"He took the midnight train going anywhere..."
I can now relate to that song. So I went on the wine tour and it was alright. I was hoping it was a more tasting-orientated class - as in they would teach you about the differences of wine, etc. It was more of a how-wine-is-made tour. Our first stop was Chateau La Tour Blanche. We went through a tour and tasted this very sweet wine called a Sauternes. It wasn't desert wine, so it was supposed to be drank from a full glass. It was just too sweet for me to enjoy unforuntately.
The second place we went to was the Chateau Magneau. We tried two whites - one that was oak barrel aged and one that was not - in order to tell the difference. It was really amazing how different it was. We then tried a red, what they called a Grave Rogue. That was also quite good.
So my original plan was to take the wine tour, return to the hostel, grab my bags, go to the train station and take a train to Tolousse, France and spend the night there. In the morning I planned on departing from Tolousse to Barcelona.
The problem I ran into was that once I arrived in Toulousse at 10:30 PM, I found out that the hostel was full. Not just for that ngiht, but for the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that, etc. This presents quite a serious problem since there is only one hostel in Tolousse. So I decided that I had three options. Drink coffee and read my book till 5 something when the train leaves, dump 35 Euros on a one star hotel with a good view of some hookers, or take a midnight train going anywhere and figure it out in the morning (remember that I have an unlimited Eurail pass). Option one was quickly out of the question because I found out the station closed at 1 AM. So the only two train that were overnight were to Paris and to Nice. Nice is a coastal town on the French Riviera. I chose Nice.
The only problem with the midnight train to Nice was that it required advance booking. Something that is obviously not in my vocabulary. So I got in the line with all of the people with booking tickets and waved my Eurail pass. There was some brief confusion, but they ultimately let me pass to the station. Once at the station, I had to be the first person to ask the conducter if I could purchase a bed reservation otherwise all else would be lost (or so I thought). The train finally arrived after listening to some Italian women shout at eachother for a half an hour (the thing is...they were never fighting, they were just talking). I run up to the train manager and he says that there is no beds left. But as I turn around he says that there are seats on the last car of the train, and I quickly find my way to them to say the least.
The thing with a sleeper car is that they are not going to check your reservation and wake you up, so that's why they check your ticket before you go to the station. Therefore, I got a reclining seat to Nice for free. It was pretty hard to sleep on the train and I forget what really happened. It was all a daze. But I did end up in Nice at 9 this morning and followed some guys I met from Colorado to the nearest hostel.
So today I went to the beach on the French Riviera. It sounds really nice, huh? Well, the whole beach is made out of large stones so it makes it difficult to walk, relax or do any kind of movement you are typically accustomed to at the beach. Plus, you're constantly surrounded by RWA's (rich white...I'll let you figure out the last word) and their overpriced restaurants. But there are some pretty women here, I guess that's a plus. There is quite a constrast evident because you'll walk past the boutiques where all the rich people are shopping, and then right into the poor section of town where you're staying. No matter how fancy of a place I may go, I don't think anything will beat going to Atlantic City or Bethany Beach with the family.
I plan on spending two nights here and then taking an overnight train to Barcelona (where the sand is apparently sandy) after that.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Friday, June 29, 2007
Paris Continued
OK, I have heard a million things about Paris. That it's great, disgusting, pretty, trashy, hard to get around, expensive, touristy, classy, sophisticated and smelly. Well, it is all of those things, but regardless of the negatives I listed, I had an incredible time.
The first day on my own I visited the famous cemetery. I did in fact see Jim Morrison's grave, as well as Chopin's grave. The cemetery was huge and was divided up into 97 different sections which had no real orgazational system to them at all. Someone luckily gave me a map but it took me an hour of looking for Marcel Proust's grave before I gave up. I didn't even care that much but then it kind of became an annoying quest I had to complete. I wanted to see Wilde's grave, too. Women supposedly kiss all over his grave and such. All of the graves were so extravagant there. It was all surrounded by beautiful trees, and it was very peaceful and quiet. I have some marvelous pictures of the cemetery, but like most computers I have used, the tower is locked up so I cannot access the USB ports.
I got back to my hostel around dark (it was a long walk and I prefer not to use the Subway...it costs too much and you can take in more of the city when you are actually above ground). When I returned I met two people from New York named Jesse and Andrew. We went out to eat in the rain and it was pretty unpleasant (except for the meal). It cost me way too much and I have decided that eating out from now on will be a rarity. The real problem was that the waiter, seeing that we were American and knew how to tip, gave us our change back (about 10.50) with a 10 Euro Bill. This was before I figured out France includes tips with their meal, so needless to say we left a very happy waitress.
When I returned to my dorm I found it full of new faces. It went something like this:
Me: So where are you guys from?
Group: North Carolina, we all go to UNC.
Me: Oh, heh, I'm an incoming freshmen at UMD.
(Silence)
Group: Looking forward to basketball season?
Me: Yep.
(Silence)
And then we all went to bed.
The next day I went to the Catacombs with Jesse and some people he had met. The Catacombs of Paris are a large underground cave with stacks and stacks of bones and skulls. It was really interesting yet at the same time sort of bleak that all of these bones have been forgotten about and that they were in fact once people. Just to show you how quickly you can accumulate friends, our Catacomb group included Jesse, Andrew (a new Andrew from Canada - the first one left that morning to go back home), two girls from New Zealand, Omar and Renoir (two brothers from Puerto Rico), and four girls we met in line from Utah State.
After the catacombs I decided to relax back in my room (which had a delightful view of the street) and play guitar. It was really surreal to sit there with my feet propped on the edge of the railing looking out into the heart of Montemarte (in my opinion the coolest part of Paris). But then walked in my two new roommates - Clara from Brussels and Eli (short for Elizabeth) from Germany. They were here for a three day tour of Paris and we quickly became good friends. The first night we walked all around Montemarte and ended up getting pizza and eating it at the top of Butte Montemarte - a giant hill overlooking all of Paris. At the top is the Sacre Couer - a famous church built in 1919. When we went looking for a corkscrew we met Phillip and Phillip from Germany who actually were staying at our hostel. They were both great guys and we all spent the rest of the night chatting looking out over Paris.
The next day I went out with Clara and Eli around Paris and we ran into a interesting tourist trap that went something like this:
A lady comes out of no where and picks up a gold ring off the ground and says "Oooh a gold ring! Look at this! It is solid gold! Oh, but I can't wear it because of my religion, I'm Evangelist. You have it!" and she handed it to Clara. Clara refused but being the resourceful traveler I pretend to be, grab it and say "OK cool, I'll take it". So I say thanks and start to walk away when all of a sudden she runs up behind me and says "How about we get a cup of coffee to celebrate". Ah-ha. I pretty soon realized what was going on here but I told her I had no time to get coffee and that I had to go to the Eiffel Tower. She insisted and I insisted back until she finally held out here hand with a grin and expected me to give her the ring back. A part of me wanted to insist that the ring is now in my possession, another part of me wanted to give it back to her and get away and another part of me wanted to throw it into the River Seine. I wasn't sure how deep this went as it could have been as simple as bumming lunch off of me or leading me to her favorite café: you know the one where upon walking in you are at the receiving end of a baseball bat given to you by her brother Ramon and you wake up without any of your possessions? I gave it back to her and said "I know this trick. I don't think so".
Later another lady approaches me and asks me if I speak English. Eager to help, I say yes and she proceeds to shove a cardboard sign in my face about how poor she is and how she needs money. Ugh. This continues to happen throughout the day until I discover a line that pisses them off so much they leave you alone pretty quickly. It went like this:
Lady: Do you speak English?
Me: No I don't, sorry.
Lady: (Frowns) But I just heard you speak it to your friend.
Me: Then why did you ask?
(Exit Lady)
So later on I split from Eli and Clara to go to the Louvre. I unfortunately went into the wrong museum thinking it was the Louvre and ended up in a modern art exhibit. I realized this after I had paid money to get in, so I decided to check it out. It was pretty cool, but I would have liked to have seen the Louvre.
So instead I saw Mariah Carey. A huge crowd was around a hotel so I walked up and asked who it was everyone was waiting for. Someone answered in a thick French accent "Marah Caree". I didn't know who that was, so I decided to stick around and see what all the fuss was about. So I sat there for about 10 minutes taking pictures of every rich black man that got out of a nice car before Mariah Carey stepped out of the vehicle and walked right over in my direction. Too bad I don't like her music, otherwise it would have been really cool.
That night I invited some more roommates I met (Katie and Casey from Ohio and Adam from Indiana) as well as someone else I met (Joseph from Oregon) to the top of Butte Montemarte to join Clara, Eli, Phillip and Phillip and I for another night of soaking in the city. Needless to say we had quite a good time.
Today I went off to that odd museum I mentioned (which actually had some very informative exhibits on brothels in Paris and so forth) and then checked out Shakespeare and Co., that real famous bookshop where Hemingway and other famous authors lived for a while. It really was an amazing place. You could practically feel the history there.
By the way, here's a cool picture of the Eiffel Tower and of a protest I had to get through in Paris.
So today I said goodbye to all my friends and boarded a train to Bordeaux. Bordeaux so far is gross. The hostel is too big to meet anyone and it's right near all the sex shops and stuff. In Paris, you would walk down the Red Light District and say to yourself "Wow, what a crazy place". In Bordeaux, you just say to yourself "Eww". I'm going to do an English speaking wine tour tomorrow, which I think is the only reason people come here. Supposedly the outskirts are beautiful. These tours are supposed to be really informative - not just a blind tasting. They have their own tourist office dedicated to wine so it's kind of a big deal here.
After this it's Barcelona! People say it's the best place in Europe so we'll see.
The first day on my own I visited the famous cemetery. I did in fact see Jim Morrison's grave, as well as Chopin's grave. The cemetery was huge and was divided up into 97 different sections which had no real orgazational system to them at all. Someone luckily gave me a map but it took me an hour of looking for Marcel Proust's grave before I gave up. I didn't even care that much but then it kind of became an annoying quest I had to complete. I wanted to see Wilde's grave, too. Women supposedly kiss all over his grave and such. All of the graves were so extravagant there. It was all surrounded by beautiful trees, and it was very peaceful and quiet. I have some marvelous pictures of the cemetery, but like most computers I have used, the tower is locked up so I cannot access the USB ports.
I got back to my hostel around dark (it was a long walk and I prefer not to use the Subway...it costs too much and you can take in more of the city when you are actually above ground). When I returned I met two people from New York named Jesse and Andrew. We went out to eat in the rain and it was pretty unpleasant (except for the meal). It cost me way too much and I have decided that eating out from now on will be a rarity. The real problem was that the waiter, seeing that we were American and knew how to tip, gave us our change back (about 10.50) with a 10 Euro Bill. This was before I figured out France includes tips with their meal, so needless to say we left a very happy waitress.
When I returned to my dorm I found it full of new faces. It went something like this:
Me: So where are you guys from?
Group: North Carolina, we all go to UNC.
Me: Oh, heh, I'm an incoming freshmen at UMD.
(Silence)
Group: Looking forward to basketball season?
Me: Yep.
(Silence)
And then we all went to bed.
The next day I went to the Catacombs with Jesse and some people he had met. The Catacombs of Paris are a large underground cave with stacks and stacks of bones and skulls. It was really interesting yet at the same time sort of bleak that all of these bones have been forgotten about and that they were in fact once people. Just to show you how quickly you can accumulate friends, our Catacomb group included Jesse, Andrew (a new Andrew from Canada - the first one left that morning to go back home), two girls from New Zealand, Omar and Renoir (two brothers from Puerto Rico), and four girls we met in line from Utah State.
After the catacombs I decided to relax back in my room (which had a delightful view of the street) and play guitar. It was really surreal to sit there with my feet propped on the edge of the railing looking out into the heart of Montemarte (in my opinion the coolest part of Paris). But then walked in my two new roommates - Clara from Brussels and Eli (short for Elizabeth) from Germany. They were here for a three day tour of Paris and we quickly became good friends. The first night we walked all around Montemarte and ended up getting pizza and eating it at the top of Butte Montemarte - a giant hill overlooking all of Paris. At the top is the Sacre Couer - a famous church built in 1919. When we went looking for a corkscrew we met Phillip and Phillip from Germany who actually were staying at our hostel. They were both great guys and we all spent the rest of the night chatting looking out over Paris.
The next day I went out with Clara and Eli around Paris and we ran into a interesting tourist trap that went something like this:
A lady comes out of no where and picks up a gold ring off the ground and says "Oooh a gold ring! Look at this! It is solid gold! Oh, but I can't wear it because of my religion, I'm Evangelist. You have it!" and she handed it to Clara. Clara refused but being the resourceful traveler I pretend to be, grab it and say "OK cool, I'll take it". So I say thanks and start to walk away when all of a sudden she runs up behind me and says "How about we get a cup of coffee to celebrate". Ah-ha. I pretty soon realized what was going on here but I told her I had no time to get coffee and that I had to go to the Eiffel Tower. She insisted and I insisted back until she finally held out here hand with a grin and expected me to give her the ring back. A part of me wanted to insist that the ring is now in my possession, another part of me wanted to give it back to her and get away and another part of me wanted to throw it into the River Seine. I wasn't sure how deep this went as it could have been as simple as bumming lunch off of me or leading me to her favorite café: you know the one where upon walking in you are at the receiving end of a baseball bat given to you by her brother Ramon and you wake up without any of your possessions? I gave it back to her and said "I know this trick. I don't think so".
Later another lady approaches me and asks me if I speak English. Eager to help, I say yes and she proceeds to shove a cardboard sign in my face about how poor she is and how she needs money. Ugh. This continues to happen throughout the day until I discover a line that pisses them off so much they leave you alone pretty quickly. It went like this:
Lady: Do you speak English?
Me: No I don't, sorry.
Lady: (Frowns) But I just heard you speak it to your friend.
Me: Then why did you ask?
(Exit Lady)
So later on I split from Eli and Clara to go to the Louvre. I unfortunately went into the wrong museum thinking it was the Louvre and ended up in a modern art exhibit. I realized this after I had paid money to get in, so I decided to check it out. It was pretty cool, but I would have liked to have seen the Louvre.
So instead I saw Mariah Carey. A huge crowd was around a hotel so I walked up and asked who it was everyone was waiting for. Someone answered in a thick French accent "Marah Caree". I didn't know who that was, so I decided to stick around and see what all the fuss was about. So I sat there for about 10 minutes taking pictures of every rich black man that got out of a nice car before Mariah Carey stepped out of the vehicle and walked right over in my direction. Too bad I don't like her music, otherwise it would have been really cool.
That night I invited some more roommates I met (Katie and Casey from Ohio and Adam from Indiana) as well as someone else I met (Joseph from Oregon) to the top of Butte Montemarte to join Clara, Eli, Phillip and Phillip and I for another night of soaking in the city. Needless to say we had quite a good time.
Today I went off to that odd museum I mentioned (which actually had some very informative exhibits on brothels in Paris and so forth) and then checked out Shakespeare and Co., that real famous bookshop where Hemingway and other famous authors lived for a while. It really was an amazing place. You could practically feel the history there.
By the way, here's a cool picture of the Eiffel Tower and of a protest I had to get through in Paris.
So today I said goodbye to all my friends and boarded a train to Bordeaux. Bordeaux so far is gross. The hostel is too big to meet anyone and it's right near all the sex shops and stuff. In Paris, you would walk down the Red Light District and say to yourself "Wow, what a crazy place". In Bordeaux, you just say to yourself "Eww". I'm going to do an English speaking wine tour tomorrow, which I think is the only reason people come here. Supposedly the outskirts are beautiful. These tours are supposed to be really informative - not just a blind tasting. They have their own tourist office dedicated to wine so it's kind of a big deal here.
After this it's Barcelona! People say it's the best place in Europe so we'll see.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Paris
Right after I posted that last post I met a really nice guy named Nathaniel from Stockholm. He told me about this great little place outside Canterbury called Harbeldon and offered to take me there. So we traveled there the next day and had a drink at a pub overlooking the town. Unforunately he had to get to London that day, but it was nice traveling around with someone.
Well the Nick Drake tribute concert was really great. It was a great way to end my stay in Canterbury. It as good that I got to relax, because the next day was quite busy.
On the 23rd I did the following:
-Took a bus from Canterbury to Dover
-Took a ferry from Dover to Calais, France
-Took a train from Calais to Lille
-Changed stations and took a train from Lille to Paris
-Took the metro from Gare D'Nord to Charles De Gaulle station
-Found my way to the Brocketts hotel
At the ferry I met a nice guy from Scotland named Daniel. He played the accordion and he was carrying it with him. I don't know how he could take it but he assured me that it wasn't too bad. He was headed to Berlin but we both had to get to Paris first so he became my temporary travel companion until we reached Paris. On the train from Lille we met three people, one of whom was playing guitar. So we ended up playing accordion and guitar together the entire trip. So my first encounter with the French has been a good one.
The Metro in France confused the hell out of me at first and for a about twenty minutes I wondered around until it finally clicked and I got on the right train. French is really hard to pronounce but If you start out asking them if they speak English (in French of course) they will try to help you out. Muttering and mispronouncing French will not offend them as much as begining in English will.
Once I found the Brocketts we were both excited to see eachother. It was somewhat strange meeting in Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower after I told them about my trip. The tower is beautiful at night.
They let me sleep on the floor, but it wasn't that bad considering I got a free breakfast and a nice shower and bathroom. The whole time I was there we had to keep sneaking around so they wouldn't catch on to our little plan.
Yesterday we went to the Museè dè Orsay, a great museum filled with mostly Impressionist art, but it had different kinds as well. We also went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, but it was packed and everyone shuffled through like cattle, so that wasn't that great. The window was nice, though. The Brocketts took me out to dinner at the Planet Hollywood (it was their last day in Euope and they were craving some American food) and then I did some laundry in the sink and went to bed. They left early this morning (1 AM your time) and I snuck out undetected from the hotel. Well, actually I walked out the front door with them but never got in the taxi (sometimes the most inconspicuous way of doing something is doing the most obvious). But I did manage to grab a few croissants before I left and stick them in my bag for later.
By the way, I found a couple from Rockville in Paris. I think the UMD hat gave it away...
I found my hostel and will be spending a few more days here seeing the Louvre, Napoleon's grave, a cemetary where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Chopin are buried and maybe even the Musuem of Erotic Art (sounds pretty out there).
My next update may not be for a while because this update is costing me fifteen dollars (edit: I was mistaken - only 4 dollars)and they keyboards are different here, so I am much slower typing.
Au revoir!
Well the Nick Drake tribute concert was really great. It was a great way to end my stay in Canterbury. It as good that I got to relax, because the next day was quite busy.
On the 23rd I did the following:
-Took a bus from Canterbury to Dover
-Took a ferry from Dover to Calais, France
-Took a train from Calais to Lille
-Changed stations and took a train from Lille to Paris
-Took the metro from Gare D'Nord to Charles De Gaulle station
-Found my way to the Brocketts hotel
At the ferry I met a nice guy from Scotland named Daniel. He played the accordion and he was carrying it with him. I don't know how he could take it but he assured me that it wasn't too bad. He was headed to Berlin but we both had to get to Paris first so he became my temporary travel companion until we reached Paris. On the train from Lille we met three people, one of whom was playing guitar. So we ended up playing accordion and guitar together the entire trip. So my first encounter with the French has been a good one.
The Metro in France confused the hell out of me at first and for a about twenty minutes I wondered around until it finally clicked and I got on the right train. French is really hard to pronounce but If you start out asking them if they speak English (in French of course) they will try to help you out. Muttering and mispronouncing French will not offend them as much as begining in English will.
Once I found the Brocketts we were both excited to see eachother. It was somewhat strange meeting in Paris. We went to the Eiffel Tower after I told them about my trip. The tower is beautiful at night.
They let me sleep on the floor, but it wasn't that bad considering I got a free breakfast and a nice shower and bathroom. The whole time I was there we had to keep sneaking around so they wouldn't catch on to our little plan.
Yesterday we went to the Museè dè Orsay, a great museum filled with mostly Impressionist art, but it had different kinds as well. We also went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame, but it was packed and everyone shuffled through like cattle, so that wasn't that great. The window was nice, though. The Brocketts took me out to dinner at the Planet Hollywood (it was their last day in Euope and they were craving some American food) and then I did some laundry in the sink and went to bed. They left early this morning (1 AM your time) and I snuck out undetected from the hotel. Well, actually I walked out the front door with them but never got in the taxi (sometimes the most inconspicuous way of doing something is doing the most obvious). But I did manage to grab a few croissants before I left and stick them in my bag for later.
By the way, I found a couple from Rockville in Paris. I think the UMD hat gave it away...
I found my hostel and will be spending a few more days here seeing the Louvre, Napoleon's grave, a cemetary where Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Chopin are buried and maybe even the Musuem of Erotic Art (sounds pretty out there).
My next update may not be for a while because this update is costing me fifteen dollars (edit: I was mistaken - only 4 dollars)and they keyboards are different here, so I am much slower typing.
Au revoir!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Canterbury Continued
The evensong at Canterbury Cathedral was incredible. Thursday night is the Boy's Choir supposedly so I enjoyed that while taking in the 1200 year old cathedral. It was breathtaking walking around in there. I couldn't even imagine how long it must have taken to build.
I also bought a small Beatles guitar book with every song they ever wrote in it. It helps out because printing any kind of music from the internet costs about £1 a page. (That's $2.00). Speaking of money, the internet is really expensive. It's costing me £1 just to use the internet for a half an hour. The computer in the hostel is a coin operated one so I am unable to upload any more photos.
I think tomorrow I'll be leaving for Paris to meet the Brocketts. Dinner was good tonight, though it was a bit lonely. I'm hoping to meet some people my age in France when I'm in a more popular city.
I also bought a small Beatles guitar book with every song they ever wrote in it. It helps out because printing any kind of music from the internet costs about £1 a page. (That's $2.00). Speaking of money, the internet is really expensive. It's costing me £1 just to use the internet for a half an hour. The computer in the hostel is a coin operated one so I am unable to upload any more photos.
I think tomorrow I'll be leaving for Paris to meet the Brocketts. Dinner was good tonight, though it was a bit lonely. I'm hoping to meet some people my age in France when I'm in a more popular city.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Canterbury
Greetings from Canterbury!
Well, Dover too, but mostly Canterbury. I walked around London yesterday and saw Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Both were breathtaking, but the abbey gave me chills. Looking at the chair that all of the kings were coronated in since the 1200's, I couldn't help but wonder "How can this be?". I had to rush though because I had to catch a bus to Dover - where I thought the hostel was.
For the record, the train lady steered me in the wrong direction...
I stayed on the coach all the way until Dover (which is past Canterbury) and ended up at a bus stop in the middle of a dead town at 10:30. Luckily a girl I met during the ride let me use her phone to call up the hostel to find out that it's in Canterbury. On Old Dover Road. In Canterbury. Confusing? Yes.
So the man at the hostel told me he'd keep it open just for me (the English hospitality is not a myth). The only problem was that I had to find the hostel. So I wandered around for a short while until I stumbled across some girls who were luckily headed in my direction. They led me to the hostel safe and sound.
The hostel was much more nice than the one in London. It has a beautiful dining area and garden and a private bathroom. I had the entire dormitory to myself for £15.
Today I walked around Canterbury and stumbled into a neat little cafe called "Coffee and Corks" where I met the nicest lady named Sue and her daughter Claire (who are letting me use their laptop - again with the hospitality!). They gave me a lot of travel tips and I hope to stop back in again on my way out to say hello.
Tonight I'll be going to the Canterbury Cathedral for Evensong (it's free then) and then out for dinner and a drink. Sue recommended me to "The Dolphin" - an independent joint with cheap (and good) food.
Tomorrow night I might go to a Nick Drake tribute concert at a local music club and then travel through the night to France - or perhaps spend another night here. I really do like Canterbury - it's charming. Sue told me that London is not England and I think she's right. London was busy and noisy but Canterbury is relaxing and full of history - the way I hoped it would be.
Well, Dover too, but mostly Canterbury. I walked around London yesterday and saw Big Ben and Westminster Abbey. Both were breathtaking, but the abbey gave me chills. Looking at the chair that all of the kings were coronated in since the 1200's, I couldn't help but wonder "How can this be?". I had to rush though because I had to catch a bus to Dover - where I thought the hostel was.
For the record, the train lady steered me in the wrong direction...
I stayed on the coach all the way until Dover (which is past Canterbury) and ended up at a bus stop in the middle of a dead town at 10:30. Luckily a girl I met during the ride let me use her phone to call up the hostel to find out that it's in Canterbury. On Old Dover Road. In Canterbury. Confusing? Yes.
So the man at the hostel told me he'd keep it open just for me (the English hospitality is not a myth). The only problem was that I had to find the hostel. So I wandered around for a short while until I stumbled across some girls who were luckily headed in my direction. They led me to the hostel safe and sound.
The hostel was much more nice than the one in London. It has a beautiful dining area and garden and a private bathroom. I had the entire dormitory to myself for £15.
Today I walked around Canterbury and stumbled into a neat little cafe called "Coffee and Corks" where I met the nicest lady named Sue and her daughter Claire (who are letting me use their laptop - again with the hospitality!). They gave me a lot of travel tips and I hope to stop back in again on my way out to say hello.
Tonight I'll be going to the Canterbury Cathedral for Evensong (it's free then) and then out for dinner and a drink. Sue recommended me to "The Dolphin" - an independent joint with cheap (and good) food.
Tomorrow night I might go to a Nick Drake tribute concert at a local music club and then travel through the night to France - or perhaps spend another night here. I really do like Canterbury - it's charming. Sue told me that London is not England and I think she's right. London was busy and noisy but Canterbury is relaxing and full of history - the way I hoped it would be.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
London
I have arrived in London!
I arrived yesterday afternoon and found my way to the London Underground. It was really refreshing to be able to get right off a plane and on to a train that takes you directly to the city. I got off at Piccadilly Circus (Pick-a-dilly) and it at first sight it looks like Times Square. I went through all five stages of culture shock in a matter of minutes. The cool thing about London is that even though it is intensely commercial and expensive, the buildings retain a classical look to them. The city is rich in history.
The bad part of London is the prices. Unfortuately, my rail pass does not work in Britain. They require their own BritRail pass just like they refuse to use the euro (The probably have a good reason to because the pound sterling is quite strong - almost 2 to 1 to the US dollar). Getting around has been a bit confusing. The town is not laid out like a grid. Instead, it#s a maze of winding streets that often times do not have street signs. Any street signs in London are on a plate on a side of a building. It has been quite difficult to find my way around.
London is unbelievably expensive. One night in the hostel put me back $40. Speaking of hostels, the one I stayed in was very big and had every facility you would need. I was in a room with a couple from Australia and a student from India. Both were very nice and I had a good chat with the couple at about one o'clock this morning (I had woken up thinking I had just had a good night's rest and found that I had only slept for three hours or so). It really wasn't a good chat now that I think about it. We were both awoken by the sounds of drunken French girls above us and started laughing about it.
Yesterday I had a good look around London and settled in one of their parks for a while (Green Park). It was really nice to sit down and play soem gutar and read away from the city, which is already tiring me. Here's my tree.
The food in London is spectacular - or so it seems. Anyone who wishes to remain above the poverty line does not eat in London. Chances are if it's not a cafe or a swanky restuarant - it's a McDonalds. And I am NOT eating at McDonalds my first day. I did come close to settling for some fast food after wandering through the town for an hour looking for a decent deal. The best I could do was a £6.50 all you can eat Asian buffet. I had two plate fulls and left full - only to find one accross the street for £4.50. The couple in my room settled for KFC...
This morning I did have a "Traditional English Breakfast" at a local cafe.
Today I checked out of the hostel and I will be taking a train to Dover. I'll probably spend the night there and then hop on a ferry to France tomorrow. I was going to go to the free exhibits at the Royal Academy of Arts but they do not allow 'large rucksacks of any kind' so I couldn't go. I did go into a huge five story bookstore and looked at books that I had trouble not buying. I'm going to find a discount used book store in Dover - I hope.
For some reason it's taking a long time to upload my photos. Maybe from now on I'll only upload the really interesting ones. I am paying by the minute here. It's a good thing I'm a good person, because it would be really easy to steal this internet.
My Photo Album
Well, I think I am off to West Minster abbey or some other place before I hit the rails. Until later...
I arrived yesterday afternoon and found my way to the London Underground. It was really refreshing to be able to get right off a plane and on to a train that takes you directly to the city. I got off at Piccadilly Circus (Pick-a-dilly) and it at first sight it looks like Times Square. I went through all five stages of culture shock in a matter of minutes. The cool thing about London is that even though it is intensely commercial and expensive, the buildings retain a classical look to them. The city is rich in history.
The bad part of London is the prices. Unfortuately, my rail pass does not work in Britain. They require their own BritRail pass just like they refuse to use the euro (The probably have a good reason to because the pound sterling is quite strong - almost 2 to 1 to the US dollar). Getting around has been a bit confusing. The town is not laid out like a grid. Instead, it#s a maze of winding streets that often times do not have street signs. Any street signs in London are on a plate on a side of a building. It has been quite difficult to find my way around.
London is unbelievably expensive. One night in the hostel put me back $40. Speaking of hostels, the one I stayed in was very big and had every facility you would need. I was in a room with a couple from Australia and a student from India. Both were very nice and I had a good chat with the couple at about one o'clock this morning (I had woken up thinking I had just had a good night's rest and found that I had only slept for three hours or so). It really wasn't a good chat now that I think about it. We were both awoken by the sounds of drunken French girls above us and started laughing about it.
Yesterday I had a good look around London and settled in one of their parks for a while (Green Park). It was really nice to sit down and play soem gutar and read away from the city, which is already tiring me. Here's my tree.
The food in London is spectacular - or so it seems. Anyone who wishes to remain above the poverty line does not eat in London. Chances are if it's not a cafe or a swanky restuarant - it's a McDonalds. And I am NOT eating at McDonalds my first day. I did come close to settling for some fast food after wandering through the town for an hour looking for a decent deal. The best I could do was a £6.50 all you can eat Asian buffet. I had two plate fulls and left full - only to find one accross the street for £4.50. The couple in my room settled for KFC...
This morning I did have a "Traditional English Breakfast" at a local cafe.
Today I checked out of the hostel and I will be taking a train to Dover. I'll probably spend the night there and then hop on a ferry to France tomorrow. I was going to go to the free exhibits at the Royal Academy of Arts but they do not allow 'large rucksacks of any kind' so I couldn't go. I did go into a huge five story bookstore and looked at books that I had trouble not buying. I'm going to find a discount used book store in Dover - I hope.
For some reason it's taking a long time to upload my photos. Maybe from now on I'll only upload the really interesting ones. I am paying by the minute here. It's a good thing I'm a good person, because it would be really easy to steal this internet.
My Photo Album
Well, I think I am off to West Minster abbey or some other place before I hit the rails. Until later...
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Europe Trip
Hey I'm leaving for Europe this Monday and I'll be keeping in touch with you all via this website. So check in often to hear about where I am and what I'm doing. I promise I'll include pictures!
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