The past two days have been a bit boring because we're stuck on Spangdahlem Air Force Base in Nathanael's dorm room. Plus whenever we go to get food, all the people stare at Andy and I because we're certainly not military. Plus, we're not even supposed to be staying in Nathanael's dorm room.... so we're tiptoeing around everywhere. And there's really not a whole lot to do on an Air Force Base.
We did go have dinner with some of Nathanael's friends Monday night, though. They live in Dudeldorf. General Patton got a tank stuck in an arch right outside their house. We played Mario Kart on Wii. First time. That was fun.
Then we took Andy to the airport Tuesday afternoon. On the way back Nathanael and I stopped in at Bernkastelfor a döner kebap. My fourth one of the trip. Mmm, I will miss those.
The area along the Mosel is gorgeous. The hillsides are lined with vineyards. Nathanael and I decided to climb one of the hills. Mind you, these hills are a ridiculous incline, like sixty-five degrees or something. And it's soil. And I'm wearing my Toms. And technically it's trespassing. We climb it. To make a long story short, we ran into some of the vineyard workers/owners and had to sneakily get down the hill and into the car and off to the base.
I'm ready to come home.
P.S. Kris N.'s new CD Lo-Fi Movement is great! You should download it off iTunes.... just saying.
Monday
Just Smile and Pretend You Understand (JUNE 28)
I put on my swimming trunks. You never realize how much you appreciate clean clothes until you're forced to wear your swimming trunks. Luckily, Tom showed up with our clean pants and underwear and everything else minutes before it was time to go.
Noel took us to Karlštejn Castle, and I guess it's really famous. It was alright. Had this cinnamon treat called trdelník. It was excellent.
Then she took us to lunch at Caffe Slovia. It's really interesting because many of the people they hire are mentally disabled. So they provide them with a chance to work and money to make. Neato! I had yet another Turkish coffee. Yum. And a pita of some sort. I like talking to Andy and Noel because they do most of the talking and I get to just listen. That is very pleasant for me.
Did some more stuff.
Andy I helped the Czech church with their worship at 5pm. It reminded me of playing with Sister Moreno in the Spanish church. The service was intriguing, mostly because it was in another language that I didn't understand. It was something about Jesus or someone else like that... I'm pretty sure.
Andy and I left after church and drove halfway back to the base. Spent the night in the car at a truck-stop. No truckers raped us, thankfully. Woke up and drove the rest of the way back.
I found it hard to say goodbye to Řevnice and Noel and everything else.
Noel took us to Karlštejn Castle, and I guess it's really famous. It was alright. Had this cinnamon treat called trdelník. It was excellent.
Then she took us to lunch at Caffe Slovia. It's really interesting because many of the people they hire are mentally disabled. So they provide them with a chance to work and money to make. Neato! I had yet another Turkish coffee. Yum. And a pita of some sort. I like talking to Andy and Noel because they do most of the talking and I get to just listen. That is very pleasant for me.
Did some more stuff.
Andy I helped the Czech church with their worship at 5pm. It reminded me of playing with Sister Moreno in the Spanish church. The service was intriguing, mostly because it was in another language that I didn't understand. It was something about Jesus or someone else like that... I'm pretty sure.
Andy and I left after church and drove halfway back to the base. Spent the night in the car at a truck-stop. No truckers raped us, thankfully. Woke up and drove the rest of the way back.
I found it hard to say goodbye to Řevnice and Noel and everything else.
Sunday
Prahahaha, it's really not all that funny (JUNE 27)
Prague: I'll spare you all the details and only share the really important stuff.
WALKED A LOT! Literally all day. Saw: Prague Castle, St. Vitus's Cathedral, Old Town Hall, Mozart Museum, Charles Bridge, Church of St. Nicholas, lots of other sights and cathedrals and gardens.
The best of part of Prague was when we went to see Vyšehrad, a castle or cathedral or something, that's not what matters. What matters is we were trekking up the steep incline leading to Vyšehrad and Noel pointed in the general direction of the cathedral/castle/something-or-other when an old man in front of us said something in a different language and pointed with his finger. We kept on walking. So did he. Then a little later he did the same thing again. From that point on he pretty much assumed the position of our tour guide. He spoke Czech (Noel understands) and German (no one understands). Noel told him she didn't speak German, but he kept mixing them and speaking his "Czerman". Anyway, this little old man named Vladimir took us all around the cathedral/castle/asteroid - it was a ton of walking. He was really sweet. He talked to the pigeons and the babies in strollers. And there was a band playing in the park and every time he heard some music he would sway a bit. He used to be a music teacher. He took us to this cemetery where many famous people are buried. He showed us all the famous ones. I didn't understand anything he said. Then we went and saw the band that was playing and he danced a little. When we told him we were going to go he asked us to stay and hear one more song with him. We did. I don't remember anything about the cathedral/castle/ocean, obviously, but that's because I was in awe of this little man.
It was wonderful to have our little old rogue tour guide that spoke another language. Vladya, I love you.
Also, I had a Turkish coffee and I think it's my new favorite drink.
And Noel is really nice.
WALKED A LOT! Literally all day. Saw: Prague Castle, St. Vitus's Cathedral, Old Town Hall, Mozart Museum, Charles Bridge, Church of St. Nicholas, lots of other sights and cathedrals and gardens.
The best of part of Prague was when we went to see Vyšehrad, a castle or cathedral or something, that's not what matters. What matters is we were trekking up the steep incline leading to Vyšehrad and Noel pointed in the general direction of the cathedral/castle/something-or-other when an old man in front of us said something in a different language and pointed with his finger. We kept on walking. So did he. Then a little later he did the same thing again. From that point on he pretty much assumed the position of our tour guide. He spoke Czech (Noel understands) and German (no one understands). Noel told him she didn't speak German, but he kept mixing them and speaking his "Czerman". Anyway, this little old man named Vladimir took us all around the cathedral/castle/asteroid - it was a ton of walking. He was really sweet. He talked to the pigeons and the babies in strollers. And there was a band playing in the park and every time he heard some music he would sway a bit. He used to be a music teacher. He took us to this cemetery where many famous people are buried. He showed us all the famous ones. I didn't understand anything he said. Then we went and saw the band that was playing and he danced a little. When we told him we were going to go he asked us to stay and hear one more song with him. We did. I don't remember anything about the cathedral/castle/ocean, obviously, but that's because I was in awe of this little man.
It was wonderful to have our little old rogue tour guide that spoke another language. Vladya, I love you.
Also, I had a Turkish coffee and I think it's my new favorite drink.
And Noel is really nice.
Ahoy! (JUNE 26)
Andy and I got a rental car and set off from Munich into the unknown, into the Czech Republic. I'm not sure why, but I was a bit intimidated. All my fears went away, though, when I found out that "Hello" in Czech is "Ahoy". Annyong!
After driving around the Czech countryside aimlessly for an hour (Czech road signs are not very well labeled... and usually not even present), we were lucky enough to locate Řevnice. Řevnice is a small town in the hills south of Prague. Andy has a childhood friend named Noel who is a missionary to Řevnice. She is from Ginghamsburg. Her sister Holly was the youth pastor at Ginghamsburg for a while... you might know her. Anyway, she's very nice and cool and she found us in the street while we were wandering around trying to find the church. She took us to the church where Andy and I stayed. Fabulous. It's called Common Grounds (Michael, I think you used to work here?). It was a house that they turned into a church. Andy and I set up cots in the sanctuary and the only shower was in the ladies restroom. Let me say it again, fabulous. Staying at Common Grounds was one of the best experiences of my life, and a huge blessing.
We walked to the center of the town and had dinner at a restaurant called Staroperamen. We hung out there and talked. I had a water and a salad that tasted a lot like my mom's pasta salad, minus the pasta. It was there that we met Tom and Elaine. They're also missionaries from Ginghamsburg. They've been in the Czech Republic for twelve years. They have a poodle named Bailey.
Common Ground, besides being where the church meets, is also a place where Czechs can come to learn English, have English conversations, etc. Noel teaches English. Some of Noel's students got married earlier in the day and we were invited to tag along for the reception. On the way to their house, it started pouring down buckets and buckets of rain. I used an umbrella for the first time in a long time. I must get one when I return to Ohio.
The reception was in their back yard where it was raining - it was a pig roast. Pavel and Veronica were the new couple. Pavel was really kind and goofy. Apparently he had visited one of the other missionaries in Ohio last summer. He stayed on Alkaline Springs in Vandalia! What a small world it really is. We also met his sister Petra. She was really nice, too. And she spoke English... and Spanish, and Czech... and who knows what else. As usual, I'm the dumb American that feels awful for only knowing English and maybe how to order food in a Spanish restaurant.
My first impression of Řevnice was splendid. Everyone made us feel so welcome. The culture seems very close-knit and inviting. I like it.
It started raining really hard on the way back to Common Grounds. Got soaked. Got to the church. Changed clothes. Had a cup of English Breakfast.
What a beautiful afternoon and evening. It's difficult to recreate or write down this experience. It was truly a blessing and by the far the best time of my trip so far.
After driving around the Czech countryside aimlessly for an hour (Czech road signs are not very well labeled... and usually not even present), we were lucky enough to locate Řevnice. Řevnice is a small town in the hills south of Prague. Andy has a childhood friend named Noel who is a missionary to Řevnice. She is from Ginghamsburg. Her sister Holly was the youth pastor at Ginghamsburg for a while... you might know her. Anyway, she's very nice and cool and she found us in the street while we were wandering around trying to find the church. She took us to the church where Andy and I stayed. Fabulous. It's called Common Grounds (Michael, I think you used to work here?). It was a house that they turned into a church. Andy and I set up cots in the sanctuary and the only shower was in the ladies restroom. Let me say it again, fabulous. Staying at Common Grounds was one of the best experiences of my life, and a huge blessing.
We walked to the center of the town and had dinner at a restaurant called Staroperamen. We hung out there and talked. I had a water and a salad that tasted a lot like my mom's pasta salad, minus the pasta. It was there that we met Tom and Elaine. They're also missionaries from Ginghamsburg. They've been in the Czech Republic for twelve years. They have a poodle named Bailey.
Common Ground, besides being where the church meets, is also a place where Czechs can come to learn English, have English conversations, etc. Noel teaches English. Some of Noel's students got married earlier in the day and we were invited to tag along for the reception. On the way to their house, it started pouring down buckets and buckets of rain. I used an umbrella for the first time in a long time. I must get one when I return to Ohio.
The reception was in their back yard where it was raining - it was a pig roast. Pavel and Veronica were the new couple. Pavel was really kind and goofy. Apparently he had visited one of the other missionaries in Ohio last summer. He stayed on Alkaline Springs in Vandalia! What a small world it really is. We also met his sister Petra. She was really nice, too. And she spoke English... and Spanish, and Czech... and who knows what else. As usual, I'm the dumb American that feels awful for only knowing English and maybe how to order food in a Spanish restaurant.
My first impression of Řevnice was splendid. Everyone made us feel so welcome. The culture seems very close-knit and inviting. I like it.
It started raining really hard on the way back to Common Grounds. Got soaked. Got to the church. Changed clothes. Had a cup of English Breakfast.
What a beautiful afternoon and evening. It's difficult to recreate or write down this experience. It was truly a blessing and by the far the best time of my trip so far.
> (JUNE 24-25)
German Countryside > German Cities
Backroads > Autobahn
Maps > GPS
Had a late morning in Witten. Woke up around nine, had breakfast, went for a walk around the neighborhood, went to Dortmund... I'm tired of big cities. Found a camera store that sells really old cameras. I bought a Kodak Retina for 45 Euro. I'm trying to figure it out and hopefully it will be a decent replacement for my polaroid. We'll see. Went to the library in Dortmund. LEGIT! Their public library was like a university library. It was four floors, clean, lots of books and computers... Governor Strickland makes me sad...
Left Witten in the evening headed towards Munich. Took some country roads finally. It was so nice to be off the Autobahn. The German countryside really is beautiful.
Got lost several times because of our GPS. Finally made it to Stuttgart, an Army fort, around midnight and settled in for the night.
Woke up. Had breakfast. Showered. On the road... again. Made it to Munich a little after noon. Road the subway into the center of town. Had lunch at La Pizzetta, a cozy pizza place with high cushioned seating. Ate a couple slices of zucchini, pepper, onion, and mushroom pizza. Walked through the streets a while. Found a place that sold lederhosen. It was pretty much the sweetest thrift store I have ever been to, except that everything cost at least 15 Euros. Then we stumbled upon the Hofbräuhaus München, a beer house. Rob Rinehart would have loved it! The atmosphere was incredible. We walked through the doors and into this huge hall with lines of big wooden tables and benches, a German band playing, people talking and having a good time (and, yes, drinking). I had a cappuccino. We all shared a gigantic pretzel. It was a warm experience. I liked the idea of it. Our waiter was very rude so we didn't tip him.
Hopped back on the subway and went north to see Allianz Arena, home of FC Bayern München. At night the stadium is all lit up. Pretty awesome.
Went back to the center of the city and walked around for a few more hours. Got on the subway and got our car. Went to a hotel that was in a real shady part of town. It was a little scary, but ended up being okay.
Mommy, I got you some Birkenstocks.
Rob, I haven't been able to find Neu! yet... but don't worry, Ice the Bounty Hunter and Gene Parmesan are on the case. Ice is also catering meals for us during the trip.
Leigh, the expired polaroid film is working wonderfully! Thanks again.
Michael, I couldn't make myself spend that much on lederhosen... I'm sorry I didn't listen to you in the first place.
To everyone expecting souvenirs, I haven't found anything good.
"Ja ja ja"
Backroads > Autobahn
Maps > GPS
Had a late morning in Witten. Woke up around nine, had breakfast, went for a walk around the neighborhood, went to Dortmund... I'm tired of big cities. Found a camera store that sells really old cameras. I bought a Kodak Retina for 45 Euro. I'm trying to figure it out and hopefully it will be a decent replacement for my polaroid. We'll see. Went to the library in Dortmund. LEGIT! Their public library was like a university library. It was four floors, clean, lots of books and computers... Governor Strickland makes me sad...
Left Witten in the evening headed towards Munich. Took some country roads finally. It was so nice to be off the Autobahn. The German countryside really is beautiful.
Got lost several times because of our GPS. Finally made it to Stuttgart, an Army fort, around midnight and settled in for the night.
Woke up. Had breakfast. Showered. On the road... again. Made it to Munich a little after noon. Road the subway into the center of town. Had lunch at La Pizzetta, a cozy pizza place with high cushioned seating. Ate a couple slices of zucchini, pepper, onion, and mushroom pizza. Walked through the streets a while. Found a place that sold lederhosen. It was pretty much the sweetest thrift store I have ever been to, except that everything cost at least 15 Euros. Then we stumbled upon the Hofbräuhaus München, a beer house. Rob Rinehart would have loved it! The atmosphere was incredible. We walked through the doors and into this huge hall with lines of big wooden tables and benches, a German band playing, people talking and having a good time (and, yes, drinking). I had a cappuccino. We all shared a gigantic pretzel. It was a warm experience. I liked the idea of it. Our waiter was very rude so we didn't tip him.
Hopped back on the subway and went north to see Allianz Arena, home of FC Bayern München. At night the stadium is all lit up. Pretty awesome.
Went back to the center of the city and walked around for a few more hours. Got on the subway and got our car. Went to a hotel that was in a real shady part of town. It was a little scary, but ended up being okay.
Mommy, I got you some Birkenstocks.
Rob, I haven't been able to find Neu! yet... but don't worry, Ice the Bounty Hunter and Gene Parmesan are on the case. Ice is also catering meals for us during the trip.
Leigh, the expired polaroid film is working wonderfully! Thanks again.
Michael, I couldn't make myself spend that much on lederhosen... I'm sorry I didn't listen to you in the first place.
To everyone expecting souvenirs, I haven't found anything good.
"Ja ja ja"
Tuesday
Bicicletas del Mundo! (JUNE 23)
I know that foreign lands are supposed to be exciting just because they're so exotic, but driving through the Netherlands is like driving through Indiana...
It's been pretty chilly since we got here. But today it got up to 24 degrees (that's Celsius), making for excellent bicycle riding weather in the bicycle capital of the world: Amsterdam!
The traffic in Amsterdam is utterly crazy. The streets and sidewalks are filled with motorists, cyclists, mopedists, and pedestrians. All, for the most part, coexisting in perfect harmony. The only thing I wanted to do was bike. And after two frustrating hours of marching about and fruitlessly searching the map, we finally found a Rent-a-Bike and a very nice Dutch man fixed Andy and I up with two dutch ladies bicycles.
Riding through the streets and alleyways of Amsterdam was exhilarating, BUT MOSTLY TERRIFYING! Cars would whiz past you on crowded streets and then you'd barely have enough time to dodge an oncoming cyclist. I could give or take Amsterdam as a whole, but riding bicycles along the canals and the Amstel has been one of the highlights of this trip so far. An awesome experience. And thank goodness I'm still alive!
It's been pretty chilly since we got here. But today it got up to 24 degrees (that's Celsius), making for excellent bicycle riding weather in the bicycle capital of the world: Amsterdam!
The traffic in Amsterdam is utterly crazy. The streets and sidewalks are filled with motorists, cyclists, mopedists, and pedestrians. All, for the most part, coexisting in perfect harmony. The only thing I wanted to do was bike. And after two frustrating hours of marching about and fruitlessly searching the map, we finally found a Rent-a-Bike and a very nice Dutch man fixed Andy and I up with two dutch ladies bicycles.
Riding through the streets and alleyways of Amsterdam was exhilarating, BUT MOSTLY TERRIFYING! Cars would whiz past you on crowded streets and then you'd barely have enough time to dodge an oncoming cyclist. I could give or take Amsterdam as a whole, but riding bicycles along the canals and the Amstel has been one of the highlights of this trip so far. An awesome experience. And thank goodness I'm still alive!
Monday
Köln, Düsseldorf, Witten (JUNE 22)
Last night I shared a twin-sized bed with Nathanael... as you can imagine, I didn't sleep well at all. So today I felt pretty tired and blah and headachy. So sorry, but I'll be brief.
Met Aya at Köln. Saw the Kölner Dom, which is a rather old, sandstone cathedral. Someone had the great idea of running up to the very top of the cathedral (which always seems to happen), which wore me out a bit. We were able to see the entire city more or less. Still not sure whether or not it was worth the effort...
Best part of Köln was the Lego store. I was so hacked off when I walked into a Lego store for the first time in my life and saw all the many choices of Lego pieces. I never had that when I was kid! Anyway, we spent a considerable amount of time there; playing with the Legos, designing our own Lego men, etc. I was also hoping to find some cool German stores, but where we were all the stores were pretty much stores you would find in an American mall. Disappointing.
Off to Düsseldorf. Just did a lot of walking around, mostly along the Rhine. Ate a bratwurst... not much else happened.
Then we went to a pet store (and supposedly it's the biggest pet store in the world). They were selling miniature pigs, crocodiles, armadillos, sloths, kittens. I'll admit, it was legit.
We're staying with Aya and her family tonight, they live in Witten. They own a pony of a dog. It's a german shepherd or great dane or grizzly bear or something like that. It's by far the biggest dog I have ever seen in my life.
Aya speaks 5 languages. Germans are super smart. I'm very inspired to take lots of language courses at Sinclair.
My head hurts and we're getting up early for Amsterdam in the morning. Hopefully I'll have more to say next time.
Met Aya at Köln. Saw the Kölner Dom, which is a rather old, sandstone cathedral. Someone had the great idea of running up to the very top of the cathedral (which always seems to happen), which wore me out a bit. We were able to see the entire city more or less. Still not sure whether or not it was worth the effort...
Best part of Köln was the Lego store. I was so hacked off when I walked into a Lego store for the first time in my life and saw all the many choices of Lego pieces. I never had that when I was kid! Anyway, we spent a considerable amount of time there; playing with the Legos, designing our own Lego men, etc. I was also hoping to find some cool German stores, but where we were all the stores were pretty much stores you would find in an American mall. Disappointing.
Off to Düsseldorf. Just did a lot of walking around, mostly along the Rhine. Ate a bratwurst... not much else happened.
Then we went to a pet store (and supposedly it's the biggest pet store in the world). They were selling miniature pigs, crocodiles, armadillos, sloths, kittens. I'll admit, it was legit.
We're staying with Aya and her family tonight, they live in Witten. They own a pony of a dog. It's a german shepherd or great dane or grizzly bear or something like that. It's by far the biggest dog I have ever seen in my life.
Aya speaks 5 languages. Germans are super smart. I'm very inspired to take lots of language courses at Sinclair.
My head hurts and we're getting up early for Amsterdam in the morning. Hopefully I'll have more to say next time.
Sunday
I'm in Love (JUNE 21)
I have seen lots of scenery in my day. But never have I seen such scenery worth seeing as the scenery I saw outside of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport. Oh my gosh.... BEAUTIFUL! Absolutely gorgeous. Hilly fields, perfectly placed trees, narrow roads- stunning. I don't know how to describe it. And unfortunately I didn't take a picture, but I will be sure to next week. I'm in love.
Nathanael picked us up at the airport around noon-ish. The sun was shining, 60's, a perfect kite-flying breeze blowing. Gah, it was the best possible moment for a very first experience of a new country.
We drove around a bit. Came to a town named Bernkastel and decided to stop. It sits on a river, and I guess there's a castle there? We didn't have time to see it. Went ahead and got some euros. Euro bills are very pretty and artsy, so are pounds. American dollars are really boring compared to the Euro. Got some jägerschnitzel (yes, I'm eating pork on this trip). Sehr Gut! But it started pouring cold rain so we ran to the car and went to Nathanael's dorm at Spangdahlem.
Later on we drove to Trier via the Autobahn. Nathanael was only pushing his BMW 180 km/h because the roads were wet. Plenty fast for me. Got to Trier. I think I really like German architecture. Or maybe not so much the architecture, maybe just the way the houses are painted. Lots of creams and pinks and neutral-ish colors. Trier has a bunch of old Roman structures. Old Roman baths, Towers, etc. Unfortunately most everything was closed since it was a Sunday evening. But we were able to walk through the cobblestone streets and ate some gelato. Yum, as always! Ate dinner at the Kebap Haus, had döner kebap. Yum, again! Then came back to Spangdahlem and just chilled.
My first impression of Germany is that I like it a lot A LOT. It's clean, beautiful. So far, though, the Germans have been fairly snooty. They don't even acknowledge me. Oh well, I'm just a dumb American tourist, I suppose. Sigh.
Nathanael picked us up at the airport around noon-ish. The sun was shining, 60's, a perfect kite-flying breeze blowing. Gah, it was the best possible moment for a very first experience of a new country.
We drove around a bit. Came to a town named Bernkastel and decided to stop. It sits on a river, and I guess there's a castle there? We didn't have time to see it. Went ahead and got some euros. Euro bills are very pretty and artsy, so are pounds. American dollars are really boring compared to the Euro. Got some jägerschnitzel (yes, I'm eating pork on this trip). Sehr Gut! But it started pouring cold rain so we ran to the car and went to Nathanael's dorm at Spangdahlem.
Later on we drove to Trier via the Autobahn. Nathanael was only pushing his BMW 180 km/h because the roads were wet. Plenty fast for me. Got to Trier. I think I really like German architecture. Or maybe not so much the architecture, maybe just the way the houses are painted. Lots of creams and pinks and neutral-ish colors. Trier has a bunch of old Roman structures. Old Roman baths, Towers, etc. Unfortunately most everything was closed since it was a Sunday evening. But we were able to walk through the cobblestone streets and ate some gelato. Yum, as always! Ate dinner at the Kebap Haus, had döner kebap. Yum, again! Then came back to Spangdahlem and just chilled.
My first impression of Germany is that I like it a lot A LOT. It's clean, beautiful. So far, though, the Germans have been fairly snooty. They don't even acknowledge me. Oh well, I'm just a dumb American tourist, I suppose. Sigh.
Panic on the Streets of London (JUNE 20)
Somehow I forgot how fun the clouds are in person! And I found out that Sigur Ros is the only thing worth listening to thousands of feet above the Atlantic.
Landed and arrived to an overcast, brisk, 54 degree London morning. Since London is six hours ahead of Ohio, technically we time-warped on the way in. Spent a couple hours riding the subways, trains, and buses to find our hotel. We met a ton of legit Jewish men along the sidewalks. Walked around a bit and decided to have breakfast at Aran's Cafe. Ordered an omelet and chips. Very odd breakfast indeed, and my stomach thought so as well. My favorite part of London actually happened at this cafe/diner/establishment. We ate at a table with a family that was Indian. They were speaking French. And the dad said something to us in English and he had a really strong British accent. I loved it!
We took the bus downtown to London Bridge and walked along the River Thames down around Tower Bridge and back to London Bridge. During this time my omelet and chips kicked in really bad and, needless to say, I had to spend 20 pence on a public restroom. My jet-lag was also kicking in. We hopped on the bus and rode an hour back to our hotel.
Our hotel was this cool little bed and breakfast off Amhurst Street. It was nice to finally brush my teeth. We talked to the manager Chris in the back garden for an hour or so. He had a really neat perspective on England and the United States and other things. It was nice to see someone else's point of view. I think that's what I like about London... there are so many different people from so many different places speaking so many different languages.
Headed downtown again and wandered around for a couple more hours. Saw some gardens and old cemeteries and cool buildings. Then, again, back home towards the hotel. We had a dinner at the Surf Cafe next to the train station. There were a ton of dudes in there watching a Morocco v. Togo soccer game. They had great tuna panini. And the guy working told Andy and I we looked French! YES! (at least he didn't think we smelled French)
And that was about it for London. Showered. Went to bed. Got up super early. Walked in the ghetto to find a train station. Hung around in the airport, caught the plane.
It's a little hard for me to grasp that I used to live in England... for four years. I don't think I could do it again.
Landed and arrived to an overcast, brisk, 54 degree London morning. Since London is six hours ahead of Ohio, technically we time-warped on the way in. Spent a couple hours riding the subways, trains, and buses to find our hotel. We met a ton of legit Jewish men along the sidewalks. Walked around a bit and decided to have breakfast at Aran's Cafe. Ordered an omelet and chips. Very odd breakfast indeed, and my stomach thought so as well. My favorite part of London actually happened at this cafe/diner/establishment. We ate at a table with a family that was Indian. They were speaking French. And the dad said something to us in English and he had a really strong British accent. I loved it!
We took the bus downtown to London Bridge and walked along the River Thames down around Tower Bridge and back to London Bridge. During this time my omelet and chips kicked in really bad and, needless to say, I had to spend 20 pence on a public restroom. My jet-lag was also kicking in. We hopped on the bus and rode an hour back to our hotel.
Our hotel was this cool little bed and breakfast off Amhurst Street. It was nice to finally brush my teeth. We talked to the manager Chris in the back garden for an hour or so. He had a really neat perspective on England and the United States and other things. It was nice to see someone else's point of view. I think that's what I like about London... there are so many different people from so many different places speaking so many different languages.
Headed downtown again and wandered around for a couple more hours. Saw some gardens and old cemeteries and cool buildings. Then, again, back home towards the hotel. We had a dinner at the Surf Cafe next to the train station. There were a ton of dudes in there watching a Morocco v. Togo soccer game. They had great tuna panini. And the guy working told Andy and I we looked French! YES! (at least he didn't think we smelled French)
And that was about it for London. Showered. Went to bed. Got up super early. Walked in the ghetto to find a train station. Hung around in the airport, caught the plane.
It's a little hard for me to grasp that I used to live in England... for four years. I don't think I could do it again.
Monday
NOOK?
I am looking for a cubbyhole. I am looking for a quiet place to read and think and pray and think some more. My best option is to clean out my closet and install a light of some sort and get a nice, big pillow.
European excursion 1.5 weeks. Haven't really planned anything out yet, probably should? Rereading the hobbit for the Nth time. It's grand and I'm a wizard. Also, found out about some decisions friends have been making lately and it breaks my heart.... You know better.
European excursion 1.5 weeks. Haven't really planned anything out yet, probably should? Rereading the hobbit for the Nth time. It's grand and I'm a wizard. Also, found out about some decisions friends have been making lately and it breaks my heart.... You know better.
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