Wayne's Europe Trip: My First Adventure, Trip Report
Jul 27th, 2006, 09:08 AM
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Wayne's Europe Trip: My First Adventure, Trip Report
Hello fellow travelers. Despite the post from Scrooge on this board, I am going to post my trip report from my very first adventure, a marathon trip across London, Switzerland and Italy.
I usually create my own trip reports using Microsoft Publisher and then convert them to PDF and saving them on my website. www.waynehazle.com. However, I have been taking out the text and reposting the reports here for all in the Fodor's Family to read.
(Whenever I post links on the boards it screws up the width of my reports, so I won't post links to the reports, just tell you what to search for.)
India (search on the Asia board for my name and "The Crucible"
East Africa search for "The East Africa Experience"
Southeast Asia search for my name, Cambodia or "South East Asian Adventure"
Chile Peru Adventure, my name and "Andean Adventure"
For those that want to skip ahead you can always jump directly to my site. Otherwise, slowly over the next few days you can expect to see sections of my report show up here.
I think the writing is the most primitive here. I was much younger and it was my first time traveling and reporting. Yes of course I kept a notebook, but I did nevertheless enjoy the trip and didn't just sit around writing notes.
I usually create my own trip reports using Microsoft Publisher and then convert them to PDF and saving them on my website. www.waynehazle.com. However, I have been taking out the text and reposting the reports here for all in the Fodor's Family to read.
(Whenever I post links on the boards it screws up the width of my reports, so I won't post links to the reports, just tell you what to search for.)
India (search on the Asia board for my name and "The Crucible"
East Africa search for "The East Africa Experience"
Southeast Asia search for my name, Cambodia or "South East Asian Adventure"
Chile Peru Adventure, my name and "Andean Adventure"
For those that want to skip ahead you can always jump directly to my site. Otherwise, slowly over the next few days you can expect to see sections of my report show up here.
I think the writing is the most primitive here. I was much younger and it was my first time traveling and reporting. Yes of course I kept a notebook, but I did nevertheless enjoy the trip and didn't just sit around writing notes.
Jul 27th, 2006, 09:40 AM
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Looking forward to your reports, especially Switzerland since we're headng there shortly.
To convert long URLs use www.tinyurl.com. That way you can post a direct link w/out messing up the spacing and it'll save you time giving the search criteria.
To convert long URLs use www.tinyurl.com. That way you can post a direct link w/out messing up the spacing and it'll save you time giving the search criteria.
Jul 27th, 2006, 09:40 AM
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Notes from the Editor
Hello there friend! Welcome to the 1994 [
] edition of the HAZLE JOURNAL. This is my third issue (first for travel) and like fine wine, my life gets better with age. (I hope...) Anyhow, for you new readers, this newsletter is my way of updating all my friends about what is going on in my life. I still try to personalize things a little by leaving space on the page for an individual handwritten message. While I don't expect such massive writing efforts from most people, don't even think that a simple phone call will even the score. Hint: If nothing else, postcards with pretty pictures are nice.
Anyhow , 1994 has been an interesting year with plenty of ups and downs. As always, my life is a non-stop rollercoaster. The summer of 1994 began with a family loss that cast me into an emotionally heavy period of reflection and self-analysis. It's funny how in the twinkling of an eye, a phone call can change the way you look at life. So after being somber for most of June and July, a flash of light hit me while sitting in my office one day in mid August. (Insert lightning flash here.) I needed to do two things that I had been dreaming of for quite some time: 1) go to Europe and 2) buy a house. Just to make it interesting, I decided to do them both within a month! But of course this wasn't enough of a challenge, so I decided to start and finish a brand new screenplay that was in my head. After some finagling, my trip date was set for October 3rd - 20th. Needless to say September was an unbelievable month as I looked at houses, planned for Europe, found a house, started writing the screenplay, did paperwork for the house, hassled with travel VISAs, etc. But suffice it to say that by the time the last week in September rolled around, I had finished the first draft of CHAOS, completed the paperwork on my dream house & was all packed for Europe. WHEW!
This edition of The Journal is mostly a day by day account of my trip {scattered with lots of heavy emotional stuff and trite nonsense). Hopefully it will entertain you. (and more importantly make you extremely jealous!) As we say in Italy, Ciaò!
Wayne A. Hazle III
The Month of Living Dangerously
So about the third week in August, I started looking at books for various tours of Europe. At the time I was also considering a safari in Africa. I soon decided against it. Europe was cheaper & there were more things that I could see with less money. The big question was, Did I want to do a tour or should I do the research and just fend for myself? The tour would be a little more rushed, because they had a specific schedule and you would have limited amount of time in each place. But at least you know you will get to see the major sites. Going on my own might actually be cheaper, but I didn't have the time to do research and I didn't know any languages. So I decided on an 18 day tour which would take me through London, France, Switzerland & major parts of Italy. I was set to leave on September 18th, about 1 month away.
I also called a mortgage broker. And over the phone we went through my finances to see what I could qualify for. What a difference a year makes! Last year, I had MUCH more debt, 3 - 8% to put down & I was closer to some credit problems. This time my car was paid for, ALL credit cards cleared, four years of clean credit, and I had a whopping 20% to put down. I could hear the broker salivating over the phone! She said we could close on a place before I left for Europe! Well, we started looking at places, I fell in love with the first house I saw. I did look at about 10 others, but my heart was set. Life was great. Then came Black Friday! (actually why does it have to be Black?) How about Orange Friday?
Anyway, I come into work one Friday & the walls of Jericho come crashing down. I get a call from my travel agent, she says that France needs (LOTS) more time to process my VISA because I am a Jamaican citizen. I needed to catch the next tour on October 3rd! I get my credit report back and there is a period of about 8 months that reads like the Iran-Contra hearings. On top of that, I found out that I had overestimated the value of my Microsoft Stock (& thus my down payment) by 25%! All this before I even got my morning coffee. Needless to say I left work sick, early in the afternoon.
I was feeling like a disgruntled postal worker, but my Uzi was in the shop, so I decided to go home & relax. But lo and behold, out of the ashes, life springs forth. For a couple days I had had major writer's block. My script needed a major conspiracy and it just wasn't coming to me. I sat down by the water and started jotting some notes. A few hours later I had the entire script written. I think some of my best creative moments have come from depression. Hemingway was like that. (Of course he blew his brains out, so he might not be the best person to follow.)
So the following week, I was back on the ball. I kept pushing on the house. And worked on getting my VISA for France. But a few days later my travel agent told me that France would need 2 months to process my VISA & decide IF they would let me in. At that point I decided to bag France & stay longer in London.
The seller accepted my offer & my paperwork went through like a breeze. They wanted me to close before I left, but I decided to wait till I got back. So I set things up to close by Tues. October 24. Four days after I returned.
I devoted my last few days to packing (for Europe & for the new house), practising with my camera, and reading up on the various cities I would be attending.
On Monday October 3rd. I headed to Sea-Tac airport for my European adventure.
Hello there friend! Welcome to the 1994 [
] edition of the HAZLE JOURNAL. This is my third issue (first for travel) and like fine wine, my life gets better with age. (I hope...) Anyhow, for you new readers, this newsletter is my way of updating all my friends about what is going on in my life. I still try to personalize things a little by leaving space on the page for an individual handwritten message. While I don't expect such massive writing efforts from most people, don't even think that a simple phone call will even the score. Hint: If nothing else, postcards with pretty pictures are nice.Anyhow , 1994 has been an interesting year with plenty of ups and downs. As always, my life is a non-stop rollercoaster. The summer of 1994 began with a family loss that cast me into an emotionally heavy period of reflection and self-analysis. It's funny how in the twinkling of an eye, a phone call can change the way you look at life. So after being somber for most of June and July, a flash of light hit me while sitting in my office one day in mid August. (Insert lightning flash here.) I needed to do two things that I had been dreaming of for quite some time: 1) go to Europe and 2) buy a house. Just to make it interesting, I decided to do them both within a month! But of course this wasn't enough of a challenge, so I decided to start and finish a brand new screenplay that was in my head. After some finagling, my trip date was set for October 3rd - 20th. Needless to say September was an unbelievable month as I looked at houses, planned for Europe, found a house, started writing the screenplay, did paperwork for the house, hassled with travel VISAs, etc. But suffice it to say that by the time the last week in September rolled around, I had finished the first draft of CHAOS, completed the paperwork on my dream house & was all packed for Europe. WHEW!
This edition of The Journal is mostly a day by day account of my trip {scattered with lots of heavy emotional stuff and trite nonsense). Hopefully it will entertain you. (and more importantly make you extremely jealous!) As we say in Italy, Ciaò!
Wayne A. Hazle III
The Month of Living Dangerously
So about the third week in August, I started looking at books for various tours of Europe. At the time I was also considering a safari in Africa. I soon decided against it. Europe was cheaper & there were more things that I could see with less money. The big question was, Did I want to do a tour or should I do the research and just fend for myself? The tour would be a little more rushed, because they had a specific schedule and you would have limited amount of time in each place. But at least you know you will get to see the major sites. Going on my own might actually be cheaper, but I didn't have the time to do research and I didn't know any languages. So I decided on an 18 day tour which would take me through London, France, Switzerland & major parts of Italy. I was set to leave on September 18th, about 1 month away.
I also called a mortgage broker. And over the phone we went through my finances to see what I could qualify for. What a difference a year makes! Last year, I had MUCH more debt, 3 - 8% to put down & I was closer to some credit problems. This time my car was paid for, ALL credit cards cleared, four years of clean credit, and I had a whopping 20% to put down. I could hear the broker salivating over the phone! She said we could close on a place before I left for Europe! Well, we started looking at places, I fell in love with the first house I saw. I did look at about 10 others, but my heart was set. Life was great. Then came Black Friday! (actually why does it have to be Black?) How about Orange Friday?
Anyway, I come into work one Friday & the walls of Jericho come crashing down. I get a call from my travel agent, she says that France needs (LOTS) more time to process my VISA because I am a Jamaican citizen. I needed to catch the next tour on October 3rd! I get my credit report back and there is a period of about 8 months that reads like the Iran-Contra hearings. On top of that, I found out that I had overestimated the value of my Microsoft Stock (& thus my down payment) by 25%! All this before I even got my morning coffee. Needless to say I left work sick, early in the afternoon.
I was feeling like a disgruntled postal worker, but my Uzi was in the shop, so I decided to go home & relax. But lo and behold, out of the ashes, life springs forth. For a couple days I had had major writer's block. My script needed a major conspiracy and it just wasn't coming to me. I sat down by the water and started jotting some notes. A few hours later I had the entire script written. I think some of my best creative moments have come from depression. Hemingway was like that. (Of course he blew his brains out, so he might not be the best person to follow.)
So the following week, I was back on the ball. I kept pushing on the house. And worked on getting my VISA for France. But a few days later my travel agent told me that France would need 2 months to process my VISA & decide IF they would let me in. At that point I decided to bag France & stay longer in London.
The seller accepted my offer & my paperwork went through like a breeze. They wanted me to close before I left, but I decided to wait till I got back. So I set things up to close by Tues. October 24. Four days after I returned.
I devoted my last few days to packing (for Europe & for the new house), practising with my camera, and reading up on the various cities I would be attending.
On Monday October 3rd. I headed to Sea-Tac airport for my European adventure.
Jul 27th, 2006, 09:47 AM
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Day 1 (Monday Oct. 3rd)
Monday at approximately noon, I boarded a plane from Sea-Tac airport to San Francisco. There I would wait for about 5 hours, go through customs and then board a plane and fly directly to Heathrow Airport in London. I couldn't help wondering if a plane really had enough fuel to fly from the West Coast of the US, across the US, and across the Atlantic. They told me to rest assured, the plane takes a shortcut over the Arctic. Naturally, this made me feel much better (NOT!). I now wished I had read the Time-Life: How To Build An Igloo In Case Your Plane Crashes In the Arctic series!
The flight to San Fran was short & boring, I didn't have to do any INTL check-in. Check-in in through customs at San Fran was quite exciting. Until then, my passport was collecting dust with that application for the Iraqi army (remember this was written in 1994), so every step was filled with excitement. I tried not to look too dangerous or demented as the guard looked me over and looked at my passport. Rumour has it that if they see something they don't like, they just shoot you and drag you to some shallow unmarked grave. But everything checked out. Not only did they let me on the plane, but because I was alone and coach was filled, I got bumped up into business class! Yup, things were looking good. ('Wait a minute, don't people up front die first?'
Business class has extra wide and soft seats, a TV for each chair, free booze, better meals, real china & utensils & lots of personal attention from the flight attendants. The only thing missing is a separate engine, so that if the plane is going down we can say 'Adios!' to the losers in coach. The flight was going to be about 10 hours!! In 10 hours I could read a book, drink, watch a couple of movies, sleep, recover from a hangover and still have time to kill. I knew that God was with me, not because the flight was smooth, but because I didn't get stuck next to some weird smelling person who wanted to talk to me for the whole flight! But 'the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away', as you shall see later. I ended up watching a movie with O.J. Simpson in it! I did make sure that he wasn't on the plane before I went to sleep.
A few hours later, light was shining through the windows of the plane. We were closing in on the British Isles! They turned on this British Tour video, lots of Castles, and other British scenery with pompous Royal music in the background. I was psyched! The flight attendants served tea and little cakes.
In a few more minutes we touched down at London Heathrow International Airport. Tally Ho! The adventure begins!
Monday at approximately noon, I boarded a plane from Sea-Tac airport to San Francisco. There I would wait for about 5 hours, go through customs and then board a plane and fly directly to Heathrow Airport in London. I couldn't help wondering if a plane really had enough fuel to fly from the West Coast of the US, across the US, and across the Atlantic. They told me to rest assured, the plane takes a shortcut over the Arctic. Naturally, this made me feel much better (NOT!). I now wished I had read the Time-Life: How To Build An Igloo In Case Your Plane Crashes In the Arctic series!
The flight to San Fran was short & boring, I didn't have to do any INTL check-in. Check-in in through customs at San Fran was quite exciting. Until then, my passport was collecting dust with that application for the Iraqi army (remember this was written in 1994), so every step was filled with excitement. I tried not to look too dangerous or demented as the guard looked me over and looked at my passport. Rumour has it that if they see something they don't like, they just shoot you and drag you to some shallow unmarked grave. But everything checked out. Not only did they let me on the plane, but because I was alone and coach was filled, I got bumped up into business class! Yup, things were looking good. ('Wait a minute, don't people up front die first?'
Business class has extra wide and soft seats, a TV for each chair, free booze, better meals, real china & utensils & lots of personal attention from the flight attendants. The only thing missing is a separate engine, so that if the plane is going down we can say 'Adios!' to the losers in coach. The flight was going to be about 10 hours!! In 10 hours I could read a book, drink, watch a couple of movies, sleep, recover from a hangover and still have time to kill. I knew that God was with me, not because the flight was smooth, but because I didn't get stuck next to some weird smelling person who wanted to talk to me for the whole flight! But 'the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away', as you shall see later. I ended up watching a movie with O.J. Simpson in it! I did make sure that he wasn't on the plane before I went to sleep.
A few hours later, light was shining through the windows of the plane. We were closing in on the British Isles! They turned on this British Tour video, lots of Castles, and other British scenery with pompous Royal music in the background. I was psyched! The flight attendants served tea and little cakes.
In a few more minutes we touched down at London Heathrow International Airport. Tally Ho! The adventure begins!
Jul 27th, 2006, 10:53 AM
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Day 2 Tues. 4th - London
So I get off the plane into the crowded airport. Once again I make my way to the customs desk. This time I am more relaxed. When the agent asks for the purpose of my visit. I blurt out "To assassinate the Royal family of course! You got a problem with that?" (OK, I chickened out at the last minute.)
After getting through customs I switched my American dollars to the monopoly money that the Brits use. I got directions for my hotel and jumped on The Tube (pronounced 'tyyyuuuuuube'), which is simply a subway. In about 45 minutes I was at the Euston Station stop. I got off and started walking to the Kennedy Hotel. My first brush with danger was crossing the street. I would look carefully to the right, see no cars and then start to step off the curb. An angry honking sound would come from the left! "Oh yeah, they do everything in reverse here!" I could see the headlines: Stupid American Tourist Dies During First Five Minutes in London!
In less than five minutes, I was at the Kennedy. I go to the special Cosmos Tours desk (I was feeling like a VIP). I got to the desk and gave my name to the nervous, acne covered teen behind the desk. He went down the list & then gave me that Uh-Oh look. He ran to another teeny bopper in a bright red Cosmos uniform and whispered something. She got the Uh-Oh look too. I did keep my cool however and in about five minutes they came to me with a set of keys and some gibberish explanation. I just said, "Yea, yea" and went up to my room.
In case you didn't know, Tourist Class rooms means that you open the door and your bed is right there. Bathroom & sink are optional. In this case there was both, and even a TV. I turned it on and there was some fuddy-duddy being very pompous & then it hit me, I really was in England! The time was about 1PM and London was at my finger tips! I was going to take the town by storm. But first, I had to sit down and collect my thoughts...
The next thing I knew, I woke up and my room was dark. It was 5PM! Oops! If I didn't move quickly, the whole day would be down the drain. I contacted a Jehovah's Witness that I had been communicating with over EMAIL. I met him and his wife for dinner and we saw each other face to face for the first time. I told him about all my plans & he highly advised bagging Stonehenge. ("It's a bunch of rocks! What's the point?") Due to my tight schedule, I would be unable to see them again, so we said goodnight afterwards.
I walked in the cold London air for a minute and then went back to the hotel and crashed.
So I get off the plane into the crowded airport. Once again I make my way to the customs desk. This time I am more relaxed. When the agent asks for the purpose of my visit. I blurt out "To assassinate the Royal family of course! You got a problem with that?" (OK, I chickened out at the last minute.)
After getting through customs I switched my American dollars to the monopoly money that the Brits use. I got directions for my hotel and jumped on The Tube (pronounced 'tyyyuuuuuube'), which is simply a subway. In about 45 minutes I was at the Euston Station stop. I got off and started walking to the Kennedy Hotel. My first brush with danger was crossing the street. I would look carefully to the right, see no cars and then start to step off the curb. An angry honking sound would come from the left! "Oh yeah, they do everything in reverse here!" I could see the headlines: Stupid American Tourist Dies During First Five Minutes in London!
In less than five minutes, I was at the Kennedy. I go to the special Cosmos Tours desk (I was feeling like a VIP). I got to the desk and gave my name to the nervous, acne covered teen behind the desk. He went down the list & then gave me that Uh-Oh look. He ran to another teeny bopper in a bright red Cosmos uniform and whispered something. She got the Uh-Oh look too. I did keep my cool however and in about five minutes they came to me with a set of keys and some gibberish explanation. I just said, "Yea, yea" and went up to my room.
In case you didn't know, Tourist Class rooms means that you open the door and your bed is right there. Bathroom & sink are optional. In this case there was both, and even a TV. I turned it on and there was some fuddy-duddy being very pompous & then it hit me, I really was in England! The time was about 1PM and London was at my finger tips! I was going to take the town by storm. But first, I had to sit down and collect my thoughts...
The next thing I knew, I woke up and my room was dark. It was 5PM! Oops! If I didn't move quickly, the whole day would be down the drain. I contacted a Jehovah's Witness that I had been communicating with over EMAIL. I met him and his wife for dinner and we saw each other face to face for the first time. I told him about all my plans & he highly advised bagging Stonehenge. ("It's a bunch of rocks! What's the point?") Due to my tight schedule, I would be unable to see them again, so we said goodnight afterwards.
I walked in the cold London air for a minute and then went back to the hotel and crashed.
Jul 27th, 2006, 11:48 AM
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you went through "Customs" at SFO..kinda hard to believe.
Yeah, used the wrong word. Should be something like: International Security.
for the most part I am trying not to edit any of my entries.
Yeah, used the wrong word. Should be something like: International Security.
for the most part I am trying not to edit any of my entries.
Jul 27th, 2006, 01:37 PM
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Day 3 Wed. 5th. - London
I woke up bright and early the next morning, ready to attack London. By the way, I should mention how this tour works. They give you a bargain basement price on the package, because most of the things to do over there are optional "excursions", which you pay for separately. (Yes I did know this!) The tour package price includes hotel, transportation between cities, some food, and a few tours. Being resourceful (and cheap) I decided to blow off the Cosmos excursions in London and just fend for myself. So I asked the concierge how to take the Tube to Buckingham Palace, and off I went.
Buckingham Palace was not nearly as impressive as I expected. I guess I could keep it as a summer home. They weren't offering tours and I didn't feel like standing around for two hours waiting for the Changing of the Guard. So I walked over to Big Ben, Parliament and the Thames, all of which was very impressive.
Then I walked to Westminster Abbey and took the tour. This was probably one of the most enjoyable things I did on the whole vacation. In case you don't know, it's one of the oldest churches in England, the site of the Royal Coronations, and burial place of royalty and other famous Brits. There was something eierie, yet electric about walking around in this building with people tombs all over the place and some people buried right in the floors and walls. Buried in one section called Poet's Corner, there is Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, (& several other great English authors), a monument to Shakespeare, and the very last person buried in the Abbey, Sir Laurence Olivier!
After the Abbey, I hopped on a Double-Decker bus, which I could have sworn was going to tip over and got off at the British Museum. The British Museum is world renown for having great Ancient works, including those of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Assyria. There are several pieces from the Parthenon in one room set up to feel like a Greek temple. They also have a selection of rare and ornate Bibles. I was walking around in this area and I overheard someone say the word "Jehovah". I tracked the voice and I found out it was a JW from San Fran! Small world...
As I continued to walk around the museum, a strange sensation was overtaking me: PAIN. I had walked miles and miles in one day & my feet were cramped beyond belief. Travel Hint: Boat shoes (Docksiders) do not provide arch support!
I hobbled back to my hotel, watched the latest on Princess Di, and fell asleep for the night.
(By the way, at this point, according to the tour schedule, I should be leaving London in the morning for France, with the rest of the tour. But because *&^% France
wouldn't let me in, I had to fend for myself for 2 days while the rest of the group left for Paris in the morning. I also had to check out of the hotel I was staying in because they would have charged me a ton of money to stay there an extra two nights. While walking around London, I saw a hotel that had rooms for approximately $20 a night. I knew that the rooms couldn’t be great at that price, but so long as there weren't severed heads in the lobby, I would manage.)
I woke up bright and early the next morning, ready to attack London. By the way, I should mention how this tour works. They give you a bargain basement price on the package, because most of the things to do over there are optional "excursions", which you pay for separately. (Yes I did know this!) The tour package price includes hotel, transportation between cities, some food, and a few tours. Being resourceful (and cheap) I decided to blow off the Cosmos excursions in London and just fend for myself. So I asked the concierge how to take the Tube to Buckingham Palace, and off I went.
Buckingham Palace was not nearly as impressive as I expected. I guess I could keep it as a summer home. They weren't offering tours and I didn't feel like standing around for two hours waiting for the Changing of the Guard. So I walked over to Big Ben, Parliament and the Thames, all of which was very impressive.
Then I walked to Westminster Abbey and took the tour. This was probably one of the most enjoyable things I did on the whole vacation. In case you don't know, it's one of the oldest churches in England, the site of the Royal Coronations, and burial place of royalty and other famous Brits. There was something eierie, yet electric about walking around in this building with people tombs all over the place and some people buried right in the floors and walls. Buried in one section called Poet's Corner, there is Geoffrey Chaucer, Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, (& several other great English authors), a monument to Shakespeare, and the very last person buried in the Abbey, Sir Laurence Olivier!
After the Abbey, I hopped on a Double-Decker bus, which I could have sworn was going to tip over and got off at the British Museum. The British Museum is world renown for having great Ancient works, including those of Greece, Rome, Egypt and Assyria. There are several pieces from the Parthenon in one room set up to feel like a Greek temple. They also have a selection of rare and ornate Bibles. I was walking around in this area and I overheard someone say the word "Jehovah". I tracked the voice and I found out it was a JW from San Fran! Small world...
As I continued to walk around the museum, a strange sensation was overtaking me: PAIN. I had walked miles and miles in one day & my feet were cramped beyond belief. Travel Hint: Boat shoes (Docksiders) do not provide arch support!
I hobbled back to my hotel, watched the latest on Princess Di, and fell asleep for the night.
(By the way, at this point, according to the tour schedule, I should be leaving London in the morning for France, with the rest of the tour. But because *&^% France
wouldn't let me in, I had to fend for myself for 2 days while the rest of the group left for Paris in the morning. I also had to check out of the hotel I was staying in because they would have charged me a ton of money to stay there an extra two nights. While walking around London, I saw a hotel that had rooms for approximately $20 a night. I knew that the rooms couldn’t be great at that price, but so long as there weren't severed heads in the lobby, I would manage.)
Jul 27th, 2006, 03:01 PM
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Day 4 Thurs 6th - London
At 6:30 AM, there was a loud knock at my door! "Sir we are ready to take your bags downstairs!" Groan. I told them (again) that I wouldn't be leaving with the rest of the tour. Back to sleep I went.
At 9:30ish, I woke up, packed, checked out and walked to the Royal Hotel just a few blocks away. I paid for a room for the night. The elevator was broken (bad omen) and so I walked up the stairs. I opened the door:
UGH! To say the room was grungy would be an understatement. It consisted of a bed, a sink (the water from which I would never ingest), and a chewed up, half-broken dresser. Maybe they should call this place The Rat Trap Arms. Toilet and showers were (way) down the dimly lit hall. Perhaps that park bench wasn't so bad after all.
#39;( But I will say this, the sheets were as clean and fresh smelling as can be. So I just looked at this as part of the adventure and brought my luggage in.
I caught the Tube to the Tower of London. The Tower holds the castles that were the original home of the Royal family. The Crown Jewels are kept here now. The Tower was also the sight of the weekly executions that the people would gather around to see. It's funny, you think of England as being the birthplace of all this civilization, culture, blah, blah. Those medievals were some of the most bloodthirsty, grotesque, death obsessed people ever to live! HUGE ravens still live all around the Tower, waiting for a the head of someone executed to be placed on a stake so they can snack away.
The crown jewels were beautiful. (In a gaudy, Las Vegas sort've way.)
I walked across the Tower Bridge and London Bridge and then along the Thames for a while. Then I went back to the Rat Trap and changed to go to a Kingdom Hall in downtown London. As I stood in the train station in my suit & tie, I looked out of the corner of my eye & saw little gray objects scurrying around: MICE, Eeeeeyyy! Anyhow, the Brothers & Sisters at the Kingdom Hall in London were nice, but not very warm. When we the meeting was over, I prepped myself for going to back to the Rat Trap for the night.
I got back and barricaded myself in. The lock looked pretty flimsy, and I could've sworn I saw Yassir Arafat in the hallway. My feet were absolutely never going to touch the floor! And I would never use the tub. I had bought a huge bottle of mineral water at a supermarket. I used the water to brush my teeth & wash and clean all sorts of things you don't need to worry about. I then tucked myself in, without letting the "comforter" (a moth eaten rag) touch me. The bed was actually pretty comfy.
I heard some story of a woman who found a dead body under the bed in her hotel. I didn't bother checking. If someone was was dead in my room, then he could keep till morning.
At 6:30 AM, there was a loud knock at my door! "Sir we are ready to take your bags downstairs!" Groan. I told them (again) that I wouldn't be leaving with the rest of the tour. Back to sleep I went.
At 9:30ish, I woke up, packed, checked out and walked to the Royal Hotel just a few blocks away. I paid for a room for the night. The elevator was broken (bad omen) and so I walked up the stairs. I opened the door:
UGH! To say the room was grungy would be an understatement. It consisted of a bed, a sink (the water from which I would never ingest), and a chewed up, half-broken dresser. Maybe they should call this place The Rat Trap Arms. Toilet and showers were (way) down the dimly lit hall. Perhaps that park bench wasn't so bad after all.
#39;( But I will say this, the sheets were as clean and fresh smelling as can be. So I just looked at this as part of the adventure and brought my luggage in.I caught the Tube to the Tower of London. The Tower holds the castles that were the original home of the Royal family. The Crown Jewels are kept here now. The Tower was also the sight of the weekly executions that the people would gather around to see. It's funny, you think of England as being the birthplace of all this civilization, culture, blah, blah. Those medievals were some of the most bloodthirsty, grotesque, death obsessed people ever to live! HUGE ravens still live all around the Tower, waiting for a the head of someone executed to be placed on a stake so they can snack away.
The crown jewels were beautiful. (In a gaudy, Las Vegas sort've way.)
I walked across the Tower Bridge and London Bridge and then along the Thames for a while. Then I went back to the Rat Trap and changed to go to a Kingdom Hall in downtown London. As I stood in the train station in my suit & tie, I looked out of the corner of my eye & saw little gray objects scurrying around: MICE, Eeeeeyyy! Anyhow, the Brothers & Sisters at the Kingdom Hall in London were nice, but not very warm. When we the meeting was over, I prepped myself for going to back to the Rat Trap for the night.
I got back and barricaded myself in. The lock looked pretty flimsy, and I could've sworn I saw Yassir Arafat in the hallway. My feet were absolutely never going to touch the floor! And I would never use the tub. I had bought a huge bottle of mineral water at a supermarket. I used the water to brush my teeth & wash and clean all sorts of things you don't need to worry about. I then tucked myself in, without letting the "comforter" (a moth eaten rag) touch me. The bed was actually pretty comfy.
I heard some story of a woman who found a dead body under the bed in her hotel. I didn't bother checking. If someone was was dead in my room, then he could keep till morning.
Jul 28th, 2006, 07:15 AM
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Day 5 Friday 7th - London
The next morning I got up early to catch the Tube to the Watchtower House (Bethel) on the outskirts of London. For those not in the know, this is the British Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses. A lot of our literature for Europe and some smaller African languages is printed here.
I was proud of my abilities to navigate the subway system and feeling really confident. Murphy's Law kicked right in at this point and I found out that the railway drivers were going on strike! Trains would still run, but they would be extremely slllooooowww! Undaunted, I made my way to the Bethel Home.
It was naturally much smaller than the main headquarters in Brooklyn, but it was still very exciting. There was lots of historical information on Jehovah's Witnesses in the earlier part of the century, especially during the World Wars. I was amazed at how many different languages are produced in their small facilities. Jehovah is definitely guiding his work!
After the Bethel Tour, I went to Harrod's, which is to London, what Macy's is to NYC. I picked up a few gifts for friends. (Your’s is in the mail!) Someday, if I ever sell a screenplay, I am going to get an Armani suit! There is no feel like it!
Finally, I hobbled over to the Hard Rock Cafe of London. By now my feet were throbbing, but I promised a friend of mine I would get her a teddy bear from the Hard Rocks of London & Rome. She collects them. (Go figure.) By the way, this was my first time at a Hard Rock Cafe, it's just an over-glorified, overpriced, TGI Friday's!
I puttered around London a little while longer, enjoying my last view of her. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning I would be flying to Switzerland. (And the first things I would do upon checking in to a real hotel would be to shower & burn my pajamas!) I made my way back to the Rat-Trap and climbed into bed. For one brief terrifying moment, it almost felt like home.
The next morning I got up early to catch the Tube to the Watchtower House (Bethel) on the outskirts of London. For those not in the know, this is the British Headquarters of Jehovah's Witnesses. A lot of our literature for Europe and some smaller African languages is printed here.
I was proud of my abilities to navigate the subway system and feeling really confident. Murphy's Law kicked right in at this point and I found out that the railway drivers were going on strike! Trains would still run, but they would be extremely slllooooowww! Undaunted, I made my way to the Bethel Home.
It was naturally much smaller than the main headquarters in Brooklyn, but it was still very exciting. There was lots of historical information on Jehovah's Witnesses in the earlier part of the century, especially during the World Wars. I was amazed at how many different languages are produced in their small facilities. Jehovah is definitely guiding his work!
After the Bethel Tour, I went to Harrod's, which is to London, what Macy's is to NYC. I picked up a few gifts for friends. (Your’s is in the mail!) Someday, if I ever sell a screenplay, I am going to get an Armani suit! There is no feel like it!
Finally, I hobbled over to the Hard Rock Cafe of London. By now my feet were throbbing, but I promised a friend of mine I would get her a teddy bear from the Hard Rocks of London & Rome. She collects them. (Go figure.) By the way, this was my first time at a Hard Rock Cafe, it's just an over-glorified, overpriced, TGI Friday's!
I puttered around London a little while longer, enjoying my last view of her. Tomorrow, first thing in the morning I would be flying to Switzerland. (And the first things I would do upon checking in to a real hotel would be to shower & burn my pajamas!) I made my way back to the Rat-Trap and climbed into bed. For one brief terrifying moment, it almost felt like home.
Jul 28th, 2006, 07:23 AM
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Day 6 Sat. 8th London-Switzerland
Hours before the sun rose, I bid adieu to the Rat-Trap, & caught a double decker shuttle to Heathrow Airport. I hopped a shuttle flight to Zurich. At least I was able to fly over Paris. It looked pretty nice from 10, 000 ft up.
My hotel was in Fluefen & the city we would be touring was Lucerne. This is all on the German side of Switzerland and German ain't my specialty. It must be the world's harshest sounding language! Walking through the airport, everything sounded like "Ich blein gwiurtz und staag sig heil Deutchland!". (ed. note: yes some stereotyping, please forgive) I had to catch a train out of Zurich, switch to another train and ride for 1 1/2 hours to Fluefen. An English speaking attendant at the airport told me which trains to catch. I had to sit at one station in the middle of nowhere for an hour waiting for my second train. Meanwhile German was being shrieked across the loudspeaker. I felt like I had just stepped into the middle of Schindler's List. I wonder how you say, "There is a Black Man in this station!" in German?
I did manage to make it to my hotel in one piece. I was pretty anxious to meet the rest of my tour group. I blurted out to the woman at the desk that I was with Cosmos Tours & I needed my room. The gist of our conversation was:
Woman: "Ich FLuugg blik aaaggg?"
Me: (at top of my lungs) COSMOS! (making key motion with hand) Room!
FYI, don't bother yelling at people who don't speak English.
After some adieu, I did get my room. The rest of the group wouldn't be in for three more hours. I could shower, appreciate the scenery & then sleep. The view was beautiful. The hotel was a little chalet nestled between mountains and a crystal clear lake. It was all so typically Swiss.
Later on in the evening, I got to meet the rest of my group and my tour guide Rosie. Most of the people in the group were older, with a few young couples and kids thrown in. Tomorrow was going to be a full day. We would take the bus to Lucerne and sight-see. I decided to do the optional Ski-Lift excursion up Mount Tittlis. It was supposed to be gorgeous.
I went back up to my room, stepped on the balcony and watched the moon shimmy off the lake, with snow capped mountains in the background. This and a disinfected room was about all I could ask for in life...
Hours before the sun rose, I bid adieu to the Rat-Trap, & caught a double decker shuttle to Heathrow Airport. I hopped a shuttle flight to Zurich. At least I was able to fly over Paris. It looked pretty nice from 10, 000 ft up.
My hotel was in Fluefen & the city we would be touring was Lucerne. This is all on the German side of Switzerland and German ain't my specialty. It must be the world's harshest sounding language! Walking through the airport, everything sounded like "Ich blein gwiurtz und staag sig heil Deutchland!". (ed. note: yes some stereotyping, please forgive) I had to catch a train out of Zurich, switch to another train and ride for 1 1/2 hours to Fluefen. An English speaking attendant at the airport told me which trains to catch. I had to sit at one station in the middle of nowhere for an hour waiting for my second train. Meanwhile German was being shrieked across the loudspeaker. I felt like I had just stepped into the middle of Schindler's List. I wonder how you say, "There is a Black Man in this station!" in German?
I did manage to make it to my hotel in one piece. I was pretty anxious to meet the rest of my tour group. I blurted out to the woman at the desk that I was with Cosmos Tours & I needed my room. The gist of our conversation was:
Woman: "Ich FLuugg blik aaaggg?"
Me: (at top of my lungs) COSMOS! (making key motion with hand) Room!
FYI, don't bother yelling at people who don't speak English.
After some adieu, I did get my room. The rest of the group wouldn't be in for three more hours. I could shower, appreciate the scenery & then sleep. The view was beautiful. The hotel was a little chalet nestled between mountains and a crystal clear lake. It was all so typically Swiss.
Later on in the evening, I got to meet the rest of my group and my tour guide Rosie. Most of the people in the group were older, with a few young couples and kids thrown in. Tomorrow was going to be a full day. We would take the bus to Lucerne and sight-see. I decided to do the optional Ski-Lift excursion up Mount Tittlis. It was supposed to be gorgeous.
I went back up to my room, stepped on the balcony and watched the moon shimmy off the lake, with snow capped mountains in the background. This and a disinfected room was about all I could ask for in life...
Jul 28th, 2006, 07:46 AM
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Day 7 Sun. 10/9 Lucerne
Bright and early in the morning we herded ourselves onto the bus. (This would be the routine for the next two weeks.) The drive through the Swiss countryside was marvelous, rolling hills, mountains and lots of beautiful homes.
Lucerne is an exquisite city. (and of course a tourist trap). I walked around for hours looking at the quaint architecture. Our tour guide told us to be sure to eat before we went to Mt. Tittlis, because the food was ridiculously expensive on top.
We went to the most famous watch shop in all of Switzerland. Ornate cuckoo clocks were all over. (I would go nuts working there!) The cheap watches were $500! Can you imagine buying someone a $30, 000 Rolex and then finding out they "must have lost it somewhere"?
We then took the bus up the STEEP STEEP path to where we would catch the chair lift to Mt. Tittlis. Please bear in mind that I despise chair lifts and do them about once per decade. Roller coasters with multiple flips I can handle, but don't people get that there is only one wire holding you on a chair lift? I quaked in fear as we slowly made our ascent. Meanwhile, there was a group of kids bungee jumping out of the lifts further up!
At the top of the mountain, was the four story building that held an observatory, restaurant, gift, shop, etc. We got out and I started walking up the steps. In a few seconds I felt dizzy and my chest felt as if someone was standing on it. Then it dawned on me that I wasn't getting any oxygen! You have to force deep breaths up there in the thin mountain air. Then it dawned on me that I was starving! (No I didn't eat before as I was told!) The prices of the restaurant were beyond astronomical. You were 10, 000 ft. up, they knew they had you. The cheapest thing I could find was a tiny plate of fries for $9.00!!!!!! "Gee are you sure that's enough *&^%$ money for you guys to make a profit? Why not take my pancreas too?" I ate every last fry and licked the salt off the plate.
Then I stepped outside, onto the mountain top & into the snow. WOW! Just one view made it all worthwhile. When you're at the top of the world, all you can think about is being close to the Creator and how powerful he must be to put this all here. Now if he can just keep me from slipping and cracking my head open, the day would be perfect.
There must have been a million Japanese tourists on the mountain top, all clicking away with their cameras. Every third person wanted to take a picture with me. I guess anytime you get a Black man running around like an idiot in snow, it's a historic event!
When we got got back to the Hotel, we dined on Chicken Cordon Bleu. I could still feel the motion of the ski lift, sort've like a hangover without the alcohol. We would be leaving for Italy in the morning so I packed my suitcase.
Bright and early in the morning we herded ourselves onto the bus. (This would be the routine for the next two weeks.) The drive through the Swiss countryside was marvelous, rolling hills, mountains and lots of beautiful homes.
Lucerne is an exquisite city. (and of course a tourist trap). I walked around for hours looking at the quaint architecture. Our tour guide told us to be sure to eat before we went to Mt. Tittlis, because the food was ridiculously expensive on top.
We went to the most famous watch shop in all of Switzerland. Ornate cuckoo clocks were all over. (I would go nuts working there!) The cheap watches were $500! Can you imagine buying someone a $30, 000 Rolex and then finding out they "must have lost it somewhere"?
We then took the bus up the STEEP STEEP path to where we would catch the chair lift to Mt. Tittlis. Please bear in mind that I despise chair lifts and do them about once per decade. Roller coasters with multiple flips I can handle, but don't people get that there is only one wire holding you on a chair lift? I quaked in fear as we slowly made our ascent. Meanwhile, there was a group of kids bungee jumping out of the lifts further up!
At the top of the mountain, was the four story building that held an observatory, restaurant, gift, shop, etc. We got out and I started walking up the steps. In a few seconds I felt dizzy and my chest felt as if someone was standing on it. Then it dawned on me that I wasn't getting any oxygen! You have to force deep breaths up there in the thin mountain air. Then it dawned on me that I was starving! (No I didn't eat before as I was told!) The prices of the restaurant were beyond astronomical. You were 10, 000 ft. up, they knew they had you. The cheapest thing I could find was a tiny plate of fries for $9.00!!!!!! "Gee are you sure that's enough *&^%$ money for you guys to make a profit? Why not take my pancreas too?" I ate every last fry and licked the salt off the plate.
Then I stepped outside, onto the mountain top & into the snow. WOW! Just one view made it all worthwhile. When you're at the top of the world, all you can think about is being close to the Creator and how powerful he must be to put this all here. Now if he can just keep me from slipping and cracking my head open, the day would be perfect.
There must have been a million Japanese tourists on the mountain top, all clicking away with their cameras. Every third person wanted to take a picture with me. I guess anytime you get a Black man running around like an idiot in snow, it's a historic event!
When we got got back to the Hotel, we dined on Chicken Cordon Bleu. I could still feel the motion of the ski lift, sort've like a hangover without the alcohol. We would be leaving for Italy in the morning so I packed my suitcase.
