July 19, 2007

Today was one of our later starts, since the walking tour didn't start until 9am. Once we meet up with our local tour guide, whose name escapes me right now, we began taking in the incredible sights of Florence. She gave a great look into the history of various parts of the city, and pointed out the many replica David statues, explaining how you can not visit Florence without gazing upon the original at the Accademia di Belle Arti.

On the course of our walk we made a stop at the Duomo, Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore , amazing architecture. The dome's innovative designs was a true feat, with its octagonal design, double walls, and resting on a drum and not on the roof itself. All of this allowed for the entire dome to be built without the need for scaffolding from the ground, no small achievement for something weighing nearly 37,000 tons. There was also a free-standing bell tower, Giotto’s Campanile , in the Piazza del Duomo available to climb and get a view of the city, but there is such a long line for it, I didn't have the time to come back. Anyone up for a trip to Florence again? Before I proceed with the rest of the day, I should back track a little and mention that when we first arrived at the cathedral there was a short line, and a lady who nonchalantly tried to cut in front of us. Which in of itself isn't very funny, but when the local tour guide notice she proceeded to scold the woman in not one, not two, but three different languages, of which the lady seemed to understand none.

After our little tour we headed down to Piazza della Signoria and split off into our little groups, and my group decided a little shopping was in order. We ventured off to the pig market, a 16th century open air market at the corner of Via Porta Rossa and Via Por Santa Maria. The market was named for a fountain with a wild board statue; I learned later on. Wandering around the narrow isles filled with jewelry, clothes, leather goods, and even straw hats, I was enjoying the atmosphere and the shade. I even found some nice chess sets for 65-95 euro. After my fill of the market, I noticed a little book store on a nearby street corner and thought I would take a quick see while everyone else was still shopping. My Italian was not very good, but I did find the Da Vinci Code in Italian. The cashier, thought it was a little odd I wanted a copy in Italian, but I'll be able to read it all one day.  After my side excusion, I meet back up with the group at the market.  

The whole group meet for a tour of Leonardo's Leather Works, before having the remainder of the day free to explore. The shop was full of impressive displays of leatherworking craftsmanship. Our first step of the tour included a explanation of how they made leather boxes as hard as wood. As the tour came to an end, we found ourselves in the souviner shop. I decided to expaned beyond my standard t-shirt and photo souvineers, and go for a bookmark with an old Mecator map on it.

Now on the Accademia to see the David. Our small group got in line about 2:10, and found out a few hours later, group tours can be reserved to avoid standing in line in the sweltering heat. At some point in our waiting, taking turns standing in the shade since the line had very littler shade, I noticed another tourist who used a little origami to turn his map into a nice hat, very MacGyver. As 5:40 rolls around we finally make it through the doors. I was disappointed photos were 'not' allowed, but the staute was worth the wait, a true masterpiece. The rest of the gallery was certianly worth seeing as well.

My recolection of the exact time escape me, but lunch was at a sports bar we came across during out walk. At first you would assume it was a typicall sports bar with wooden booths and a few tvs around, but then you notice the menu. The menu itself is fairly normal, but the 102oz drink on the menu is a little daunting. Over the course of the meal we tallked a little tv: house, simpsons, futurama, and MacGyver.(Justin, Allyah)

Rounding out the day was a delightful dinner at McD's. While not my favorite dining establishment, it did the job after a long day of walking and waiting.

July 18th, A Picture Perfect Pisa

Left for the Pisa around 9am, and made a stop for comfort around noon, the drive from Nice is almost 4 hours. The girls bathroom was so crowded at the station, the guys had to share ours. Then we continued on our way to Pisa, with comfort restored. We didn't get to go up the tower because of our group size, and the time it would take to get two or three smaller groups up and back; never the less, it was an impressive sight. I couldn't pass up a photo op either, with my own twist of course. We did get to see the Baptistery and Basilica, both amazing piece of architecture, and both with incredible acoustics. I have come to the conclusion it is impossible to dodge everyone's photos, and venture to say I was lucky if I only end up in a hundred. Which will be a hundred more then I've been in so far, at least till everyone finds out. Over the course of our time in Pisa, I noticed an abundance of decorations, a.k.a signs that said that stay 'stay off the grass', lining a large grass area near the tower, no one seemed to be reading them, even though they must have been in a dozen languages. I guess it is kind of hard to read when you're sleeping on the grass though. I was really hoping for a shot of the pristine lawn with the tower in the back ground. After a nice visit, and partaking in the market around Pisa, where I picked up a t-shirt my souvenir of choice, we made our way back to the accordion bus, a.k.a. The sardine can, and back to our bus. While we were winding our way back, Brad called asking if I would be in his wedding next summer, guess I did a better job then I thought keeping my departure under wraps --forget Carmen Sandiego.

After an uneventful bus ride, we arrived in Florence about 2 hours later and made a stop at the top of the road leading down into the city, it was quite a view. There were some portable bleacher seating from some kind of show earlier, and some replica David statures adorned the side of the bluff here. Finally we checked into our hotel. Being the night owls we are, we went out for dinner about 830pm at the restaurant “Resturante”. I had fettuccine with clams(still in the shell) and fried potatoes, what a way to start the night off. Around 11 we headed of for, you guessed it, the Discoteche of course(Space Electronic I think was the name). Where else would a party animal like me go? Plus the odds were not in my favor to talk my way out of it.=) It was actually a pretty interesting place, with karaoke downstairs and a dance floor upstairs with a catwalk around the perimeter of the room. Of course my secret of being rhythmically challenged got out and I was drug upstairs for awhile. After some guy got hit hard in the face and was bleeding pretty bad, I decided it was best to head back to the singing-- or so I thought. While I avoided any serious physical harm, everyone thought it would be a great idea to turn my into a sandwich. My first thought was, well at least everyone else it to busy singing and getting drinks at the bar to notice. Just then, flash, click, silent shutter, every camera in thee room decided it was a Kodak moment and snapped a picture of me. I wonder how long it will take that to circulate the world. As the night wound to a close a few people tried some absinthe which make the walk back interesting, and me glad I was a designated walker. Got back to the hotel about 3am.

July 17, 2007 Escargot does not taste like chicken

Had a slightly relaxed day today, eating breakfast about 930. From there I went to do laundry with my room mate Justin. Some of my clothes were a little stiff to say the least, from the salt water. After studying the laundry machine for sometime, I finally figured out how to actually wash my clothes with water, but most of the soap didn't make it in. The mate turned out to be a hot spot for our group, Lindsey the tour guide showed up too, and got to take advantage of my mishap with the soap dispenser. After a quick chat with Lindsey, Justin and I took a walk to the beach to see what the girls in our group were going to do the rest of the day. They wanted to stay at the beach all day so we decided to see the castle(Colline du Château) and try some of the local cuisine on the way. As we headed towards the castle, we stopped at an open air restaurant, and I had pasta with mushroom cream sauce and ... escargot, and surprisingly enough, it didn't taste like chicken, but it was quite good. --Dinner LeDiche -- MonoPrix --

July 16, 2007 Nice was nice

Today we arrived in Nice, for relaxation at a little slower pace. After we got settled into our room, which resembled a medium sized closet, but with a window. Some of us went down to the beach for a little swim. The water wasn't bad, a little cold for some, but worth the swim. Being a little hungry at this point, after stopping back at the room, I stopped at a KFC around the corner from the hotel. After this I waited to see what everyone had planned for the evening. Of course the consensus was to find a pub. We wondered down closer to the sea, along the way seeing a very entertaining break dance group. I was quite impressed with them, it was like Circus De Soli on the street. We finally made it to a pub called the Kings Pub, and filled the place with almost our whole group. I liked the live music which added a 'nice' ambiance to the place, the girls seemed to like the waiters. We didn't leave the fun until 2am. On the way back our small group walked by some of the construction on the main street back to the hotel, and we caught up with some drunk guys that continually yelled "Get down", and then proceeded to lay down on the grown. I don't know what they were drinking, but it must have been some strong stuff. Finally we made it back to the hotel to catch a little sleep before an early start the next day, although not as early as we had been getting up.

July 15, 2007 The Marvelous Museum aka Muse D'Orsay

Things started off on a good foot, we ate at the wrong breakfast area. Apparently the dining area in the hotel with the basic breakfast foods we had been eating, wasn't for us and some place out the back down an alley, at least it looked like one to me, had be reserved for us. After almost everyone at the wrong place, we got on the bus for out tour with Pierre. I don't remember much of what he said, probably because I slept most of the time. The tour took us to Notre Dame, which was still as impressive as ever. From there we split off into our little groups, and my little group made its way to the Latin Quarter which is in the 5th arrondissement on the left bank . It was an interesting place, full of shops, people, and of course bistros. As breakfast wasn't very filling, we decided to eat here, and found a nice little outside cafe/bistro. I had one of the pastas and it was quiet good, and had a water to drink. I mention this only because of the price of this particular water, about 6 euro or $8.50, and this was a normal liter bottle. After this we split up since we had plans as a group that night. I had to see the Muse D'Orsay again, and ended up going there by myself. I knew roughly where it was from where the rest of my group left me, just down a couple bridges and across the river from the Louvre. As I walked I stopped occasionally to admire some of the art and reprints along the river walk. Once the Muse D'Orsay was in sight I stopped to get a picture, and as I was admiring the building itself, I noticed a lady, a tourist as she had a map in hand, walking towards me. I didn't think anything of it at first, but she was on a path with a street sign in the side walk. By the time I realized that she didn't realize there was a pole in front of her, it was to late and she ran into it, the map had absorbed most of the hit as she was merely walking. After she realized what happened she looked at me, as I was passing the sign coming from the opposite direction, and smiled with embarrassment. The line wasn't that bad this time, and didn't have american college girls in front of me talking like high schoolers from valley high. Not having Red and Chris there to talk to in line this time made it a little harder to wait, but I made it in. It was equally amazing as last time, considering the fact I didn't have Red around to discuss the paintings and sculptures with. I took my time wondering around and found my way to the stair case leading up to the lookout that gave a spectacular view of the central hall of the museum and the giant clock across the way. I took a picture with my good camera this time, so I could get it blown up later. I still had one more place I wanted to visit before meeting the whole group at the Opera House, The Hard Rock Cafe. The HRC was pretty close to the Opera House, so I had a bite to eat there and got a t-shirt of course but forgot to take a picture of the outside. After that I still had a little time left, so I explored the area close by and found an internet cafe called "Milk", I didn't get the meaning of the name, but went in anyway to check email and see if anything important happened while I was gone, or if Grandma had found out where I really went on this trip--as far as I know she thinks I'm still home=) . The french layout of the keyboard was really really hard to get used to. After my time was up, I made it back to the Opera House and waited with a little of the group that was already there. We were suppose to gather around 6:15 to catch our Eiffel tower tour, which we did. Standing before the tower is always an amazing feeling, one I could never tire of. The lines to get to the top by elevator on the other hand are something I would eventually tire of, but the experience of being on top, and the view make it all worth the extremely crammed elevator ride. I stuck with my little group most of the time. We ran into a few of the other groups near the top. On the way down we took the elevator again, I couldn't convince anyone to walk this time. Once the entire group reformed at the base, we proceeded to the dock for the river cruise portion of Paris by night. It was worth it, the lights and buildings at night along the river were a site to behold. There is little else I can say about the cruise, other then everyone should take it at least once. The night has now come to a close and we proceeded to the rendezvous point for the bus, after watching the tower sparkle of course, it would be an utter travesty to miss such a spectacle. The bus ride started out normal enough, but we ran into a detour and there wasn't enough room for the bus to turn around, so we went backwards down the narrow street instead. Needless to say, we were all highly impressed with the drivers skills. Finally we made it back to the hotel, and I tried to get some sleep as we were heading to Nice the next morning.

July 14, 2007 No Rest for the Parisian Traveler

Today we started off extra early-- who needs sleep--so we could catch out 7am TGV Eurostar to Paris. First stop after the hotel, which was amazing, the Louvre. Calling the Louvre huge is a vast understatement. Our little group went in together, and we hit all the highlights of course, Mona Lisa, Winged Victory, etc. The Mona Lisa has special glass in front of it now, so you can take pictures of it. We focused mostly on the sculptures this time, very impressive. After a nice day at the Louvre, well a few hours, we made a stop at the hotel then to Monte Marr. Our hotel was near La Grande Arche de La Défense. After we got off the subway near Monte Marre, we walked by the Moulan Rouge so some of the girls could see where it was so they could find it later. Then we broke off into our group again, we stopped at the stairs leading up, and grabbed a bite to eat, I had a gyro type sandwich and a crape, it was one of the best meals I had so far. Next the myriad of steps to the top. We finally made it, and found a little spot near the steps to the church and tried to watch the fireworks from there, they were hard to see, it looked like they were coming from closer to the Eiffel tower, plus there were so many people around us it was hard to move and would have made it much easier to get pick pocketed, although we made it out without any trouble. That pretty much sums up the first day in Paris. (Bastille Day)

July 13, 2007 One long night

Started of the morning with the classic bus tour. Overall what I was awake for wasn't bad, the tour guide was no Doug. When we got some free time, Antonio, Amanda, Solimar, and I went to the British Museum and spent most of the time in the Egypt section. It was quite interesting and extensive. The museum architecture was fascinating as well, the ceiling was almost like an optical illusion, or at least a very intriguing design pattern. After that we made our way to the London Eye and river cruise. It's worth doing once, the eye is somewhat expensive though. The most interesting aspect for me about the eye, was that is only stops for handicapped passengers, otherwise it is in continuous motion. We starting winding down the daylight hours as we made our way to tower hill. I'm glad I was able to go inside last year, the time in London this year was far to short. After hanging around Tower Hill for a bit, we made or way back to the tub station meeting spot for the Jack the ripper tour. It reminded me a lot of the Ghost Bus tour in Dublin. A little history, little mystery, and a lot of acting. It was worth going on. After the ripper tour we went to a little Indian restaurant "The Monsoon". The food was strong in spice, but good. Personally I liked the fish n' chips of last year a little more. As the night moved on and we finished our meals, we talked about what to occupy the night with. A few people went back, the rest of us made our way to "The Big Chill" on Brick Road or at least tried to. After a couple wrong turns and a few course correction, we finally made it. I'm not much on clubs, but it was worth it. We congregated at a long table, I sat the whole time, but a few of the girls and Antonio danced a bit. I think I even saw the macarana come out once. The highlight of the club, or at least the funniest part was a drunk guy that kept dancing and scooting on a chair, sadly it got taken away from him a couple times, and he finally gave up on it. The night eventually came to an end and we had to make our way back to the hotel, which was an experience in itself. I blocked most of this out of my memory, but what I remember was catching the night bus was no easy feat. After several attempts we eventually found it and got within walking distance of the hotel. When all was said and done, we arrived back at the hotel about 4am.

July 12, 2007 I was adopted... sort of

Today is the day the group arrives. Since they wouldn't be arriving till the evening, I spent the morning explore more of London. First I went to the Sherlock Holmes Museum at 21B Baker street. The gift shop was a little expensive, but visiting the home of the greatest fictitious slue in history was a worthwhile experience. Then I made my way over to the Globe theater, to catch the matinee of "Loves Labor Lost". After I picked up my tickets I went to a little sandwich shop down the way from the theater and ate on the steps overlooking the river Thames, across from the theater. Finally it was show time, going into the play I knew nothing about it, but I enjoyed the performance. After the play I called the tour director to find out where to meet them. They were stopping by Convent Garden on the way to dinner, so I caught up with them in the market there and we made our way to dinner. Before we left for dinner though, I was adopted by one of the subgroups. They had split into smaller groups to be more organized since there were 40 of us. My group was really fun to hangout with. Our introduction dinner was at a Japanese restaurant, which wasn't to bad, not quiet the fish n' chips of last year, but still good. This was only the beginning to the adventures that were about to come. Later that night, Justin, Seth and I went to the Tiger Tiger club, which was ok for a club. Then we proceeded to look for a casino for Justin, on the search Seth decided to go back, so Justin and I hit the Hard Rock Casino and another casino near by, along with a few more clubs, some more reputable then others. By the time we got back to the hotel it was just after 5am. I didn't gamble or drink, but it was still a once in a lifetime experience for me, hopefully I can keep it that way.=)

July 11, 2007 Tony the Tour Guide, part deux

I didn't want to monopolize all of Red's time, so I decided to take a day trip today. I left about 7:45am to catch a shuttle to Victoria station, which I knew very well by this point, for the tour. What luck I had another tour guide named Tony, and he was excellent, very witty, and flirted with the girls a lot. After getting on the road our first stop was Windsor castle. On the bus ride there, Tony was talking to a few people near me, about his favorite tours to go on. He recommended not going on this trip, unless you only had a day to spend, because it would be easy to spend the whole day exploring each area.

July 10, 2007 Phantom of the Opera, nough said

Hung around the hotel most of the day. Four O'clock rolled around and I wondered closer to Victoria Coach station to pick up Red. Her Oxford Tube was having a little trouble getting to the station, so around 6:45pm I ran like the wind to pick up the tickets at the theater. Red finally made it to Victoria Station and caught a taxi to Her Majesty's Theater. We missed about 15 minutes of the show, but had seats in the third row. It was truly amazing, the set was much more then I expected. The props complimented the age of the story well, and seeing the Phantom coming down from the ceiling riding one of the statues added to the dynamics of the set and story. I was glad Red was able to come, it was a fun evening. After the play I walked Red back to the bus station and saw her off, but not before giving her the "final gift"(barely escaping with my life--I love practical jokes), and stopping by Burger King for a late dinner, the Tic-Tacs we had during intermission did not quite hold us over. After Red's bus left I stayed around a bit finishing my food, and a couple drunk guys came by singing " It's the Time of My Life".

July 9, 2007 Wonderfully Wicked Day

I started off the day catching the BIGBUS Tour, it was interesting commentary, on par with Doug from last year. I got to see the Chevy Chase round about from National Lampoons European Vacation, and the street austin powers goes down when he goes back to the 60's. The ticket for the tour also came with a river tour, which I took from Tower Hill, back up river close to the Hard Rock Cafe. Of course being close to it I had to eat there, and got the fajitas, expensive but tasty. Then I just wondered around a bit, and finally decided to see Wicked at the Apollo theater. I was really high up, but it was still a great view of the stage, and a perfect view of the dragon(see picasaweb pics). Apparently I wasn't the only one going solo, there was a girl on each side of me that came in shortly after I did, and our seats were right next to the entrance from the upper lobby into the theater over looking the balcony. After that I grabbed a little snack back on my way to the hotel, and went to bed a little early since I wasn't sure what time I would be seeing Red tomorrow.

July 8, 2007 The City of Books with Red

Started off the day with a stroll down the street from my hotel on Collingham to find a little bakery for breakfast. When I went to checkout my suitcase still had not arrived from LHR. Then I made my way to Paddington station where I caught the train to Oxford. It was a fairly relaxing ride, only takes about an hour. When I got off at the train station, Red was there to greet me with Rhianna and Rhiannon. =) It was quite the busy day, they were excellent tour guides. One of our stops was Blackwells, a famous book store, in the city of books. While we were there, we had to visit the Harry Potter section and laughed at some of the speculation books. A girl that was standing next to us laughed at one of the jokes made, Michelle I think was her name. Next thing I know the 4 girls are in a deep harry potter conversation while I listened and learned. At one point, Michelle, made a reference to the Full Metal Alchemist, and a shirt one of her friend's had. Which I believe the friend explained what the show was to her, so I didn't try to deviate the topic, even though I have every episode of it. Another of our stops was New College, were some Potter was filmed, one of the guards even had a photo of the 3 main characters autographed. We also made a stop by the Natural History Museum, which was interesting to say the least. Your greeted by a T-rex skeleton, which I found quite impressive. The display case on locks was fascinating as well. And who could forget the shrunken heads. Then we stopped in a little pub to get a drink, and I pulled out my technical magic and fixed Rhianna's camera, the batteries were in backwards. I also gave Red her gift from Ireland, and gummy bears, which I was tempted to eat on the plane ride. Then we went back to the dorms to pick up Jenny and Jane for the early evening Christ Church service. It was an amazing service and the acoustics were outstanding. If I go back I would definitely go again. After the service one of the choir ladies laughed at my shirt("God Loves Ireland", well not those exact words) as we were leaving. We were a little hungry after this and made our way to "The Turf" pub for a nice meal. The food there really hit the spot, and it was an excellent atmosphere. The conversation wasn't bad either, a little mushy at points, but when your the only guy in a group of girls... it's best to listen and node =) J/K After Dinner they saw me off to the train station, and we said our good-byes. I wish I had gotten a group photo =( Going to Oxford castle would have been nice also, but that's my excuse for going back now. I really enjoyed the day, plus how often do you get to travel to visit a good friend accepted to Oxford?

July 7, 2007 Friends abroad

Left Madrid behind with no major hitches. I caught my connecting flight in Cork, I just can't get enough Ireland =) My luck didn't hold out though, my luggage was lost from Cork to London. Once I got to London I took it easy and walked to a near by park, and checked on the status of my luggage. Then I got ready for Oxford, and spending the day with Red =) I can't wait it's always a blast.

July 6, 2007 The good ol' days

Went to breakfast at a cafe down the street and managed to order a rasin Cinnamon roll and a water. Then I meandered around Madrid not heading anywhere in particular for several hours. Then I stopped in starbucks for lunch and took a break from walking. I went back to the room after that to decide what to do next, and Red called me back while I was deciding =) I can't wait to get to London tomorrow. After that I felt a second wind, and ventured to the Hard Rock Cafe. The big cheese was delicious. While I waited I watched some of the music videos and it was evident how old some were. One involved a computer with a 5.25" floppy. I couldn't pass up a t-shirt while I was there either. On the way back I took a picture of the metro station Colon, my futurama moment of the trip. HRC was in the Plaza de Colon. Then I went back to the hotel and got things ready for the next morning.

July 5, 2007 Viva MacGyver

Slept in a little again, then ate at a little cafe down from the hotel, and enjoyed the morning a bit. Then I checked out of my hotel and took a taxi to Termini and from there caught the Leonardo Express back to FCO, and waited for hours, but the airport was nice. I learned my way around the airport pretty well. After I finally got my boarding pass, I found an internet kiosk and... I heard from Red =) Then some more waiting for the flight at the gate. While waiting I saw a commercial for MacGyver, it shows daily on some channel. Finally got on my plane, it smelled a little, almost like smoke. It only took 2 hours to get to MAD, but had to wait an hour for luggage. Then caught a taxi to the hotel, it was about 22 euro, and I got to listen to " I want to hear you say, I'm lucky lucky" and "unwritten". It was about 11pm once I finally got to my room, I couldn't find the room light switch, but managed to turn on one of the lamps.

July 4, 2007 Favorite Holiday in a Foreign Land

Well it's my first 4th of July away from home, and no fireworks in hand. I slept in a little then made my way to Termini via Tuscolana. From there I caught a hop on/hop off bus tour, the 011 Roma Bus Tour, and stopped at the high lights of Rome, including the Piazza Navona and the Colosseo. Once I made it back to Termini, I headed off to the Hard Rock Cafe, and had quite the interesting taxi ride. Apart from playing sharaides and using my poor Italian to figure out the driver liked watermelons. After a burger, I made my way back to Termini and found a street painter, and bought a painting of Tuscany(on my picasaweb). At Termini I found a little internet shop and emailed everyone back home, and checked if I had any word from Red. I must say Hollywood car chases must be inspired by Rome taxi drivers, repeatedly missing building, other cars, and pedestrians by inches.

July 3, 2007 Relaxing in Rome

Woke up over Ireland where I landed in Dublin to change planes for Rome. A few hours later actually landed in Rome. After getting my luggage, I found the platform for the Leonardo Express, and took it to Termini(11 euro). From there I caught a taxi to my hotel, about 15 euro. Once I got to my hotel I went out looking for a place to eat and found a nice little restaurant. On my way back, I found the metro stop that was around the corner from the hotel, Tuscolana. Trying to get acclimated to the time change I spent the rest of the evening in the room catching up on sleep.

July 2, 2007 I'm leaving on a jet plane

Woke up about 330am and caught the shuttle to Lambert, ended up being one of the first people of the day to get a boarding pass, the place was practically empty. Then I actually had to wait for the security point to open, the TSA people did not arrive until 440am. While I waited for them to open the checkpoint, I only had the gentle hum of the florescent lights to listen to. It was fascinating to see Charles Lindbergh's D-135 plane. Almost as impressive was noticing a guy balancing a computer, coffee and plane ticket all in one hand. After the wait, I made my flight to Chicago with no trouble, even arrived a few minutes early. Now here is where the adventure begins. Upon arriving in Chicago I search for the Delta area, and after finding it with a little help from a guy that helps foreign exchange students, I find my flight was cancelled but managed to catch a noon flight to JFK, giving me a little over 2 hours to catch my flight to Rome. JFK was a little more confusing then Lambert, but once I found my terminal things went smooth. While boarding the plane, I had a conversation with a guy heading to Germany about the inability to escape marketing advertisements. The boarding hall to the plane was filled with HSBC ads. Now to sit, relax, and enjoy a long flight.

July 1, 2007 Let the Adventure Begin

The date is 7-1-2007, the morning is somewhat chaotic trying to prepare for tomorrow, making sure I did not forget anything. Around 2pm we made our way to the Renaissance hotel near STL airport. It was a very nice hotel, in hind sight, the best of the trip. After checking in and dropping my luggage off in my room, I made my way over to the Waffle House. The food was fantastic, and one of the waitresses, talked travel with me for sometime. Things were off to a great start, then I realized I forgot the tickets for Phantom of the opera. Luckily my Dad was able to bring them up to the hotel.