Body screamin'

I probably speak for most of backpackers; we walk all day. Since we arrive Paris we have been walking less, but there has been days where we would leave the guesthouse early and will be out walking until evening, over 10 hours for many days. I did not realize until my sister who was here last week, that my pace of walking, pretty fast to begin with, has increased its speed since we started traveling. Sahe, with her 18 kilo backpacks, still has managed to walk with me for the past four months. 

However, likely due to a relief of arriving Paris, her body finally started to send signals for a good rest; catching cold and shoulder pain. Even I suffered from a neck pain, unable to look back without turning around with my entire upper body for a few days. 

Another issue; unable to wake up early. We have been going to sleep around 23:00, and waking up no later than 7:00 on the road, but here, we have slept through alarm clocks and phone calls.

Paris; she's got it all

So, here we are. It is where we considered as the mid-point of our journey. We knew that we will need to take a breath before continuing on with our trip, and this highly civilized city of art and culture. Sahe and I arrived separately, and without having any time to congratulate each other on getting here, we met up with a friend in town from London, my sister and nephew visiting from Japan for a week, and my cousin and family who have lived here for 6 years. There is nothing like a reunion with friends and family, whom you can relax around them and let them spoil you, especially being away from it all.

Two weeks ago, the family reunion led us to a wonderful weekend trip, visiting beautiful castles such as Fontainebleau and Vaux-Le-Vicomte, and getting a peek of the small town Auver-sur-Oises, where Vincent Van Gogh spent his last months of his life. Only being one hundred kilometers away from central Paris, landscapes and impressions of each town are distinctively different from one another.

I did not see this during my last visit as a student in the US, I actually enjoy being in Paris. The food, people, the city scape, all appear as something new, warm and cozy. Weather has also been on our side, as it has been stable and warm while being here. But we have to remember that we are still in the middle of a journey. We cannot get too comfortable, or we will have a difficult time peeling our butts off the couch. Cheese, salami, and croissants don't help the situation either, as we must be collecting extra calories onto our already fully-packed luggage. 

So we begun discussing about our upcoming days, week and months. This is not as easy, as we have accumulated a number of places-to-want-to-visit, far more than the we started off with. We finally decided on leaving Europe by early November, and head for south Asia. We went to apply for our Indian visa yesterday, and are slowly getting ourselves ready for the second half. 

 

 

In the meantime, I have to start jogging or do something...

Beer in Holland

Didn't even try to gather information. Too busy putting them down.
They are lighter than what I like, but all Holland beer are fair.

Not even sure if the names match the image...
Scott, stop trying to ash in my glass:)






Brand

Heineken













Amstel

Dommelsch



A Memory Loss

Canals, windmill, bicycles

Heineken Co., and museums

Boat, Miffy, Minimuffins

Tram, croquet, sausage

French fries, red light dist.

Coffee shops, gray sky

It has been twelve years since I last visited Amsterdam, but there is a vague memory left from the previous visit. Where did we stay, what did we eat, and where did we visit...

The reason for the memory loss cannot all be blamed on the fact that we were a group of twelve to fourteen students, hopping from coffee shops to bars all day. Back then, I was never willing to take any charge on our action. I had followed others to the dormitory someone else made a reservation to, and ate at wherever, smoked whatever.

There are foggy memory of rainy days, playing soccer at a park with locals, and visited Van Gogh Museum only to find out it was closed. Add hanging out in dark coffee shops for hours, and that pretty much sums up the entire week I was here.




Time to fill in blanks with new memory. Thanks for being there, guys!!

I AMsterdam

We were constantly on-line searching for an accommodation in Amsterdam for a couple of weeks before our arrival, but most places were fully booked, and available ones were more than what we can afford. Not knowing what the occasion is, we continued our search and finally found a place outside of the city center, only for the night we arrive. This will have to do, and as long as we are in town we can find a place on foot.

The following day to our arrival, we lugged our backpacks into the city center, looking for a place for tonight. Since Sahe is leaving tomorrow morning for Paris, we didn't want to spend the whole day wandering around. But as I assumed it didn't take long to find a place near the Amsterdam Centraal Station. Not necessarily the cheapest place for a room the size of a bed, but this will have to do. We dropped off our bags and went out for a sightseeing with my friend, Scott.

The day was unstable, raining on and off. We walked a little, went to museums, and then walked some more for a cafe. Apparently there is a coference of some sort, and the streets were crowded with guys with white collar and khakis. The town was just as crowded as Istanbul was, with a slight difference of people not being in your face trying to sell you goods. It is not a cultural differnce, but is a matter of class.

Next day, I took Sahe to the terminal where she is to take a bus to Paris to see her friend. First time for us to travel apart from one another.

After her departure, I told myself that I had to make sure to get things done before I was incapable of achieving them. I still had to look for a place to stay for the next three days, send back a pakage for ourselves, and send postcards to friends. Hmmm... I might as well go get a coffee, relax, and then think about getting them done. Or maybe a beer sounds better... So beer it is.

Beer in Austria

Murauer Marzen, Austria

Eurail Pass

We are scheduled to take a high-speed train on 8:30 at Westbahnhoff station in Vienna. With one transfer at Frankfurt, our entire ride is exactly 12 hours to reach our meeting point, Amsterdam. With such a long travel, we will use Eurail pass, a train pass for non-European resident. You can set up the detail according to your itinerary, such as number of country to visit, duration, and number of days, and travel across 22 registered European countries at a reasonable cost. Some rides such as sleeper cars will have additional fee, but it is most efficient to use when traveling on a high-speed rail for an entire day. We ordered a Global, Flexi, pair pass, which allows us to travel around all registered countries, on any ten days we choose within two months, but travelers must be together when using it. This also gives ticket holders seats on class 1 automatically if you are over 25.

Two days in prior to our departure, we went to the counter to make a reservation for our seats, but were told that it is not necessary. This never is reassuring, so my mind kept going back ad forth in between the excitement of riding the Class 1 and a worry about whether the ticket really is valid. When we found our train, we just hopped on and took the first seats available that appeared non-reserved, but with our shoes still on in case we are asked to remove ourselves. The train leaves the station, and the conductor came around to check the tickets. With a confirmation, I felt relaxed enough to finally look around and enjoy the comfort. A wooden table, output for electricity, and reclining seats. Attendants bring meals and tea from the dining car if needed, and everything is fully served to our likings. Seven hours on this ride seemed easy, and it was.

 

We arrived Frankfurt, and the transfer was just as easy as hopping off the first train. Unfortunately all seats were reserved on the Class 1 cars, but we gladly took seats on Class 2, and was nearly as comfortable. We arrived Amsterdam Centraal station at 20:30, and were able to meet my friend by 23:00. We barely did but kept our schedule within  the limit. Well done, team!!