The guy has a theory. ”There are no fiords”. Even though the cruise ship gracefully sails up the fiord leading to Oslo, the Swedish guy is convinced. He tries to convince some American tourists to accept his statement. It’s all just a conspiracy. Maybe by the Norwegian government, in order to attract tourists. Maybe it’s just an illusion. Many of the passengers are spending the morning observing the fantastic sight. So does the guy with the theory. Yet he claims that this is not a fiord. It is something else. It could be anything else, but not a fiord. Nobody is [View Full Entry]

---

---

Grand Place is indeed grand. The main square of Brussels is surrounded by very old, very nice buildings. Only a block away he's standing. Le Maneken Pis. He's very small, only a foot or so tall. Yet his watering in the fountain never ends. What has he been drinking? And why is he so famous? He's so small... If it wasn't for the hoards of tourists stopping by this particular street corner to take a picture of this little marvel, it would easily be missed. But, and sadly enough, it's one of the most famous sights in Brussels, the administrative capital [View Full Entry]

---

---

A competitive soccer game between two nations can be a friendly and exciting experience, but also a very tense and even hostile occurrence. This one lands about inbetween. The opening scene is a sign of an impressive experience; the cute French girl in the entrance line to Parc de Princes gives me the smile of a decade. Regardless of the outcome, I have my Paris face. The stadium is not among the largest of Europe, but it certainly must be one of the loudest. The acoustics are magnificent. A stadium "bowl" in its most literate sense, as opposed to its American [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hungary was one of the first Eastern European countries to break free from the Soviet communist administration. The openness factor in addition to a wide variety of sights, a fascinating history, and a comparatively cheap (although it probably caught up pricewise since then...) market helped getting the attention from Germans, Scandinavians, Austrians, Americans, and other tourists who were bored with the regular sites in Western Europe, or maybe those who were interested in really getting their money worth during the vacation. Budapest is the obvious magnet with all that a large and old Europ [View Full Entry]

---

---

There's not much to see. A church, seemingly similar to any other church. A garden, not much unlike other gardens. However, this place has a slight edge over its colleagues. It's the alleged birth site of Jesus. Might as well be. If so, one of the most important historical locations on the planet. Should be treated with due respect. Nowadays it is not. It is a war-zone. Kind of kills the myth that wars are about religion, does it not? Religion might be the excuse for the people to fight. However, the conflict is about everything but religion; principles, money, greed, [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Rock of the Middle East. 2000 or so years ago a group of people fled to the desert rock of Masada, to get away from the Romans. The Roman emperor who built it as his leisure time palace made sure the supplies were filled in the event of an attack, and the little group managed to hold out for quite a while. Eventually the outcome was inevitable, and when the Romans finally managed to conquer the place, they found only dead bodies, all of them with the throat cut open. This is history in its true meaning. Some people make [View Full Entry]

---

---

Autobahn in former Eastern Germany didn’t hold the same standard as it’s Western German equivalent. ”Autobahn” is German for ”Freeway”. Built on initiative of Hitler for speedy transports of the troops. The one between Rostock and Berlin was of the bumpier kinds. Bump, bump, bump. Every 50 feet. The bus would probably be better off going in the adjacent crop fields. But that was then. Now it's probably better. Infrastructure and all that...A bumpy ride. [View Full Entry]

---

---

The Ruhr Area is huge. Cities merge together, to the extent it is impossible to determine which one you're in at the moment. This super-large industrial zone attracts lots of people. People in cars. Even though the German Autobahn is an impressive network of roads, traffic jams are inevitable. This is one of those places, where lots of people decided to take their cars out for a ride, all at the same time. A broken radiator and a traffic jam - not a good combination. The engine is overheating, we have to take the first exit to the first town. The [View Full Entry]

---

---

It's not any bus. It's The Bus. Public transportation system on Oahu, that is. Takes you everywhere, on one monthly bus pass. Problem is, it takes everyone else the same places. Lawyers or homeless, all kinds take the bus. The man sitting next to me probably belongs to the latter category. "You have mean eyes" he tells me. What would be an appropriate answer to a wino commenting on your eyes? A "well, ok, sorry" have to do. But the scenery on route between Honolulu and the North Shore is fantastic. Many movies have been shot here. Pearl Harbor is one, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Airplanes are good. Takes you where you want to go faster than most modes of transportation. Doesn't mean though that air travel isn't exhausting, since you in that concept must include stop-overs at airports. The two hour flight between Copenhagen and London is cool. The five hour stop-over at Gatwick airport is not. GameBoy is truly the traveling man's best friend. Until batteries go dead. Yes, they do have batteries for sale at the airport shops, and I need to show identification in order to purchase a pack. Fully understandable, a twelve-pack Duracel is not for everyone...Battery abuse [View Full Entry]

---

---