Or maybe even less, depending on how you look at it. I'm scheduled to arrive in the U.S. on May 1st. NYC and nearby areas for two weeks and then it's on to my final stop, Seattle, on May 15th - 3 days shy of an entire year of travel. Again, I'm getting ahead of myself. I guess I can't help it. The closer it comes, the more surreal it seems. I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy my time on the road while I still have it.
On that note, today I'm in Belgium. I made a brief stop in London for 2 days, then bused on over to Brussels to stay with one of my best friends (from when I was an exchange student in Brazil) for a week or so. Interestingly enough, the bus you take across the chunnel is loaded onto a train. I didn't realize they did that. Also interesting was how much security and trouble they gave us in crossing the border between England and France. Actually, as far as most border crossings go, I suppose it was fairly standard. They checked our passports, made us get off the bus and pass all our bags through an X-ray machine - but for an EU border, the process was quite the pain. I guess I got a bit spoiled in going between all the other countries within the EU that didn't even bother looking at my passport once. Apparently, England is a bit notorious for being a bit more strict than the other countries of the EU. So in all fairness, France returns the favor when they have people entering their country from England. I think there is a bit of sour relationship along the chunnel border though, my friend informed me that England put small electric fences along the ground to prevent rats coming through the chunnel into England. haha.
Before the border crossing by bus, I also experienced a very mild interrogation upon arriving at Heathrow Airport in London. Little did I know, you're supposed to have "proof" of a return flight or ticket of your departure from England. Having a "World Ticket" with 16 stops means I haven't physically carried a single ticket on me this entire trip. It's all electronic. The woman believed me, but she ended up asking me a million other questions to see what my story was and how legitimate I seemed. In short I ended up telling her about my research, where all I had travelled to, and even how much money I had left. By the end I was thinking she was about to ask me for my phone number or hand in marriage - after all, who wouldn't want to be with a world traveller with X amount of money left who knows all about the effects of Wind Turbines on Breeding Grassland birds?! - but no, that didn't happen. Your loss Riddler.
My brief stint in London was on purpose. I've already seen a decent amount of London on a previous trip, so I felt no great urge to lose so much money to the British Pound. Although the exchange rate is MUCH better than it was last time I visited. Sometimes lady luck pays me a visit on this trip. Such was the case in London because the weather was absolutely gorgeous. 2 days in London in the first half of April - 20 degrees C and nary a cloud in the sky. I spent nearly an entire day smelling the flowers and enjoying the sunshine in Hyde Park. Doesn't get much better than that. It was very weird being in London. Hearing English everywhere I went, being able to comfortably communicate with everyone (ordering food, asking for directions), watching the news, etc. etc. It has been a loooong time since I've been in place like that.
So Belgium huh? What can I say? More Beer, more chocolate, and the proud inventors of fries! Why they hell we call them "French" is beyond me. But maybe you don't - maybe you switched to "Freedom Fries" when that was all the rave. I think that rave lasted about the time length it took to report the story of people wanting to call it "Freedom Fries." In actuality, I've been doing fairly normal activities again, so I can't enlighten you with crazy tales of adventure and debauchery. Staying with my friend and his girlfriend, going to a movie tonight, eating lunch with his entire family tomorrow, playing video games, uploading 40 million new photos on facebook (actually didn't take as long as I expected), walking their dog, seeing the city, blah blah blah. We have planned one fairly exciting activity however. On Sunday we'll be going to the Beach to race in these little cars that have sails attached to them. I have no idea what they are actually called, but imagine a little go-kart type thing where you're almost lying down - attached to it is a sail. The things can actually get going quite fast - should be fun, and definitely a different experience.
I suppose I glossed over another part of my trip - and that was my 5 day stint in Munich. I really don't have the most time to write about it and it's all kind of a blur at the moment, but I will say that the NeuSchwanstein Castle (2 hours by train, west of Munich) was simply stunning and everything I hoped it would be. It makes sense that Walt Disney chose to design his castle after this one, as it was truly impressive. I got to hike around a large part of it and with each new height it got better and better. You can kind of see what I mean with the picture below.
Dinner time is nearly upon me here in Belgium. Hope everyone who reads this is doing well.
On that note, today I'm in Belgium. I made a brief stop in London for 2 days, then bused on over to Brussels to stay with one of my best friends (from when I was an exchange student in Brazil) for a week or so. Interestingly enough, the bus you take across the chunnel is loaded onto a train. I didn't realize they did that. Also interesting was how much security and trouble they gave us in crossing the border between England and France. Actually, as far as most border crossings go, I suppose it was fairly standard. They checked our passports, made us get off the bus and pass all our bags through an X-ray machine - but for an EU border, the process was quite the pain. I guess I got a bit spoiled in going between all the other countries within the EU that didn't even bother looking at my passport once. Apparently, England is a bit notorious for being a bit more strict than the other countries of the EU. So in all fairness, France returns the favor when they have people entering their country from England. I think there is a bit of sour relationship along the chunnel border though, my friend informed me that England put small electric fences along the ground to prevent rats coming through the chunnel into England. haha.
Before the border crossing by bus, I also experienced a very mild interrogation upon arriving at Heathrow Airport in London. Little did I know, you're supposed to have "proof" of a return flight or ticket of your departure from England. Having a "World Ticket" with 16 stops means I haven't physically carried a single ticket on me this entire trip. It's all electronic. The woman believed me, but she ended up asking me a million other questions to see what my story was and how legitimate I seemed. In short I ended up telling her about my research, where all I had travelled to, and even how much money I had left. By the end I was thinking she was about to ask me for my phone number or hand in marriage - after all, who wouldn't want to be with a world traveller with X amount of money left who knows all about the effects of Wind Turbines on Breeding Grassland birds?! - but no, that didn't happen. Your loss Riddler.
My brief stint in London was on purpose. I've already seen a decent amount of London on a previous trip, so I felt no great urge to lose so much money to the British Pound. Although the exchange rate is MUCH better than it was last time I visited. Sometimes lady luck pays me a visit on this trip. Such was the case in London because the weather was absolutely gorgeous. 2 days in London in the first half of April - 20 degrees C and nary a cloud in the sky. I spent nearly an entire day smelling the flowers and enjoying the sunshine in Hyde Park. Doesn't get much better than that. It was very weird being in London. Hearing English everywhere I went, being able to comfortably communicate with everyone (ordering food, asking for directions), watching the news, etc. etc. It has been a loooong time since I've been in place like that.
 |
| Cherry Blossoms in Hyde Park, London |
So Belgium huh? What can I say? More Beer, more chocolate, and the proud inventors of fries! Why they hell we call them "French" is beyond me. But maybe you don't - maybe you switched to "Freedom Fries" when that was all the rave. I think that rave lasted about the time length it took to report the story of people wanting to call it "Freedom Fries." In actuality, I've been doing fairly normal activities again, so I can't enlighten you with crazy tales of adventure and debauchery. Staying with my friend and his girlfriend, going to a movie tonight, eating lunch with his entire family tomorrow, playing video games, uploading 40 million new photos on facebook (actually didn't take as long as I expected), walking their dog, seeing the city, blah blah blah. We have planned one fairly exciting activity however. On Sunday we'll be going to the Beach to race in these little cars that have sails attached to them. I have no idea what they are actually called, but imagine a little go-kart type thing where you're almost lying down - attached to it is a sail. The things can actually get going quite fast - should be fun, and definitely a different experience.
I suppose I glossed over another part of my trip - and that was my 5 day stint in Munich. I really don't have the most time to write about it and it's all kind of a blur at the moment, but I will say that the NeuSchwanstein Castle (2 hours by train, west of Munich) was simply stunning and everything I hoped it would be. It makes sense that Walt Disney chose to design his castle after this one, as it was truly impressive. I got to hike around a large part of it and with each new height it got better and better. You can kind of see what I mean with the picture below.
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| NeuSchwanstein Castle, Germany |
Dinner time is nearly upon me here in Belgium. Hope everyone who reads this is doing well.
Saw Leslie this weekend. She says people in Laos still talk about the red haired kid from America.
ReplyDeleteDennis
Whoo whoo, less than a month
ReplyDelete