Ba-Bam! Here's An Update.

Alright, so I am beginning to think that I probably should not include a qualifier at the beginning of my posts anymore. If they're late, they're late, and I'm just taking up space explaining why. To put it simply, I've been busy and plain forgot about my blog for a couple weeks.

Ok, so here is a (very) consolidated review of the last two months. I believe I left off with the bike ride. It was awesome. We spent two days in the Blue Ridge Parkway, which was coincidentally the most difficult and enjoyable part of the trip, in my opinion. The views were incredible and we hit some amazing downhill stretches too. The remaining three days were spent on mostly secondary backroads, in counties that you probably have not heard about, like Iredell, Alexander, and Davie. The weather was favorable, and it was very refreshing to "get away from it all." I should add, however, that I was ready to be back by the end of the trip. It was tough work at times, but overall quite fun and a great time spent with everyone.

That weekend, I returned to Chapel Hill to see Ashley, who had recently returned from Europe, and the rest of my buddies who had moved in since I went up there the week prior. It was a fantastic time, and I enjoyed my last "weekend of freedom" before starting my job that Wednesday. That's right, my job. I know, it is a little strange to think that I am employed in a Monday through Friday, nine to five job, but I am. Over the past two months, I have learned quite a bit - about effective communication as well as financial advising and general investing information. In the beginning, it was quite tedious. I have a wonderful employer, but my job responsibilities were frustrating and boring.

I am essentially a telemarketer, calling prospective clients and inviting them to our office for a second review of their portfolios. Making phone calls for over six hours a day definitely requires a break-in period, but things were complicated due to our list of numbers. The man who sent them did not do a very good job in screening the probable income level of respondents, and so I wound up calling folks who were largely not qualified. One girl even asked me, "what are investments?" It makes for a funny story looking back, but at the time, it was pretty discouraging.

Things perked up some, though, when I asked my employer, Mr. Tom, if I could try a few alternative marketing approaches. He was very open to my ideas, and so I spent several days contacting local attorneys and accountants, asking if they would be willing to place our literature in their offices. Fifteen said, "yes," which I thought was a good number. Also, I contacted multiple retirement homes in our community to inquire about arranging informational seminars on investing for their residents. In fact, we delivered our first seminar yesterday, and have a second scheduled for next week. Seven residents attended, and we received some good feedback and interest. Finally, I am now working with a new call list. I told Mr. Tom that I was fairly sure we could create a better list than the one we were currently working with, and so I spent a couple of days on Google Maps identifying streets in affluent neighborhoods in our surrounding area. Afterwards, I went to the library and accessed a reverse telephone directory, which listed numbers by street address. I have been using this new list for about a week now, and can definitely tell our respondents are generally more qualified.

Some highlights of the past several weeks include: going on a weekend retreat to Caroline's house on Lake Norman, celebrating six months of dating Ashley, Dad's birthday weekend in Hickory, trips to the state fair, a visit with Ashley's family, and repeated, sometimes spontaneous, trips up to Chapel Hill (let's face it, I've been going up there as much as I can).

Oh, and some more details about the situation with Sam. The past six months have been very difficult for him and our family. Legal stuff, anger, frustration, and bewilderment threatened to dominate the atmosphere at times. This past Monday brought a sense of closure, but things are still difficult. As with many things in life, you can read all you want about certain troubles, but until they actually occur in your life, you simply can't understand what it's like. God has certainly used all of this for good, but things are still difficult. Fortunately, I know that He is always there, and I am so thankful for all of the incredible experiences I have been able to have over the last two months. I'm pumped up for what's going to happen next!

My Return To America, And Following Events

Ok, so keeping the blog updated is proving to be slightly tricky, but I am determined to persevere. Between working, searching for a more permanent job, dealing with a difficult family situation (more to come on that later) and hanging out with my friends, family, and Ashley, I have kept myself busy these past few weeks. Through it all, I must say that life continues to be incredible. Don’t get me wrong, I have had some tough days, but overall, my days are filled with happiness. God is good. Alright, enough of the preliminary stuff…

Wow, I must say that it is a rather weird feeling to write a post about something not related to my Europe travels. Two months is a long time to be away from home, but fortunately the transition went very smoothly. Mom, Dad, and Ben met me at the RDU airport around four in the afternoon on Tuesday, and I was so glad to see them. Dad gave me a choice of restaurants to eat at and so I immediately said, “Bojangles.” Those Cajun fillet biscuits were much anticipated, let me tell you.

The rest of the day was spent unpacking and trying to find a way to catch up on all of the events that had occurred in the past two months. I had been ready to return home, and it sure was good to be reminded of all the things that I had not been able to take advantage of while in Europe (e.g. free bathrooms, Walmart, being able to drive my car, etc.).

[Picture: Airport rocking chairs - only in the South)

The next day, I drove downtown to meet Mr. Tom Velevis for lunch. He is a family friend and a Carolina grad, and I had asked him if he had any business-related work for me. He said that he could use some help with marketing for his business, a financial advising firm. I thought this sounded like a fantastic opportunity for me to gain some experience and so I said “yes.”

My birthday was on Friday, and I really did have a special day. Oftentimes birthdays are hyped up so much that the actual event turns out to be a little disappointing, but not this time. I was able to see my friends. Mom cooked me an excellent dinner of grilled sirloin and mashed potatoes and they were delicious. Also, I was also able to see my friends Ryan and Jake from high school on Thursday. It was great to relax and spend time with everyone. Capping the day off was a suspenseful email that had been tantalizing me for several days. The subject line was a repeating message that said, “Do not open until August 12!,” and I was a little tempted to open it, but I knew that would just ruin the fun of waiting. It was from Ashley, and when I finally opened it on the appointed day I read one of the most special emails anyone had ever sent me. She said that she wished she could be there to celebrate with me (she was still in Europe with her family) but she hoped I had a wonderful birthday and that she loved me. I am so indescribably blessed.

That weekend I headed to Chapel Hill and had a great time seeing so many of the guys after being gone for so long. We headed out to a couple bars for my birthday, and I may or may not have invented a few new dance moves. Classic good times were had by all – I love hanging out with my friends. I drove back home Sunday to finish (or rather, start) getting ready for a five-day bike trip across North Carolina. My next post will pick up there.

Looking Back: The Final Days of An Amazing Trip

(Before I go any further I want to make special mention of Madison Underwood, Ashley's sister. It has come to my attention that I unintentionally left her out of my blog postings, and I want to apologize. Maddie, I thought about posting a picture here to compensate, but the only one I had taken of you was one where you were making a weird face and I thought you probably would not want that one uploaded. I will try to make it up to you.)

 Between my Ryanair flight and my incredibly long layover in the Dublin airport, I had more than enough time to jot down some thoughts about the previous two months. My last few blog posts have been written retroactively, but the events of Monday and Tuesday I recorded as they were unfolding. I am not sure they will provide super compelling reading, but hopefully you will find them interesting.

"Monday

Was awakened by the person on the bed below me, who left at 4:30am. I stayed in bed until 5 and left by quarter past. Uneventful tube to Victoria station and similarly uneventful train to gatwick. I arrived early, which I didn't mind as I would much rather be early than late. While I'm on that subject, the ryainair flight was late taking off by about 1 hour. Apparently control tower computers had crashed. Arrived safely and had the entire day ahead of me. Feeling emotionally drained and still have a hard time believing that I ACTUALLY did so many things. I am trying to appreciate the day and not wish it was over with, but then again I am. I'm looking forward to talking with mom tonight but mainly just being back home. Things haven't felt quite right without family and friends for much of my travels, and I look forward to a return to old times.

Tuesday
After what seemed liked an interminably long day and night at the airport, I find myself above the Atlantic, being whisked along to my final destination, North Carolina. Between the anticipation of coming home and sheer boredom of tedious time-killing, yesterday dragged on in a most unbearably slow manner at times.

It was all worth it, though, for it truly makes me that much more appreciative.

And so, after 64 days of jetsetting across foreign lands, I am on an airplane pointed towards America. It is slightly more than I can comprehend at the moment - thinking about all I my experiences is difficult. My brain seems to have trouble acknowledging that I did so many things because they seem so far away. I packed a lifetime of sightseeing, adventure-seeking, cultural exposure and travel into two months; it is little wonder that I have a hard time summarizing all this into words.

And yet, I feel I must, for my experiences have been too precious for me to not make some attempt at documenting emotions and events. I do not know all the ways that God will use this trip in my life, but I can already see some of the good that has come of it. I have had the unusual opportunity to know what being truly alone feels like. In a strange country, with a foreign language, unfamiliar people and not a single friend, family member or colleague to talk to - I have felt how crushingly sad it can be to realize that you are lonely. Without God to encourage me I wouldn't have been able to make it.

I don't wish to replicate this feeling anytime soon, but I am thankful for it because it has provided me with a small taste of what so many people go through. There are thousands suffering from depression, having no family, facing incarceration or otherwise who must certainly feel alone. I don't think we pause and think of these folks enough. I know sure don't. For if I did, I know that I would be much more appreciative as i remember how good my life is. It sounds preachy, but it is true: you don't know what you've got till it's gone. And, without a doubt, I've got a lot."

London (Yes, There is More)

In writing these posts I have come to realize just how many things I did/saw in London. It was one of the few cities I visited that I spent a significant amount of time in, yet was not able to see everything.

On Friday I slept in again and upon waking up, went to the Tower of London for a yeoman (more popularly known as a beefeater) guided tour of the Tower complex. Before the tour started though, I sat in on a mock swordfighting contest, complete with costumed lords, knights, pages, and the Queen herself. I have to admit, this was a pretty neat introduction to the Tower. The tour was even better; my guide had a wonderfully dry sense of humor and was a walking encyclopedia of information on all things pertaining to the Tower. Walking through the various buildings, past portcullises and up towers made Britain come alive in a totally new way.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention the crown jewels. In true British form, I queued for a good 45 minutes, but it was well worth the wait. The collection of scepters, crowns, necklaces, and jewels was staggering: it was amazing to pause and marvel at the unbelievable wealth that the royals possessed.

After several hours inside the Tower, I walked back to the tube station along the south wall of the Tower, beside the Thames, and managed to incorporate a little people-watching too. To be sure, this was one of the highlights of the London experience for me.

On Saturday, I decided to do some massive journal and blog updates and then walked five minutes up the street to the Victoria and Albert Museum. This was a really neat museum (London has so many of these I found) that was devoted to art and design. Everything from Samurai suits to cast-iron railings were featured, and I must say that at times the V&A seemed to almost function as an overflow for all of Britain's other museums! I spent the greater part of the afternoon there. Afterwards, I went back to my hostel where I read until bedtime (which was an arbitrary and totally changing time of course).

The following day I woke up early and traveled to the Holy Trinity Brompton church for Sunday services. The previous time I had gone with the Underwoods and missed a little bit of the worship; this time, I was able to enjoy the complete service and really enjoyed it. The style and format reminded me of my church back in Southern Pines, but instead of worshiping in a modern, auditorium style facility, they were located in a several hundred year-old church building - so cool! The folks there were very nice too; I met a nice couple named Jeffrey and Hannah and they made me feel at home, which I have found is unfortunately rather rare in many churches these days.

After church, I went to Tesco for a chocolate dreamcake doughnut, which was maybe even a little better than the first one I tried, and then went to the Museum of Natural History. On a slight side note, my hostel was within easy walking distance of church, the history museum, and the V&A museum, which was certainly very convenient. I stayed in the museum for about three hours; it was fairly kid-oriented though and I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would have.

Here are a few thoughts that I jotted down in my iPad that evening, and I think they provide a cool glimpse into what I was thinking:
  

Thought about going to the science museum but am rather "museumed out" and just want to be back home. Ever since Ashley left I have realized how fast the days and weeks have passed, and I am so close to seeing everyone once again! I am very much looking forward to it, though hopefully with a patient attitude.
Tomorrow will be a long, boring day I think but I will try to make the most of it and look forward to Tuesday evening!
Bought a baguette at tescos
Emailed and read

My Final Days In London

On Wednesday I met Ashley at her hotel and we took the tube to the City, or the Square Mile district. This is an area of London located near the Tower Bridge and the Thames, and is almost exclusively known for business and banking. Along the way, we walked past the Bank of England and Lloyd's. We grabbed lunch at at Leadenhall Market, which is essentially a bustling food court with stalls and restaurants. Most of the people eating there worked at the surrounding banks, and were dressed up in suits and ties.

We found a Mexican place similar to Chipotle and it was a nice change from paninis and pasta. After eating we walked a short distance to the 1666 monument. This is a massive ionic column dedicated in remembrance of the Great Fire of London  and you could walk up inside it.

From there we walked to the Tower of London; we didn't go inside but sat by the Thames and got a good view of the London Bridge. I had ridden several of London's double decker buses already but they were all of the newer variety and so we boarded old bus no. 15 towards Oxford Street. This was one of the few routes that are still serviced by the old-style buses and it was definitely a cool experience.

We went stopped in at a department store called House of Frazier and then visited a massive toy superstore called Hamley's. They were 5 floors containing every single type of toy imaginable, with model trains, legos, remote controlled helicopters, Lord of the Rings memorabilia and much more. It was much nicer than Toys R Us, that's for sure.

We spent the rest of the afternoon back at Regent's park, though in a different part of Queen Anne's Gardens. This area was even prettier than the part I first visited and I felt like it was a perfect end to a great day.


Ashley and her family left the next day for Germany, and I spent the greater part of the morning catching up on journaling and updating my blog. I then took the tube to Victoria Station in order to purchase an advance train ticket to Gatwick Airport. From there, I went back to the Imperial War Museum. Ashley and I had spent several hours there when we visited before, but even so there were a great many exhibits that I was not able to walk through and so I spent several more hours looking at the espionage and Holocaust Memorial sections (which in my mind it was even better the the Holocaust museum in D.C.)


Around 3 o'clock, I took the tube to a McDonald's by the Tottenham Court Road stop, where I spent a good while catching up on a mountain of emails.


From there I walked a short distance to the British Museum. Yes, I had already visited this museum once before too, but there were so many awesome displays it was impossible to see everything in one visit. Upon reflection, I think that this museum may have been one of my favorites. It reminded me a little bit of the movie, Night At The Museum, and the artifacts contained there were some of the coolest I have ever seen (the Rosetta stone, ancient jade buddhas, Egyptian mummies - you get the idea).


That night I finished Robinson Crusoe and started Little Women.

London (A Slightly Late Update, I Know)

Well, I have promised myself that I would complete my blog entries before I arrived in the States. I will begin more than a week ago, and shall hopefully encapsulate everything that has happened since then without dragging on too much.

I believe I left you with an account of Sunday's adventures. The next day, Monday, I woke up and went with Ashley and Mr. Underwood to Leicester Square. This is an area in the heart of London which has a great many retailers of discount theater tickets. London, home to one of the most well known theater scenes in the world, has a huge number of musicals and dramas. Half of their family chose to see "We Will Rock You" and the other half "Dreamboats and Petticoats." Now, you can imagine which one I immediately crossed off my list (you can't judge a book by its cover, but I choose to judge this play by its name). Unfortunately, seats for both the Queen musical and the other play i wanted to see, Les Miserables, were more than I wanted to pay, so decided not to go.

From Leicester Square Ashley and I took to the tube to the Imperial War Museum, which I found fascinating. They had exhibits as well as retired implements of war - tanks, missiles, airplanes, etc. - and we wound up staying for almost three hours without realizing it. We ate a late lunch at Panzer's again, and I also tried a Chocolate Dreamcake doughnut, which Krispy Kreme only offers in the UK.

For dinner we went to Ping Pong, a Chinese restaurant serving dim sum. These are little samplers of fried dumplings and spring rolls. I had never tried them before but really liked them. That evening they went to see their respective plays and I returned to the hostel and tried to catch up on some journaling.

On Tuesday we went to Covent Square Garden and browsed through the shops and stalls. It was much smaller than Portobello Road, though, and Madison and I quickly abandoned the market in favor of watching a street performer; it was Madison's ardent wish that she see a "good street performer" while in London, and this one wasn't bad. He was a performer with a showman's air about him, and did things like driving a nail into his nose, followed by balancing on the top rung of a ladder for at least ten minutes while telling jokes and catching bowling pins that were thrown to him.

This was followed with a walk to the British Museum, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It reminded me of the Night At The Museum film, and was maybe the most interesting museum of them all. It had the Rosetta Stone. It had three thousand year-old Egyptian mummies. It had a stone head from Easter Island. We only stayed for an hour and I had already decided to see it again by the time we left.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at several department stores, including Selfridge's again, this time for a less frenetic visit. We rejoined the Underwoods, who were very kind in allowing me to tag along with them for part of their vacation, at the Haagen Dazs restaurant near Piccadilly Circus for dinner. Yep, it was a sit-down restaurant that only serves ice cream. I chose a tray with scoops of Belgium chocolate, strawberry cheesecake, caramel and praline, and creme brulee. It was delicious, obviously.

Before heading home we stopped in M&M World, which was a big store on Oxford Street devoted exclusively to, you guessed it, M&M's. London has everything it seems. 

Omaha beach and tour eiffel

Hello again,

Yesterday I had one of the coolest experiences ever - I too the train to normandy for a day trip to the d- day beaches. Before I even got there, though, I had a two hour stop in the town of bayeux, which was the first French town to be liberated by the Americans. I walked to the town cathedral, which dAted from the 12 th century and had a combined Norman and gothic architectural style. The village was very small and quaint, but the church was easily my favorite part. Incredibly elaborate arches, buttresses, recessed statues all around, etc. And that was just a side trip.

For the main venue, I took a busverts bus from bayeux to colleville - sur- mer, the location of the American military cemetery. The whole site was incredibly well taken care of, with immaculate lawns, beds of flowers, and the like. At one end of the complex was a wall with a stAtue representing liberty as well as some battle diagrams. By far the most striking scene, however, was the rows and rows, and more rows, of white crosses. When I stood on the center they stretched almost as far as I could see. It was a little difficult to comprehend the enormity of it all. I have been to Arlington cemetery, but this was different. This was just one invasion.

After a while I decided to walk down to the beach. It was low tide, and the sands easily covered 600 feet from the cliffs to the water's edge. I immediAtely thought how difficult it must have been to charge across such a wide expense while under attack from the Germans above. Omaha beach was divided into Ten sectors; I walked from easy red to easy fox. Up the bluffs of easy fox I climbed, only to discover the ruins of a Nazi bunker, buried in the hillside. I continued up the bluff, only to find a dozen or more similar artifacts: trenches, pillboxes, gun case mounts, and more. It was a little boy's (and a twenty year old boy's too) dream to wander across the cliff, climbing inside the few intact bunkers and imagining myself there on that fateful day, almost 67 years ago exactly.

Today was less sobering but no less eventful. I started off with a metro ride to the Eiffel tower. Which was really a neat sight. It is huge, and dominates the skyline. It wasn't my favorite though, especially with the hordes of tourists and the annoying people trying to sell Eiffel tower keychains.

A visit to the church of st sulpice was more relaxing, but I was a little surprised to see such a Italian- style church deep within Paris. I then walked to the pantheon, where Voltaire, curie, Hugo, etc. Are buried. My favorite parts of the day were tied between the cathedral de notre dame and...the jardin du Luxembourg. So much has been written about notre dame thAt I won't try to improve on it. I think the only way to truly experience its grandeur is to visit in person, for it really is an awesome spectacle. No less beautiful were the Luxembourg gardens. It was a wonderful park in the heart of Paris, incredibly peaceful and filled with children playing and parents reading. The focal point was the broad lawn in front of the Luxembourg palace. Statues and a ring of flowers surrounded the grass, and I wish I could have spent more time there.

I am planning on visiting the louvre tomorrow, and hope to update y'all soon.

Please Don't Give Up On The Blog!

Hey yall,

So sorry for the long absence of posts. Between my flight back, my birthday, a week-long bike ride, etc., things have been pretty busy. No excuses though.

Also, I have several long-overdue posts on my ipad and am planning on doing a massive update when I return home from Chapel Hill.

After a couple of suggestions that I continue my blogging even though my Europe trip is over, I decided to try and keep the posts coming.

Keep checking!

Josh

The Fun Continues

I woke up the next morning to a beautiful day, almost a repeat of the day before. The Underwoods had invited me to go to their old church, Holy Trinity of Brompton, which was within walking distance of my hostel. I got there early, and began to grow a little alarmed when the first song began with no sign of the Underwoods. The band played a second song, and then a third, and finally I saw Ashley and her family come into the parking lot. As it turns out, the tube took longer than expected; I was just glad to hear that I hadn't gotten churches or times confused (my previous train record wasn't unblemished, so that would have been a definite possibility). 

The church service itself was really good. It was held in an old Anglican church building dating back over one hundred years. However, the format and sermon were very relevant and much more contemporary than I would have expected.

After church we walked down the street to Harrod's, but they were still closed for another hour. We then took a short bus ride to nearby Hyde Park, which was huge. It was very different from Regent's park, though, containing more open fields and less of Regent's garden spaces. At one end of the park was Speaker's Corner, which was where locals gathered to grandstand and debate each other. Apparently the rhetorical quality varied a fair amount, and personally I think many people went just for the entertainment value.

From Hyde Park Mr. Underwood took us along a slightly meandering walk to Buckingham Palace. We stopped along the way to eat in one of London's many small parks. Buckingham Palace was very impressive-looking. The roundabout in front of it was cordoned off for just pedestrians and it was cool to see such a grand and famous building close-up. Oh, and the bearskin helmets of the redcoat guards were neat too, though nothing spectacular.

I still wanted to see Harrod's and so Ashley and I took the tube to Knightsbridge, where I embarked upon a five-storied journey of wonder (alright, so that sounds a little hyperbolic, but it was an amazing store). The best way I know how to describe Harrod's is as a megapalooza extravaganza. Coming from tiny Southern Pines, the biggest mall I had ever shopped in was in Raleigh. Harrod's was incredible. It made Selfridge's look wimpy.

Every single thing anybody could want you could find in that store. In fact, Harrod's prides itself on being able to obtain whatever its customers want (e.g. an elephant was procured for one gentleman). High-end electronics, a bookstore, an umbrella department, fashion labels of the highest sort, equestrian gear, hiking apparel, a pet store, interior decorating, luxury candies, and a chandelier section comprised just a fraction of what Harrod's had to offer. At one point I wandered into the cartography department and was quickly greeted by a salesman who asked what type of map I was looking to purchase. I told him, "honestly, I am not looking to buy anything, but was wondering if you had any maps of North Carolina." 

The man proceeded to show me their oldest map of the Carolinas, dating from the 1600's and priced to sell at $35,000. And there are people who can actually afford to pay that much. I have much to learn about such things.

After stopping to rest at a pastry shop across the street, we left Harrod's and walked to the Museum of Natural History. Both of our feet were very tired by this point and so we limited our stay to the bird and dinosaur exhibits. The bird display was really neat as it was mainly a showcase of stuffed extinct and exotic specimens. I liked the dinosaurs even more, though. It is incredible to think that animals that big could ever roam Earth. They had a good number of interactive displays and fossilized remains, both of which I enjoyed.

After leaving the museum we met the rest of the Underwood family near the Tower of London and collectively journeyed to Abbey Road. I think the Beatles singlehandedly immortalized that crosswalk, or zebra crossing as it is called in the UK. Well, we joined several other reenactors attempting to recreate the famous album cover, though the pictures didn't quite turn out so well.

I went and saw the Underwood's old apartment, or flat as it is called in the UK, and it was a literal walk down memory lane for them, I think. We also passed by Ashley's high school, and I could tell that she sort of missed it. For dinner we ate at one of the Underwood's old favorites, Cafe Rouge. I thought it was fine, but Mr. Underwood declared that, "it wasn't as good as he remembered."

After dinner we finished the evening with a stop back at Abbey Road in order to hopefully have better luck at picture-taking. These came out slightly better, but the fading light made things a little dark.

Ah yes, and we did have a small diversion that day. After dinner, we had paused in front of a bakery and observed a very eccentric person get out of a grandmother-type Jaguar across the street. After a little discussion among ourselves we determined that it was a man, and moreover he appeared to enjoy celebrity status. Several people stopped to take their picture with him and he also granted some autograph requests. Mrs. Underwood was bound to find out who this unknown celebrity was, and so she went to ask two of the people who had taken their picture with him. As it turns out, they were just as unsure as we were, and had only asked for his picture because they assumed that, as other people were doing it, he must be famous. Oh boy.           

Just the tip of the iceberg, the iceberg being London

The next day, Saturday, we woke up and headed to Portobello Road, with its famous market. I was fortunate to be able to go as the market only occurs on Saturdays, and so we joined a great deal of other deal-seekers and tourists as we made our way down the street.

It was a gorgeous day. There wasn't a cloud in sight and it was cool but just warm enough to not get chilled. I was a little disappointed by the Albert Cuyp Market in Amsterdam. This, however, made up for it. The market stretched on and on for at least a mile, probably more, and there was almost every sort of item imaginable. 

At the beginning were all types of antiques; it was hard to get a feel for just how large the place was because behind many of the street stalls were actual stores, many of them multiple-storied and with long hallways filled to the brim with trinkets. There were typical antique stores here, but some specialty stalls too. Two of my favorites featured vintage sporting goods and antique maps. I thought about buying a map, but couldn't find one that I was exceptionally fond of and so contented myself with "just looking" instead. After all, that costs less, as a salesman in Italy had reminded me a few weeks ago.

After several blocks the antique vendors petered out and the market transitioned to more conventional wares. There were a good many booths for jewelry, t-shirts, and hard-to-find novels, as well as leather goods and the occasional random guy selling things like electro CD's. This section of the market ended with a large number of food vendors. Unlike Amsterdam, these folks mostly sold food that had already been cooked; this was definitely an improvement over the raw fish odor that pervaded the former market. Ashley recommended a booth selling spicy chicken burgers. They were of a German style, pretty cheap, and very good. 

The market died down - and died off - after the food area, for all that was left were flea market type vendors who weren't able to obtain a stall in the nicer areas of the market. Other than this, the market was really a fine experience. I was amazed at the mind-blowing array of so many different things all in close proximity: everything from old telescopes, clocks, rings, toy soldiers, a plethora of necklaces and more was displayed here. I have been to several street markets, a few estate sales, and have more than had my fill of garage sales. The Portobello Road Market, however, trumped them all.

We had done quite a bit already, and it was only just past noon! From Portobello Road we took a bus to St. Paul's. It was a fairly long ride and I was thankful to find a bathroom once I got off (too much information?) There was an admission fee to go inside so we only stayed a few minutes walking around its perimeter. It was very pretty and definitely a landmark. From there, we walked on the pedestrian-only Millennium Bridge across the Thames. It had a nice view of the city and I was able to see the iconic London Bridge to the East. I have found that i really like bridges. The bridge ended at the Tate Modern Gallery. Like almost all of London's museums, this one was free. Perhaps they feel a tinge of guilt for having "acquisitioned" so many treasures from other nations, or maybe they want to attract more tourists. Either way, I wasn't going to complain.

We didn't spent too much time at the Tate Modern. As expected, it was filled with a lot of pieces that we thought were rather questionably labeled as "art." I was, however, interested with a floating staircase that was made from fabric but very realistic.

After leaving the Tate Museum not much inspired, we walked along the South Bank of the Thames. This was much more inspiring. The weather was still every bit as beautiful as before, and we joined a crowd of Londoners who had the same idea of enjoying the afternoon there. There was a main sidewalk dotted with benches (most all of them full) and we walked all the way to one of London's newer attractions, The London Eye. At the base of this giant ferris wheel was a skatepark as well as a temporary street festival, with young musicians, food, and booths with (more) knick-knacks. Also, there was a group of aspiring teenage hip-hop dancers who were talented but even more enthusiastic and so we spent a little while watching them. 

Ashley's family had planned to be in London for their own vacation and so we had arranged to meet them that evening at Carluccio's, an Italian restaurant. We took the tube from the London Eye to the restaurant and met the Underwoods for a nice dinner. I think her family really enjoyed seeing her again, and I too was glad to be able to meet up with them.

After dinner we parted ways: I was determined not to let Topshop get the best of me and so Ashley and I went back for a redemption round while the rest of her family checked out another department store. This time was a 100 percent improvement. The very first pair of jeans I tried on were an excellent fit, and Ashley bought me a sharp-looking shirt to go with it. I really like it and it made for a very nice early birthday present.

From Topshop we took a short walk to one of London's biggest department stores, Selfridge's. It was almost closing time and so I didn't have much time to take it in but the little I did see was amazing. They had an entire bottom floor devoted to food, and several additional floors of men's, women's, and children's clothing. I was awed, to say the least. 

After going with Ashley to take her luggage to the hotel where she would be staying with her family, I headed back to the hostel and crawled into bed.  
  

A Fantastic Day in London!

I must apologize for not having posted sooner. Between dicy Internet service and a whirlwind of spectacular, fun-filled days, I honestly have not had time. Here is what I did on my first day in London:

We woke up at around 5:15am to catch our 6:50am Eurostar train to London. It is a good thing we left when we did, because we almost didn't make it in time. I had forgotten that Britain is not part of the Schengen Agreement, so the boarding process was more like going on an airplane than a conventional train. Once we had rushed through customs and completed entry forms, we sprinted to the train and got on with barely a minute to spare.

We passed under the English Channel, but it seemed no different than any other tunnel, only longer. London is one hour behind continental Europe, so we arrived at St. Pancras station before 8 o'clock. Ashley and I purchased a seven day tube (metro) pass and by the time we checked into our hostel we still had the entire day ahead of us.

We decided that the best way to get a feel for the city would be to see some of the major landmarks, so we set off for Parliament and Big Ben. I learned that Big Ben is actually not the name of the tower, but rather of the bell inside the tower. Next stop was Westminster Abbey. It was massive and very ornate, at least from what I could see of the outside. Excepting services, there is an admission charge, so we didn't go inside. It was still a very cool sight though. 

Afterwards, we walked West past no. 10 Downing Street (a very unremarkable residence if you ask me) and stopped a little further down the street to see the changing of the Queen's Life Guard and their horses. Every day at 11 o'clock, the troop stands at attention for over 20 minutes while the ceremony is carried out. Both the mares and guards were dressed in fancy regalia, and this definitely provided me with a sense of British atmosphere. We finished our walk down the street at Trafalgar Square, which has a large traffic roundabout and a towering column topped with a statue of Lord Admiral Horatio Nelson. The pillar was bordered by four large, bronze lions, and I may or may not have climbed up the back of one.

At one end of Trafalgar Square was the British National Gallery, which housed a collection of paintings rivaling the Louvre's. We only travelled through one of the wings, and this alone took at least an hour. The paintings were varied but mostly consisted of realist still lives, landscapes, and portraits. They were not all as magnificently spectacular as the Louvre's, but were still good. Our feet were fairly tired by this point and so we took one of London's famed double-decker buses to the St. John's Wood borough. The bus fare was included in my tube pass, and while it was slightly slower than the underground, it afforded an excellent view of the city, especially from my vantage point in the front row of the upper level.

Once at our destination we stopped for lunch at a grocery-delicatessen called Panzer's; Ashley used to eat here as she lived in this neighborhood when she was staying in London. I think she really enjoyed revisiting some of her old roads and shops. Anyways, I ordered a toasted turkey, tomato and Gouda panini and I must say it was delicious. From Panzer's we walked down St. John's Wood High Street (every borough has a road called High Street) and it reminded me of Southern Pines' Broad Street with its local boutiques, pastry shops and community-oriented feel.

High Street led us to Regent's Park, which is not as famous as its sister, Hyde Park, but much nicer. There were several sporting fields, walking paths, a lake with paddle boats, and my favorite, Queen Mary's Garden. It had sort of a naturalistic feel while also retaining an extremely manicured appearance. I don't know how many gardeners are employed there, but regardless they do a fantastic job.

We stayed for at least an hour and a half; all the while it was growing increasingly chilly so we went back to the hostel via the Baker Street tube station. For the Sherlock Holmes fans among you, you will recognize this as the street occupied by the world's most renowned detective. It was not particularly interesting by itself, though it was quite fun to walk along the road where I had joined my fictitious friend many times before.

After putting on warmer clothes, we took the tube once more to the Soho district in search of Bodean's BBQ. Soho is London's cultural center and is home to countless bars, restaurants and several theaters. Bodean's exact location remained a little hazy in Ashley's recollection but we finally found it after an hour of searching. We were not the only ones wanting to eat there, however, for there was a one hour wait. I decided that we had invested too much time to not eat there and so I spent the interim at one of London's department stores, Topshop. Ashley convinced me to try on a few pairs of jeans and I reluctantly agreed (to be frank I only have one pair that really fits me well). 

Let's just say that the changing room experience was traumatic. Either Londoners have a rather feminine sense of fashion or they just do not have leg muscles as both pairs of jeans I tried were more like hosiery than denim. I hightailed it out of there and though still a bit flustered, was quickly put at ease by a delicious pulled pork sandwich with a side of French fries. I cannot say it was as good as a North Carolina pig pickin', but by European standards it was pretty tasty (the restaurant owners were American, after all).

It was past 10pm by the time we finished dinner and so we ended our first night in London with a visit to Picadilly Circus. For those of you with visions of human cannonballs and performing elephants, you must know that this is not an actual circus, but rather a circular area that forms the epicenter for much of London's shopping areas. I think it can be compared somewhat to Times Square in New York, though this is less hectic. On several of the surrounding buildings there were bright, attention-grabbing advertisements and in the center, a statue with steps to sit upon.

What a packed day we had. I had been in London for less than 24 hours and already I knew I was going to love it.                

The surprising city of Brussels

After a three hour train ride to Belgium, we arrived in yet another city: Brussels. We got to our hostel a little later than expected due to our train's failure to stop at its advertised station; instead of getting off at the central station as we had intended, we had to take the metro from the more distant South station. It was not a major deal, but it served as a good reminder of how much more laborious a walk is when carrying luggage.

That afternoon, we walked to the Galleries St. Hubert, which was a series of fancy restaurants and gourmet chocolate shops on either side of a glass-roofed street. We stopped at two separate chocolatiers: we each tried a piece at the first store and by the second, decided that they were so good we needed to buy a whole box. After all, we were at Neuhaus, the inventor of the praline! After careful selection, we each choose eight and boy, were they amazing. My favorite was a tie between a plain caramel and a praline and caramel filled chocolate. Believe me, they were worth every penny, or rather euro(s). 

After my exposure to chocolate heaven, we walked to the nearby central square which was called the Grand Place. My first impression of the city was that Brussels was mostly drab, boring, and even a little ugly. Imagine my surprise, then, when I walked into the central square and found myself surrounded by old, elaborate buildings covered with flower boxes, decorated with a good number of statues and with some appearing almost Bavarian. It was certainly a marked change from the rest of Brussels. By this point, it was close to dinner time and so we set off for the Mannekin Pis. You have undoubtedly seen him, even if you don't immediately recognize the name. It is the statue of the little peeing boy, and is Brussel's most famous icon, though I must say that it is not extremely imposing. 

I had been smelling Belgium waffles everywhere and so we stopped so I could buy one covered with powdered sugar. Just the waffle and the chocolate alone made the trip to Brussels worthwhile. We had mostly seen the touristy places and so we returned to our hostel with a slight detour to a grocery for more chocolate. It was good, though admittedly of a lesser quality. And thus we concluded our short but productive afternoon in Brussels - next stop, London!

Amsterdam

 

Well, I was caught up. I'll do my best to bring you up-to-date again.

From Paris, Ashley and I took a train to Amsterdam and spent the afternoon walking along canals and exploring the Vondelpark. Like Venice, Amsterdam is full of canals. However, that is where the comparisons ended, at least for me. The canals in Venice form the backbone of the city: trash pickup, grocery delivery, etc. all occur via the canals. They are only a couple yards across in most places, and somewhat serpentine-like.

Amsterdam's canals, on the other hand, are arranged in a methodical, orderly pattern (they are man-made after all). They are bigger and there are plenty of roads to supplement the waterways passageways. I should mention, though, that bicycles seem to form the majority of road traffic there. Another major difference, and in fact, something unlike any other city I have been to, was that the houses almost all used the steepest staircases I have ever seen. Our hostel steps literally appeared almost insurmountable at first glance.

As I said earlier, after inspecting the nearby canals we headed to the Vondelpark. This is one of Amsterdam's largest outdoor parks, and I really enjoyed wandering through it. There were a lot of different birds there - parrots, swans, herons - and it was certainly a nice place to talk a walk or picnic. Oh, I almost forgot. We also were befriended by a funny looking little bird with a stocky body, long legs, a red and yellow beak, and a rear-end that looked as if it had been lopped off. He made a beeline straight towards me and really seemed quite attached to us. Ashley named him Wilfred. Dinner that evening was rather unexceptional, I must say. I found a pizza shop that claimed to be Napolian, but unfortunately it didn't come close to competing with the real thing.    

I woke up early the next morning to eat breakfast and left for the Anne Frank House Museum to try and avoid the long lines. I had read her diary several years ago, and while it was not especially fresh in my mind, I still remembered how impressed I was with her optimism, candidness, and her sad but all-too-accurate description of the Nazi regime.

I am glad I went, but it was not one the greatest exhibitions I have visited. Anne's father, Otto Frank, wanted the house to remain unfurnished, so the house was mostly just descriptions about the residents of the secret annex, summaries about their daily life, and so forth. There were several pages from her original diary which I really enjoyed seeing, but I was a little bored by the end of the tour.

I returned to the hostel and met Ashley (who slept in) and we decided to walk towards the central part of town to look at the Albert Cuyp market. It was billed as one of Europe's biggest open-air markets, but in actuality it was fairly junky and I did not find many of the stalls worthwhile. Lunch, by contrast, was very good. We found a cafe at the end of the market that served fresh paninis and had a late lunch there.

We next walked back to our hostel, stopping along the way for me to look inside an outdoor shop (Austria had whetted my appetite for these). I finished emailing Jeff about our rendezvous plans for the evening and took a little nap; Ashley made some delicious bruschetta for dinner and afterwards we walked North to Amsterdam's historical district to meet Jeff, Jimmy, Caroline, Emily, and Cayce at our prearranged spot near the train station.

They had already eaten dinner so we strolled up and down several of the nearby streets. Along the way, we popped into a bar and also saw the closing minutes of an amazing street performance featuring a man who specialized in the juggling of flaming batons while perched on a ten-foot tall unicycle. I should mention that Amsterdam's historical district is also home to its infamous Red Light District. This side of town was just beginning to wake up while we were walking through, but we saw enough to discern why the town is largely known for its lasciviousness and consumption of, shall we say, quasi-legal substances.

By the way, did I mention that we all got free admission to a bar as well as free drinks? A very generous South African fellow was our benefactor, and we made sure to tell him thanks. Jeff and I were able to represent America with pride as we successfully requested Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA," and it was an overall great night.  It was terrific to see the gang again, but I think it was good we only stayed two nights as there were not so many sightseeing opportunities (unless you happened to be a huge fan of the coffeeshops there).

Third time was the charm

 
We left Venice early Sunday morning and spent almost twelve hours traveling to Paris. It was a long day, but I enjoyed having time to journal and read (I am almost halfway done with Robinson Crusoe; I have read it before but I had forgotten how much fun it is to reread). 

We arrived at our hostel in Paris without any of the travel mishaps that have occasionally befallen us in the past. Our receptionist recommended us to a nearby creperie stand and so we tried it. I ordered two crepes: a nutella and banana and then a cheese, while Ashley chose a combination egg and cheese crepe. They were huge and very filling. If my memory serves me correctly, this was only the second time i had ever eaten a crepe, and they were excellent. I agree with her opinion that France wins when it comes to the desert department.

Unlike our hostels in Venice or Rome, this one served breakfast. As you probably know, I love breakfast and therefore missed no time in taking advantage of the fresh baguettes and hot chocolate.

After breakfast, we took the metro to the Louvre Museum. I could barely believe it - after two unsuccessful attempts at visiting, I was finally here at the world's most famous museum! I knew from the beginning that we were would be forced to pace ourselves and so we decided upon the sections we wanted to prioritize. 

We started on the -1 floor (the Europeans have a funny way of numbering floors, by the way) where we walked on the bottom of a fully preserved Medieval moat. It had been disassembled and reconstructed to fit in the Louvre, and I think I can say I am one of a small group of people to walk through an authentic moat. Next, we walked up to the ground floor (floor 0) and walked through room after room of ancient Greek and Roman artifacts. There were scores of sculptures and I was doubly impressed by the fact that one museum had so many rare sculptures, and also by the sculptures themselves. There were busts, full-figure replicas of emperors, depictions of scenes from mythology, and more.

I hardly had time to dwell on these, however, before we transitioned to the ancient Egyptian and Etruscan rooms. These were equally interesting and, as someone who likes history, were just the sort of thing I enjoy. I liked all of it, from the 5000 year-old collections of jewelry to the pharaohs' gold plated burial costumes. My favorites in that section were the sphinxes and the Colossal statue of Ramses II (though he wasn't as colossal as the name suggests).

After we finished walking through the Egyptian area we paused to eat lunch. Our tickets allowed for readmittance, and so we returned after stopping at a nearby cafe and resumed our tour. As it turns out, we saved the best for last. We spent approximately two hours looking at the Louvre's collection of Italian, English, Spanish, and French paintings. It seemed as if every single one of them was a masterpiece, and it was awfully difficult to pick favorites. Off the top of my head, I particularly liked the paintings of Venice by Francesco Gardi, the Consecration of Emperor Napoleon I by Jean David, and a painting of two tigers by an artist that I can't remember.

By then, it was near closing time and so we climbed the stairs to the top floor to see the apartments of Napolean. This was sort of a misnomer, though; the apartments more closely resembled a palace. Apparently, The Louvre at one time served as one of Napolean's residences. I have been to the Palacio Real in Madrid and also the Potsdam Palaces and Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, and while all of them were expansive and ornate, Napolean's apartments may have had the most richly decorated rooms out of them all. Only a dozen or so rooms were open, but these were the most lavishly decorated spaces I have ever seen. The Grand Salon was the centerpiece of the apartments; this was a massive lounge and gathering room and five large, elaborate chandeliers. Imagine the biggest, grandest chandelier you know of. These were larger and more grand. The whole room was covered from ceiling to floor in guilded gold and red velvet tapestries, and it was incredible to realize that the Louvre contained such a truly incomprehensible number of treasures that some of the best remain undiscovered by many visitors.

Oh, and we also stopped to look at the Mona Lisa. I suppose it is neat to be able to brag about having seen it, but it honestly is one of the least memorable paintings I have seen. I still cannot figure out why this, of all paintings, holds the title of the world's most famous picture. If you ask me there were hundreds of more interesting paintings in the museum. Then again, I am just a simple museum-goer.

After the Louvre closed we walked to the Seine and sat by the river for a short time before heading East to the Champs Elysees. We walked almost all the way to the Arc De Triomph and decided to call it a day. What a day it was. On the way back to our hostel, we went by a pastry shop and the same crepe stand close by our hostel. My feet were pretty tired after so much walking and it was great to sit on a sidewalk bench, eat our snacks and drink Coca Cola. Sure it sounds simple, and it was, but the old adage is true: the simplest things in life are often the best.          

"Treat the galleries as museums, not stores"

The next day we woke up fairly early to take the train to Venice, and got to our hostel by early afternoon. Our hostel was wonderfully situated in the side of a charismatic town square and about 10 minutes from the train station. We decided to go to the iconic Piazza San Marco and optimistically did not think we would need to buy a map. We were wrong. We quickly realized we needed some help. Even so, we spent more time looking at our newly purchased map and trying to find our way around than we spent sightseeing, but that was okay. I was really surprised to see how different a city Venice was compared to all the other towns I'd visited up to that point. There were absolutely no roads or cars. Just tiny little alleyways and a myriad of crisscrossing canals. All of the buildings, almost without exception, appeared at least one hundred years old and it was one of the few cities that seemed to have retained a sense of character. 

On our second day we began sightseeing anew, making sure to bring our map, starting with a delicious lunch at a cafe in the piazza by our hostel. We didn't see a single McDonalds or Starbucks during our entire stay, and I thought it quite refreshing. After eating, we leisurely wandered through the maze-like alleys and over the nearly ubiquitous bridges that connect the city. There are no main boulevards there; instead, all of the roads are short, narrow things and you are forced to take a turn almost every minute. It was really fun to get a feel for the city as we ambled in and out of different mask shops. Yes, I realize that dozens of shops dedicated to paper mache masks sounds a litle corny, but these masks were awesome.

Masks are a part of Venetian heritage and tradition, dating back to the Commedia dell'arte and existing today via the two week carnival extravaganza that takes place every spring. The highlight of my day was easily the discovery of a bright orange jester mask. I had seen a couple similar ones, but they were either of the cheap, "made in China" variety or out of my price range. This one, however was my favorite and I was able to buy it for a bargain price. It is rare that I get excited over buying something, but this made my day. I can't help but smile whenever I put it on.

We ate dinner in our town square again, this time at a different but equally tasty restaurant. Yesterday, we walked to the Piazza San Marco again, but did not stay long as we were taking a "vaporetto" water ferry to the nearby island of Murano. This is the site of the world famous Murano glass and the entire island is dedicated to its creation and sale. We spent several hours drifting through galleries and shops, many with a particular style or specialty of glass. Literally every type of glass object imaginable was here, from chandeliers and chess sets to jewelry and tiny toy soldiers and animals. It was amazing how detailed some of the pieces were, and though I do not consider myself a dedicated shopper by any means, I did like looking at all of the swirling color combinations and 3D figures, particularly the ones where a fish was placed inside a cat's stomach or a fishbowl.

That evening we ate paninis at one of the city's many hole-in-the-wall restaurants and crossed over the Ponte de Rialto Bridge for the last time. It is Venice's most recognizable bridge, and for good reason. Its arch forms a triangular shape as it rises to a peak in the middle, allowing gondolas and water ferries to pass underneath. Personally, it seemed impossible to find a spot that was not picturesque. While Venice is simply too different to be compared to Florence, I like both of them equally well. Venice was definitely one of the towns I wish I could have spent more time in.

Rome Continued

Hopefully by the end of this post I will have completely caught you up so I am not behind on chronicling my days.

On the second day in Rome we walked to the Coliseum and spent most of the afternoon in the ancient quarter of the city. The Coliseum was in excellent condition, considering that it had withstood over one thousand years of wear and tear. It truly is a wonder of the world, I think, and the size alone was impressive even by today's standards. I tried to imagine what the scene would have been like when it was first being constructed, with hundreds of laborers, chariots, and senators in togas, and it was such a cool realization to know that I was standing where so much history had been made.  It really made me feel that I was in Rome.

After the Coliseum we walked across the road to the Roman Forum, which was the central meeting place and cultural heart of the ancient city. It was incredible to see so many ruins in such good condition; there were over a dozen columns, part of an aqueduct, a villa, and more, all mostly intact. I really enjoyed it as it allowed me to metaphorically go back in time and catch a glimpse of how the city would have appeared over one thousand years ago.

We concluded our day with a visit to the Pantheon, which was worthwhile but definitely not as striking as the Coliseum. Then again, I think most buildings would not fair well being compared to it. We ate dinner on the rooftop terrace of the McDonalds by the Trevi Fountain and then stopped by the fountain again before walking back to our hostel.

On my last day in Rome we took the metro to the Vatican, which was my primary sightseeing objective for the afternoon. As an interesting side note, Rome only has two metro lines and neither pass through the central district. I suppose that because the town is so old it is difficult to construct underground lines underneath the buildings. Anyways, we went to the Vatican and waited in line for St. peter's Basilica, all the while thankful that we were not part of the unlucky few that were denied because they were wearing tank tops or shorts.

As it turns out, they don't like certain types of dresses either because Ashley's was deemed "too short" and she was told to "step this way." Ah the irony. Thankfully I was still able to go inside and I spent at least half an hour wandering up and down the central hall and looking at the multitude of statues, frescoes, and side chapels. It is the largest cathedral I have been inside. It was truly colossal and a very impressive demonstration of the church's wealth and power. It was about 4pm by the time we left and started walking to the Vatican Museum. 

Unfortunately, the last admission to the museum was at 4pm exactly, so I wasn't able to visit. That was alright though, as I would have needed several hours to really appreciate it. Instead, we walked back toward the center of town, stopping to go by the Castel sant'Angelo and the sant'Angelo Bridge. I especially liked the bridge as it had winged angel statues standing as sentinels on top of the railings.

We stopped for dinner at a small street side restaurant tucked into a little secondary road; both ordered the special of the day, which included bruschetta, salad, bread, wine, and tortellini. It was a great finish to the day, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.           

Naples and Roma

After Florence we scheduled ourselves to go to Naples for the day. It was only a three hour train ride and we arrived at our hostel there by early afternoon. We were both very hungry after walking 45 minutes from the train station so we ate lunch at the Solo Pizza restaurant down the road. Our hostel receptionist recommended it to us as one of the "ok" pizzerias, so we did not have any huge expectations. The building was nothing special and the seating was pretty standard. However, the prices were dirt cheap and they had a very large menu. 

They brought out our pizzas - not personal pan pizzas but the large variety - and it was by far the best pizza I have ever tasted. I ordered Capricese, which was a mozzarella pizza with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. The crust was a perfect mix of doughy and crispy, but the cheese is what I liked the most. It was melt-in-your-mouth delicious. Oh, and did i mention that the pizzas cost 5€ a piece? For me, that lunch alone was worth going to Naples.

The town was not the nicest place, however, as it had mounds of garbage piled on the sides of the streets and there were not many touristic sights. Ashley asked our hostel receptionist about good places to go to the beach and was told that Sorrento was nice. We bordered a short regional train and got there in a little over an hour. We passed Mount Vesuvius and the town of Pompeii, and I think that if we had more time that would have been good place to visit.

Sorrento itself was quite a nice little town. It was larger than any of the Cinque Terre villages that I travelled to, but not by much. There were three main beaches/swimming areas along the coastline, and while there was not as much sand as one would have liked, we still found a free spot among the numerous umbrellas and fellow beach-goers. It was a very peaceful place, and we wound up reading and people-watching for a good while as we watched the sun go down. Afterwards, we headed back to the train station and were surprised to see that the town had been transformed. What was formerly a normal little fishing town had changed into a brightly lit scene with lots of street vendors, shoppers and a live outdoor opera. We didn't have time to stay long but it was still neat.

Oh, I guess you might find the following story pretty entertaining. I sure did. On our return journey back to Naples, we were not sure which station was ours. In the slight confusion, I got off and Ashley wasn't able to (I tried to stick my hand in between the doors but they would not open). I decided that this was no big problem, though, since the next station was only about 10 minutes away. I set off running towards it, but in the darkness took the wrong street. Naples has a seedy side, and I found it on that road. 

There were piles of streetside garbage everywhere, for Naples does not have any trash pick-up to speak of, and I had to avoid both stray dogs and a close call with a moped. I realized I was not on the correct street after about ten minutes, and stopped to ask a woman at a bustop for directions. Well, I was going to ask, but I soon realized that she was almost certainly a prostitute, and decided it would be prudent to continue. The next group of folks I encountered spoke no English at all, but I was able to communicate with them in Italian that I needed to get to the Termini train station. Before I could say anything further one of the young men told me to hop on the back of his souped-up moped and he could take me there. I didn't have much of a choice and so I accepted. After several adrenaline-filled minutes of weaving among traffic at 80kph along narrow roads, we arrived. Unfortunately, he mistook which station I was referring to and took me to the station where I began. 

This time I made sure to choose the correct street, and after an additional ten minutes of alternate jogging and running (I had a backpack with me after all) I finally reached the Termini Station. I looked up to see Ashley running towards me, and thankfully the crazy story had a happy ending. That was all the adventure I needed for one night.

We woke up early the next morning and took a train to Rome, the birthplace of the modern world. I was able to catch up on journaling in the train and just knew that it was going to be a good day. Our hostel was less than ten minutes away from the train station and we had all afternoon to walk around. We grabbed a quick yet filling lunch at a pizza shop on our street (notice a trend here?) and then headed to the Spanish Steps, passing through the Piazza Della Republica and the Piazza del Populo on the way. It was a very sunny day and fairly hot; even so, I enjoyed walking and thought it was a good way to get a feel for the town. On our return to the hostel we stopped at the Trevi Fountain, which definitely lived up to it's reputation as one of the prettier places in Rome. 

It was designed to look like it was coming out the building it jutted against and appeared almost natural. There were three main statues and a great many little  fountains among the various sculptures and terraces in it. We concluded our night with a trip to the Spanish steps again, where we joined several others for an impromptu guitar session. The Italian man who was playing knew more American songs than I did, and we had a great time listening and singing along. It was a fun end to a good day.  
     

Florence and San Gimignano

It is proving increasingly difficult to keep my blog updated, though I think this is a great problem to encounter. I will try to bring you up to speed as best as i can.

After our first day in Florence, we decided to take a day trip to San Gimignano. We encountered a slight delay, though, when I remembered that I had left my train pass in my backpack, which was at the hostel. Fortunately this was no big problem as we were able to take the train an hour later.

San Gimignano does not have a train station itself. Instead you take the train to a town called Poggibonsi and then transfer to a bus. Well, we (actually I) were not sure where to purchase the bus tickets and so by the time we realized how to buy them we had to wait two hours for the next bus - they only came once an hour. I continue to be reminded that plans should be regarded as tentative.

All of this waiting was very frustrating, and I was tempted to let myself fall in a bad mood. However, I realized that I would much rather be stuck in the beautiful Tuscan countryside than be working a summer job, so after stopping to buy a ridiculously cheap 25 cent bottle of lemonade we finally got on the bus and arrived at San Gimignano at around dinner time.

The town is set on a small hill and is more of a village than an actual town. After walking for a couple of minutes we reached the two interconnected town squares which formed the heart of the town. We grabbed a couple of slices of pizza to eat on the steps of the village church and then walked up a small street to the highest point of the city. The views here were almost postcard material. The sun was setting over slightly rolling hills which were covered in vineyards and pastures; the horizon stretched out for miles and the scenery consisted of a scattering of houses, squares of farmland and the iconic Italian trees whose name I do not know (the skinny coniferous looking ones). 

Without a doubt my favorite part of the town were its famous towers. Originally there were 72, but now there are only 12. They were built hundreds of years ago by individual families for protection against raids from neighboring villages, and boy, they were a neat sight to behold. They were all built within a couple hundred feet of each other and had narrow windows, bells, and crenellated roofs. I definitely would love to visit again.

My last day in Florence was more laid back and was a good way to conclude my visit to the city. Ashley had already been to the Galleria dell'Academia, but she insisted that we go again. The hour-long queue was well spent, for inside the museum was Michelangelo's most famous work, the statue of David. I was surprised at how tall he was, and realized that even my high expectations were not enough to prepare me for how awesome a sight it was. It is easily the most impressive statue I have ever seen.

We ate lunch at a Pizza shop along the edge of the main leather market, and it was quite good. I ordered a slice of eggplant, zucchini and tomato and Ashley got cauliflower and ham (unconventional choices I know, but they were very tasty). After eating, we walked down toward the Uffizi Gallery, which was commissioned by the Medici family. There were several statues in and around the nearby piazza, and quite a crowd was gathered around a mime who specialized in grabbing unsuspecting passers-by, carrying them and placing them into the laps of random people, dropping them into the passenger seats of random cars, etc. 

We walked again along the Ponte Vecchio Bridge and after three days i believe that it may be my favorite single spot in the city. After searching for the botanical gardens and finding that admission was a hefty 12€, we headed back to the river and stopped at a panini restaurant for dinner. We finished the evening by going back to the Piazza Michelangelo, where we joined a crowd of similar-minded locals and tourists to watch the sun set over Florence. It is an incredible city, and that's saying a lot coming from a country boy.

   

The Utter Amazingness of Italy!

So...after a few relaxing hours at the beach of Desenzano, I travelled to the Milan airport to meet Ashley. Her plane was about 15 minutes late, but besides that everything went smoothly and she arrived safely. It was great to see her and we spent several hours catching up.

The next morning we woke up and headed to the Duomo Cathedral. This is Milan's most famous church and is actually the oldest Gothic Cathedral in Italy. It was not incredibly large, but there were over one hundred spires and towers rising from the roof, so that was pretty neat. After a pausing to grab some Margherita pizza at a small street side bakery, we continued down the some of the main shopping avenues to the Castello Sforzesco. This was a fairly large castle in the center of town, and like many European castles, there was a park/garden complex bordering it. Milan's reputation as a fashion megacenter is well-deserved. Everywhere, and I do mean everywhere, there were tons of shoe stores, boutiques, urban wear, and on and on. While I am not convinced that there is much to see in the way of famous landmarks, Milan certainly delivered in the people watching department. There was a kitchen in the hostel, so we for dinner we cooked a huge pot of spaghetti bolognese, and I may or may have eaten three and Half plates.

Next morning we took an early train to Florence and checked into the B & B Maison Hostel by noon. We walked past a massive outdoor leather market and had some pasta and a panini at a nearby restaurant, before heading to the Duomo Cathedral. Yes, you might say, but didn't Milan have one of those too? Well, apparently a town's Duomo is simply the name for a big church that is famous and, like the name suggests, has a dome on top. Unlike Milan however, The Duomo in Florence was completely Italian-styled and strikingly beautiful. There was a bellower rising above the rest of the church on the right side, and the cathedral itself was covered with the usual gargoyles and elaborate windows. The part that really stood out, though, were the painted geometric designs on the outside. This church and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona have been my favorites.

Next, we walked South to the river and crossed at the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's most famous bridge. I truly think this is my favorite single part about the town. There are shops and homes built into the sides of the bridge, and a row of glittering gold and jewelry stores make the bridge simultaneously crowded and mesmerizing. We finished the day with a quick detour to a gelato shop( excellent), a walk to one of two main botanical gardens (with a great picturesque view of the entire city), a browse through another leather market, and a marvelous dinner of torteglioni and creamed penne at a restaurant in the Old Central Square. It may have been my favorite day thus far.