On plane to Toronto

Train to Calais took ~3 hr (missed the direct train, had to take a regional train partway). In Calais, had to walk a long way to the ferry...in the docks, kinda like walking to the airport. Also ferry was expensive. P&O only, rate was more expensive than taking a motorcycle onto SeaFrance. Why is that? Why no foot passengers on SeaFrance? Was rather annoyed. Hung out for ~1 hr waiting for next boat (saw a pinball machine that only took francs...they must keep some around as tokens...).

Boat was big. Like a cruise ship inside. Long trip, 2-3 hr, I think. Seagulls flying around outside, seem to come to a standstill mid-air with the wind. Also lots of wind at the railings...must be pushed up by the sides of the boat. Inside, 2 girls going around giving massages. Some guys w/ very thick accents sitting behind us.

At Dover, walked to train station, took an expensive train into London (also slow). And engineering works forced us onto an even longer train. Got into London ~8 or 9, which is late for us. For dinner, we had fish + chips + spinach pie at a place by the South Kensington subway station.

Finally we got to the hostel. Very nice Indian man at reception. Kinda creepy how he went out of his way to call me by my first name. Also we displaced a dude.

---

Sunday - breakfast at a Russian cafe - eggs sunny side up, English bacon (which is different; more like really salted ham), sausage (very bland, maybe lots of filler, little fat), baked beans, and toast w/ lots of butter. Woman at next table was asking her friend to find her an Italian aristocrat husband who would take her to live in Rome.

Walked through a park (Kensington?) where we saw boats and birds. A guy was throwing bread at the birds; there were these small birds who would grab it and run off, chased by pigeons (who were larger). The little birds were quite fast, though, so they were pretty good at evading the pigeons. Eventually they'd drop the breads or the pigeons would lose interest. Very funny - almost cartoon-like - to watch the chase. We saw one snatch a bit of bread out from a pigeon's beak.

Eventually the crows (which had been hanging out at the periphery) came in, and the other birds all yielded to them - they'd leak well away (out of pecking range). The crows would pick up lots of bread, carry it away a bit, and eat undisturbed. Later we also saw them dipping the bread into water.

There were old guys racing R/C sailboats. Also big swans. We saw one standing out of the water, preening. We tried to inch closer to pet it but it saw through what we were doing and inched away itself. It also honked menacingly.

On the street we saw a cooing pigeon that followed another pigeon into the street, only to then take off flying when a car came. It even checked for traffic before entering, but it must have decided that it was worth it.

After the park we went to Camden market. We had to take the bus b/c of subway closures due to engineering work. Very big street market - stalls selling various clothing + accessories, T-shirts w/ witty slogans, food. Also found a Sainsbury's, where we bought a trifle and a fruit+barley drink.

Took subway + RER to Greenwich, which took a long time. Also, the tagging-off points were not obvious. Got some mulled wine (not as good as we'd had at Columbae...this was not well spiced).

Ate our trifle and drink (turned out to be a concentrate, and that aspartame falls through a loophole of "no added sugar" and "no artificial colours or flavour"), then went to observatory - saw an exhibit on the longitude problem, including (models?) Harrison's H1-H3.

A replica of that would be a cool project to make. Or maybe a simpler system, where the pendulum drives the wheel through a ratchet system. Then use coils to drive pendulum, and quartz regulator.

Anyways, ironically, that Sunday was the change to summer time, so the day ended, unexpectedly, one hour early, and we couldn't visit any more museums (pity, too, because the museums in Greenwhich are free). On the way back to station, stopped at a restaurant; had a roast beef thing (w/ Yorkshire pudding?) and a steak + kidney pie.

Saw Westminster cathedral (only the bottom part is lit & marbled, the top is just brick and unlit, which almost has the effect SC was talking about: not being able to see the top). Walked around a bit, saw the Soho area (wannabe Times Square), had a "gooey" McFlurry + Cadbury cream, went back to the hostel, and crashed.

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This morning: instant food adventure, failed Oyster card ploy (wanted to leave w/ a negative balance, but need £1.30 on the card to get through the entrance gates).

Falafel & winning & the awesome map

(by SquishyCat)

That prolly should be in the opposite order. Sitting at the train station now (Gare du Nord) waiting for train to Calais since the 10am one was full. There's a random guy talking to the lady next to me (we are in the waiting area with the heat lamps (which make me feel lizard-like; or mabye like hobos around a trash can fire)). Now she has invited him to sit down, apparently on top of me. There are metal things on the bench to deter people from sleeping on them, and is now becoming an incentive to desist sitting. Squish. Oh good, he's gotten up to be chivalrous to some old ladies and offered them my seat. I expand back.

Anyway, the awesome map was acquired at the hostel we stayed at the first night, and has attractions & metro map on it. It looks to be printed by a galerie (mall, prolly), which we will not visit. But it has many desirable characteristics of a temporary travel map, vis.: light, comprehensive, w/ lots of little streets labeled, durable, not too large/awkward so we can look at it in the street.

Winning on metro tickets:
(by FuzzyFish)
We bought a zone 1 day pass, which doesn't include Versailles, but the gate only checked at the start of the outbound leg and the end of the inbound leg, and both those points were in zone 1, so we got a free ride into Versailles. Yay!

We're on the 1st car from the locomotive; can hear the engine noise whenever it's on (sometimes it pulses on/off, when coasting at low speed). Passed a whole field of high-tension power lines; the supports look like squat monsters fading into the foggy distance. Some really low clouds; very distinct wispiness.

Falafel. Much bigger, fresh-fried balls, not hard or as dense as other falafel we've had. Too bad Marc's store was closed. Possibly condemned by health board; will have to translate this sign (update: sign just says certified kosher). But we got some from another store (probably gentile-owned; was open 7 days). Lots of filling. Bottom was red cabbage and onion, though...stained my jeans, and I wish it'd been more mixed in w/ the rest. Maybe I should have mixed it. Were going to go back to the French restaurant for foix gras + egg dish, but got lazy. Also forgot to get train reservation, which was not great.

Oh - at train station, saw 2 pigeons, 1 missing a foot and the other missing some toes. Why? How?

Paris and Versailles

More cute Germans in the hostel.

Sacred Heart - classical design, reminiscent of an Escher drawing. Mondrian stained glass. More people w/ friendship bracelets. Musicians in subway, 10-strong choir, with instruments. Very impressive.

Louvre. Egypt exhibit. Art for everyday enjoyment, or patrons, or Church, vs. modern art for the artistic elite (museums, snobs, etc.). Wedding feast at Cana. Mona Lisa. What makes art famous? Gravity seemed especially strong.

Went to Notre Dame afterwards. Raining as we walked, but cleared. ND not as cool as other cathedrals, but the mass (w/ organ, choir, & smoke) was very cool. Like some ritual out of a movie. The lighting was very dramatic and very clean. Made you feel religious, not cultlike despite the old white men chanting in robes. Production values (e.g. cathedral) helped. Ceiling of cathedral must have been dark in original use (no electric floodlights) - couldn't see top, even in day? Would seem to stretch to infinity.

Marching band and roller skaters outside. Weird. Walked along canal/river, saw a barge, a dog interested in ducks. Bastile - just a pole??

Dinner: have a business card. SC probably wrote more about it. €37. Starter: salad w/ the dressing, fried cheese things, like triangular fried egg rolls filled w/ mild cheese. My salmon had leeks and a "red fruit" sauce that reminded SC of rubbing alcohol, but I found quite agreeable. SC had steak (Boucher) w/ Roquefort cheese sauce and French fries (very traditional, apparently), then we had creme brulee, very nice.

Then back, very tired. Internet. Connection problems - but why? Maybe need to wait for roaming IP...it was trouble getting a valid IP.

---

Big breakfast this morning. Coffee was good - think it inhibited the sniffling. Swiped some jam. Went to catacombs, interesting combination of mining history (w/ cave-ins) and ossuary. A lot of bones. Wow. Stacked-up walls of femurs and skulls, w/ a mess of other bones behind it. Various death-related poems. Can see how Hamlet might have just found a skull lying on the ground. Also the miners' sculptures: not Michelangelo, but nice still.


Bought a bread. Oh - figured out a way to make backpack thinner: tie front pocket zipper pull to top loop: pulls the front up and in, makes pack more tear-drop shaped, less bulky. Nice. On train now to Versailles. Passing through Paris suburbs. Understand Paris metro zone system and train schedule now.


Eat bread w/ hands, but rice w/ chopsticks. Wonder if it has an effect on spread of disease...


---


Huge line to buy tickets at Versailles. €30. Ticket people very helpful w.r.t asking age + nationality for free admission. Lots of gilded gold, many rooms: drawing-room, chamber, antechamber(s), guard room. And then the same for the dauphin/dauphine. King's favorism of French classicism (Roman gods) over Italian baroque (paintings of Jesus et al.) in paintings...lots of paintings of Venus, Mars, Mercury, Apollo, Diana, Jupiter. King/Queen had separate bedchambers. Audioguide (which was compulsory; how odd) mentioned the furniture-makers, which SC thought odd.


Went to the garden. Saw very cute black birds with white wingtips, flying around very lightly; highly agile w/ little effort. Talked about what we'd put in a palace if we were king: waterfalls, aviaries, aquaria, the Augustus dining room, glass floors, moats, water-filled walls. Thought the sculpted bushes were kinda silly...

Paris

French keyboards, WTF? a <--> q ?!?

rain. cool cathedral (Sacre Couer). statue stabbing his horse (outside). Self destruct! cleaner looking decor.

rain. walked to metro, to louvre. actually, mall (the carrousel du louvre). Find louvre entrance, actually wait in line to get through security before FF suggests lunch at the food court (we brought the salami bread, cheese, nougat, but no water since stuff floating in the tap water from prev. night's hostel). so we go back. No tables, so I sit at a clear spot w/ no chair, which is awkward. I get up, find a new spot, find a table. FF doesn't want to sit though--he suggests going outside & getting a drink at a fountain (original plan = eat our food, buy a drink, but can tell it'll be expensive). I am puzzled at this but we head outside. It's raining. No fountains, since it's not Italy. Can get a bottle of soda for €3, which FF vetoes. I am annoyed; now he says we should do what I want, which is either our original plan (food court + drink) or the museum. (I was also anxious about the time since there were other things (catacombs) I wanted to see after louvre, but I knew the louvre would take a long time). Also wet. went to go see outside of louvre (the ridiculous pyramids) then went back to standing in line to get into louvre. Annoyed.

Louvre: ancient egyptian rooms. Extremely large & well-preserved collection (scribe's tomb. Preserved papyrus scrolls w/ writing. 3000 year old bread and fruits!) Very food/food acquisition oriented tombs (pictures of overseeing food gathering, food offerings, menu on wall carving. Statues of people holding meat selections (fancier than in life selections for normal ppl).) Really fancy jewlery & pottery. Styles still good today (lots of gold), very good workmanship, clean lines, could get really small pendants (v. cute!).

Mummified cats! And fishes! wtf! Also a crocodile, and a real mummy. Must feel awkward that this guy is on display at a museum. But I suppose when you're don using it your body becomes a piece of nature and free for use.

Headless victory unearthed in 1800's. Still impressive. Paintings. Mona lisa -> v. small. essence of smiling, play on words.

Statues. Hermaphrodite = fil of Aphrodite + Hermes. Interesting.

FF tired. leave at 4:30 ish, to Notre Dame cathedral. Blocky, which was unexpected; also smaller. Service started while we were inside (beginning announced by clanging.) Singing, organ, everyone signs. repeat. Smoke. V. picturesque, esp. w/ stained glass, high ceilings, columns and angel statues. Pretty cool but musically not that interesting--just good for the space and getting atmosphere.

To bastille. Outside Notre dame 8-person band (amateur) and rollerbladers doing wiggly-tricks.

Wander around. Find bastille. Not interesting (a tower/pole? Isn't there supposed to be a prison?)

Go back to hostel, get recommendation for a place for dinner, where we are translated the menu. Steak and salmon. Salad dressing: tastes like vinegar w/ memories of sushi saunce (hint of nori, horseradish). Sweet, sour. V. mild. Looks like a vinagrette. When asked we're told goat cheese wrapped in leaves from N. Africa (Chinese use it too--"Name"?). Also, finally get water. Leeks in cheese. Cheese sauce for steak. Generally, cheese. Good stuff. fries.

Creme Brulee. Not too thick. Burnt bitter cuts, but not that sweet anyway.

Back to hostel. Internet.

Update: Snoring girl. No sheets. What is with French shower drains?

On train from Strasbourg - Paris

TGV, which I've heard much about. Remember hearing about it when I was little, seemed cool and exotic. Thought it was maglev, though (where can I find one of those to ride?). Associations with the Concorde SST. Am on it now; not quite as cool. Maybe this isn't the TGV. Also there is this incessant squeaking from behind me. Occasionally it seems to abate, but the promise of silence only draws attention to the inevitable return of the squeaking.

Painted clouds in the sky, light of the sun bursting out from behind one. Like on the Michelangelo Creation. Or the ceiling of the Venetian; I can't decide. All those little towns on rolling hills. We also saw them in Switzerland (on the Lausanne-Bern line, or maybe it was the Martigny-Lausanne). Definitely not the Rhone leg...no rolling hills there. Very different from the American countryside. I think. Haven't really seen the American countryside, I guess I imagine it's like Gilroy: factory farms and outlet malls. I may be wrong...

Also, the roads. Even more so in Switzerland. Turns and hills and a scenic countryside. Not a straight road into the horizon, dust and desolation on either side. This is where BMW ads come from. And the hills (again, this was more true in Switzerland) - erosion takes away the bottom, but a skin of grass roots remain, holding together the surface. A cool effect. Green rolling hills, like the XP wallpaper. Also, now I know what it means for hills to roll...

Dude just stood up and fixed the squeaking. Popped a ceiling panel back into place and the squeaking stopped. Awesome.

Trees with poofs! What are they? Nests?
update: It's mistletoe! A parasitic plant that grows in poofs on trees.

Strasbourg


Had some pastries (coffee eclair, pain au chocolat, fougasse provencal); one bakery was very popular, nonstop customers and lots of awards. Walked a bit, saw swans swimming swiftly upstream (actually they were quite slow, it being upstream and all; I just wanted the alliteration). Saw Cruella deVille houses.

Checked out of hotel, dropped bag off at train station (not as well labeled as in Switzerland), got tickets, took tram towards cathedral, walked along canal (saw 2 swans...the same ones?). Tried to get one interested in my camera, but the autofocus sound scared him off.

Cathedral was very different - lots of pointy bits, and that fractal ornamentation that gives it a very busy, cluttered look. Also it's this single color of ochre that's not too appealing. Cathedral closed, decided to get lunch...found a restaurant recommended by the bulletin board outside hotel, but decided it was too upscale for us (also, didn't want to pay premium for its location). So wandered in a circle, came back, visited cathedral, went up, ate lunch at a really fancy place (also on that same list). Went to "petite France", saw a canal lock - which I'd read about but had never seen until then, which was cool, then went to an Internet bar and barely made the train.

Train from Strasberg -> Paris EST

Strasberg:

Cathedral. Pointy. Different than others we've seen--lots of spiral-y bits and embellishments (more than usual?). Temp gradient: could feel when walk in, cold. Dark, since windows stained. Wonder if way to get stained windows with more finessed paintings? FF said the height was cheating b/c the towers were open to the air. We climbed up inside them and it was much nicer, though.

Clock in the corner (giant overgrown cookoo clock) like a 19th century amazement (like that duck, or the chess Turk.). Went up. View was nice but not as cool as I thought (not get to see the spirals up close). On top, could see the roofs of French buildings--like in the cartoons! And as exaggerated and leaning! So funny!

Lunch @ fancy place across from cathedral. €19.50 each, and was a nice surprise after all the ridiculously expensive dinky Milan/Venice meals. Very big portions (herring salad = very good, salty, but texture like raw: how to make?) and pig knuckle bone in sauce like in Chinese restaurants. So full.

Sunshine after.

Swiss Train Adventure

Morel-Visp, looked around a bit.

Visp-Sion, climbed a giant hill through a very narrow path through tiny alleyways and backyards (saw an angry cat!) to a castle. Didn't go in, but had a picnic lunch on a very picturesque hill. Would be awesome if we had such a hill where we lived. Also was cool b/c there were these terraces of flat ground, breaking up the space into smaller areas.

Sion-Martigny, was going to take a train (a funicular!) up to Lac d'Emosson, but decided it would take too long.
Martigny-Lausanne, walked to the lake (swans!), found free wifi, took an honor code subway back. Bought wurst salad, sammich, and bread at Coop Pronto.

Lausanne-Bern, Bern-Basel.
Basel: train station had a Swiss side & FRench side. Swiss side: 20+ platforms, shops, cafes, lots of people, clean. Bought a water and a Swiss soft drink (carbonated milk serum, yum...). French side: 4 platforms (numbered 30 to 35 to make it seem like more), just a long waiting hall and some benches outside, deserted, dead quiet.

Basel-Strasbourg. Directions worked; got the last room ("€63 normally, but I'll let you have it for €50").

Brig

Got in pretty late; bratwurst + spaghetti - expensive, but portions were huge (at least by Italian standards)

Next day: walked around town. Very clean, very quiet, no people. Had various pastries: croissant thing, a birnen strudel (what is a birnen?), and a ham strudel. Went to castle (Stockalperpalast) - pretty garden. Missed train due to confusion over location of platform 11 (it's actually across the street from the train station, and in the opposite direction of platform 9).

Went to see river. Interesting color. Saw some cool beetles. Also a weird swing. Bike path to Morel and Visp; probably rideable (in terms of distance). Would be cool to bike along the Rhone (downhill, ideally). Got some bread (weissbrot, 1/2 kg) and a birnen (turns out it's a pear). Interesting checkout method, which we've learned is standard around here: weigh it yourself and get a ticket.

Train to Morel, cable car up to Riederalp (33 CHF/person). Saw an awesome waterfall on the way up, and a mountain goat. Actually quite surprised to see it full of snow, despite all the people we saw with skis on the way up. Should've picked up on that hint. Riederalp is a giant ski resort (quite different from U.S. ski resorts).

Our shoes aren't great for the snow. It looks like skis are the primary form of transportation. I turned down a ski rental, though, because we weren't there for the skiing. We took a ski lift up (everybody had skis), and at the top (Moosfluh) there wasn't really a great view...just like the top of a ski lift. I didn't see the glacier, and there was a sign that indicated the panoramic view was down this ski trail. I began really regretting not taking the chance with the skis. Felt really bad about ruining our chance to go skiing in the Swiss Alps, and felt lied to by the Internet and the ticket counter (both of which said it was walkable).

But it turned out okay. We found the view point (saw the glacier), then found the hiking path. We didn't have the right shoes (they got thoroughly soaked), but it was still awesome. We ate our weissbrot and the salami from Florence. The walking path is pretty packed down, but if you stray off it, the snow collapses under you and you go down to your knees in snow. We hiked from Moosfluh to Hohfluh, then went back to the station.

Hiked up a giant hill to check in, found out that we got a free upgrade, said hi to a cat, and everything was great! Had a Swiss supermarket adventure (coop). Awesome dinner, and we had leftovers. Got nail clippers, which had been irking me greatly.

Venice and Milan

Venice, day 2

walked a lot

changed hostels - new girls say "ecch"

candied oranges dipped in chocolate

pastries

 - puff (spumoni) - sugar, very good

 - torrone - nougat - dense, expensive, but really good

 - another pastry, powdered sugar, chocolate, also good

lunch

 - gnocchi (chewy larva), stewed meats, 2 baskets of bread.

 - cheap wine by the glass

boat adventure

Piazza San Marco

 - took some bread from lunch

 - fed to the pigeons

   - one landed on my shoulder, looked at me

   - little girl putting seeds in her brother's hair

      to get pigeons to land on his head

cafe, wrote this down

Venice, day 2, continued

how/why was Venice built?

SC has a cold headache

trash can on fire

beggar at the church - tricked SC

acoustics of cathedral

 - descriptions of "cathedral-like"

ate at fancy restaurant

 - Campari soda - as bad as it sounds

 - spaghetti marinara, w/ seafood.

   - okay but not stellar (not like St. Michael's Alley)

then came back and crashed. Talked to guy from Holland

 - dude first traveled alone @ 16, in U.S.

 - traveled through Eastern Europe: no tourism there

Problems w/ America as identified by people on my travels:

 - abortion

    - pastor (killing babies) and Irish guy (moral hazard)

 - 3 strikes policy (German kids) - cruel and unual

 - high cost of education at college level - Dutch guy

Milan

pigeons everywhere!

Mercedes ad, w/ the fish

Duomo - very tall; compare to blimp hangar?

 - find chronology of cathedrals vs. height

lots of walking, in circles; stupid map

 - food: rice & stuff, fried, looks like wou tou

design museum (Triennale)

 - but design museum was closed (too bad!)

 - materials exhibit was cool

   - translucent concrete

 - green buildings, but all in Italian (no English) so not so cool

   - Linked Hybrid (Pechino?, China). Li Hu, Pop. Science award

   - Manitoba Hydro Place; Winnepeg, Canada

   - ACROS, Fukuoka

   - KFW, Frankfurt

   - Barcelona central park, J. Nouvel

more of just a city, unlike Rome, Florence, Venice

 - could have been any city

missed out on Last Supper, daVinci stuff at Science & Technology

also missed out on the aquarium (one of the oldest in world)

Florence and Venice

Today we spent the day in Florence and are now staying in a hostel in Venice.
The trains were quite easy, very convenient, and cheap enough by our standards (though apparently not by German student standards, who took a 10-hour regional train rather than the 3-hour inter-city express).
belt adventure - Sze has plans to wear it like a scarf. Because her neck gets cold more often than her midsection.
harpsichords
Some bullet points, for time:
Florence
olives, from market. Also salami.
belt adventure
Duomo
 - the view from the top - courtyards are nice
Barilla at supermarket
David
 - room of naked female statues (plaster)

Venice
hostel Venice Fish
 - cool house
- Dinner pasta (pomodoro + sale), pepper pesto
- German kids