August 30, 2010, 1:14 pm in updates
August 2, 2010, 3:18 pm in updates Amazed both at how well my body held up this weekend and how exhausted i am. Basic math says 3 days, 9 hrs sleep, ~15 drinks, 18 hrs massage.
August 1, 2010, 2:17 pm in updates Leaving Las Vegas. TSA was combing over my bag looking perplexed. Figured it was the ninja badge. Turned out to be the etheopian leftovers
July 27, 2010, 12:33 pm in public Sooo ready for Vegas. :D I’ll be massaging at DC. Check the forums for info. https://forum.defcon.org/showthread.php?p=114714
July 11, 2010, 3:54 pm in public I’ve been struggling emotionally the last few days. I’ve been longing and sad, and it’s been frustrating that after 7 months of being separated I’ll still backslide and get emotional about not having my ex in my life in some of the ways he used to be.
Depending on how things are going, instead of art, my creative power cycle is sometimes used to think a lot. While the experience brought a great many positive things, in some ways, having sex with someone new was an emotional gamble that I lost. I understand in more acute detail than usual lately why it is that people tend to wait until they absolutely can’t fucking stand one another to break up.
I realized, while taking this picture of a crow at the Montlake bus stop, that it had been a while since I’d flown off somewhere with myself, just me and me. I remembered that this was the feeling I had had enough of when I spontaneously booked tickets to Europe. So I cleared my Saturday afternoon and Sunday calendar and decided to take a ferry and my bike someplace I hadn’t been before, someplace remote and quieter. I decided on Vashon Island.
The plan was to go out there in the early evening Saturday after I wrapped up my massages and meetings, sleep on the beach and spend Sunday exploring. The weather has been great for that and I figure around here, it’s best to get it while the gettings good. So I left my phone at home, hopped the bus to the ferry terminal straight from the office, with packed food, some extra layers and my travel journal.
Even from the beginning, the trip felt like travel. In the sense that I didn’t really mind that the ferry was almost an hour late, I wasn’t rushed or focused on any particular goal, and I already felt better just at arriving to the water at Fauntleroy.
I passed the time waiting for the boat chatting with a man playing with his dog, a Belgian Malinois named Kai, who favored a stick longer than he was which was so girthy he could barely manage to fit it in his jaw. Kai is about 8 months old and still being trained to handle his emotions, of which there were many it seemed about this particular stick. He would frequently get so riled up and excited over it being tossed into the water again so he could chase it down that it seemed his little heart may burst. Before I left, I had been invited to beers and evening Barbecue. Only in West Seattle, I said to myself.
The ferry ride was shorter than I expected, as I’ve only been to Brainbridge and Victoria before and those are both a bit of a trek. I felt lucky in finding an electrical outlet to charge my camera battery, which seems to go from perfectly fine to dead and nothing in between, while I ate some food and prepared to bike the length of an island and back over the course of a day and a half. I’d forgotten how nice ferry rides can be when the weather is good.
I felt some kind of privilege being the first to embark and disembark on the ferry, since I was a walk-on and most people bring their cars. I’m not sure why, but there was just something nice about it, and something inherently cool about being passed by a fleet of motorcycles and scooters directly after getting off.
The first thing I found out about Vashon is that only completely fucking batshit insane people bring their bikes there. Immediately upon getting off the boat, I was greeted with a hill twice the size of the 23rd/24th monstrosity in Seattle and enjoyed the ignorance of not knowing, or being able to see so, based on the windiness of the road. At the top, a half hour and two stops later, I was in a heap in a woodsy area occasionally uttering some kind of ‘what the FUCK?’ type notion, staring at the flawless sky, waiting for my heart to stop trying to punch me in the face. After that, I figured out how to bungee my backpack to my bookrack so I didn’t have to wear it.
I spent the rest of the daylight biking my ass off, which is why I don’t have a lot of pictures, though I did stop when I found things particularly interesting. This GMC truck was apparently being well guarded by horseflies, whose aggressiveness I had conveniently forgotten about since living in the country when I was a kid. I biked in silence, often listening to the wind rushing past my ears. I biked hard. Real hard. And occasionally, I slowed down to look around, like when I rode through the tiny town, which was mostly closed up for the day.
This little house was next to some kind of nursery shop, though I couldn’t find it unless I was actually looking at it and didn’t know it. The top floor is for rent. I spent a good 10 minutes standing on the side of the road, looking at this house and fantasizing about what it would be like to dump my life and move there. This place reminded me of the victorian house my wusband, who predates my current ex by quite a few years and is one of my most trusted friends, and I rented in the central district, a house which I miss to this day. I’ve felt the constant, subtle magnetic pull of country and nature as far as residency since returning from Europe. It wouldn’t surprise me if I move out of the city in the next couple of years.
Right around dinner time, I finally passed by a place I was drawn to enter – Quartermasters Inn and restaurant. The sounds of Billy Holiday and polite eating lofted from the outside deck. If the place had smelled, it would have been of basil. I had plenty of food, but I also brought a little money, and really the only way to experience a new place for me is to eat there. So, I locked up to a sign, mostly so the bike wouldn’t fall over, and went in.
I ordered my first glass of Rose since France. It seemed fitting and it was awesome tasting – not to mention effective. I got some muscles and clams which arrived shortly after the guitarist had begun playing. The volume was low and reasonable, like background music should be, and it was thought provoking for me to watch a person perform while intentionally being in the background. I’m not like that, and don’t particularly want to do gigs that are like that, but being how I’ve been contemplating bands and open mics, it was good reconnaissance and prep work for me.
I had a lot of exercise in my immediate future, and the next day off, so I tossed my food intolerance out the window and just ate what I wanted. While eating the two desserts (chocolate cake and bread pudding) I ordered, and a glass of port, one of the people from the table across from me asked what I was celebrating. It was somewhat interesting, when I thought of the answer to his question. I was just as easily celebrating myself as I was wallowing in an entire quart of rocky road. The only difference was my perspective and approach to doing so. I went with celebrating me.
I didn’t talk too much with people, but somehow still managed to get three different offers of company and/or lodging in the time I spent at Quartermaster. The person who’d asked about my desserts offered his address as camping grounds. The owner of the restaurant offered his sailboat, and the apparent boyfriend of the musician that was playing told me where the hostel was and who to ask for to get properly taken care of. I found the islanders to be hospitable and friendly, but I’d decided about halfway through dinner that I wanted to head home. If I got sidetracked or found a perfect place to rest, so be it, but I missed my guitar and felt satisfied with my travel dose overall. It was also only 8pm and already I’d put on my sweatshirt.
Before heading back, I shot this video of the water just south of Quartermasters. I rode back breathing hard and pumping fast, listening to my most recent playlist, and then to songs of leaving. I’ve rarely listened to my own music while doing something active like biking. It was surprisingly inspiring.
I reached the ferry just in time to hop on as it left, hopped the 54 downtown, and biked another 5 miles home in the dark. Milage total is ~22 miles, same as my last long biking day, but the terrain was much more demanding. I am quite sore and lethargic today, and woke up VERY glad I did not sleep on the ground last night. My back is totally wrecked – I think it’s time to pay the $100 for a pro fitting.
I had a lot of metime to think about stuff in a different way then I tend to laying alone in a cold bed or trying to fill my day up with things that help me avoid the computer. I have notes on song ideas, a new perfume I want, and realized I want to take guitar lessons. I’m contemplating a new tattoo.
I was able to articulate and accept that I don’t feel right in the world without knowing exactly who I’d move heaven and earth to demise with were it ending. Sometimes, that means I’d run toward someone long after it’s reasonable or dignified to feel that way. This happens to be one of them.
So, yay. Life goes on, and for the time being, life is pretty uncomfortable. Thankfully, the one thing you can count on is change. I’m waiting.
Thanks, Vashon.
July 9, 2010, 6:05 pm in updates
June 14, 2010, 11:27 am in updates Other than breathing some fuckers thickass perfume the entire flight back, thus wrecking my sinuses, SF was a hoot. Thank you for being you, Frank Ferrante
June 9, 2010, 11:32 am in updates If I was young, I’d flee this town. I’d bury my dreams underground. Let the season begin.
May 11, 2010, 12:58 pm in public See other entries regarding my first EuroTrip at http://neevita.net/tag/travel
I’ve been back state side, for a week or so now. I took my vacation hair out on Thursday, which felt like a final nail in the pretty coffin for my first jaunt through parts of Europe. I brought a few things with me from the trip, ideas about life, and further understanding of what it is I value in my human experiences.
One of those things is food. I want more freshly prepared food in my life. A large portion of my meals come out of clif bar wrappers and the like. When I do cook, I’ve rarely eaten a meal at the time I’ve prepared it. Usually I cook for the week and refrigerate. I’m really just done with that.
Another is time. I want more time for me between sessions, commitments and projects. Since 2007, I’ve been excessively busy. It started when going to school and working full time and just never stopped, until now. I want time to ride my bike in the sun to my office. I want time to stop and take pictures of the interesting things I see or jot something down in a journal. Since coming back I’ve reached for my camera a few times, and my journal as well, to find they are not there. I didn’t carry these things before, but will carry them now.
From the moment I touched down in Seattle, I went on an elimination diet. Which sounds awful I know, but actually it’s rather enjoyable to only eat good food. I’m making a concerted effort to create the time, space and reward to improve my diet and take more care for myself now that I’m back home, and to figure out just how much my diet is related to my ailments.
They say that your first international experience is a big one, and I agree with that. This trip opened a lot of doors for me in many ways. I’m already thinking about where I would like to go in the world next, based on my likes and dislikes during my trip. I have very little desire to return to France or England. I feel fortunate to have visited, and I also don’t need to do it again for pleasure.
I will return to Holland at some point, and I am currently learning Dutch in some of the spare time I am slowly carving open for myself in my life. It’s an awesome language and it sounds awesome coming out of my mouth, too. I tried to learn French first, because I have a friend who speaks and can practice with me, but I really just didn’t like it. So if you know Dutch and want to practice once I get a little better, hit me up!
Though I was generally indifferent to the city itself and I think the South of France is overrated based on my experience there, I really enjoyed the beach in Nice. This is interesting considering I have historically been avoidant of beaches and large bodies of water, and generally uncomfortable with the idea of weird shit living in the oceans. It was nice to visit a clean, clear water beach that didn’t smell like dead marine life. Majestic really. I guess it makes a difference if I can SEE the stuff in the water..
I’d like to visit Spain and Italy at some point. The Cinque Terre specifically. However, I’d like to visit someplace other than Europe next time around. I’d been thinking perhaps Bermuda, since it’s beachy and clear and clean(ish) and has less crime than Jamaica does. Upon further reflection, though, I really think I’ll be visiting Thailand next.
It was my intent to go to Thailand to teach English this year, however financially that simply hasn’t been feasible and is even less so after additional expense in changing Europlans due to the volcano. The key thing though is that I’ve been drawn to Thailand for multiple reasons over the course of time, including my work, just as I’d been drawn to Holland at various times throughout my life.
The fluke stay I had in Amsterdam was by far the most enjoyable part of my trip and the woo in me says that’s probably somewhat connected to having been drawn to it in the first place. Having seen a little bit of the world and enjoying a growing appreciation for beaches, as well as requiring a much less expensive destination than the .eu next time, Thailand is a bit of a no brainer really.
Another thing I learned on this trip is a matter of welcome and chemistry. 3 days is the key amount of time I’d like to plan to stay in any one household with people I don’t know very well; Just enough time to get past the logistics and pleasantries and see if you actually jive with someone. In future travels, my rule of thumb will be a short stay with the potential for staying longer, rather than the other way around.
Also; After watching Twilight and New Moon during down time in Europe, I’m excited about Eclipse. I stand by my extremely rare guilty pleasure and I don’t care what no one’s got to say about it!
May 3, 2010, 3:37 pm in public
When I first began planning my trip to Europe, I had a few people ask me why in the world I was going to Bristol rather than London or something. My answer was that it was the closest airport to the people who were putting me up the majority of my stay. Now that I’ve spent a little time here, I have some things to add to that.
Bristol is a pretty damn cool city. Honestly, I avoided planning to go places like Paris and London mainly due to their popularity and expense. I didn’t come here to be a tourist, I came here to see the world and facilitate personal growth by mainly being in another place and another culture. The touristy bits have been a fun part of the trip but not my main motivation.
The music culture is rich here, with Massive Attack and Portishead both hailing from these parts. If that doesn’t indicate why someone might want to come here, I’m not sure what else to say about that.
Bristol is a city of street art, music, squatters, artists and young people. It mirrors Seattle in many of the meaningful ways, including being enviroconscious and seeming to attract good intentioned, progressive thinking people, and the weather.
My couchsurfing experiment here has been a great success. Leila, Lucy and Louise are all very cool laid back girls and the house has tons of room. The first day I came here they had a small party and made more food than a heard of elephants could eat, which we’ve all been working at since. I had a lot of fun meeting some new people who were all really entertained by my story and getting strandedhad interesting backgrounds and fun stuff going on. Nice group.
Later in the evening, a few of us decided to hit a pub for a pint. We went to where the clubbers go to work off their long weekends – a place called The Pipe and Slippers. Tall glasses, lots of people, mixed music, indoor-outdoor, worked for me. A Jamaican guy gave me a dready thumbs up, and there was much hat swapping. After closing the place down, we decided to find another rather than go home.
Turned out we ended up at basically a rave, which really isn’t my thing any more. The kids in Bristol take their partying seriously. I hung out for an hour or so and then made my way back to the house.
My schedule in Seattle has been ridiculously full since Jan of 2007 when I started school. That is changing as of this trip. It’s been productive and a good change of pace to have a lot going on lately, and now I want time to meander places again. Not to mention more than one day off a month.
Today I borrowed Leilas second bike and biked around Bristol, to the city center, along the harbor, Clifton and the University. It was enjoyable and another indication that I may in fact be a directional ninja. This evening Lou taught me the basics of playing cello, a life-long dream of mine, and I spent as much time as my hands would allow practicing by ear and playing badly. It’s a gorgeous instrument that I’ve always had an affinity for but never actually played. Tomorrow I plan to check out the thrift stores, the first I’ve seen since being across the pond, and maybe head over to Portishead since.. well, why not.
My trip is winding down into a fitting and satisfying conclusion. Many lessons have been learned, knowledge gained and people met. Feels like I’ve cracked something open almost, some kind of travel kinship thing. I’ve definitely met a lot of like-minded people and become more comfortable traveling, maneuvering foreign places, and most importantly, being by my self.
May 2, 2010, 6:11 am in public
I have a few more minutes to spare on the little internet terminal I’m using – Another reminder that I will need to get another EeePC for my next long trip somewhere. So, time for a little update.
I’m in Bristol now, heading to the home of the first couch surfer I’ve connected with since joining the site. It was nice to get to know C&J better and lovely of them to share their home with me. Julie and I particularly got along well and had a lot of nice chats about things. I am also ready for a change of scenary and pace. I leave in 3 days, so I’ve got a little time to explore a bigger city and get to know some new people.
My favorite part of the trip so far was being in Amsterdam and meeting others in the hostel and through Zoe. I’m hoping for a bit of a boost from my final Euro pit stop before returning home later this week after feeling a bit of a downturn in the last few days.
I have been thinking about my Seattle return as far as Artful Touch goes, and also committed to a perfomance gig in June that I am excited about. Looking forward to my own bed, my own country, my own rules, and my awesome cat.
Of the many things I’ve gained from this trip, one of them is a deepended appreciation of the life I’ve built for myself and why. After trying on a few different styles since being here, I like who I am, where I come from, what I am becoming and how I’m living my life. And that truly is a beautiful thing.
April 30, 2010, 7:39 am in public
I went to the South of France for a couple of days, due to the generosity of Chris and Julie in inviting me along on their vacation, including flight and hotel. I’ve been thinking of ways to pay forward the hospitality and generosity Chris and Julie have offered me, either to someone directly or through generous habits or both, at some point in my life. Their contributions have shaped this trip greatly and I’ve found it affecting in many ways to accept generosity from people in a way I’ve never done before.
When stuck in Amsterdam and searching for lodging, I signed up to couchsurfing.org, which has shown itself to be a really nice community of people who want to enable others to travel. I’m considering how I may get more involved in that in part because of what C&J have done for me in Europe, as well as people like Zoe and the friends who’ve helped me when I needed it. I’ve decided while on this trip that with my office space soon becoming unavailable for use, I am once again looking for a new place to live, where I can see clients professionally as well. I’m keeping in mind the ability to host guests in my search.
I’ve just returned to Weston after another small traveling confusion in which we were stuck in Nice for a night. Much like the other flukes since leaving the US, it was in small part fortunate for me that we were delayed, having been afforded the opportunity to walk the French Riviera beach at night because of it. As has been the theme of this trip, I enjoyed the experience of looking on the bright side and going with the flow of things.
We stayed at the Hotel de la Buffa, on Rue de la Buffa and Boulevard Gambetta, a charming little family run hotel near the center of the Riviera stretch. Nice is an interesting, faster paced atmosphere than what I’ve experienced of Europe otherwise, aside from transit stations, and a bigger city than I was expecting. It’s busy, loud and well paved. My impression is that it is constantly under construction given how many detours and closed sidewalks I encountered milling around.
Thankfully, people in Nice either speak some English, will attempt to try if they only know a little, or don’t mind if you don’t speak French while politely parting ways. I know very basic hello, goodbye, please, thank you, and do-you-speak-English type French and not much more.
I did pick some stuff up while in France, though it’s mostly phonetic and I wouldn’t do well to try to write it out. I learned how to ask where the bathroom was pretty quickly. My experiences in France lead me to better understand how people can still function in life while illiterate.
My first espresso in France was amazing, and it turned out that while I assumed it would all be awesome, mostly I lucked out. Daniele made me my first, and best decafe of my entire trip. In general, the food was really tasty, as was the weather. Some may say it was lekker.
My best meal was at La Coupole on the Rue de France strip, where I spent most of my off-beach time. I had numerous tampas rafts and glasses of rose here. I had a really nice spaghetti bolognese in that neighborhood and learned to order fizzy water in French, as well as finding a few steeply discounted clothing items ($8-$20) and a few gifts for my peeps back home.
I was flirted with a lot while I was on my own, and quickly discovered the subtle joys in language barrier rejections. I also found that it’s ridiculously easy to bum a cigarette in France and they really don’t have a desire to let you pay for a single. A few people who I was mostly unable to speak English with approached me admiring my hair.
With all this time off from massaging, I’d forgotten what it was like to have nails. Upon the recommendation of a lovely young lady who did the first manicure I’ve had in a couple years, I considered visiting Eze, Juan les pins or VilleFranche sur Mer. I made it up to the train station, but none of the upcoming trains interested me, so I ended up walking through Chinatown and sex shops back to home base.
While in Holland, I biked and tried some space cake. While in England, I drink lots of tea. So while in France, I drank espresso and wine. Interestingly, I never got hung over feeling. A point for Blanc and Rose over Reds which cause me to feel like death the next day.
Other things I noticed about Nice:
- There’s lots of miniature dog shit on the sidewalks. It quickly became clear why I was the only person around in an ankle length skirt.
- There are tons of flower shops, pizzerias and pharmacies.
- They remove sewage by truck, during all hours of the day. I quickly learned to identify the trucks and flee.
- They have cooked beets in vacu-packs as a standard in the produce section.
- There are in fact very few hairy women, though they are rather clothed unflatteringly based on the shops I frequented. Hint: Women are supposed to have waists.
- The French Alps, having seen them on the flight out, are majestic.
The water on the French Riviera is spectacular, and pretty warm given how early in the season it is. However, should I visit France again, I want to visit a small mountain village or a more remote beach location. The parts of Nice I found convenient were full of tourists and little old ladies in cotton shorts, lots of construction and honking.
I’m not sure why, but it was decided to put the main, heinously busy roadway all along the length of the beach, which I think was a mistake. Even on the water, I was hearing traffic and road noise, though at one point I found an awesome little enclave inside a load of boulders which provided a lovely respite.
The side-trip to London that we’d been talking about is shelved. I’ve had enough big city for this trip, though I am considering spending a day in Bath while I’m somewhat close. Just a few days left in England, and then I come home. I am beginning to look forward to that, and when I travel again will likely shave a few days off the top of a 3 week length. My sense is that I will be more than ready to leave after this weekend.
April 25, 2010, 10:33 am in public
I’ve spent a few days in Weston now and the pace is much more laid back than either Seattle or Amsterdam. My knee is improving slowly. I’m able to walk on it more and more as the days go by, managing to not re-injure it either. I spent much of Friday doing the house laundry while C&J were at work. The weather has been clear and mild and lovely.
Since I’ve been here we’ve gone sight seeing in quite a few places, starting with afternoon tea at Banwell Castle on Friday. The scones here are mammoth and filling, served with clotted cream, which is smoother and thicker than I would have expected, and strawberry jam.
Banwell Castle is a family home/bed and breakfast. It has a nice ambience to it and great views, though I got very few pictures of that due to the haze that’s been on the horizon since I got here. I think it’s leaf burning season or something. As well, the lens on my camera is better suited for closer range images than far. The countryside is beautiful but all the pictures I’ve shot of it are flat and boring.
It was a little odd to wander through such an ancient building to find white plastic chairs stored in overhangs and such, an almost disorienting migration of new and old. Sort of like walking through a catacomb to find a stack of ikea chairs in the corner.
Friday evening was spent vegging and watching movies. Apparently Guy Ritchie directed another Snatch-like film in 2008, Rocknrolla. It was enjoyable, and not anywhere near as good as Snatch, which we’ll be watching at some point since C&J have never seen it, and that’s a crying shame.
I was unable to sleep, per my cycle, which I’m gaining a better understanding of as each day passes. So I watched the movie that came on after Rocknrolla, Changling, and I call tell you that of all the advice you hear in regards to getting to sleep when you have insomnia, you will likely never hear someone suggest weatching a Clint Eastwood directed thriller.
Saturday morning, I awoke to my cyst hurting quite a lot. I’ve had an abscess on my chin for a couple of months now. Within minutes of mentioning that it hurt again Chris was on the phone to a chinese medicine lady, and off we went to slip in a quick visit on our way out of the city to Glastonbury. I left with tiger balm, some detox herbs and a medicated plaster to wear at night. So far, at the very least, the thing is a lot less painful.
The original plan was to see the Tor in Glastonbury, however with my knee being a bummer right now we decided against climbing a huge hill. We did however visit the 7th century Abbey ruins, the location of King Arthurs remains, and the Abbey that King Henry the 8th destroyed when they told him he couldn’t divorce his wife. It was was quite spectacular and informative.
After learning all about the murderous fuck King Henry, we ate at a pub that was established about 20 years before my country was ‘discovered’ by that murderous fuck Columbus. All kinds of murderous fucking going here. Good stuff. Now time for shopping!
We wandered the Glastonbury shops, which seem to carry the theme of magic, gothic (the pagan kind, not so much the Tim Burton kind), too much insense and hare sculptures. It was here that I procured my first trinket of the trip – two elephants. They made me cry, so Julie got them for me. They are super cool, if I do say so.
After Glastonbury we attended a wedding reception for C&J’s friends Steve and Sarah, in Frome. It was very nice, in a small church. We didnt’ stay too long, having been pretty tuckered out and largely not knowing many people, but we shared a nice meal with some nice folks and had a few nice chats.
On our way back, we drove the countryside. Lots of countryside. We drove through Wells, the smallest city in England, and by the Wells cathedral, which we were originally going to visit outright before I was delayed nearly a week. The picture to the left, which I snapped from the car, is mighty spectacular – you can see the scale of the building by comparing it to the people in the lower right of the frame. Sheesh. Quite the racket the Church had going on – and still does.
After Wells, we hit Cheddar and drove through the gorge, and Priddy to see where C&J got married, and where Chris used to live. It’s amazing to me how many tiny villages there are out here, how much the landscape blends together and yet isn’t the same, and how utterly lost I would be if I were ever left on the side of the road in England. Even the roads are confusing. B3092 and A371 to A361 and so on. Yarg.
Today was pretty laid back. Chris’ sons, Tom and Sam, visited as they tend to do most Sundays. It was Sams birthday so we had cake, then later drove out to a nearby farm so Tom could sell a couple of his beautiful blue rabbits. I’m now taking a bit of time to pack and update about the trip and relax before we get up at 4am to catch our flight to Nice.
England is nice and has its appeals. I may come back for a day trip or two once I’m residing part-year in Holland. :)
April 22, 2010, 4:09 am in public Today, between snacks and cups of tea, I took a slow easy walk along the Weston beach. The landscape is flat, simple and desert-like, with haze on the horizon and moist smooth sand that reminds me of fine brown sugar.
The beach itself provided few photo opportunities. Instead I got a few shots of some buildings, and artwork that was painted on the side. Now I am settling down for more tea and some movie watching before C&J return home for a pub lunch.
April 21, 2010, 9:56 am in public
I am now in Britian, my original destination, with my friends Chris and Julie. They have a nice cozy home in Weston Super Mare near the beach, with a fish pond and a love spoon hanging in their kitchen. We celebrated my eventual arrival by eating crackers with brie and pâté, and drinking Rosé out on the porch. Before doing so I took a quick hobbly walk around to snap a few photos.
Trains and boats were rather seamless, even the side trip to get my tickets went well. I am a criminal in the UK already – dirty rail hopper is me! – and it’s a good thing I got away with it because I didn’t have any Pounds handy to pay for the trip anyway. Being in Europe gives me size anxiety about our money. Sheesh.
I barely remember the boat trip, which I ended up arriving rather early for due to my knee finally giving out on what was to be a long walk but ended up as a tram ride to Centraal. The neighborhood up there isn’t much for hanging out I found, so I just went down to Hoek Van Holland and got on my boat. Other than being impressed with the cabin, I did very little before I promptly got into bedclothes, jerked off and fell asleep.
Very mellow here, which my knee is grateful for, and I am looking forward to watching some movies and laying around a bit after the flurry of activity in Amsterdam. Still flying high on being in that place – Contemplting quite fiercely how I can enable myself to spend a chunk of time a year there. Really made an impression on me.
It looks like our trips to Nice and Monaco are on as of now. There are streaks of planefluff all over the sky from the flurry of air traffic now that the airports are open again. Rather interesting looking, actually. I would bet I won’t have any problem getting home, either. But I’m trying not to think about that too much right now. :)
April 20, 2010, 7:51 am in public
On one of the many journeys through Vondelpark, Zoe and I went to a teahouse she enjoys frequenting. A spiritual center in the park with tea, cookies and buddahs. I had fresh, real mint tea – literally mint leaves in water – and I don’t think I’ll be going back to the alternative any time soon.
I’m wondering how much of an effect the air ban has had on my experience here. It’s so quiet and beautiful – usually there are planes flying constantly in the sky. Along with the ground being so flat, it’s like I’ve been transported in time or to a floating city in space. You can see nothing but sky on the horizon.
There isn’t even really a skyline of the city, all the buildings are about the same height and the city is so dense you can’t see much beyond them. This makes it very easy to get lost around here, too, which I did mildly a few times. I purposely only went out when there was plenty of daylight left so I wouldn’t have anything to get stressed over, so it worked out well. I can imagine if I had somewhere to be in a hurry it could be a bit of a problem.
On my last night in this city I went to Zuiver, a massive upper class spa just outside of Amsterdam. Had a nice bike ride to and from and spent quite a few hours in this gorgeous place. The air ban was still on while there – This was particularly lovely while being in the outdoor areas of the spa not to have any planes overhead.
Oh Amsterdam, how fortunate it was that we met. The culture, the architechture, the language and the quality of living seems exactly what my value system calls for in America and doesn’t receive. It seems almost like a universal pull brought me here and wants me to come back when I’m ready to really be home somewhere in the world.
I’m interested in how I respond to the other places I am going to be in over here. I sense much of the UK trip will be about Chris and Julie whereas much of my Holland trip was about Holland.
I will spend the next several hours on trains and in train stations, much to the relief of my increasingly injured right knee. I twisted it on one of the various tiny freakishly designed staircases in Amsterdam and continued to tweak it on other various tiny freakishly designed stairs throughout the trip. We may have to wait a bit to start our walking tours in Weston Super Mare. Walking to the ferry was extremely painful and challenging. Being made to sit for a while sounds really good.
April 19, 2010, 2:30 am in public
Amsterdam is continuing to be lovely and fueling, even in the face of unideal travel circumstances and, frankly, a fair amount of troubling debt racking up.
My friends in England are invaluable resources in navigating this situation and continue to support and perform small miracles. I hear from most people that the rail and bus system in Europe is a breeze, but I think they must be talking about getting from somewhere other than here to somewhere other than where I need to be, because it’s sort of silly how many hoops there are to jump through in my experience thus far. But it looks like we have it figured out.
On Tuesday night, I tram to Centraal station, to train to Rotterdam station, to train to Hoek van Holland Haven. From there I take an overnight ferry to Harwich International, in which I will have my own cabin and bathroom! At Harwich I bus or train to Dovercourt station, so I can interact with the ticket machine there and get my tickets for Liverpool > Paddington > Bristol Temple meads > Weston-super-mare. I then bus back to Harwich International to catch the train I just bussed to another stop to get the tickets for. I may have as little as 6 minutes to do this. Insert manic laughter here.
In the meantime, through the magic of facebook, I’ve been united with another BUSM grad, who was in the day class the same season I was in the night. It’s been transforming to meet and spend time with her at this intense creation time in her life. I’d seen her around the school a little, but not really interacted with her back then. Her wisdom, insight and open heart are inspirational and I’m really happy for her and the good stuff she’s got going on. We’ve had some good talks, about life, the amazing power of travel, relationships, all kinds of things.
Zoe set me up with her charming, awesome, rusty bike which I rode all over the city yesterday. It turns out part of my impression here was skewed by residing in the richest neighborhood in Amsterdam for the first couple of days. I have now seen cleavage and some amusingly unsavory behavior, and haven’t even bothered to visit the Red Light District. Rad.
The locals I’ve talked with seem to find it somewhat stressful, while I’ve found biking in Amsterdam is a complete dream compared to Seattle. I took to traveling through the city on a bike like a pro, if I do say so. A tourist asked me directions (which I Was unable to give, but, you know.)! I really feel safe and comfortable here. Except for my ass. I’m saddle sore from riding on Zoe’s bike rack a few times when we traveled around together.
On my way around the city I checked out a monthly market that happens down Zoes street. Tons of merchants with all kinds of things at reasonable to downright cheap and completely inflated prices, lining the streets with tables. I splurged on a €1,00 bra that reminded me of the pretty awnings I’ve frequently adored on the buildings here. One of the straps promptly broke. Good thing I have a sewing machine at home!
I also checked out another Coffeeshop with the intention of sampling spacecake, and sample spacecake I did. It’s very potent and disarmingly tasty, I could see how one could overdo it rather easily and it doesn’t taste at all like weed. I was smart to eat about 1/4 of it. Just right.
It’s been awesome to stay with someone in their home here. Zoe set up a wonderful bed of couch cushions in the kitchen and it’s beautiful. She has a wonderful sitting window facing the street that I’ve enjoyed spending time in.
In addition to Zoe herself, I’ve been introduced to a few of her friends.
A group of us from all over the world (France, Iceland, Seattle, Portland, Amsterdam) went to Indian food together last night. Somehow during the course of that meal, I ended up being taught some Dutch. I’m now a machine for it and am attempting to read everything, particularly simple things like tea packaging.
I am, of course, awful – though my teachers are kind enough to say differently. It’s funny, I don’t “umm” when fumbling through Dutch words, I “auuh” with a very different sound. It’s sort of like being in a different audible gear, attempting to speak Dutch.
I’d been hoping to see an Amsterdam apartment inside, and I’ve gotten to see two! After dinner the group of us spent some time at Hans place drinking tea, listening to Hans play jazz on his piano and the ridiculous attempts I made at reading “Voor Jou”, a childrens book about giraffes in love. It’s the first book I’ve read since being here, though I’m carrying one. I am however consistently adding to my awesome little journal, often using the content as notes for these posts.
Today? Who knows. I haven’t decided yet – though I was just offered a personal bike tour. Maybe I’ll take him up on it! :)
I will be back to this cozy place. Mark that.
April 17, 2010, 6:28 am in public
It is day 3 of Project EuroAsh in Amsterdam. I must say, though it is somewhat strange to be saying so given the circumstances, it’s about damn time I had a vacation like this. I’ve often mused about backpacking Europe and staying in hostels, but knew my limits in regards to how long I would want to travel that way. The universe gave me a taste of it and I’m grateful.
The night I stayed in the airport, they set up over 1000 cots for stranded passengers in the common areas. I stayed in one of the gate terminals, where it was easier to access computers and there were a lot less people around to potentially steal my stuff.
About 24 hours after landing in Amsterdam, I’d gone ahead and booked the min. 2 night weekend stay at a Hostel near museum square. I chose that one for the computers in the lobby and its vacinity to a grocery store. It was also the cheapest I found – yay!
I got settled after an enjoyable bus trip chatting with the driver and fairly quickly finding the hostel. The Dutch are really friendly and helpful when engaged with and I’m really thankful for that.
Things I noticed right away here were things like how flat it is, how modestly women dress and how short the buildings are. I’ve found it is very easy to get lost here without a skyline, but I have my wits and spirit (and a map) about me so it’s not been an issue, at least not yet.
I couldn’t have begged on my knees for better weather. My bunkmate, Jake, a rather charming Aussie, informed me that he’s brought the good weather. He also brought an EeePC, exactly the model I used to have, so I may even be able to upload my pictures off the cameras SD card soon!
I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to watch a big dog fetch a stick from water. Seeing it in Vondelpark, one of the places I’ve been hanging out a lot, reminded me of when we used to take Pecos to the lake when I was a kid.
I’ve had quite bit of trouble with my credit card and trying to get money for things like.. I dunno. Food. I spent most of yesterday walking, attempting to gather information. Like the fact that “See ID” on the back of a credit card is a huge no-go in Europe, for instance, and they use PIN numbers with cards rather than signatures. If I have a PIN assigned to my card, I have no idea what it is.
They also rarely offer cash back on purchases ’round these parts. So with all of those stars aligning, having difficulty at the currency exchange, and getting in after breakfast at the hostel, I went nearly the entire day without food. Turned out Bank of America still sucks, and blocked my card even though I informed them of my trip last week. Figures.
Once I was finally able to go shopping for food, it was like Christmas in April. I’ve found that many of the habits I’ve adopted since moving out of my wusbands house have prepped me for travel. Carrying a backpack with my essentials, keeping a tupperware and water bottle are all natural habits that have come in very handy these last few days.
Is it just me, or is the produce amazing here? Even the bruises on an apple simply taste like grape.
I stopped into a coffeeshop on the Overtoom today. Sorta had to, you know? I’d walked by it yesterday but wanted plenty of daylight to make my way back, and decided against it.
This morning, around 11am, I was sitting on a coin operated computer (awesome business plan), smoking hash and listening to Lady Gaga on the radio, in Amsterdam. I’ll cross that off my ‘must do before dying’ list now.
As for the little matter of my being stuck here: I’ve thankfully cultivated two leads, friends of friends, to offer a little support out here, which is really fortunate. The reason I could afford this trip was the kind generosity of my friends in England whom I had planned to stay with. I’ve been here since Thursday and the ash is worsening.
I’d been holding out for a flight on Sunday, particularly since that travel is paid for and a train/ferry is not, however that is looking increasingly unlikely as the situation in Iceland progesses.
Thankfully, it appears I am about to be rescued. It looks like The plan is shaping up to staying put here until Tuesday, taking a train to Rotterdam, taking a ferry to England, then another 3 train connections through England to get to my friends. Oi!
I’d thought to possible tour Europe rather than stay here another 3 days, but I lucked out with an english speaking country to be stranded in, and with at least a couple people here I can call if my arm falls off or something, I’m thinking to stick around Amsterdam rather than tool around elsewhere.
This place is beautiful and I enjoy it very much. Things are beginning to turn from enjoying being here to waiting to move on, though. I am ready to be on my way and making progress toward my friends as well as financial relief. A light at the end of the tunnel is good.
Also; The toilets in Amsterdam are really great for people who like to survey before flushing. :)
April 15, 2010, 5:54 am in public
Apparently no sooner had I left the states, an Iceland volcano errupted for the second time in a month, grounding air traffic all over the .eu. I’m been killing time at the airport in .nl after my flight into Bristol was cancelled with no indication when flights will resume. About 8 hours in, they shut down the entire airport, and apparently all air traffic in the european regeion now.
Given my budget, and no refund being offered, I’m sticking it out here for at least a day to see if the smoke clears and I can catch another flight. Was thinking about training into town since I’m stuck here anyway, and will decide about that after I get some food and a nap and let a little time pass to assess the situation. There were hundreds if not thousands of people stranded here, clogging up the transit and hotels. I’ll bet it’ll be easier to find lodging or even a ride into the city tomorrow morning.
As for the actual trip, for a 10+ hour flight in a middle seat on a plane that was peppered with little kids, it was remarkably uneventful and went along quickly. I am very glad I packed benedryl and have a tolerance for bad movies on planes (It’s Complicated, and Sherlock Holmes – both solidy mediocre). And now I know why were were an hour late even though we left on time…
I had a moment with the ticketing lady as I was getting my boarding pass in Seattle – “GOOD Girl!” was her response to my refusing to check any baggage. I’m feeling pretty deserving of that praise, about now. In fact, I’m rather unphased about all of this in general – My spontaneous trip to Italy didn’t work out, so I got one in Amsterdam instead. Thanks, Universe!
April 8, 2010, 3:49 pm in public Took my blonde A-line dreads from fiercelocks as a base, and added some accent dreads. Getting them installed Monday by the ever so awesome Jonquil. These are my Europe dreads.
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