QUOTE OF THE DAY : "I want to die peacefully, in my sleep, like my grandfather, not screaming, like his passengers." - Unknown

SONG OF THE DAY : The Pixies - Where is my mind?

LINK OF THE DAY : The Adventures of #86/68

I rather would entreat thy company
To see the wonders of the world abroad,
Than, living dully sluggardized at home,
Wear out thy youth with shapeless idleness.


Pure Kramer.

I needed a break from my blog. It was the only vestige of my home life when I was away... and now that I'm back I just needed some time to get back into the swing of things, sans blog.

There is no real way I can sum up my trip. I'd love to try, but it would be nearly impossible to do an experience like that justice with words.

So what did we learn? More accurately what did I learn? (Sharing this blog with so many people during my trip kind of makes me feel like you were all with me... awww)

1) Jet-lag is not fun.
2) European women are awesome.
3) Beer is best served in 1 litre glasses.
4) German people are cool.
5) Dutch people are weird.
6) The Alps are pretty damn big.
7) Cacti are pointy.
8) Maps are a valuable resource.
9) Australians are EVERYWHERE. There's one behind you right now.
10) Paris smells like a rotted corpse died in someones colon.
11) People everywhere else in the world don't like George W. Bush.
12) Rugby is awesome.
13) Pigeons must die.
14) Amsterdam... How about that Amsterdam?!
15) Never take a night train across a border.
16) Jesus will indeed pay for the theft of my knife.
17) American culture is being crammed down everyone elses throats too.
18) People know jack squat about Canada.
19) You'll get weird looks if you have a wooden sword strapped to your backpack.
20) Scooters are insanely fun.
21) Italian people are very friendly.
22) Irishmen can drink like fish.
23) Languages aren't that hard if you immerse yourself in them.
24) Being abroad, by yourself teaches you a hell of a lot.
25) There's no place like home.

That brief list of 25 barely scratches the surface.

I hope to scan some of my 405 pictures that I took during my trip, must get the scanner working first though.

I'll be covering some of the details of my trip in the future on, but in the mean time onto more pressing matters.

I start school on Monday! I'm so ready for this. If you take time off from school their comes a point when you just want to get back at it. Yes, I'm just as amazed as you that I just said that... but it's true. I can't wait for school. Should be good.

Had an awesome New Year's Eve. Went to Piccadilly Circus downtown with the boys. It was awesome. Big contingent of Malvernites there too, good to see some of them.

And that is that.

Happy New Year!!!

2004... wow.

-Will

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "We're gonna bring these Evil-doers to justice... Now watch this drive!" - George W. Bush

SONG OF THE DAY : Chemical Brothers - Electronic Battle Weapon 6

LINK OF THE DAY : RedNova

Poor naked wretches, wheresoe’er you are,
That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm,
How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides,
Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you
From seasons such as these?


President Bush sends his regards.

This is the first thing I see on TV when I get home. Saddam has been living like me for the last 8 months. He lost weight, he's disheveled, and he slept in holes in the wall that were too small for him. Aside from the whole being hunted like a rat thing and the fact that I'm not a brutal dictator(Yet), I can relate to this guy.

Anyways, nothing I can say on this subject hasn't already been said by the never ending cavalcade of talking heads on TV, radio, and the internet etc. So I'll leave it at this:

Anyone who thinks that capturing this guy is a bad thing is an idiot. If you were against the Iraq war or if you were for it... it shouldn't matter. Getting this tyrant behind bars is a good thing. A guy like Saddam Hussein should be locked in a glass cell for the rest of his life in a zoo, so people can walk by and laugh. He doesn't deserve to be executed, and should be made to live out his days in isolation. Normally I wouldn't wish this kind of thing on anyone... but come on this guy is a mass murderer... give him what he deserves. That is all.

So... how about that Europe? Good stuff. I had an awesome trip, and plan to try and sum it up tomorrow on this blog. Right now I'm just trying to adjust to the time. It's 11:30 pm EST. Which is 4:30 am GMT tomorrow. Good times. Damn Jet Lag.

Good to be back in Canuckistan, now if I can just get used to this cold ass weather.

Cheers.

Will

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Back in London... Meh."

SONG OF THE DAY : Free Agents Ft. DJ Kemo - Clash of the Titans

LINK OF THE DAY : Eminem's Brothers Website. Horrible.

My pride fell with my fortunes.


James Brown has been appointed Secretary of Funk for the U.S.

Well I made it London.

I used my wit and charm to get aboard a Eurostar train to London. Convincing 4 Eurostar employees that my Eurail pass covered the trip to London, despite the fact that it doesn't.

So, I got a 75 euro train ride through the chunnel for free. Damn I'm good.

Just reading my brothers LiveJournal, funny stuff. I'm glad he finds it hilarious that I was stuck in Paris. Well in your face Evan... I made it to London. And as soon as I get home I will cut you !

So I do have a bit of money, enough to last 4 days. Just looking forward to when I get home, when I will have no money. In fact I'll be $2500 in the hole. Ah the price we pay for good times.

It will have been worth it though.

I have a job, and I intend on getting another job to fork on weekends. Yes, I'm going to be a busy guy when I get back.

The first order of business is to pay the credit card bill, and then get rid of the credit card. As I've found on this trip, the convenience of 'Free money' is too tempting.

Had my first full nights sleep in 5 days last night. In the past 5 days of travelling I probably slept 8 hours total. So today I'm just going to relax and chill. Maybe go to a museum or something.

Cheers

Will

QUOTE OF THE DAY : "Ah crazy French keyboards... How I missed you."

SONG OF THE DAY : Chemical Brothers Feat. K-OS - Get Yourself High ... Again

LINK OF THE DAY : Song of the Day

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players.
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages.

The Long Road Home.

Very tediously making my way back to London. Yesterday I was in Nice, the day before that Palermo. Now I'm in Paris. I've been travelling by train for roughly 2 days straight and this 5 hour break is the longest I haven't been on a train in that time. In 5 hours I get on another train, to London. Hooray.

Just so you know that's a total of over 3100 kilometres, by train that I've travelled in less than 48 hours. Only 500 to go.

So for now I'm just chilling at this awesome internet cafe. 12 euros for 6 hours of sitting around playing games ain't bad. Plus it's cheaper than a hostel, and better than sitting on my ass at the train station.

Good times. I just want to get to the Generator in London and sleep. Sleep all day to my hearts content, on a bed that isn't going 100 km/h.

But in the mean time, I'm going to whoop some French ass at Counter-strike and Generals. Time to go to work.

Happy hunting, see you in London.

Oh and by the way. I maxed my credit card and I have 3 dollars to my name. Good times indeed.
Shall I resort to parental intervention? I will I use my charisma and inginuity to somehow make it home.
We all knew this would happen, and now it has. Just take it all in stride.

Will

QUOTE OF THE DAY : ''Dov e Pompei?'' - Me, wandering through the Italian country-side

SONG OF THE DAY : The Godfather Theme Song

LINK OF THE DAY : Pompei

But, alack,
That monster envy, oft the wrack
Of earned praise

''Dov e Pompei?'' I asked.

''Dov e POMPEI!?'' I yelled

''WHERE THE �$%! IS POMPEI''

Yesterday, I wanted to go to Pompei. It's the ancient Roman city that was covered in ash and perfectly preserved when Mt. Vesuvius erupted. I walked 20 km, but sadly when I finally did find it... it had just closed to the public.

Now I've had some 'Fun' days on this trip... but this about tops all of them. The morning started off fine, I was going to take the train from Naples to Pompei... a simple endeavour according to everyone at the hostel.

Unfortunatly on the way the train broke down, and had to go back to the station. From that point I got on the wrong train, though I didn't know it because I had no idea what the announcement over the loud speakers had said.

Shit, I realized I was on the wrong line. But I looked at the map and figured I would just get off at one of the stations on the other line, that was paralell to Pompei.

Of course the map was not to scale, and what I didn't realize at the time was that Mt. Vesuvius ran between those two train lines, that on the map were only an inch apart.

By the time I realized my error I had already gone to far to turn back.

6 Hours ! Of walking aimlessly through the country side surrounding Napoli and Sorrento. Some of the sketchiest areas I've ever been too, I was afraid I was going to walk onto the Don's property and get my ass shot.

''Dov e Pompei?'' I would ask the occasional person. Where is Pompei?

They would point in a direction and I would go that way. Only to be pointed in another direction by the next person I asked.

Now this is Southern Italy. It was hot. I had brought my jacket for some stupid reason, and was wearing my big, thick, green striped rugby shirt. At mid-day the temperature probably peaked at about 28 degrees.

Six hours of walking, I had no clue where I was, I knew the general direction of Pompei, but it didn't seem to help.

Here are some highlights from my walk. I was almost run over by a dude riding a horse drawn buggy. I walked into a cactus a la Homer Simpson. Nearly stepped on a dead dog. Single handedly made an ass of the entire English speaking world with my inability to speak Italian. Had my foot run over by a scooter. Was cursed at by a strange old Italian gentleman. And ate pizza in the middle of nowhere.

Hell of a day. As I said when I finally did get there, my feet were like stones, and my legs were cramped up the yin yang.

''Ah finally Pompei !'' I exclaimed as the ancient town came into view.

''Chiusi'' The security guard said.

Closed. All for nothing. Admittedly it was something I'll remember the rest of my life. But it seemed rather pointless to walk all that way for nothing.

In other news. Two days ago I hiked up Mount Vesuvius. Incredible view. 4000 feet up, just incredible. The volcanologist said they expected another eruption soon. Always a comforting thought when you're sleeping in the city perched below the volcano in question.

Now I am in Sicily. Palermo to be exact. Took the night ferry from Naples last night.
Cool place. Damn hot.

I figure I might take a quick jont down to Tunisia. It's only a 3 hour ferry ride. Then I can say I went to Africa as well.

Good times. I'm in the old country, land of the real mafia.

Arrivederci

Will