Distance racked up on the rental car: 1400km (870mi)
Diesel (Gasoléo A) consumed: 140l
Languages spoken: English, Spanish, Arabic, French, Dutch, Farsi (with my Afghan cab driver in Amsterdam)
Cheese consumed, in kilos: incalculable
Jamón consumed, in kilos: incalculable
Wine consumed, in litres: incalculable
Marijuana smoked legally: 3g
Whores banged legally: 0
Attempted robberies: 1
Diseases contracted: 3 (1 each for Elena, J, and myself - none from whores)
Mullets spotted in Barcelona: countless
Cases of fetal alchol syndrome in Gibraltar: countless
American college hippe types with beards in Amsterdam: (see above)
Former heads of state who died while I was away: 2 (Gerald Ford, Saddam Hussein)
Overall Impressions...
Andalucía: This is a stunnignly beautfiul part of Spain, with dramatic landscape, a rich culture, Moorish architecture, and roads that are fun fun fun to drive. I only wish we had more than 5 nights there, but I think we maximized every moment of our time in the region pretty nicely. Next time I'd probably escape the Little Britain that is Marbella and stay in a more Spanish town. It is Spain, after all.
Tangier: Ok, so maybe this isn't the real Morocco, but it was a nice little taste, and it's definitely left me wanting more. How long 'til I decide to make a trip to Marrakech and Rabat? Oh, I've already decided I will. It's just a matter of when.
Gibraltar: Worth seeing for the Barbary Apes and the caves within the rock alone. On top of that, it's just such an odd, fascinating little place, that it simply has to be seen in person to be appreciated. Truly a strange little melting pot.
Barcelona: It was and still is one of my favorite cities in the world... Although I have to say, I like it better in the summer, despite the hordes of tourists. Probably because it's the warmth and sunshine that really bring out the best of Barça. Still, no matter what time of year, this town knows how to party, how to eat, how to drink... Ah, I wish I could move here!
Amsterdam: More beautiful than I remembered it, and much nicer in the winter. The weather's about the same anyway (cold and always ready to rain) only there are fewer tourists than there are in the summer. And fewer roving British stag parties. Still, stay off the beaten path for best results. I'm still not fascinated by Amsterdam in a touristic standpoint, but I maintain that it seems to be one of the most livable cities, and I would absolutely love to live there. If only because the bicycle trumps the car here. And their stance on soft drugs doesn't hurt, either...
Brussels: I've been told countless times that Brussels is the most boring town in Belgium. That Antwerp's more interesting and Brugge more beautiful. Well, if that's the case, I can't wait to see the rest of Belgium. I was pleasantly surprised by Brussels' quaint beauty and old world charm, tempered by modern dynamism. What I can't get over is how homely and poorly dressed the locals are. I'm gonna come back, just to feel like the hottest guy in town.
London: What can I say about Londontown that I haven't said countless times before? It's expensive and too been-there-done-that, but it's "home," and I'll always stop by every time I'm going to Europe. That said, London is very dynamic and constantly changing. Whereas a few years ago it was a culinary desert, it's now home to many top restaurants. And in the last year alone, they've joined the movement toward free-range foods and locally grown produce. Hell, even the meat pie stand at Paddington offers all those healthy, organic, guilt-free options. The place has come a long way from its meat and two veg.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Sunday, January 07, 2007
The Long Trek Home
Fuck Virgin Atlantic.
Fuck them for having incompetent check-in staff, preventing me from doing any sort of shopping at Heathrow before leaving.
Fuck them for delaying the flight so much that I could have gone shopping with no problem.
Fuck them for bumping the seats I'd reserved months in advance and moving my party to the middle seats of the center aisle.
Fuck them for having a seat pitch so cramped, that my sick self couldn't have a moment's comfort on the plane, unless it was when I escaped through the guys on either end and went and hung out near the lavatories.
Fuck them for lowering their prices and filling their planes. What was once a cool flying experience is now déclassé and cramped. Whereas VA was a refuge for the travel savvy, it's now full of the same space-taking, inconsiderate mouthbreathers you find on every other airline. You know who I'm talking about.
Then again, I loooove their frequent flyer club. I'm just going to upgrade a class for longhaul flights from now on. And I looooove their flight attendants. I don't know if it was their usual level of beauty, or having been with the uglies in Belgium the day before, but my cold medicine addled brain was falling in love every ten minutes or so.
Joanna - the stunning brunette with the cute Welsh accent on VS019, if you're reading this and ever want a good layover, leave a comment.
Fuck them for having incompetent check-in staff, preventing me from doing any sort of shopping at Heathrow before leaving.
Fuck them for delaying the flight so much that I could have gone shopping with no problem.
Fuck them for bumping the seats I'd reserved months in advance and moving my party to the middle seats of the center aisle.
Fuck them for having a seat pitch so cramped, that my sick self couldn't have a moment's comfort on the plane, unless it was when I escaped through the guys on either end and went and hung out near the lavatories.
Fuck them for lowering their prices and filling their planes. What was once a cool flying experience is now déclassé and cramped. Whereas VA was a refuge for the travel savvy, it's now full of the same space-taking, inconsiderate mouthbreathers you find on every other airline. You know who I'm talking about.
Then again, I loooove their frequent flyer club. I'm just going to upgrade a class for longhaul flights from now on. And I looooove their flight attendants. I don't know if it was their usual level of beauty, or having been with the uglies in Belgium the day before, but my cold medicine addled brain was falling in love every ten minutes or so.
Joanna - the stunning brunette with the cute Welsh accent on VS019, if you're reading this and ever want a good layover, leave a comment.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
I Kinda Heart London
Offline Update
I think I've mentioned before my love/hate relationship with London. I love it because it's my childhood home and my fallback destination, and I feel like I know the place inside and out. I hate how expensive it is. £4 for a single tube ride? £3 for a pint of beer? £129 for one night in a small, triple hotel room with a teeny tiny bathroom and WebTV for internet access? Aiyeeee! I'm over this place, but something keeps bringing me back.
I attempted to update the blog using the WebTV interface and just couldn't do it. So as of tonight, I've written everything offline for updating as soon as I have a proper net connection. That probably won't be until getting to Heathrow tomorrow morning before our flight home.
Yeah, it's that time: Time to start thinking about going home. I don't want to do it, but for once, I feel completely satisfied with my trip. Maybe it's all the countries we hit up. Maybe it was the change of pace of renting a car for a week. Maybe it was the variety of locales and means of transportation. Whatever it is, i'm not going to hate going home for once. In fact, I'm more than happy to rest up for the trip home.
Elena decided to stay in to recover from her cold, Spencer and Sarah went to meet some London friends for dinner, and J and I opted to have a few quiet ones at the local pubs around Bayswater, my old hang. Overall, a pretty mellow night.
I got home and fiddled with the WebTV again, and noticed I was starting to come down with something, just as J was the night before in Amsterdam. Great... this is going to be a long ride home. Now I'm wondering if it's from licking the sole of a shoe, or just being exposed to a couple of sick travelmates. Mabye both?
I think I've mentioned before my love/hate relationship with London. I love it because it's my childhood home and my fallback destination, and I feel like I know the place inside and out. I hate how expensive it is. £4 for a single tube ride? £3 for a pint of beer? £129 for one night in a small, triple hotel room with a teeny tiny bathroom and WebTV for internet access? Aiyeeee! I'm over this place, but something keeps bringing me back.
I attempted to update the blog using the WebTV interface and just couldn't do it. So as of tonight, I've written everything offline for updating as soon as I have a proper net connection. That probably won't be until getting to Heathrow tomorrow morning before our flight home.
Yeah, it's that time: Time to start thinking about going home. I don't want to do it, but for once, I feel completely satisfied with my trip. Maybe it's all the countries we hit up. Maybe it was the change of pace of renting a car for a week. Maybe it was the variety of locales and means of transportation. Whatever it is, i'm not going to hate going home for once. In fact, I'm more than happy to rest up for the trip home.
Elena decided to stay in to recover from her cold, Spencer and Sarah went to meet some London friends for dinner, and J and I opted to have a few quiet ones at the local pubs around Bayswater, my old hang. Overall, a pretty mellow night.
I got home and fiddled with the WebTV again, and noticed I was starting to come down with something, just as J was the night before in Amsterdam. Great... this is going to be a long ride home. Now I'm wondering if it's from licking the sole of a shoe, or just being exposed to a couple of sick travelmates. Mabye both?
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