I'm ba-ack!! Nevil ([email protected]) with a trip report
 

Here we go!! <BR><BR> I didn’t have enough time to spend in some places, that sucked, but I knew that going in. Basically, that’s the price you pay for trying to jam in too many places in such a short period of time. I didn’t get to see all the things I wanted to and forgot some of things I did see. However, I’ll try my best to recall what I can. A lot will be about the people I met, some funny stuff!! I am posting this piece by piece, right away. It’s all written, just don‘t know how much text I can fit into one post.<BR><BR>Some train notes: <BR><BR>-Next time I’ll look into whether or not I would have saved money by buying individual tickets or country passes. For me, I don’t think so, I covered a lot of ground and used all 15 days. (I got the 5+1 country, first class. I wasn’t allowed to buy 2nd class, of‘ course) <BR>-Canadians take note of this: We get ripped off beyond belief. You have to buy your pass here, so this is what happened. I noticed that Americans only pay $1135 CAD for the same pass that we pay $1300 CAD for in Canada!! I told my travel agent that I wanted to pay in US$ or wanted the pass for $1135 CAD. She got it for $1135 for me ( kudos to her). So, the prices are not set, get the discount you deserve. <BR>-1st class is WAY better than 2nd. Unless you’re on a regular Italian train, which is more like 4th class.<BR>-Incredible how you have to pay a supplement for Thalys trains, why? The German ICE trains (especially) and French TGV trains are a thousand times better. What a joke.<BR>-Some live and learns with the train by not reserving ahead, etc. However, I always took the correct train, never missed one and always got off at the right station. Not a bad way to travel.<BR>

General notes:<BR><BR>-Apparently, I’m RICH!! Wow, glad to hear that, guess I can retire now! I must have been told that 50 times (although, the Swiss didn’t think that), hilarious!! Basically, I just explained that it’s all an illusion. First of all, Europeans get about twice as much vacation time as NA’s do. So, when we go on vacation, we spend it. Secondly, yes, a lot of NA’s that go to Europe DO have wads of cash for sure. But in Reality, most NA’s couldn’t even afford a flight to Europe let alone be able to do anything once we got there. There is a lot of poverty in NA that Euro’s just don’t see. Example, the unemployment rate in Canada is 10%. In the U.S., well, just have a look at some of the poverty there. Lots of Euro’s told me they wanted to live in NA. I told them it’s not all fun, games and money galore once you get here. Some people got the point, others did not.<BR>-Pretty much every pub or bar in Europe plays dance music despite the fact that there was no dance floor. Extraordinary. Us NA’s had a tough time figuring that one out, it was puzzling.<BR>-European toilets couldn’t flush a piece of belly button lint.<BR>-I’ve never seen so many people wearing casts in my life. Probably all scooter accidents, they were insane.<BR>-There is almost always some sort of festival or concert going on, no matter what day of the week it is. That was the greatest!!<BR>-You get lonely sometimes.<BR>-The Simpsons is still BY FAR the best show ever, no matter what language you watch it in.<BR>-Germans follow the rules of road and know how to curb their dogs.<BR>-Punk rock is alive and well in Germany, excellent!!<BR>-90% of people I talked to were either robbed, know someone who was robbed or saw someone getting robbed in Barcelona. I didn’t go there, but not for that reason at all.<BR>-French people thought I should be able to speak French because I’m Canadian. I guess the majority of their Cdn tourists come from Quebec.<BR>-The tourists didn’t bother me in the least anywhere, except one place, where they were annoying beyond belief. If you read my original agenda (Europe Agenda: Any ideas or suggestions?), I think you’ll be able to figure it out if you’ve been there.<BR>-My running joke with all the locals was that I would complain about all the “friggin’ tourists”!! It was always good for a laugh.<BR>-Sorry, have to mention. Spanish women were the best dressed and best looking. French were 2nd in both categories.<BR>-You see stuff on Travel shows all the time, but seeing castles and buildings, etc. in person is a different story entirely. WOW!!<BR>

Food and drink:<BR><BR>-It was disturbing to see how PACKED every McDonald’s was (no, I didn’t go in to one). I fear if they infiltrate any more, the Euro’s will become as fat as us NA’s.<BR>-Also, what’s the deal with Pizza Huts in Europe? There’s great pizza everywhere, so why would have pretty much the worst pizza on the planet instead?!<BR>-Almost impossible to find spicy food, but generally, the food was fantastic everywhere.<BR>-Food service was LIGHTENING fast. It just doesn’t happen like that in NA.<BR>-the French love their eggs.<BR>-Tapas are the best.<BR>-Everyone in Europe is either eating ice cream or smoking. I really enjoy ice cream, but didn’t have any for some reason, but the price sure seemed right. However, I did smoke a lot, time for the patch.<BR>-Spanish know how to party. They seem to drink from the moment they wake up until the moment they go to bed. They put some sort of booze in their coffee in the morning (does someone know what that is?)!! I never saw a drink being poured that wasn’t at least 4 ounces. It was total chaos, I loved it!!<BR><BR>Last notes:<BR><BR>-In case you were wondering, I’m 34 and traveled by myself.<BR>-Apologies in advance for misspelling some things or places.<BR>-I consider myself pretty lucky to avoid the excruciating heat wave in Toronto and the horrific flooding in Europe.<BR>-I won’t bothering mentioning what hotel I stayed in unless it was something worth mentioning. Mostly just basic hotels, Ibis or as good as Best Western.<BR>-Basically, I stayed about 2-3 days in every place unless otherwise mentioned.<BR>-I’m sort of counting this as my first trip to Europe. When actually, I went to Alicante/Ibiza for 5 days in May. However I was meeting a Spanish girl, so I didn’t have to worry about the language, directions or anything like that…and obviously, I saw very little of Europe then.<BR>-I‘ll plan better the next time.<BR>-I feel pretty lucky to be Canadian, we get treated like GOLD by Europeans, they’re (you’re) the best!!<BR>-The good things about Europe outweigh the bad things about a BILLION to one.<BR>-Anyone who wishes to email me personally, can do so at ([email protected]). In the title/subject bar, please put ***FODORITE***. Emails that are not recognized in my address book go to my junk mail and I have to sift through them.<BR>-Also, I have 55 photos posted on MSN Photos, email me if you would like to see them. I’ll make reference to some of them in my report as well. <BR>-Up next, the good stuff…!!!<BR>

Blois, France.<BR><BR> A few people at home told me not to bother going to France because the French are just so rude. (Incidentally, most Europeans on my travels said the same thing, hmmm…). Well, my thought was, how about I start in France and find out for myself. I certainly don’t speak French, but being from Toronto, we are exposed to it somewhat. I can read a menu OK because all food products in Canada are listed in French and English. I know hello, please, thank you and a couple of other words, but that’s it. I could never string together a sentence or understand it when spoken to me. So, I just studied up a bit on the plane with my European Phrase book was ready to deal with whatever.<BR><BR> Landed in Paris, had to validate my rail pass, had to take two intercity trains to get me to St. Austerlitz, so I could catch my train to Blois (good to know…pronounced Blue-ah). Not an issue at all, everyone I encountered was very nice and helpful. Walked around Paris for a couple of hours, grabbed a bite to eat and a beer (1664, very good). Everyone was very friendly.<BR> <BR> So, here I am in Blois. Now what do I do?! Well, just walked into town, grabbed a hotel and had a nap…When I envisioned a European town that I wanted to be in, Blois nailed it to a tee. Wow, what a great looking place (thanks Leslie, great call!!). All the narrow, winding, hilly alleyways and beautiful buildings, it was cool. I loved just wandering aimlessly through the streets. The Chateau de Blois was pretty impressive, goodness (photos 2-3). <BR><BR> Loved eating ham and cheese kiosk sandwiches with the eggs in them (of’ course) and the grilled ham and cheese (croque monsiors or something?) as well. Pizza’s come with an egg cracked on it, too funny, great though!! Oh, by the way, everyone in town thought Le Medicis hotel was the best restaurant in Blois, I didn‘t eat there. <BR><BR> I visited Chateau de Chambord and Cheverny as well. You can grab a bus from the train station, something like 5 hours and 17E in total, good deal. Holy cow, Chambord was HUGE!! I really enjoyed it, lots of good stuff inside as well. People didn’t seem nearly as impressed with Cheverny. I just don’t think they were paying attention to all the incredible detail of the structure and especially the contents. The landscape was also incredible, with that huge park and everything. They have all these Bloodhounds there as well, just watching them with the trainer was cool . Both castles were pretty neat to say the least. <BR>

Now, for the people, a myth?…<BR><BR> Certainly not a lot of them spoke English, as it turns out, no big deal. First night in Europe, I decide to plant myself on a huge patio (L’ Hendrix, as in Jimi, no dance music, excellent) and have a few beers. This is the first time I’ve ever been to a bar alone, so it’s going to be a little weird. I had a couple of Heinekens and wanted to try something different, like a French beer. My waiter (actually half owner, Philip) doesn’t speak a WORD of English and has difficulty understanding anything I’m saying, so his wife comes out (Nelly). She speaks VERY little English, but I managed to get my point across and ordered a Kriska. It’s beer with vodka in it, taste like Corona to me, nothing special. I didn’t order it again. <BR> Anyway, I’ve been there for a couple of hours, it’s getting a little chilly, so I went inside the bar. The owners are asking where I’m from, people are introducing themselves to me. It’s a total struggle with so many of them because of the language barrier. But holy cow, were they ever NICE!!! The owners and a couple of other locals from the bar took me out after they closed and we had a great time!! The next night, to their house!! <BR> A couple of the locals took me around the corner to another bar (they didn’t speak a word of English), one of them was even trying to introduce me to his daughter!! (He thought I was rich). People were driving me out to other places and back to my hotel in town at end of night, despite the fact I had just met them and they didn’t speak English and my French is horrific. The one place around the corner from L’ Hendrix would shout “CANADA!!” when I came in. We’d sit down and play cards have a couple of beers, they‘d take me out, etc. By the way, this place had a Portuguese beer called Super Bock. It was one of my favourites. <BR> Seriously, I have never met so many exceedingly nice people in my life!! We were having a riot. Maybe it’s a small town thing? It just goes to show, if you try and speak just a little of the language, smile a lot and just be friendly, people will love you. <BR><BR> Now I had to leave and also get it into my head that no matter what, things couldn’t possibly work out this good everywhere, but that it would still be GREAT!!<BR><BR>Notes: <BR>-Wine: Red, Cheverny 2000 Domain de la Desoucherie, very good as I recall. About 6E.<BR>-Internet caf&eacute; near L’ Hendrix. 3E for 15 minutes, yikes!!<BR>-The rest of my places won’t take as long to read!!<BR>

I had a day to kill before I was supposed to meet friends from Toronto in San Sebastian, Spain, so I thought I would check out Bordeaux…should have stayed in Blois. OK, try not to chastise me too much. Maybe just point out the good stuff in Bordeaux that I missed. I hear the surrounding area is nice (Dordorgne?). All I’m telling you is what I saw. I stayed by the train station and Centreville, had a few hours to walk around. The streets were littered with garbage, construction, seedy people and vagrants. Pretty hard to enjoy any architecture when you’re too busy tip-toeing through the dog merde. The multi-cultural aspect doesn’t interest me in the least. I already live in the most multi-cultural city in the world (makes for great food here), so I live and breath it every day. I just went back to my hotel room and read up on some other destinations. Actually, it was nice to relax by myself for an evening. So, a big whatever to Bordeaux. By the way, the people seemed nice enough. I still am not understanding the rude-stereotyping thing.

San Sebastian, Spain:<BR><BR> I was studying Spanish with my phrase book and realised that they speak a lot of Basque (Bas-ko) in San Sebastian/Donostia. So now I’m trying to learn my 3rd language in 5 days. Spanish isn’t so bad but Basque is SO different. Neat language, so old that no one even knows the true origin of it. They think maybe Chechen or Georgian. Definitely the most difficult language I’ve ever encountered, but I’d try.<BR><BR> Turns out I didn’t meet my friends there. For some reason, they thought SS was close to Stiges (Barcelona). HELLO!! Whatever…If you like the beach and like to party, I think you’ll like this place! The beach is HUGE and really nice. I love old town with the narrow streets and people going insane ’til all hours of the morning. The Tapas were GREAT!! I found it pretty funny that everyone just chucks all their garbage, etc. right on the floor of the bar. That’s just what your supposed to do, I guess. Some great churches and buildings as well, sorry, can’t remember the names, they were spectacular though, especially the one at the end of the old town (pic 3-4-5). Lots of good things to see for sure, pretty old (of‘ course!!). <BR><BR> I was hanging out at a bar first evening, chatting with an American guy from New York. It was nice to just speak English again!! It was a pub in the old town, had a sign out front that said “Good Music” (They didn’t play dance music). Ended up meeting two Spanish couples on their vacation the next night. They were hilarious! They didn’t speak much English, but we got along just fine. They took me out to a lounge for a few drinks. I was trying to tell them something and had my Spanish dictionary out, a crusty old guy at the bar tried to knock it out of my hand with a terse attitude. I just laughed at him, thanked the bartender in Basque and low and behold…Senor Crusty is over shaking my hand and trying to ask where I’m from, etc., too funny! I tried to use it in a few places, it was appreciated for sure. Once again, speak it, they’ll love you! All in all, a half decent place. I thought he people were generally pretty nice.<BR><BR>Notes: <BR>-Beer: Keler 18 was excellent.<BR>-Internet was in the old town, pretty cheap.<BR>-The train station sucked, get there early if you need a ticket, the wait is ridiculous.<BR>

Next stop…I really wanted to go to Salamanca, Spain. Those Spanish couples said to go. Well, since I still hadn’t met my friends, so I wasn’t sure. I thought I would skip Salamanca and meet them in the Provence region of France. I was planning on meeting my Spanish friend in Barcelona, so I would still be exploring more of Spain after Provence. However, I wanted to get an over night train to France, they said I couldn’t, so I said, Salamanca? They said no problem. (One thing about night trains, you burn two days on your pass, that sucks). <BR><BR> I went to the bar car (surprise, surprise) to see if I could meet any people and ended chatting with three guys from Switzerland, Portugal and Ireland. They had just met because they had all got kicked out of their compartments for being in the wrong seat. Strangely enough, I also got kicked out of mine!! (I took an empty one with smoking) We ended up meeting a couple of German girls and a couple of Spanish girls and hanging out drinking red wine all night. I was the old guy, but they didn’t seem to care, it was a blast!!! The Irish guy (he was cool) was going to Salamanca, the rest to Lisbon.

Arrived at 5:00AM, the train station was REALLY nice. Clean, lots of security, well lit. It had a caf&eacute; where you could grab a bite to eat and a coffee. Lots of people sleeping in a neat, orderly fashion with their knapsacks. I’m already impressed. Waited until around 8:00 and grabbed a taxi into town with Irish. It cost 2.60E, the same taxi in France would cost you 15.00E!! He was staying at a hostel, I was going to grab a hotel. I went to the Ibis, but it wasn’t built yet, so that was pretty funny. I was wondering why the taxi driver or anyone else hadn’t heard of it!! Turned out perfectly, though. I grabbed a room over-looking a main street, where cars are only allowed in the morning (I think). It’s all patios and people walking by. It was a great hotel (Hotel Emperitz. Sp?), 36E a night, what a deal!! <BR><BR> I didn’t realise the European Union picks a Cultural Capital each year until I got there and realised it was Salamanca. (Wow, that was lucky) Easy to see why it‘s here, my GOD, this place is beautiful. I was stunned. The weather was perfect, 33C, never a cloud, no humidity. The Plaza Mayor is unbelievable, you could just sit there all day and admire it’s beauty, wow. I also think they used to have bull fighting in here, so cool. SO many other nice buildings, the cathedrals, the university, the monastery, I couldn’t believe my eyes. <BR><BR> It was super cheap too!! The internet caf&eacute; was 1.20E an hour and 2.00E a pint. Nightlife?! Well, it’s a university town, need I say more. (I was hanging out with Irish) It was total madness, every bar packed to the rafters with people going insane until dawn. It was a little much for me, you know, the loud dance music, I only went bar hopping one night, but it was fun!! Lots of young American kids (14-15) sent here by their parents for a month to learn Spanish. They have NO idea how corrupted they’re getting. It’s not like there’s a drinking age in Spain!! They go out every night until 6:00AM. All this in the middle of the week as well, too much!! By 8:00AM, the streets are sparkling clean, they really have their act together in this town. I REALLY loved this place, I’m going back. I thought the people were a fair bit nicer than San Sebastian, they were excellent!<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>-the Spanish know how to party, great people!!<BR>-Beer: Mahou 5 star was my fav. Mahou Classica was really good as well. <BR>-Internet in town, just outside of Plaza Mayor, they have a patio as well. SUPER cheap.<BR>-Internet also at the train station.<BR>

Off to Provence in France.<BR><BR> Arles, France, one year later. Well, 21 hours or something. The train along the south of France was nice. Lourdes looked fairly picturesque (nice place?). Arles is pretty impressive, a little boring if you like to be out past 11:00 on a Saturday night, but a really nice town nonetheless.<BR><BR> The Arena is HUGE!! Really old, built in 1 AD (unreal), 26,000 seats. It was used for gladiator combats and I think they still have real bull fights there, wow, that‘s great. I know they have mock bull fights, but there wasn’t any when I was there. There’s an old theatre, lots of REALLY old buildings, the narrow winding streets, it was nice. I have a picture of an arched doorway from somewhere in town, (maybe Abbey St. Trophime?) it’s BEAUTIFUL. The intricate detail and stone carving is mind blowing. (picture: 5 arles 1). <BR><BR> Met a couple from Cleveland on their Honeymoon at a patio at the bottom of the arena. They were great fun!! We went out for dinner…SO good. If you go to Arles, go to Le Criquette (sp?). It right around the arena. It was the best meal I’d had in Europe so far. Great ambiance, a side patio, prompt, friendly service, and the food…It was a fixed price menu, I started with a ravioli in a cream sauce, had sliced duck with asparagus and potatoes, then some goat cheeses and melba thingy’s with olive paste, finished with Cr&egrave;me Broule (sp?). It was superb, we were REALLY impressed. The presentation was excellent as well. All for 18E, you’ve got to be kidding me!! What a deal. Arles is pretty nice…and of’ course, so were the people. Thanks Marla, good call!<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>Wine: Red: Domaine du Verquiere, Cote du Rhone. Really good. Cheap.<BR>Internet: They have one, don’t remember the exact location, it‘s pretty close to the arena.<BR>

This time I’m finally going to catch up to my friends from home in Santa Margherita, Italy (along the coast, just east of Genoa. The train ride was the best. Through the vineyards and along the Cote d’Azur, holy cow, unreal. Well, so was Santa Margherita. Wow, it was beautiful!! All the different pastel coloured houses, palm trees, beach, water, beautiful pristine condition buildings built into the hills, it was eye candy deluxe! The food was incredible as well, had an unbelievable Pesto Lasagne. Trying to get the name of restaurant from my friends, will let you know. <BR><BR> Now, herein lies the problem of travelling with people. I wanted to stay more than one day for sure, but they had been there for a while and wanted me come along to Nice with them. I figured I might be back in Italy and decided to go. After all, we’re having a great time, so it‘ll be fun…but I never made it back to Italy. That’s a HUGE disappointment. Oh well, knew something like that would happen. Next time. The people seemed very nice, wish I had more time to spend with them.<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>-Internet was in my hotel, Best Western<BR>-Didn’t drink any wine ( I know, I know!!)<BR>

My friends had a car, we drove along the coast to Nice. What a spectacular drive. Blows my mind to see every town built way up into those steep hills, all so beautiful. The highway was great too, perfect condition. All those tunnels, it was neat.<BR><BR> Nice was an OK place to go. I had fun because of the people I was with. Met an American couple from Dallas and a guy from Amsterdam in the laundry mat. The 4 of us were hanging out at the Toronto couples’ hotel room at the Meridian, right along the beach front, over-looking the water. Pretty expensive hotel, I certainly didn‘t stay there!! Didn’t see any of the museums, always busy doing other things. Hard to find a good meal in Nice. Had some OK mussels and fries, but that was about it. Anyway, the company was good, had a lot of fun. However, didn’t get to check out Monaco or Saint Tropez, that would have been fun. Seems like you don’t much done with other people around. Lastly, I thought the people in Nice were REALLY nice, that it made it pretty good for sure.<BR><BR>Notes:<BR><BR>Wine: Reds; Chateau Darmange Bordeaux Superior 98. I didn’t drink much wine, but this was the best wine yet. Maybe 7E. Also Chateau de Roux (Cote de Provence) was nice. Sorry, when I say how much for wine, I mean from the store, not a dining establishment.<BR><BR>Internet: Caf&eacute; Illy, nice people, first block up from the water, near the Casino and the…McDonald’s, which is always packed, don‘t go in!!

Now, my first real train mistake, I was off to Zermatt, Switzerland as suggested by swissxxx. Guess what? Can’t go through Geneva, all sold out. Had to wait in Nice and take a night train through Strasbourg and back down. Surely there must have been an easier way. Oh well, I made it…thx swissxxx, it was worth it!!! P.S. The train from Brig to Zermatt was not covered in my rail pass, it was 67CHF, 2nd class, return. 1st class was 114, not worth it for such a short ride. <BR><BR> Zermatt (Matterhorn) is a great place!! When I envisioned Switzerland, it was Zermatt. The train from Brig was excellent, great view. It reminded me of the Canadian Rockies, except the trees were much smaller. LOVED the fact that cars aren’t allowed in Zermatt. They have these tiny electric taxis and hotel shuttles, they were cool. I wish every town would be like that. It was pretty expensive, but it was easy to figure how much everything was. The Swiss Franc is about the same as the CDN dollar.<BR><BR> The weather wasn’t the best, raining most of the time, it’s fairly chilly there, bring some warm clothes, especially if you plan on doing some hiking. I took the train up to Gornergrat with a Swiss guy who climbs mountains and stuff!! We hiked back down to Zermatt in the rain, pretty dangerous, we took kind of a non-tourist route, the view was incredible. Glaciers, glacial rapids, woody areas, excellent. You really have to be careful, though. Don’t even bother going up unless you have some good hiking boots. You can rent them at any sport shop in town (15CHF per day). SO many people didn’t have them, they all wanted to get back on the train. I don’t hike, but if you’re going to hike, this is where you want to do it. It was awesome, despite the rain. Good thing I had been walking miles and miles every day for 3 weeks. I don’t think I would have been able to move for days afterwards if my legs weren’t in such good shape. Whew!! It was a workout for sure! Make sure you check out the cemetery as well. Ended up getting some pretty good shots of the Matterhorn, except for that cloud that never goes away!!<BR><BR> Mostly hung out at a pub called the Hotel Post, crazy place. The elevator from the hotel actually opens up right in the middle of the bar!! Unreal. They have 4 neat bars in the caves beneath the bar as well. Grampi’s pizza across the street was probably the best pizza I had in Europe. I thought the Swiss were REALLY nice people. Everyone spoke English, that was a first for my journey as well. Definitely enjoyed Zermatt! <BR><BR>Notes:<BR>Beer: Cardinal was pretty good.<BR>Internet: in the Hotel Post<BR>

Off to Weimar, Germany. <BR><BR> Had a bit of a problem getting there from Erfurt. Only a 15 minute train ride, but there was a dead body on the tracks, so we had to take a bus!! I enjoyed Weimar, it was CHEAP. A beer and a Thuringer brat (which were great) for under 3E, can’t beat that!! Pretty much no one spoke English, so brush up before you get there. They had a concert going on in a downtown square (of’ course), it was fun. <BR><BR> Ate at the Hotel Thuringer as suggested by Fodors. It was empty, they didn’t have the roast beef, so I had some sort of steak (Scharfe Ecke?) which wrapped around some veggies and stuff, really good. The dumplings it came with (Knodeln?) are a regional specialty, I think, excellent. Great meal, with a beer, for about 11E, what a deal!!<BR><BR> Went to Buchenwald Concentration Camp, I don’t really know what to say. I hate to say something like that was great or anything, but I will say I think it’s a must see. The museum was unreal. Also, they had a film that was put together VERY well, pointing out all the atrocities, etc. When American troupes took over, they marched 1,000 citizens of Weimar into the camp because they couldn’t believe something like that was going on so close to them and they didn’t know about it. It was eerie to say the least. I went with an American couple, she spoke German, he was Jewish. Well, he said he was VERY impressed with the way they had it set up. Go see it for sure, it’s an experience.<BR><BR> I was having a night cap at my hotel and ended up hanging out with some American guys, in Weimar on business. Too funny. We were talking about New York, one of the guys (he was HUGE, from Georgia) was saying he’d never really been. He just went up for the “Kick-off Classic” (College football), Georgia Tech/Penn State. I said “Oh, I watched that, worst game I ever saw, SO sloppy, 16-13 final”. A couple of the guys started chuckling, turns out the HUGE guy was the starting Offensive Lineman for Georgia Tech in that game!! Hilarious!! He was totally cool about it, though. Probably just happy to see a Canadian boy who knows his American College Football. We went out and had an excellent time afterwards!! Weimar is a nice little town. German people are great, they REALLY seem to love Canadians, lucky me…again!!<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>-Beer: LOTS! They were all good, but I enjoyed the local the most. Weimarer.<BR>-No internet that anyone knew of in Weimar.

Now I have a choice to make. Do I go to Dresden, as a German girl in Zermatt and a couple of other people suggested, or do I go to Leipzig? Well, thanks Fodorite Fritz!! I kept the “take the question mark away from Leipzig, you’ll have a great time there!!” comment in my head. Lucky again, look at what happened to Dresden, it’s possible I may have been stuck there. I already knew not to go to Prague or Austria, but Dresden was just happening. Those floods were unbelievable, very sad watching it all unfold on CNN Europe. Best of luck to them.<BR><BR> You know what? Leipzig WAS a great time! I liked it there, much bigger city than I planned on visiting, but it was excellent. I stayed right by the train station, close to the downtown action, perfect. The train station is pretty big, largest in Europe, lots of shops, neat place. Leipzig has lots of terrific buildings and museums, bands, street musicians playing Bach or whatever, fashion shows, you name it. Pretty happening place for sure. <BR><BR> Great food there as well. LOVED the guy selling sausages with his own portable BBQ wrapped around him (see picture)!! How ingenious…now THAT’S German engineering!! Bino’s Kebab stand was great (Ritterstr. I think). They were nice guys, Turkish. Mike was giving me free coffee, this Turkish yogurt milk stuff (pretty interesting) and Beer/Cola. Yes, Beer/Cola in a can. You’ll never guess what it tastes like. Well, it tastes like beer and cola mixed together, need I say more. What’s this company’s next product? Nuts ‘n’ Gum, together at last?! Too much. Liked hanging out on Barfubgabchen St (?!), good patios. Definitely liked Leipzig a lot.<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>Beer: LOTS!! I ended up liking a local beer once again. Reudnitzer.<BR>Internet: Le Bit caf&eacute; on Rosa St.<BR>

Off to tourist town, Brugge, Belgium. It was here that I discovered the E.U. picks TWO Cultural Capitals a year, not one. Again with the luck, now I’ve stumbled upon both of them!! <BR><BR> First, the tourists. NEVER in my life have I seen such hoards of lollygagging, completely stunned people in my life. They’d be walking down the middle of the street going, duh, duh, duh. Umm, these streets that I speak of, they’re the kinds that have trucks, buses, cars, scooters, bicycles and horse and buggies on them!! Wow, I can’t believe I didn’t see anyone get creamed. If they did, they probably would have deserved it. 90% of them were total fools, PAY ATTENTION PEOPLE!! Seriously shocking.<BR><BR> However, there probably could have been twice as many tourists and it still wouldn’t have ruined Brugge. What a stunning place. Easy to see why it’s so packed, it was beautiful. The canals were outstanding, the buildings in the main square, the churches, the Lake of Love area? It was something else. I loved walking around the residential areas to avoid the tourists. Also, just like Fodor’s says, way less tourists in the early morning or evening. They had bands playing at night just behind the main square, really good fun. Ate at Taverne Oud Handbogenhof as Fodor’s suggested as well. Had the ribs w/fries and a great salad. I was stuffed, it was EXCELLENT!! That with two Leffe blondes, 16E. Terrific value, hardly any tourists, loved it there! Conversely, had an 8E pint on one of the patios in the main square, rip off. <BR><BR> It’s funny, I have a Belgian friend in Toronto (great guy), we worked together. He would always say that Belgians have a ‘step up’ on everyone else. We would always bug him, “Ah, you friggin’ Belgians, blah, blah, blah”!! Always have a good laugh over it. So I was looking to maybe nit-pick a little and see what I could find ‘wrong’ with Belgium. Well, what can I say. They have the best beer, best chocolate, excellent food, the people are SUPER nice, they all speak 4 languages, Brugge is stunning, on and on. They’ve got their act together to say the least. I’ll be going back to Brugge, despite all those tourists!!<BR><BR>Notes:<BR>BEER: Ummm. Brugs, Hoegaarden, Duvel and Straffe Hendrik were all great. Juliper was average. My favourite was Leffe Blonde. How do make a beer 6.6% that tastes that good?! Well, they’ve been brewing it since 1240, that‘s how…and how do make all that good beer with all those dinosaurs running around hassling you?! Incredible.<BR>Internet: the Coffee Link, very near downtown, great spot. Also an internet caf&eacute; right beside a laundry mat at the end of Langestraat.<BR>

Final destination, Amsterdam. A lot of people wear shades here. I can‘t tell you how disappointed I am that I could only spend 1.5 days. I screwed up. I LOVED this place. I wanted to stay, but a day here and there in other places cost me, live and learn, I guess. I was hoping to meet up with that guy I met in Nice from Amsterdam, but lost his email address. Luckily enough, I was at the internet caf&eacute; in Brugge a couple of hours before I left and he emailed me asking when I was coming to town. PERFECT!! Now I have a native of the city to show me around and he’s also an excellent guy (Sanne). <BR><BR> We just kind of hung out at a couple of local pubs the first night. He showed me a good ‘coffee shop’ (he doesn‘t smoke, though). I like to indulge every now and again at home and figured it was a MUST in Amsterdam, it‘s just what you do there!! I knew I would be giving it away the morning I left because I certainly wasn’t going to be able to finish it. (P.S. Generally, the stuff in Amsterdam is no big deal for Torontonians, it’s actually a little better in Canada). <BR><BR> It’s just such a freak show everywhere in Amsterdam!! The Red Light district is hilarious, you see it on TV, but in person? WAY too funny. All kinds of girls coming up and talking to me on the street (no, not THOSE girls!!). Anything goes in Amsterdam, people are just SO friendly. Once again, I missed out on all museums, etc. A couple of people told me to go the Anne Frank Museum, didn’t sound too interesting to me, but I went. The line up was at least 150 people long, NO time for that, so bye-bye. <BR><BR> Sanne and I took one of those canal boats to a fair in some park in the evening. Rides, music, food and beer, it was neat. But the best was a play we saw there (Beest). It was sick, sadistic and twisted…yet, somehow funny!! Only in Amsterdam. And what about this crazy food place in the Red Light District? It has windows of different kinds of FRESH, HOT snacks, stick your 1E in and you’re in business. They were GREAT!! I thought they only put women in glass enclosures in the RLD! Next time, I’m LANDING in Amsterdam so I don’t miss it again. What a place.<BR><BR>Beer: Heineken and Brand.<BR>Internet: Lots<BR><BR>Now I have to go home. How depressing to face stupid reality again. Since I flew from Amsterdam, customs in Toronto ripped apart everything I had looking for drugs, they thought I looked 25, so I MUST have drugs, idiots. <BR><BR>In conclusion, what a great time!! I love how each country is so close yet so VASTLY different. Also, you got a little history going there, EH!? European people rule, SO nice, love you guys. I want to live in Europe.<BR><BR>Thanks for everyone’s help, looking forward to your comments and…criticism (I hope not too much of that)!!<BR><BR>P.S. Don’t forget to ‘look up’ (well, maybe not in Brugge, you’ll get crushed), there’s lots of nice stuff up there as well!!<BR>

Keep gong, Nevil-this is a GREAT report. Very even-handed and fun. I can understand already why you made friends everywhere you went.

Nevil,<BR>I absolutely loved reading this report! Your enthusiasm and sense of humor made this so enjoyable - and I am sure that is part of why you were treated so well in Europe.<BR>I am glad that you felt about Europeans, the way that I do, they are nice people, just like the rest of us!<BR>Thank you for a very pleasant read!

Gee Nevil, it's a shame you didn't have any fun at all! :) Great trip report...thanks for sharing!<BR><BR>Anne