British Advertising

British ads are insane! When I went to see Alice in Wonderland, I was amazed by the how crazy the ads were. Many times, I could not guess what was being advertised until the very end.

For example, here's an ad for Crusha (100 points if you figure out what Crusha is):



Honestly, I wished I'd paid more attention to the ads before Alice in Wonderland. I pretty much just stared incredulously, but later I wished I could remember what they all were; however, the one thing about British advertising that really stands out in my mind is the traumatic nature of their public service and safety ads.

Throughout the subway and on the streets, there are posters for either a) avoiding unmarked/unlicensed cabs and b) the buddy system. These ads really use shock factor to say something like "don't do that or you and everyone you love will end up dead."

Example A:


Example B:


The video ads are so. much. scarier. There are several 4-minute ads (that I will not post here) that are absolutely terrifying. One, against texting while driving, shows a couple teenage girls in a car. The driver is teasing the girl in the backseat, saying that she's going to text the guy she's crushing on, but as she is texting, her car goes into the other lane. They collide head-on, and the next, well, 3 minutes and 58 seconds are spent on incredibly graphic crash scenes, where several other cars pile up and everyone (except the driver and a little kid, shaking its dead mother's body) are dead. You can click here to see it, but I've warned you.

Ads in America simply can't compare. In terms of the funnier product ads, well, this article attributes it partly to the homogeneity of British culture. In terms of the traumatizing PSAs, I believe that American censorship would never allow it. People would be too offended by the graphic images (and afraid of the effect it would have on younger audiences). But in the UK? Keep calm and carry on!

Here's a really strange PSA. Can you guess what it's for before the end?

The Triumphant Return

Yesterday, I made it back to London.

The journey started after dinner in Berlin. I'd gone out with Kurt and Nora, and we finished dinner around 11:30PM. Although a bit early, I headed straight to the train station. From there, I caught a 12:44AM train to Koln. I was sitting next to this really nice German student, Max, and we chatted for a bit; therefore, I really only got about an hour of restless sleep before he got off at Dortmund, and I decided to stay awake (so as not to miss my transfer). I got in to Koln at 5:40AM and had to be on a train to Aachen at 5:47AM.

I made it. And thank goodness, too! There was a train after, but the Aachen station was where I first began to encounter some problems. I had my credit card and reservation number, as instructed by my Eurostar reservation, to pick up my tickets from a kiosk; however, my reservation number was alphanumeric and the machines only accepted numbers. When I inquired at the desk, the lady told me that I could only pick up my tickets at the Brussels station (my destination) and pointed this out in the small print on the ticket.

I hadn't slept much, and I was terrified that I would be stranded in Aachen. I'm pretty sure the expression on my face was something between fear and panic. Either way, the woman told me she could sell me a new ticket on the SAME train, so I took it.

I bought some snacks at the station. I got a banana, some water, and a Bionade (in the hopes that the sugar would keep me awake). From there, I caught my train to Brussels no problem.

I got into Brussels with about 45 minutes to spare, and I was anxious to use the restroom, but I decided it would be best if I checked in first. The line to check-in was virtually non-existent, and I made it through security to Border Control in a matter of minutes. However, I almost didn't make it through Border Control. Apparently, when you have the Student Visitor Visa, every time you travel outside the UK, you pretty much void your current visa and need to reapply upon entry. To do so, you need the admission letter from your university and proof that you're leaving the country within the six months admitted to you. I had neither of these things. They took my student ID, my healthcare card, and my passport, and left me in a room for about 25 minutes.

They eventually let me through, but I no longer had time to use the restroom and had to go straight to my train. The only available tickets (and actually the cheaper tickets by 13EUR) were in first class. They fed us. It was the most glorious stale bread lump ever. I had not realized how hungry I was until they brought out the food trays. The poor guy next to me must have been terrified. Especially because I would fall asleep without warning. I couldn't really control it, and there was no lead-up. One minute, I'd be sitting there, feeling awake, and the next minute I'd be waking up. No transition.

I got into London late, but I got into London. Our train arrived at about 11:00AM or a little after. The train station, St. Pancras, was packed with people: news reporters and many others waiting in line at Eurostar or waiting for a train out. When I got to the tube station, it was a madhouse. Luckily, not many people were waiting for my tube line, and I made it back pretty painlessly...

My first action on arriving home was to shower. And such a wonderful hot shower!

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. I went to Waitrose and got groceries, walked around the city for a bit, and met up with Cate in the evening.

The Great Europe Adventure: Berlin

My time in Berlin has not been nearly as touristy as the rest of my trip. Mostly, I've been hanging out with Nora and taking it easy.

I left Prague on a 6:30PM train and was supposed to arrive in Berlin at 11:33PM, but for some reason, our train just stopped between Dresden and Berlin. I ended up getting in around midnight (keep in mind that the Berlin metro stops running at 1AM).

The train ride wasn't too bad. After settling myself in a carriage, a man asked me if there was reserved seating. When I responded, he realized that I was American, and he sat in the carriage, and we talked about America vs. Europe. Turns out, he's a history teacher in Newark. As we were talking, another passenger heard us speaking English and decided to join us. He was a Computer Science student from Atlanta, Georgia who is working (for the short-term) in Prague. It was nice to have some travel companions, even if I am pretty sure that I fell asleep and may have drooled on my hand a bit. Also, the Newark teacher had a Berlin metro map, which helped me find my way to Nora's.

When I got to the metro, all the trains appeared to terminate too soon. I called Nora to ask if there was an alternate route, but another guy overheard my conversation and promised to help me find the transfer at the next station. He had just bought "the best disco album ever made" -- which is, apparently, Annie's "The Greatest Hit" -- and was in a very good mood. Apparently, he's a Norwegian artist working in Berlin. He spoke English almost flawlessly, and he got me safely to the train (lucky, too, as it was the last train).

Nora and Kurt met me at the station, and we decided to stop for kebabs (I had bought a snack at the train station in Prague, but it turned out to be the most repulsive conglomeration of yeast and flour known to man). Of course, it was 1AM by this time, but kebabs are effectively the NJ diner food of Europe.

We stayed up kinda late, catching up. Nora and Kurt are doing really well. Nora's studying alternative medicine (and she's apparently interested in acupuncture), and Kurt is studying design. They have this lovely, spacious apartment on the 6th floor (thank goodness for Kurt or I would have died on the stairs with my luggage). Nora had early morning class the next day, so we decided to call it a night.

The next morning, I slept in (9AM -- haha) and spent the rest of the morning organizing my flight home (check-in online, print tickets, book transportation from airport to central London, book train to meet family in Bath). I met Nora near her campus, and we got lunch at this nice Asian restaurant nearby. Nora and Kurt seem to eat a lot of Indian and Turkish food, so honestly, I've tried almost no German cuisine, but I'm also eating for cheap (and finally having regular meals -- most of this trip has been snacking when the need arises).

We walked around the neighborhood a bit and saw this really strange art exhibit at a nearby alternative school (which had previously been an abandoned hospital, or something). We grabbed some small groceries for dinner, but Kurt did the majority of the shopping and cooking when he returned from class. Nora admits that Kurt is a better cook, and honestly, all his food has been delicious (and healthy!).

The next day, Nora and I went down to central Berlin, where we walked through a lot of the more touristy sights. I saw the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Brandenberg Gate, the Reichstag, the Holocaust Memorial, the Neue Wache, Museuminsel, and Fersehturm. The weather was rather nice, and it was good to walk around. After lunch (Egyptian), we went to a nearby market to pick up some fruits and veggies for the house.

When we got home, news of the Iceland volcano was becoming more ominous, as the Berlin airports were closed for the day. At the time, my flight was still on, and I would hopefully be able to meet my family in Bath as planned; however, not long before dinner, we saw news of Ryanair cancelling all flights until Monday and a phone call to the airport confirmed that my flight was, indeed, cancelled. This is about when the anxiety set in.

First, I would not be able to book any other flights until Monday, and then there's no guarantee that it would not also be cancelled. I wouldn't have been able to book a bus until Wednesday, and all train lines were booked through the weekend. I was pretty tense all evening, as one thing after the other fell through, but Kurt made a nice pasta dinner with homemade sauce that was fortifying and restorative. After dinner, Kurt had to go to a party at a friend's house, and Nora (who had a headache) and I (who had panic) stayed behind.

Finally, at around 11PM and after about 4hrs of searching, I was able to book a train for Monday. Of course, I have to leave the Berlin main station at 12:44AM on Sunday night/Monday morning, arrive in Aachen at 6:45AM (it's unclear whether this includes a transfer in Koln), transfer to a train to Brussels at 7:23AM, arrive in Brussels at 8:32AM, and transfer to my final train to London. I should get in to London at 10:26AM on Monday morning. And I will kiss the sweet, sweet UK ground.

Nora and I watched a couple episodes of 30 Rock to unwind, but we still went to bed relatively early. I stayed up for another hour or so from the anxiety and woke up at 7AM to find that my parents' flight to the UK had been cancelled mid-air, and their flight had been sent back to Newark after having made it about halfway there. I really hope they will still be able to come visit, but this really throws a wrench into our travel plans...

Today is beautiful and sunny (which is perhaps the most frustrating part). Nora and I had breakfast outside, but she left to have lunch with her uncle. Kurt is around somewhere. I went for a walk earlier and sat outside to read, which has been nice. Mostly, I just want to get back to the UK safely and with as little hassle as possible.

The Great Europe Adventure: Vienna & Prague

I spent only a day in both Vienna and Prague, but they were both a lot of fun!

The train ride from Paris to Vienna had me transfer in Zurich, where I spent the majority of my time trying to find Internet and eventually ended up paying €4 for 20 minutes. I was trying to get in touch with my host in Prague, as I would technically be arriving the next day and had not yet heard from him since my initial request. I was also trying to look up hostels, just in case, but didn't feel comfortable booking online standing at a kiosk in the middle of the train station.

My train ride from Zurich to Vienna was about 8hrs, and it was completely worth the cost and hassle of the whole trip. The train went through the Alps, and the views were spectacular. We followed the path of a river for some ways, and the water's were a perfect reflection of the sky, almost disconcertingly blue. At one station, it was snowing, and as we entered Austria, the sky became more and more overcast. Still, I got to see the sunset over the Alps. It was beautiful.

Anyways, I arrived in Vienna at about 10:40, and my host had asked me to meet him at the Metro station (Taborstraße) near his flat. The Viennese metro map was the most confusing thing I'd ever seen. The one posted in the station had the entire city map (street names and everything) with all the buses and metro lines in the TINIEST print. After scrutinizing the map and not being able to find the station (even on the metro line -- once I found that), I decided to go down to the track and perhaps ask someone there. Down on the track, each direction had a picture of a line with the progression of the stops for that line and the transfers at each station. It did not show the path of any other line, nor did any map nearby, but I knew I had to be on the U2 line and took the only direction with a transfer to that line. Once on the train, they had a map (above the door, showing the stops) that was actually useful. I have seen this map nowhere else but on the train, but it eventually got me where I was going. My metro ride to my departing train station (Philadelphiabrücke) was entirely guesswork, but I got there.

Anyways, I got up relatively early and had breakfast with my host, Lorenzo, the next morning. From there, I walked to the central area of Vienna. The city is very beautiful, with many interesting sights, but it's very small and easily walkable. I went first to the Stephansdom, as Lorenzo had told me that this was the major symbol of Vienna. It's a very impressive church, and for some admission, you can tour the Catacombs and see a bunch of dead Habsburgs. I decided I would come back for the Catacombs if I had time later.

From there, I found my way to the Spanish Riding School, and for €6, they allowed us to watch the Lipizzaners being exercised. Honestly, when I walked into the Spanish Riding School, I had no idea what the €6 was for, but my first thought was just, "Horses? Sign me up!" Although, to be honest, I was not particularly impressed by the riders. The stadium is GORGEOUS (we were not allowed to photograph), with two elaborate balconies from which to watch and beautiful Corinthian columns throughout; however, the horses weren't doing much more than anything you could see at a local Dressage show, and one guy was fighting with his horse, sawing on its mouth, wobbling about in the saddle, and making quite a spectacle of himself. The horses were beautiful though, and I still sat and watched for about 30 minutes. I also got to see the stables, although from a distance. The horses look surprisingly small in their stalls. And I walked around the Hofburg a bit.

From there, I went on a mission to find lunch. Lorenzo had recommended a couple places to me (and encouraged me to try wienerschnitzel), but I couldn't find those and resorted to my guidebook. The first place I went to was almost perfect, it was affordable, nestled away on a quaint side street, and offered a ton of options. Problem? It was closed until dinner. By this time, it was raining outside, and I consulted my guidebook for a nearby option, the Cafe Central. Typically, cafe means "less expensive" in my guidebook, but this place was very ornate (but still significantly cheaper than ANYTHING in Brussels). Still, I was soaked through and freezing and decided I would just get the wienerschnitzel and a water. The meal was delicious (although when I asked for "water with lemon," they brought me sparkling water that was opaque from the amount of lemon juice and I was charged for it). I ended up sitting near this Californian woman who had moved to Vienna several years ago when she met this Viennese guy. We talked a bit, and I left to go to the Albertina museum.

I desperately needed to top-up my phone (as I still needed to get in touch with Nora AND my Prague host), but when I called Vodaphone, they told me I could only top-up by phone if I had a valid UK credit card. I didn't, and they told me to find some place in Vienna that sold Internation Top-Up Vouchers. I went to the tourist information office to ask them, and they told me to check with Orange around the corner. I came to a T-Mobile first and asked them. They relayed me to A1, which was apparently in contract with Vodaphone, and they got me a voucher. However, when I tried to top-up, it told me I needed a 12-digit code and the one I had was 13. I returned to A1, and they fixed it.

I was right near the Albertina, which my guidebook claimed was "home to one of the largest collections of graphic arts in the world, with works by Raphael, Rembrandt, Dürer, and Michelangelo." I decided to give it a go and paid my admission and headed right in. The museum was VERY impressive. I started at the top of the museum (where the bathrooms were located -- haha) and started working down. The top floors had a large collection of modern art, and all the names were famous, recognizable artists: Picasso, Matisse, Rothko, Manet, Monet, Munch... They had a very interesting exhibit of works by Jakob and Rudolf von Alt, but when I got down to the Habsburg apartments, where the non-modern art (the stuff I was really interested in) was housed, I found it was closed for a special event, to which evidently I had not been invited. Instead, I went to their special exhibit on Andy Warhol, and then booked it to the gift shop. They had some of the BEST postcards!

I needed to get back to pack up my stuff and get to my train, so I bought an apple strudel for the train ride and headed back. I got a bit lost on the way and was stopped by a crazy lady dressed like a princess, but I got to my train in time and headed...

to Prague. I arrived at the train station really, really late (11:40PM) and had to wait for my host. He was running a bit late, and staying in the train station was perhaps the most traumatizing part of this whole trip. One guy came up to me early on and asked me if I needed a ride somewhere. He was REALLY creepy, and I firmly told him no. I pretended to be very engrossed in reading the train schedule to Berlin, and he went away. There's only so long you can read the train schedule, so I went to stand by the metro station entrance. This even skeevier guy came up to me, he was small and wiry with lots of piercings and wearing these huge camoflauge cargo pants. He stood very close to me and started talking to me in Czech. I just ignored him, and he started grinning at me. I just looked off into the distance and continued to ignore him. Then, he reached out and ran his fingers through my hair. At that point, I freaked out and just walked away. I couldn't really go very far, but just then, my host showed up.

As it turned out, he only lived one metro stop away, so we got out of there pretty quickly.

The next morning, I woke up super early, naturally, and was out of the house before anyone else woke up. I first went to the train station and bought my ticket to Berlin, then walked through Wenceslas Square towards the Old Town Square. On the way, I came to a market where one stand was selling little cartons of mixed fruit (raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries). I bought one for breakfast. It turned out to be a bit more expensive than I expected, but the berries were all so delicious and I hadn't had something healthy in so long...

I proceeded to the town square and checked out most of the major sights there. I watched the astronomical clock chime the hour, and this trumpeteer stands at the very top of the tower and blows his horn, in all 4 compass directions. Tomas, my host, promised that Bohemia Bagels near Old Town Square had the best bagels, and in Abbey's honor, I decided to grab one. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it still doesn't hold a flame to a good NYC bagel.

I walked around the Jewish quarter a bit and ended up at Kafka's house. I walked to the Klementium, but it was closed until the end of 2010, so I decided to head up to the castle. I walked across the Charles Bridge, which was mostly under construction, and discovered that another trumpeter trumpets the hour from the top of Charles Bridge as well. The place was full of tourists. I bought my "reduced combo unguided tour pass" to some of the sights at the castle.

I was a bit unimpressed. The castle itself wasn't particularly well curated. They had little laminated papers in each room that described what it was, but most of the time, both the English and Italian were missing (there were SO MANY ITALIANS). The castle was just how you imagine most Arthurian castles: cold, dank, and rather plain. I went to St. George's Basilica, at the castle, and that was interesting, but very small, and there was really no English translations at all. From the pictures, I gathered that a bunch of people were buried there, they dug them all up, and analyzed this one guy because they postulate that he's a bit of a hottie.

My ticket also covered the "Golden Lane" which was pretty much this touristy shopping street that's supposed to feel like you've stepped back in time (see Williamsburg, VA). You could buy reproduction this-and-that or pay exorbitant amounts to "try shooting a REAL crossbow." At the end, there was the castle's prison, which was VERY cool, but was terribly overrun with middle school children.

Afterwards, I met up with Tomas for a coffee and had to head back to pack up my stuff. The morning had started out beautiful, but the afternoon was wet and cold; I was NOT anxious to walk around more.

Anyways, I arrived last night with Nora in Berlin, and I'm almost out of battery life on her laptop, so I'm going to wrap this up. I may add a little more and proofread later.

The Great Europe Adventure: Paris

Tonight is my last night in Paris. Tomorrow at 8:20AM, I get on a train to Vienna (and arrive at 10:40PM). I miss London so much, and while I'm really enjoying my travels, I also cannot wait to go "home" to the United Kingdom.

I arrived in Paris after a rather uneventful train ride, and my host, Alix, met me at the station. She lives in Montmartre, right next to the Sacre Couer on this really cute, quaint street. Mind you, I had to drag my suitcase up a gigantic hill. Anyways, Alix made a delicious, healthy dinner, and honestly, I was just so excited to be eating veggies (that weren't frites, anyways)! I slept well on an air mattress but woke up early to meet up with Abbey and her friends. I felt so bad because I was trying to be quiet so as not to wake Alix, but I pretty much dropped everything I could've... And to top it off, I couldn't figure out how to open the door, so she had to get out of bed and let me out.

I met up with Abbey and her friends (Shosh, Dana, and Miriam) at the site of the old Bastille prison, where there is now only a commemmorative column. We took the requisite tourist photos and went off in search of breakfast, specifically crepes. We were overwhelmed by hunger before finding an affordable crepe cart and instead got a croissant and chocolat chaud at a small cafe. However, on our way to Notre Dame, we found a crepe cart and got crepes anyway.

We walked around Notre Dame, with Abbey singing the Disney movie songs. The church itself was very beautiful, but not many of my photos came out in the dark church. Abbey wanted to climb to the top, but the line was insane.

After getting a bit turned around, we made it to the Louvre. It was free for us, as we are all residents of the European Union. Win! We saw all the major tourist items (Mona Lisa, Victory, Dying Slave, Code of Hammurabi, etc), and we walked around for a bit; however, the museum was huge and Abbey and Team needed to get to some fasion event/show/museum/thing by 3, so we decided to grab lunch... I got pate...

I parted ways with Abbey and Team to go meet up with my host in Monmartre. She gave me the grand tour of the area, everything from the Sacre Couer to the Moulin de la Gallette and the Moulin Rouge itself. The area is absolutely gorgeous and the weather (for once) was sunny and warm. Alix had to run to class. She offered me the keys, but I told her that I would meet up with Abbey instead. I texted Abbey and decided to wander around for a bit while I waited for her to respond. I ended up near the train station, where a bunch of skeevy Frenchmen tried to hit on me. I returned to Montmartre in the hopes of using the Internet, but the cafe was closed. I walked back to Alix's and was able to connect to the wireless from the front stoop. It'd been about 1.5hrs since I first texted Abbey (and I'd tried calling several times and texted a few more times as well). I used the wireless to check my messages and send her one on Facebook. Still no response, and by this time, I was hungry.

I wandered the neighborhood until I found an affordable meal (crepes), but I still had some time before Alix returned from class. I decided to go to the Sacre Couer, where a number of other tourists were taking in the view of Paris at night and some musicians were playing. It was pleasant, but I was approached by a few sleazy Frenchmen and felt that sitting down would have made me way too vulnerable. Alix texted me to say she was heading home. And I beelined it for the flat. I used Alix's computer to hunt down Abbey's friends on Facebook and send them messages to see if she was okay. I pretty much went to sleep not long after. I was exhausted and cold and worried.

I woke up early the next morning, as there was some commotion from the neighbors moving out. When I checked Facebook, I found that Abbey had lost her phone and the two friends whose numbers she still had did not know mine or did not pick up respectively. Abbey had brought some things for me from London, and we agreed to meet up in the evening so I could get my stuff.

I had breakfast with Alix, and I left to meet Ed at the Arc de Triomphe. From there, we went to the Catacombs. The Catacombs were incredible (and creepy). Ed and I made up a bunch of great horror movie scenarios. When we got out, it was about 2:45, and I was ravenous! We flipped through my guidebook and found a "traditional French restaurant with mains from €7" within walking distance from the Catacombs. However, we got a bit lost and by 4PM, places were mostly closed and I was about to gnaw on an inanimate object. So, we settled for a nearby cafe. The food was delicious, but we didn't finish until close to 6. We went over to the Eiffel Tower and sat for a bit in the nearby gardens. It was a rather pleasant evening, but Ed was eventually called home. As one of the books Abbey brought for me was actually his, we agreed to meet up the next day.

Alix had gone out with friends, and I still needed to get my stuff from Abbey. I met Abbey and her friends at dinner, but I wasn't particularly hungry. I ordered a glass of wine and the cheapest thing on the menu, a cheese plate. On the bill, the cheese plate was double what I expected. When I inquired with the waiter, he explained that there were two cheese plates, a big one and a small one. They had brought me the big one, I had been charged accordingly, and there was not much I could do. At this point, all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and collapse, but Abbey and her friends wanted to climb the Arc de Triomphe at night (it was right down the street). I waited below, as I didn't want to pay and am not comfortable with heights. While waiting on a bench in the underground pathway to the arch, I watched two American tourists taking photos with the large panorama photo of the view, as though they had actually done the climb. Ridiculous or genius?

From there, we went back to Abbey's hostel, but we took a bit of a long way. By that time, it was close to midnight. I was practically a zombie and I didn't want to keep Alix awake, so I grabbed my books and came straight back. I collapsed and slept until 10:30 (9:30 GMT, mind you). I had a weird dream where I was part of this boating community and we were traveling over the ocean in 5 row boats. My boat was a little behind all the others, and as we were rowing, this huge shark swam up from the ocean and towered over our boat. In my dream, I knew it was a shark, but it was really this big, burly, WWE-type man. He told us that we would need to choose four boats to sacrifice to him or he would slaughter us all. I told our chief of this, but he said that if we acquiesced, we would forever be subservient to the shark. Instead, we would fight and die with honor. I had a premonition that we would all die terribly, so I snuck away to where we had hidden the boats and separated the four with the fewest provisions on board. When the shark came, he was very angry and said that we had tried to trick him. That's about when I woke up...

Anyways, Alix and I decided to go on a picnic because it was a beautiful day. She made bread with blue cheese, walnuts, and pear, and she brought cherry tomatoes. We met up with her friend who brought some other snacks. It was a lovely picnic, but it got cloudy and cold as the day wore on.

Eventually, I left to meet up with Ed and to give him his book. We walked around Montmartre and grabbed hot chocolate before I bade him farewell and returned to Alix's flat. Alix was watching the Ultimate Gift, and we ended up watching together. However, her grandfather called. Apparently, she had forgotten to meet him for dinner on the other side of the city and she bolted out to meet up with him. I, in turn, am still in the flat and will spend my evening preparing for my train ride tomorrow. I bought snacks for the trip and just need to repack my bag. Then I'm off, bright and early tomorrow...

FYI: This took me a little over an hour to type on my iPhone keyboard because I was too frustrated to attempt Alix's AZER keyboard...

The Great Europe Adventure: Amsterdam

I left Amsterdam very early on Tuesday morning, and Holly meet me at Amsterdam Centraal. Holly's friend, Sonya, is studying abroad in Amsterdam, so we first took my stuff to her place and decided to grab lunch in the area. It was the first time in days I'd been able to afford real food, so I got this "warm meat sandwich with peanut sauce on a soft roll." It was really good, and I got a couple traditional puff pancakes for dessert. It was the first time I'd really felt full in days.

Holly and I decided we would go to the flower market, find this chip place she wanted to try, go to this local market, and go to the Rijksmuseum. The flower market was a lot of fun, but it was very small. Ultimately, we wandered off to central Amsterdam to find chips with peanut sauce (the Dutch love peanut butter, apparently).

We wandered around for about an hour, going up and down the same tiny side streets, and were entirely unable to find the chip place again. We ended up getting chips at a cafe by the Nieuwmarkt. As we later discovered, we walked very close to the chip place several times.

After chips, we walked down to the flea market. It was really strange and eclectic and sold everything from miscellaneous fish parts to clothing and beyond. From there, we went straight to the Rijksmuseum.

Here's my major problem with Amsterdam: the cost of the museums. It was the exact reverse of Belgium. The Rijksmuseum, for example, was 12.50EUR, and it was surprisingly small. There were two floors, perhaps three or four rooms on each floor. The first floor had some paintings and relics (is that the right word?) from Amsterdam's history. The second floor was entirely art.

Really, the major selling point of the museum is its collection of Vermeer and Rembrandt paintings. The Rijksmuseum houses the Night Watch. We were in the museum until closing, as we wanted to get our money's worth.

At this point, we got in touch with our CouchSurfing host, Joke (pronounced Yoka). We went back to Sonya's place to get our stuff (about 30 min. walk) and ran down to the Vondelpark to meet Joke. Walking, we would not have made it in time, so we decided to take the tram... Each ride was 2.60EUR and the operator kept giving us wrong directions to the park. We eventually got there and met up with Joke.

From there, we went back to her place. She lives above a model train store, and every time we went in and out, we had to close the storefront gate. It was kinda cool, but in the evening, when we just wanted to go to sleep, it was a bit annoying. Her apartment building was really cool and like nothing I'd ever seen before. Each floor of the building was a separate flat, but besides locking bedroom doors (and, thankfully, a locking bathroom door), there's is no separation between the flats.

We hung out with Joke and had dinner at a nearby cafe. We were all going to meet up with Sonya to see a jazz performance at a nearby bar. Joke decided not to go, as she had work the next day, but Holly and I had already committed and decided to go for a little bit.

It was fun, but I used the bar's wireless to get in touch with Riha back home to discuss housing, as the draw was the next day. When I returned, I kept falling asleep, despite the loud music, so Holly and I decided to leave.

Joke had a hammock and an air mattress, so I slept in the hammock and Holly slept on the air mattress in a sleeping bag. The hammock was orange, my pillow was yellow, and the curtains in the room were red. The next morning when I woke up, I'd wrapped the pillow (and part of the hammock) around my head, and I was really confused that the world was so... orange. Other than that (and occasionally being cold -- I need to get a travel sleeping bag), I slept really well.

The next day, we walked down to another market, where we got a gift for Joke, and Holly found a post office to mail some of her purchases back to London. Afterwards, we explored central Asmterdam a bit more, but Holly was apparently having a bad day because a bird pooped on her head. We stopped at a cafe, so she could use the bathroom to wash up. We got drinks (they don't serve tap water -- only bottled -- in Amsterdam), but Holly spilled her red soda drink all over her white skirt. We decided to go back to Joke's for a bit so that Holly could change.

In the afternoon, we met up with Sonya and went to the Werf, the wharf in Amsterdam. It used to be a squatter community in the 80's, but the government gave them some money to build up the place and there's a cool art community there now (although the abandoned warehouse feel still remains). We had a light dinner in a cafe that was converted from an old industrial greenhouse.

Afterwards, Holly and I ran to the Anne Frank House (we'd been putting it off to avoid the line -- which is typically wrapped around the block). We both agreed that it was something we needed to experience, but we were a bit disappointed. All the furniture was removed, and the tourists were AWFUL. They were very pushy (in fact, in the ticket line, this guy just kept leaning on me -- literally leaning), and the lareg number of people in such a small place made it really hard to fully appreciate the exhibits.

Holly left for Hamburg this morning, and I'm leaving for Paris in about an hour, actually. This morning, after I dropped off Holly at the train station and dumped my bags in a luggage locker, I went to the Van Gogh Museum (14EUR). Of the three, this was my absolute favorite. The crowds were, again, insane, but this museum had the space to accommodate the crowd (and as I got there 30 minutes before opening, I was one of the first people in). The exhibits were informative (and I wasn't going to pay the extra 5EUR for an audiotour) and quite extensive. I spent most of the morning there.

I eventually decided to find a cafe where I could get some vegetables (I haven't been able to find anything green to eat in days. Over lasagna (with aubergine, thank you) and soup, I wrote out my postcards. Now I'm just killing time until my train.

I'm really excited for Paris. As much as I liked Amsterdam, it definitely isn't my favorite city. It's not very walkable (the canals make walking routes very indirect) and the public transit is unreliable. Plus, I couldn't afford to go to many museums because each was 1/3 or more of my daily budget...

More updates to follow!

The Great Europe Adventure: Brugge

I have to keep this brief, as Holly and I are soon leaving for another day in Amsterdam. I will update more about Amsterdam later.

On Monday, I went to Bruges by myself, as Holly had left for Amsterdam in the morning. The train ride was so easy, and the city is rather small. I only had a small map print out and found my way to the city center by finding the really tall tower (one of the churches) and just walking towards it.

It was a great way to get around because the city is so beautiful and there are many hidden nooks and crannies (that's a strange expression -- I hope I spelled it right). I first went to the Stadhuis Museum, which was only €1 for students. It was a small museum that covered some of the history of Bruges. Next, I went to the next door Church of the Holy Blood (I'll have to check the translations when I can Google later). Apparently, they have a vial of Jesus's blood, but it's displayed in a huge silver tabernacle and you can't see a darned thing!

Afterwards, and on Holly's recommendation, I went to the Chocolate Museum, where I took a tour on the origins of chocolate and how Belgium came to be home to the world's best chocolate... There was a chocolate demo where they gave out free samples, so no complaints there.

Afterwards, I was pretty hungry, but as with Brussels, food is SO expensive (the cheapest I could find was a slice of quiche for €11 -- NOT OKAY). My guidebook recommended this Italian restaurant that, apparently, does LARGE pasta dishes for €3. I found it, but it was closed (Monday after Easter and all). In fact, almost all restaurants (that weren't completely touristy) were closed. Instead, I grabbed "frites"(chips, fries) at the Frites Museum.

NOTE: In Belgium and the Netherlands, they serve their chips with sauces. I've tried mayo, "Brazil", curry ketchup, and peanut sauce. They're all fantastic! Holly and I want to start a company to bring chip sauces to America!

Anyways, after the fry museum, I waited in line for an hour to pay €4 to climb the Belfry (like in the movie, In Bruges) only to find that half the lookout area was closed for repairs and that all the tourists were crammed into the tiny sliver that was still opened. Still I got some nice panoramic photographs of the city, and I decided to take a walk along the canals on my way back to the train station.

I'd only just begun my walk when my camera began acting up. It would turn on and after a few seconds, the screen would slowly go black. I ran into a bookstore and retaped the damaged areas, and when I went to replace the batteries (I need to change them, on average, about once a day), I found that I had none. So, I went on a mission to get more batteries. The only place I could find them was this terrible tourist shop where a 4-pack of batteries was a ridiculous €7.95. Well, I was about to embark on the most scenic part of Bruges, so I paid the money and bought the !@#%^ batteries.

The walk was beautiful and I made it back for a leisurely evening in Brussels. After the battery fiasco, I had no money for dinner and ended up eating a croissant I got at a grocery store.

Anyways, more updates later, I have to go. Holly is waiting.

The Great Europe Adventure: Bruxelles

I have very little patience with this Belgian keyboard (all the letters are in different places, the period requires a shift, the @ sign requires a third shift, etc.), so please excuse any typos and my reluctance to update everyone individually...

I arrived here in Brussels on Saturday. My train left London at 6:59AM, and I'd gone to bed at 2AM that night. As soon as I was on the train, I was already mostly asleep... but then the guy next to me started talking... and didn't stop. He told me that he "hated the silence on long train rides," but I really just wanted to sleep. Anyways, I was a bit tired when I arrived in Brussels.

Holly met me at the station, and we took my stuff back to the apartment we were staying at. I met our host, Jacques, and he's a really nice guy. And apparently really trusting... Because he decided to go home (to Antwerp) for Easter and left us the whole apartment for the weekend. It's a really nice place, very spacious and perfectly located.

Brussels is quite possibly the smallest major city I've ever been in. Holly and I decided to walk around. We thought it would take a couple hours, but within 10 minutes, we'd seen most of the city. We stopped for Belgian waffles for lunch. Holly had the strawberry, chocolate sauce, and ice cream waffle and I had the banana, chocolate sauce, and whipped cream waffle. They were exquisite! Heavenly!

We walked around a bit more afterwards and ultimately ended up at the Comic Museum. The museum was pretty cool, but I was exhausted and didn't know many of the comics (a large number were exclusively Belgian). We walked through all the exhibits in a little over an hour and went back to the apartment for a siesta. On the way home, it started downpouring (it had been rainy all day), and by the time we got in, we were soaked through. Holly and I were both pretty tired and couldn't really get the energy to move until about dinner time (and the rain was no great motivator).

Before laving, Jacques had recommended we check out Moeder Lambic for Belgian beers. It took us awhile to find the place, but it was totally worth it. When you sit down, the waiter will ask you what qualities you want in your beer (dark or light, bitter or sweet) and will match you with a beer based on your answers. I (dark and bitter) was matched with this great Zinnebir Xmas, and Holly (light and fruity) was matched with the Grisette Fruits des Bois, which pretty much tasted like fruit juice. It was a fun experience. The atmosphere was just what a Belgian bar should be. The long tables were just split tree trunks, and the walls were dark wood and brick. The only food served were cheeses and pates, so we opted to get cheap sandwiches down the street.

It was a very pleasant evening, and when we got home we watched part of the Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus before we were too tired and went to bed instead.

Today (Easter), we slept in (until 9AM -- haha) and went to Brussels' "best" flea market. And it was. It was huge and sold everything from hats to silverware to teacups to lab beakers (for real). We both got a couple small souvenirs. Afterward, we went around to a few of the nearby sites, but we couldn't go in any of the churches on account of Easter.

Brussels seems to be famous for six major things: beer, chocolate, waffles, mussels, chips (that's fries to you Americans), and this strange statue of a little boy peeing. We'd tried waffles and beer the previous day, so we set out to find the others. The statue of the little boy was, well, VERY little, but we got the customary photos anyways.

We got chips (for which you MUST choose a sauce -- I recommend one called "Brazil," which sort of has a peanut buttery, curry taste that's surprisingly sweet and delicious) and walked up to the palaace. It had been drizzling most of the morning (even hailing at the chippy), but by this time, it was bright and sunny. We walked around the palace gardens and walked over to the Botanical Gardens.

In the afternoon, we got proper Belgian hot chocolate (they bring you hot milk and dark chocolate and you add the chocolate -- and sugar, if you fancy -- to taste). It was a lot of fun, and the hot chocolate even came with a little pot of mousse! After, we went to Leonidas (a famous Belgian chocolatier) and split a skewer of chocolate covered fruits. As a side note, I assure you we had a healthy breakfast before we left the house in the morning.

Brussels has been incredible thus far, but the city is incredibly expensive. We've been hard-pressed to find any restaurants with entrees under 20 euro (can't find the symbol key), and that is way over my daily budget for the trip. That's mostly why we've been snacking throughout the day; it's really hard to find affordable food (plus, we want to try EVERYTHING).

Tonight, we're hoping to find affordable pub food (Holly wants to get a Maes pint glass from a pub as Mae is her middle name) in Jacques's neighborhood (St. Gilles), but if not, we'll probably end up with sandwiches again. Tomorrow, Holly leaves for Amsterdam (I stay one day longer before I meet her there), and I'm planning to go to Bruges for the day. Brussels is very small, and I can't imagine what else I could see here. I'm looking forward to Bruges but I will probably not be able to update the blog again until I'm in Amsterdam...