Nepal, Poole Town and a busy summer

27/4 - People around Corfe House are beginning to know me as the laid back guy who does what he says he'll do. And of course, the guy who's in a program so easy it's unfair. And to be honest, I like this reputation I have!

I've written about this before, but school is not my first priority. It's looking like I'll have to find time to fit my dissertation in over the summer. With a motorcycle trip, going to London to work with Japanese high schoolers, going to Spain for a month and now a trek to Finland for a visit with my friend Anna and her family (plus a 500 km road trip) this summer is already jam packed with traveling. That's not including a possible trip to either Kenya or Greece. Needless to say, I never thought this program would be like this. In September, I was expecting to have to study like I had a full-time job, and for that I was a little nervous. But fast forward eight months, and it's been nothing like that, not even a part-time job. While this program is incredibly overpriced, you'll never hear me say it wasn't worth it. I made the best possible decision, and I'd do it all over again (but next time I'd go to school in a Spanish speaking country).

Poole Town saw a record crowd at Tatnam Ground on Saturday. They were playing Corby Town, the second-placed team in the league. If Poole won or drew the game, they won the league. If Corby won, they won the league, so it was a game of very high stakes. So in front of more than 2,200 people, some of whom were sitting on the wooden fence surrounding the ground, Corby won 3-2 in what was a thrilling game that in the end, though it ripped out the hearts of Poole Town fans. Corby went up 2-0, only for Poole to come back at 2-2. Anna, Rebecca and I experienced disappointment, excitement, ecstasy and more disappointment, all within two hours. That's the magic of football.

I played rugby again on Sunday after what felt like a very long time away from the game. I was a little rusty at first, but I'm getting more comfortable with the nuances of the game. It was great to see everyone again and to run around at the park. That tournament in May is quickly approaching, and we'll play whether we're ready to or not.

I'm going to take a break from talking about me, so I can tell you all to do anything you can to help those who were affected by the earthquake in Nepal on Saturday. I can't imagine having to survive something like that. That earthquake essentially disrupted normal societal behaviors and introduced end-of-the-world chaos. As of now, I think the death toll is up to 4,000 and is feared to reach up to 15,000. This is just another reminder of just how bad your day or week can get. You've had a bad day at the office? You're fed up with school? So? It can't be as bad as having your home destroyed by an earthquake and having to live in a tent city with the threat of disease, lack of food, water and electricity and having to sleep in the streets. When I find some way to donate some money, I will. I encourage you all to do the same.

With that being said, here's to more procrastination regarding a 4,000 word essay due on Wednesday. I have just 59 words.

Wales, Weymouth and Japanese high school students

21/4 - It turns out the scratch we found near the back tire when we first got on the ferry a week ago was already noted by Europcar, so I get my deposit back for the car and we're in the clear. I told Danny this, but considering where we went, what we did with the car and for how long, keeping that body scuff-free was a huge accomplishment, for both of us. And during his birthday dinner on Monday, our Italian friend Allessandro (a Genoa native) said if we can drive in Italy, we can drive anywhere. We're experts. He then showed us a video of traffic in Florence. There, cars and motorcycles ignore all traffic laws altogether and turn in all different directions, like cockroaches. There was much more space between vehicles, but every move was unpredictable and random.

I walked around with a smile all day Monday just thinking about our adventures. There are so many stories to tell, and people seemed very interested in what we did. Alexandros, one of my coursemates, said he would have gone with us had he known what we were doing. I'm eager to get another adventure going soon, so I'm looking for people to Couchsurf with in the Bangor area of Wales. I want to see more mountains, this time with a motorcycle. Time to make it happen. Update: I found someone near Lampeter, Wales who is happy to host me for a few days in early June. There's my next adventure. My plan is to ride into Snowdonia for a few days. Google it. It's incredible.

The final semester started yesterday, and typical of what I've experienced with this university so far, the lecturer failed to show up, and then later canceled the Friday lecture as well. There's only two of us in this class. Oh well. More time for me to do what I really want!

23/4 - I rode in one of the Poole Town director's convertable on Tuesday to Weymouth, through more green fields and sections of yellow flowers like we saw in France (which turn out to be Rapeseed flowers). I was a traveling supporter for the first time, but there's a group of kids that turn up to every Poole Town game now and make idiots of themselves, and they make the club look bad. They're the very definition of football hooliganism. For example, after a goal by Poole Town, they threw a smoke bomb onto the pitch.

Yesterday morning, I didn't have anything planned for the time between the trip to Wales and the trip to Spain later in June. Thanks to Jess, I do now. She told me about a school program she's involved in where she keeps an eye on Japanese students for a week in London. This program gives you free lodging, free food and pays £300. These kids will come from Kaichi High School in Japan and usually come on a trip to England, and they're always looking for leaders. I'll be overseeing a group of six or seven, and I'll help them speak in English and get comfortable.

I've already sent off my application and the teacher at the school has already accepted me. This is another incredibly random thing to do! I know nothing about Japanese or the culture, but I don't think it matters. Just as long as I can put up with some awkward silences. Check. And it's a legit program, as Jess has been doing it for the past five years. I hear I'll meet a lot of new people, and not just from Japan. But my thinking is I can use this as a way to practice working with kids, as I'll be spending a month with two children in Spain, just a few days later.

Monaco, French motorway tolls and a sketchy traffic stop

18/4 - We went into Monte Carlo, Monaco today; it's the city where the rich people go to play. In fact this is one of the smallest countries in the entire world. I think it's just a few square miles big. But in those few miles the money simply drips from every surface or crevice. And it's a place where you might catch a glimpse of a celebrity. For Danny and I, we may or may not have passed the first team of Monaco F.C. (one of the wealthiest clubs in the world) on the sidewalk. Since I don't follow that club much, I didn't recognize any faces.

For example, at the Hotel de Paris next to the casino where the Monte Carlo Grand Prix track concludes (something I drove on today), you can eat a simple meal of caviar for 70 Euros. An entree will cost you 125 Euros. Obviously the kind of people who go there can afford it, as their Bentleys, Rolls Royces and Ferraris are all lined up outside the front door of the hotel. This city makes a luxury car such as an Aston Martin look tame. If you have money and want to get attention in Monaco, don't come with less than a Ferrari. If you really want to get attention, you can just go to the Ferrari dealership up the street and buy that new Ferrari motorcycle sitting in the display window. Or just throw a party on your larger-than-life yacht in the harbor. Or just throw money around in the casino, where the doorman only lets in certain people and certain cars get into the parking lot. Anything less than a Range Rover? Forget it.

Or you can do what Danny and I did, and we didn't need a $200,000 supercar. Thanks to Rocky the bull terrier and the Go-Pro camera on his back, we got plenty of attention; at one point there were several people (including an Asian man with gray-to-black teeth) surrounding us taking pictures of Rocky, who just sat there and smiled. I was able to get a truly excellent picture of that situation, and it's something that deserves to be published; it tells a story by itself. But really, you don't need to throw money around to get attention.

Update: You can see the man's teeth on the Go-Pro footage. Yikes. That's a very cool point of view, the back of a dog.

But Monaco is a gorgeous city crammed into a tiny space along the Mediterranean Ocean. I was more interested hiking to the top of the hill above the city, because in all honesty the material richness of this area gets old quickly. It's fake to me. I also found it amazing that I was becoming numb to how many luxury and supercars there were.

"Oh, another Ferrari. So? Everyone has a Ferrari here."

"A Lamborghini? That's nice, especially the gold one."

"I've seen more Audi R8s today than I've seen in my entire life."

Monaco is one of those countries I never expected to visit. If I go again, it'll be on a motorcycle because that whole place is like a parking lot. There are way too many cars there. But I'm so glad I went. That makes seven countries in nine days, not including England, in which I've driven during this trip.

From Monaco we drove through Nice (where we slept last night) and stopped in Cannes. The south of France is so glamorous and beautiful; it's too bad we couldn't have had more time there. Then again, we wouldn't be able to afford it! From Cannes we drove more than 300 miles, went through the excellent-looking city of Lyon and stopped in Dijon for the night. We are quickly seeing how France is the most expensive country to drive in that we've been through. Every 50 miles or so on the highway there's a random toll booth, and it's become an exasperation between the two of us. And we just keep laughing at the memory of me being extorted of 78 Euros in Genoa.

And French drivers don't tailgate you like Italians do. What they will do is pass you in the fast lane and then immediately merge into your lane, almost cutting you off even though there are no other cars around and plenty of space. It's happened several times to us today.

19/4 - From Dijon, we drove the 400-plus miles back to the ferry in Calais and eventually back to Bournemouth. Though the day was mostly driving, it wasn't without hilarious moments. Rocky developed the habit of climbing between the front seats and settling in the lap of whoever was sitting shotgun and dozing off to sleep. We payed more tolls, of course, and we learned to not get stressed out at toll booths; if they want that much money from us, they can come out and meet us. Today we payed more than 50 Euros in tolls again, each.

The drive itself was so relaxing and the polar opposite of Italy. The entire day was spent speeding on smooth and flat motorways through fields of green grass, entire patches of what looked like yellow flowers and clusters of wind turbines. At points it was so perfect a stock Microsoft Windows background wouldn't have looked any better.

We thought we passed through our final toll about 20 miles outside of Calais. But then Danny got flagged down by a motorcycle traffic officer and was pulled over for speeding about 10 miles away from the coast. They clocked him at 164 km/h, which is over 100 mph. They weren't wrong. But this stop was the hilarious cherry on top of the whole damn cake because this couldn't have been more different compared to a traffic stop in America. In the states, the fact you might get shot by a trigger-happy cop is constantly in the back of your mind. During this stop, the officer told us how fast we were going, asked for Danny's passport and informed us the fine was 90 Euros in cash. This was very odd. In fact, I noticed every other car stopped in this area by the police also had British license plates, so there was something very fishy about it. Since we didn't have cash, he kept Danny's passport and told us to drive into the nearest small village and get money out of a cash point.

I told Danny I'd pay for half of the fine since I had been speeding too, at some points going over 100 mph as well. So we get back to the traffic stop and actually walk up to the officer on foot. In America we'd get screamed at and/or tasered and/or shot. This guy was really friendly though the motorcycle cop spent the whole time looking back at us from his bike, probably because I was (trying to be inconspicuous) taking pictures of Danny and the cop. The following picture is one of the best we got all trip long; he's just smiling at the situation. He asked the cop if the money would be used for good purpose. I chimed in with asking if it would be used to help light the motorway at night (it's pitch black and very difficult to see). I don't think he heard me. So Danny gave the cop an old address of his (where he doesn't live anymore) and we were on our way.

And of course, we had to pay a bloody toll to get back onto the motorway. Those French bastards!

I didn't think I'd ever be disappointed to come back home from a long trip, but I'm a little sad to be back in England, which is a very strange thing to think. The motorways are much slower. In France and Italy, the average driving speed is perhaps between 75-80 mph on the roads with drivers going 90 mph not uncommon, and that wasn't just us. In England I'd say it's 10 mph slower.

On the ferry back to Dover, the sun set on the English horizon. I watched that flaming yellow-orange ball disappear over the sky line, leaving reddish-orange and pink colors along the horizon along with the light blue of the sky and wispy, small clouds. It was the perfect ending to this trip and is just the analogy this story needed. After more than a week of driving through fields, hills, mountains, congested cities, places we never imagined ourselves visiting and environments in which we can all see ourselves, the sun has set on this adventure. I take away from it fantastic memories and essentially no regrets. Sure we had a very bad experience with the traffic in Italy, but we still had a blast. Every country was special in its own way.

Here are some final stats for you: We drove about 2,400 miles in eight days. Including England, the country in which we started and ended, we visited eight nations, five of which were new to me. We ate a waffle in Belgium, almost got into a dog fight in Luxembourg, had a coffee in Germany, camped under a waterfall in the Oberland region of Switzerland, felt shock, awe and rage in Italy, saw how the other side lives in Monaco and got a speeding ticket in France. There's not much to complain about here.

But I don't want to look at my bank account.

Adventures in Milan, road rage in Genoa and getting lost in the Italian hills

16/4 - I miss the simplicity of driving in the Alps of Switzerland. Even if you don't know where to go, there are just two roads to take: up and over, or under the mountain.

In Milan and the surrounding area, there are too many ways to go. It's an urban jungle! Just like yesterday, we got lost trying to get back to our hotel and out of the city. It was frustrating because both of our phones died so we couldn't go the easy way and use Google maps. We broke free of technology and figured out the way by asking random people. It took a while, but we found our way just by following signs that pointed towards individual villages at intersections or roundabouts.

There were a few times tonight when I just had to marvel at the situation again. This time wasn't exactly enjoyable, though. It was more like "wow, I'm lost as shit driving in the hills of northern Italy!" This was at midnight on windy roads in the hills that are pitch black sometimes. And other times the road leads you through a tiny village where the distance between buildings is just wide enough for you to fit your car. It's also difficult to drive in Italy because Italians love to tailgate until they're just a few feet away from your car.

As for Milan, we rented bikes and rode through the city a little bit. So after receiving so much stress from two-wheeled vehicles yesterday, we gave some of it back today. To document the experience, we each took turns wearing a Go-Pro camera on our foreheads. There was one time I almost got hit by a tram, and we battled traffic in the streets. We also had to keep a constant lookout for people who don't look for traffic when crossing the street, so we should have some good footage.

Danny has been saying Milan is the fashion capital of the world, and just walking around today I see what he means. Men are dressed in casual blazers or sport coats (I saw one person wearing trousers with the pant legs hemmed to fall about six inches above the ankle.) Women are in high fashion. I've decided if I could pick any city I've visited in which to create a new wardrobe, it would be Milan.

One of the more memorable, though brief, memories of today was the fact I was speaking Spanish to a guy from Senegal while in Italy. He did one of those things where he approaches you, ties a bracelet to your wrist and demands a Euro. I didn't have any change, so that was his fault. This happened outside of the Duomo di Milano, or Milan Cathedral in English. Outside it was impressive. It's very ornate, and I let out an audible "whoa!" when I first saw it. But after having my bag inspected by military members dressed in camouflage and stepping inside, my jaw literally dropped. This place is incredible. I got the chills and goose bumps on my arms. This cathedral is enormous. It's replaced St. Paul's Cathedral, Catedral de Barcelona and Notre Dame as my favorite church in Europe (that I've seen). While churches are normally silent, Milan Cathedral contained a buzz of voices and flashes from cameras. But that didn't take away from the sheer height of the roof or the number of stone pillars that line the hall. I'd love to go to a service in this place.

Other things we did included visiting the San Siro Stadium, home of AC Milan and FC Internazional, though it was closed, and have more pizza. This time I had one with mozzarella, ricotta cheese and a fried egg with runny yolk in the center. We also stepped into a Prada store, where there are no price tags.

Ew.

So now it's on to Genoa and then Monaco. And then from there we make the long trek back through France, across the ferry and back to Bournemouth. We've been gone for less than a week but it feels much longer than that.

18/4 - 18/4 – We’re back in France. We leave Italy with great impressions of the people and their willingness to help and friendliness…when they’re not driving. On the road Italians speed, and they flash their brights at you and expect you to move over if you’re not going 140 km/h. If you don’t, they hover on your bumper like I’ve never seen before.

Italy’s natural beauty is stunning, especially with the towns nestled in the hills near the Mediterranean. The buildings and cities look like they mesh with the environment. The motorway we took to get into France was flat and fast, as it tunnels through each hill. But I still prefer Switzerland; I guess I’m a sucker for large, imposing and rugged mountains.

Yesterday was the most testing day for us mentally. We once again had to fight traffic in Milan, all while it was raining too. But after several close calls and a few ran red lights, we made it to the motorway south of the city. From there we made our way to Genoa, which is on the Mediterranean Ocean and a massive, although beautiful, city that is constructed on the steep oceanside hills. And funnily enough, the traffic here was awful too. And since we were racing against the clock trying to find a veterinarian but failing spectacularly at it, we were becoming more and more stressed out with each other. Danny eventually had a childish meltdown, much like the one I had in Milan, and soured the next few hours. It was so bad I was worried he would get into an accident because he was losing control like the Hulk. He nearly turned green with rage. We tried asking for directions, but since neither of us are strong with Italian, the directions came out muddled most of the time.

It was so difficult to get out of that city. We missed entrances to the autostrade or went the wrong way. One moment we made a wrong turn and had to go through the toll booth again. Since I didn’t have a ticket, having already used it coming into the city, I was slapped with a heavy fine. I had to pay more than 78 Euros for that. It was extortion! Add up other tolls we racked up going into France and I spent almost 100 Euros yesterday on tolls.

This trip has been about adapting to the situation. Since neither of us have any data left on our phones, we can’t bring up a map to tell us where to go. We need to search for a wifi signal in order to bring it up. So we’re constantly on the lookout for it. And Rocky has run out of dog food. We’ve been feeding him pizza scraps, apples and other kinds of treats.

We arrived at our bed and breakfast in Nice last night after 10 p.m. It appeared closed for the night, but luckily another resident opened the door for us. I’m writing this right now not having even checked in to the place; we’re two random people using a room (to be fair we registered the night before and our names were on the door).

So from here we’d like to see Monaco, and we’re headed to Dijon. This trip is close to concluding, and honestly I’m ready to go back to Poole. This has been an epic trip, something I will always remember with pride and of which other people will be envious. But there comes a point where you’ve travelled too much and you’d like the comforts of home again. But one reason this trip has been special is the fact Danny and I have seen sides to each other not many people get to see. When you really test someone and see how they react to extremely stressful situations, another personality comes out, and it’s not often pleasant. And it’s not just the humans here; it’s Rocky too. We’re a band of calm and friendly people who have a rage monster lurking deep down inside. But looking back on yesterday, it was a funny memory and we both just have to chuckle at it at random times. 

Switzerland, Milan, wonder and insanity

14/4 – That hotel we stayed at in Mulhouse was so sketchy. When we tried to check out, there was no one at reception. The front doors are always locked, and since both of us were out in the car park at the same time, we were forced to jump through an open window. Sometime after that, the front gate slid closed, locking all people and cars inside.

But we found a flea market in Mulhouse, and we used it to stock up on cheap fruits and other food.

At the moment we’re camped inside our car close to Meiringen, Switzerland because we couldn’t find a cheap, dog-friendly hotel or any other accommodation. But that’s not a bad thing, by any means. We found a small, dirt road close to one of the waterfalls that can be found in this valley. This is probably private property, but there are no lights or people or anything around. When there was still a bit of daylight we followed the tiny stream up the slope and got a much closer look at the waterfall, slipping on rocks and dried leaves along the way. And after we gingerly made our way back down in twilight, we laid in the grass under the stars until total darkness came and the glow of the village became the only light.

This is by far my favorite day of the trip. We’re improvising, and roughing it during this visit to the Swiss Alps. And speaking of the Alps…they send chills down my spine. We could see the faint outlines of some of the peaks a short way after Mulhouse, and they’re so jagged and tall! And after we got a full glimpse of the range after emerging from a tunnel south of Basel, the view completely distracted me from my driving duty. This mountain range looks as if bricks were smashed together and left lying in a heap, with large, rough and jagged chunks lording over the top of the pile. Though I’m from California and I grew up around mountains, I’ve never seen anything like this.

This mountain range has made me pretty much forget the steep road tax we were slapped with at the Switzerland border: 50 Euros. But after driving through Basel and the rest of the country for the next few hours, I could see why there’s such a steep toll for everyone driving: there are so many motorway tunnels that go under the mountains, and of course these roads in the Alps need to be maintained. So I understand it. And it’s such a beautiful, lush and green country I would go so far as to call it the sexiest woman I’ve seen since moving to Europe. And since the language we’ve seen so far is German, it’s my new favorite country. I’ve taught Danny some German words and phrases so far, and more words are coming back to me. They helped when we went to a lazy restaurant at the top of the cliff above this valley, where the waitress only spoke German.

And one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed this trek through the mountains is because we’ve pulled over several times to take in the view, a few of which were next to a lake just for the simple pleasure of skipping rocks. If you can’t find the time to randomly stop beside a lake with majestic mountain peaks in the background to throw rocks in the water, you’re doing vacation wrong. Just for today, Danny and I have won the contest for the best way to spend Easter break.

15/4 – Surprisingly, no one told us we couldn’t camp on that private property, even though someone actually had to pass our car on the way to work while we were sleeping. But that was a fantastic decision to camp there, with the gentle sounds of a stream and the roar of a waterfall a little farther away. That was so beautiful, and not even the smell of deer droppings (we spooked a couple last night) could mar that scene.

We got moving at the crack of dawn, and on the way we passed Brienzer See, a lake nestled between two large mountains and perhaps more clear and turquoise than Lake Tahoe. It’s almost unnaturally turquoise. I’m currently writing from a church car park in Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland. This is the most visually stunning village I’ve seen in my life. A river runs through the center, but the village is surrounded by sheer cliffs on both sides of this valley. There are a number of waterfalls here, including Staubbachfall, and to the south, a formidable snowcapped peak which might be the Aletsch Glacier. This is the Jungfrau Region, and it’s obviously a mecca for snowsports. 

Speaking of Staubbachfall, there are winding steps up a short hill and eventually a tunnel that leads to the rock face. From the rock face, people can climb a path dug into the rock to go behind the falls. All of this is open during the summer. For Danny, Rocky and I, all of this was closed. But since we were only in Lauterbrunnen for that day, we jumped the fence leading up to the hill and climbed above the tunnel, bypassing another fence attempting to keep people out. By doing this we were able to get close to the falls and snap some incredible pictures. 

There is a graveyard in Lauterbrunnen, but every grave is maintained with its own flower/shrub box. It appears as if the space is worked on every day. I've never seen that kind of thing before. It makes a graveyard seem brighter and a bit more positive.

We drove our way up into the higher parts of the Alps while trying to get into Italy. On Highway 11 from Gadmen, we were unable to go any farther due to a gate blocking the road over the pass. On this road we were surrounded by several peaks, including Radlefshorn, Giglistock and Wendenstock. The views are incredible, but these mountains and peaks are savage beasts. On a perfectly warm and clear day like today, it's difficult to navigate those steep and windy roads up the pass. In the middle of winter, I can tell those mountains can and will squash you like a tiny insect that lands on your computer screen. Danny was driving that road, and I could tell he was uncomfortable driving up there, especially with the trap otherwise known as our car.

Today we’ll pass through the border to Italy; we’re very close as it is. But I don’t know how Italy will be able to compare to what I’ve seen in the Alps of Switzerland (in fact, England shouldn’t even be mentioned in the same sentence as Switzerland).

Later…

About an hour before we crossed the southern border into Italy, we noticed how Switzerland was changing. The towns looked different and the first language was turning into Italian. It was gradually becoming more smoggy as well. 

Our trip into Milan started off fine. We stopped in a local cafe to find a hotel, and the people who worked there were genuinely trying to help us find something. They were very friendly and left a great impression. We were speaking English, Spanish and Italian. But that's where the good vibes ended and our misery began. To make a long story short:

Fuck Milan traffic. 

I hate the city because of it. I wasn't driving, but I was losing my bloody mind trying to navigate that overly congested maze in the city center; I can only imagine what was going through Danny's mind behind the wheel. Traffic in San Francisco is difficult. It's bad in London. In Milan, it's offensive. It's every man for himself. Cyclists, scooters and motorcycles ride on lines, splitting traffic. Taxis use the shoulder. Two lanes somehow become four. People walk out in front of you without even looking. Traffic stops for minutes on end. Aggressiveness is the name of the game. I was coming unhinged because we couldn't find a way out of that mess. Eventually I was yelling in despair, telling motorcyclists to fuck off. My heart rate rose. I felt stress like I rarely do. And this:

"How the fuck to I get out of here?!"

Times like this had Danny and I sniping at each other. But I have to give him credit; he kept his cool and the car scuff-free. I was glad to be out of Milan, but we'll be back tomorrow. We're currently staying in a hotel in the hills of Magreglio, more than 50 kilometers from Milan. See, Milan was so awful it had us running for the hills! I actually like this village much more; it's quiet and slower. We also had some pizza. Mine had tomato sauce, mozzarella and salmon. Excellent. We'll stay here a couple of days and then head to Genoa, Italy and eventually Monaco and Nice in the south of France. 

This adventure is a whirlwind of sights, experiences and feelings. Today alone has felt much longer than just a day, and it's shocking to realize we've only been at it since Saturday. This is a trip I'll remember forever, but like with England, it's not "if" I ever do a roadtrip like this again, but "when."

So now, I'll get ready for bed, with Rocky snuggled up next to me snoring.

Luxembourg, Germany, France and the prospect of the Alps

13/4 - There's something I forgot to mention about Bruges. It's a city of great smells. Certain gusts of wind bring the scent of sea air and you can't escape the smell of fresh waffles. Plus, my favorite radio station so far was located in Bruges: house music.

We made it to Mulhouse, France from Luxembourg City after what has felt like a very long day today. We picked this "hotel" I'm writing from because it's very cheap. But I would say it's a glorified hostel in a very seedy part of town. There are communal toilets and showers. There is a group of men out front in the car park who just loiter and look intimidating. This is the kind of place where it would behoove you to stick a frown on your face and make yourself look tough, and it wouldn't be surprising to me if there are drug deals happening in and around this place. But I'm not complaining as it's just for a night. 

We made a stop in Perl, Germany for a small break and coffee earlier in the day. Going into Germany was as easy as getting off the motorway and crossing the river into the very small town of Perl. I was able to use a little bit of German, and the more I thought about it the more of the language came back to me. And after we left, we were forced to use a detour through several small towns among the green, rolling hills instead of the motorway. I liked this part because you don't think to go through the small villages. You see more of the country that way. 

But we passed through Merzig and Saalouis in Germany, passing clusters of large wind turbines, and we eventually crossed the French border at Creutzwald where we drove the A4 around a French national reserve and through Strasbourg. And with the sun fading and mountain ranges surrounding us on either side, we drove through the valley towards Mulhouse. And now that we're in Mulhouse, it's near the end of the valley as it's surrounded by hills on three sides. But Basel, Switzerland is very near us and it's getting exciting. We see Switzerland license plates around us more, and we know the Apls are very near. 

About Luxembourg City...we came away stained, bruised and battered, but with great stories. As it turns out, Rocky the bull terrier is not good with other dogs. He gets thoroughly overexcited every time he sees a dog, and Danny has to constantly yank him back on his leash. We were sitting on the side of a steep grassy hill in the canyon that runs through the center of the city, with the Petrusse stream at the center. Danny ran Rocky down the hill, but a smaller dog came running in from the right. Knowing Rocky was beginning to growl and get aggressive, Danny had to wrap him up and fall on him. It looked like a train wreck from where I was standing on the hill and I was surprised the dog was not hurt. The two went to ground hard, rolling a few times along the way, and coming very close to the fence surrounding a construction site. The owners of the loose dog never came down the hill to control it, so I had to get down there and get that dog away from Danny and his snarling pooch. We both were stained with grass and dirt, but Danny got some cuts on his hand and a welt on his forehead. But after we calmed down, we started laughing, and it turns out that was our only bad experience with the city. (And Rocky had a Go-Pro camera on his back; the footage was pretty great.)

Luxembourg City is beautiful, starting off with the canyons that run through the city and have paths down to the bottom. It has a giant cathedral (Cathedrale Notre-Dame) an aqueduct-looking Adolphe Bridge and is the home of the Grand Duke of Luxembourg, who lives in the Palais Grand Ducal, which has guards stationed out front. We even saw a changing of the guard today. Shockingly, that draws much less spectators than the one at Buckingham Palace in London. In addition, like England, there are areas in parks where you can exercise with machines using your own body weight. There were even some stationary climbing walls in this area. This is another city that deserves more than just a few hours of exploration. 

So here's to the next few days going through the majestic Alps. I've seen pictures and videos of them, but of course they'll be much more please-get-me-a-new-pair-of-pants electrifying in person. Right now, our path is south towards the shadowy, undefined hills. But what lies along that path will be what I've really been waiting to see for more than a month now, and eventually Milan, Italy waits for us on the other side. 

Mercedes Benz, Belgium and Luxembourg

11/4 - Danny and I are on the ferry to Calais, France. We made it to Dover about 10 minutes before the ferry left, so we cut it very close. As an update as to where we’re headed, we’ll go through Belgium and Luxembourgh and then Switzerland and Italy, where we can hopefully see Milan. But the main draw to me is the Alps. Oh, and we’ll have to have a Belgian waffle in Belgium.

About our car, when Europecar upgraded us to a Mercedes Benz hatchback, I glanced at Danny, stunned. He just winked. That was funny because we had just been talking a few minutes before about being upgraded. The positives about this car: it's brand new; it has just 1,200 miles on it.

The engine shuts down every time you stop for a few moments, saving diesel and it’s comfortable.

But.

There's always a catch. This car is a time bomb. Since we chose not to get the insurance, we’re liable for anything that happens to it, at a cost of up to £18,000. And alas, we found a scratch near the back tire when we got onto the ferry. (That scratch could have been there before we got the car; it looks like the paint has been scraped off. If I hit something there would have been a dent there.)

So no driving like we stole it.

But I drove most of the time to Dover, through France and into Belgium. It’s incredibly awkward driving on the left for the first few moments, especially with all these roundabouts. Plus, it’s much more difficult if you’re nervous. But after I relaxed, it was fine. It’s like looking into a mirror, with the steering wheel on the right side as well. And driving on the highway (motorways) are just like driving in the states, except the inside lane is the fast lane, as opposed to the outside lane in the states. But on the motorways there aren’t any speed limit signs, so I had no idea how fast I should have been driving.

And since I drove in Europe today, imagine having to switch back to driving on the right side of the road, but with the steering wheel on the right side of the car. It's a bit strange. So, we decided to go to Bruges, Belgium for the night and first part of the day. It's a fantastic place to visit so far. But I'm confident in saying neither of us knew anything about Bruges. I didn't even know the language here, until we asked a waiter. The official language in this part of Belgium is Flemish, a dialect of Dutch. But there are a lot of languages spoken here; in fact, one of the waiters we talked to speaks seven languages! We also met a taxi driver who let us follow him to a pet-friendly hotel, after he let us know we weren't supposed to be driving in the square (how are we supposed to know? We don't understand Dutch at all). And another thing about Bruges, there are so many bicycles here! You really have to watch out for cyclists. 

So here’s to the adventures of the upcoming week. Plus, we have Rocky the Bull Terrier riding with us. He has his own pet passport.

12/4 - I can now say I've eaten a waffle in Belgium. There was powdered sugar, butter and chocolate sauce on it, but no syrup. But we spent the first part of the day cruising Bruges and its canals; one of my favorite things I did was take a virtual reality tour of Bruges in the 14th century. There was a part where you flew over the buildings. But it was amazing in that you sit in a small booth, but with the virtual reality goggles and headphones on, you could look all around you, actually turning in your seat, and see whole environments, feel heat and wind.

 We met a lady in a souvenir shop who is from England but hasn't been back to the UK for 25 years. She knits all the hats she has in the shop. She likes it much more in Belgium. People here seem more happy, and it looks cleaner here. And there's no stigma attached to bicycles because everyone rides them there.

But being with Rocky can be an adventure in itself. In the city center, there was so much stimulus that rocky was getting stressed. There are horse-drawn carriages, many people and dogs going up and down the streets. He was getting nervous and whining. Plus, he drew attention because, really, how often do you see a bull terrier like this? People took pictures, pointed and asked us about him.

Belgium just looks different from other countries I've been to. I'd like to visit it again some day. But it was time to move on, and we're now in Luxembourg at the moment. It's such a random place to visit, and before today, I knew almost nothing about it. But today we learned the languages are French and German. Driving here, we circled Brussels on the motorway and went for a couple hundred miles. We're beginning to get into the hills, and we can see some large mountains to the south. We have only been here for a few hours, but I can't wait to see Luxembourg City during the day. And on another note, the two of us are sunburned a bit. There's been nothing but sunny skies so far, but we're not used to it having come from cloudy-90-percent-of-the-time England.

And the cool thing about using a car is the fact you don't need to go through border security. There's a simple European Union sign that signifies the change of country line, and it can be missed. We're on an epic adventure in Europe, in total control of wherever we want to go or stop. It's about the journey, not the destination. We're seeing how the land changes across the continent and new, random cities. I think it's pretty funny to think about it: I'm in Luxembourg of all countries! I'm so glad I'm doing this, and with a friend no less.

I have many more pictures and videos. I can show you; just ask.

Breaking Bad thoughts, the trip to the Alps and a job with Poole Town

7/4 - Having been watching Breaking Bad for the past few months, I've wondered what it would be like to completely change your identity. You'd be this person with absolutely no history; you're just a name. You can't see any of your family or friends, or go places that are familiar to you. That's the bad part. But I wonder how it would feel to totally start over, to press the restart button. I imagine it would be like what I did when moving here, but on a much, grander and deeper level. But really, if you change your identity, how would it feel to introduce yourself as a different name to other people? Think about it.

"Hi, my name is Carlos. What's yours?"

And if you change your identity, do your tastes and preferences change?

"Hi, I'm Carlos. I know nothing about sports, I prefer not to travel because I don't like other people and I believe Greece should, in fact, receive war reparations from Germany."

Yikes.

Don't worry, I'm not going to change my identity. 

8/4 - Tim and I finished Breaking Bad last night. What a great show. Everything was wrapped up, and it left me thinking about the final episode and how it ended, like only the very best shows and movies do. Hopefully now I can get these assignments out of the way quicker. I'm kind of sad it's over because I felt like I was close to those characters. It was an epic story.

9/4 - I went to the gym with Stella yesterday in Parkstone. I use "gym" loosely. The front windows were cracked and there is a sign indicating the building is a furniture store. The front room is a messy collection of water bottles, boxing gloves and a fan. One corner there's a foamy covering on the floor where the barbell is used. The "office" was a place where forms were stored just by being tossed on the ground next to the pile of tractor tires. There are cracks in the walls and stains on the floor. That was easily the sketchiest gym I've ever been in. But having said that, it was a great workout. Boxing is brutal, and I'd like to learn how to box. I like it because there's a rhythm to it.

I talked with Felix again today. He showed me where his house is, and it turns out there are hills and mountains around that area. He likes to go mountain biking. So come June, I'm excited to go on that trip.

10/4 - Danny and I reserved a car for our trip yesterday. We'll take the ferry from Poole to Cherbourg tomorrow and go from there. We'll be going until next Sunday or Monday. I don't know how to feel about it; it doesn't feel real yet. But hopefully, I'll be able to see mountains again, and they will be some of the grandest mountains in the world: the Alps. And I would like nothing more than to go hiking in those hills. And of course, I'll have plenty of pictures.

I met one of Franky's coworkers yesterday. He comes from Liverpool and has the typical "scouser" accent. I thought he was Scottish at first, but I knew he was from somewhere north. I'm really starting to pick up where accents are from here.

And finally some good news: Out of the five people who applied for the Commercial Manager position at Poole Town, they decided to take on four of those people (including me) to form a commercial team. I'm happy to get the job and I got my leg in the door. Let's see how this goes.

Trophies, carnies and a road trip

2/4 - On Monday morning I had to give a powerpoint presentation for one of my classes. Considering I was busy all weekend doing much more fulfilling things, it was subpar. However, I passed and that's all I care about.

Poole Town won the Red Insure Cup on Tuesday, even though the game ended 0-0. I was there with a few of my friends from Corfe House. I met with a club official about the Commercial Manager gig. It's something I'll be able to do anytime I want and I would get a 25% commission on sales.

Today I went to the CrossFit gym at the West Hants Tennis Club. I liked that gym much more than the one I live by because it's a lot bigger so there's more space for everyone.

4/4 - This week has been much quieter and relaxed than normal because everyone has a break from school. I've been able to meet more people from my floor the past few days and everyone has been great. We had a movie night a couple days ago, and Julia (from Taiwan) and Magda (Italian) cooked for us. I like the people on my floor.

5/4 - Today is Easter, and there has been a small carnival in the parking lot on the other side of Seldown Bridge. We spent an hour there yesterday and had a great time. It's great for the soul to laugh like a small child while bashing your friends on the bumper cars (while also slamming into children 15 years younger than you).

And it's not a real carnival unless you're on a ride that needs to have people spaced out so at to create balance, or you're on a ride powered by an exposed car engine in the middle. In a real carnival, the frowning ride operators always smoke while in their booth and there's that one 13-year-old kid contributing some child labor on the contraption with chipping paint and aged and torn seat material. And finally, the best sign of a real carnival is the presence of a person throwing up on the sidelines.

But this morning we all met up and had brunch. There were some fried sweet potatoes, chickpeas in Indian spices, guacamole and some sauteed vegetables, among other things.

I also went to meet my friend Danny to discuss what we want to do for this upcoming road trip. I think we'll eventually end up in Northern Italy but we'll go to France and Switzerland and Belgium along the way. Possibly Spain too. But we'll take the train to Dover and share a car with a stranger (ride sharing) on the ferry and then rent a car in Calais. It'll be an adventure for sure.

But he had his cousin and his girlfriend with him, and they were both from Nicaragua. He also had one of his British friends with him. And the one thing this group had in common? We all speak Spanish! I think one of the best compliments I can get is for a native Spanish speaker to tell me my Spanish is good. It's always fun to speak the language, even during Fast and the Furious 7 in the theater last night. It was such a bad movie, and we were bashing it in Spanish the entire time.

But hopefully I'll have a contact for when I want to visit Central America. It's super cheap in Nicaragua; I guess there are 27 Cordobas to $1. Sure. Why not?