I just put online the first (and easiest) batch of pictures from my sabbatical. These pictures aren’t linked from the main gallery, so you’ll need to follow this link to see them. Alternatively, I wrote a blog article with a few Oktoberfest stories that you can peruse. It also links to those [...]
I expect some torso-convulsing laughter out of the four guys that are in these pictures when they are first seen. For the rest of you, I’ll try and explain at least some of the funny shit that is going on here. And at the least, you should check out some of the movies [...]
I got home on Sunday afternoon with urgent need for spaghetti, TV, and serious couch-time. At least one of these goals was subverted when my Tivo’s hard drive hit the under on its mean time to failure. But the rest went well, and I now am back into my usual schedule. But [...]
My body has served as a reservoir of energy and curiosity from which I have generously deducted for the past two months. Each experience subtracted some of that liquid exuberance and replaced it with a diamond memory. As the tank fell to its bottom level and I scraped the jewel-laced dregs in these [...]
Just a few minutes ago Rich and I were trying to reckon the number of beers that we drank last night. They serve beers at Oktoberfest in one liter glasses and there is no smaller size. We estimate that each liter contained about three bottles of beer. And then multiplied by the [...]
Rich and I are currently finishing up our only full day in Rothenburg, on way to Oktoberfest in Munich. This destination was chosen thanks to Rick Steves’s write-up and has not disappointed. But it is a sleepy village that only happens to be near more exciting locations. As such, I am hoping [...]
Rich and I have been guests in the wonderful city of Amsterdam for nearly two days now. The people here are without peer in their worldliness, English comprehension, effeciency, and friendliness. The only bad thing I can say about this city is that the weather hasn’t been entirely accommodating. There has been [...]
In the last week I’ve seen more cities, climates, countrysides and hotels than any other time in my life. I’ve been working to sync up my free-formed schedule before Rich’s arrival with the post-Rich structured one; and this has required a frantic pace at some times. I feel like my circular spinning around [...]
I’ve made some modifications to my look. What do you think?
I love the title of this topic. I intended it as a double entendre. That is, first my traveller’s encounters for the past six weeks had stoked a fire of hate for the Parisians within that could melt the Eiffel Tower. Second, because of many of the gypsie scams/thefts that I was [...]