT today. Wow. Tonight may be a wash though and I totally expected that. I started to inquire about hotels and hostels for when I'm back here to meet the ship September 8. Evidently there is a huge GLOBAL conference happening for 14 days starting September 1. It's the International Broadcasters Conference. Woops. Didn't read about that one. All hotels and hostels seem to be booked solid. I have a hotel for the last night. I'm just missing 2 days from September 7 & 8. Yikes!! Looks like I may have to re-route. I'm crossing my fingers. Things seem to be going smoothly right now. The trip has just begun. Tomorrow I train to Paris. I plan to leave early to make the most of my time. I have a single room there so the extent of my socializing will be in the common rooms and not so much in my bedroom. So far the two people I met seem fine. It's just that awkward first meet and I feel a little out of place seeing this is my first time with this kind of travel. So far I met the Swedish girl and the French guy. Do I remember their names? No. It's only one night though and I doubt I'll see a lot of them. Well, I'm starting to get a chill now as I sit here by the water watching the ship sail away into the distance. The waves keep coming in as I think about all the wonderful memories of the last 8 months as my previous home sails away. If I could pick a song for today it would be "Amsterdam" by Joshua Kadison. This melancholic song kind of describes some of the feelings I'd been experiencing today and he's one of my influences in music. I feel he's a great writer and storyteller.

So after leaving the pier I went and satiated my hunger. I forgot which café I had dinner, but there was a Greek café caddy corner to me, an Italian place across the street and a pizzeria to my right. There was a party of some sort going on the in the Greek café. It was definitely a manly beer party of some sort. The bicycles here will kill you as well as the trams and the bicycles in this square were totally busy. Often enough you'd here the ding of the bell as a cyclist went by trying to dodge the over stimulated tourists. This was great people watching and I was even checked out a few times. I think so at least. The food was good I had a kebab and some French fries. It came with a little salad too and it was more than enough to fill me up along with my Strombough Cider. The sun setting over various parts of Amsterdam is definitely a sight to see. Everything is lit picture perfect. I'm sure there are a lot of cities you can say that about, but just because I'm here and there are so many canals running through the city, it's amazing to me. As I walked through the many neighborhoods, I noticed the rooftops all had a beam jutting out with a metal hook of some sort dangling. I assume that because the houses are so thin and so close together, this is to pull up furniture through the various windows into the apartments. It's just so uniquely Scandinavian. All the countries up here have this feature. At least along the Baltic Sea. I'm in the room now. I was just told there was not a wireless signal and I don't feel like lugging my broken computer around the city to fetch one. These entries may come in huge pieces. I tried to call out a few times to talk for a bit to home, but no one was there. It's probably for the best. I think I'm going to try and take a shower while no one is in the room. One odd feature about the bathroom is the lack of shower curtain. Thank God you can lock the bathroom door. It still makes for an interesting shower experience though.