i rode into switzerland, but in fact, nothing's special, unless i were a retired person, who owns a bicycle or even a boat. 單車店老闆可能誤解了我提出的'natural landscape'的要求，他點了那段路，地圖上看雖是沿著河岸走，但風景倒沒有，而且經常要駛離岸邊，穿過田野、村落、跟著鐵路走，甚至有一段誤進公路，公路本身問題不大，keep going便是，最慘是交通燈位，因為座位大高（我懷疑全店最矮的已是這輛了），每次停車腳尖幾乎碰不到地，萬分狼狽，屁股又很痛，但我一邊踏著單車一邊想，在香港斷不會有如此「風景」的單車徑。穿過瑞士關卡，自出自入。 在極度昏迷的情況下到了轉車站Ulm，之前一班車還未開出，乘客不滿的吵鬧聲從車廂裡傳至月台，最慘的是這邊廂著他們乘月台對面的車，那邊廂又要返回原車，有人說"Scheiβe Deutsche Bahn!"，甚至高呼"Italian!!"。 那時只是想起04年在慕尼黑從意大利同房得知意大利火車的「效率」，但請記住這一句"Italian!!"，好戲在後頭。 ... read more

我告訴hostel職員我會暫離一天，想寄存行李；今天早餐後他示意進內，那其實是舍監的辦公室…… 今早甫進Augsburg Hbf，迎面而來的中年男人便對遇見的一位女士說「那是越位球」…… if the attitude of public transport in paris was a nightmare, then the railway system of vienna was a COMPLETE FAILURE: no main station in the city centre, complicated street maps without index and grid reference, let me make it short, it's totally user-unfriendly, even a burden to the tourists, on the streets u can find lots of puzzled and depressed eyes. notes to the new-comers: 1. don't save money, buy a detailed map, and make sure the location of the target before u go, while u may not find the way inside the railway station 2. don't save money again, buy a 24 hour-ticket, your cost of getting lost would be reduced to minimum, since the probability of getting lost is close to 100% 3. don't save money, i repeat, please take ... read more

i still cannot escape the 'second stop symthom', although paris is really a fasinating city, i still felt lack of security. 因為慕尼黑旅舍早已爆滿，想起04年到過附近的Augsburg（離慕尼黑約半小時車程），感覺甚佳，因此這一段我選擇住在Augsburg。 today morning, i checked out at 8 a.m. and walked towards the metro station, and the gates just kept closed down! i walked along the street heading Paris Gare du Nord, hoping to get on a taxi, but unsuccessed. finally i asked a woman by the bus stop (she spoke fluent english!), she taught me to take a bus. but the bus suddenly changed it's route (maybe because of the traffic jam), i missed the best chance to get off to run into the north station, instead it took me to the east station, by the time of gettig off, i had already cried out at least thee f__k s. luckily when i stepped ... read more

本來「法國」與「克羅地亞+意大利」兩段路，究竟誰放在行程中的最先／最後，一直未有定案。到我想起6月6日這個熟悉的日子，法國一行放在首段便是逃不了。 on d-day, i visited the normandy beaches, out of my imagination, the site is very cool and windy, how the soldiers beared the weather to do the must-die mission 62 years ago? in the guided tour i came across an australian boy, finally could say some english. i discoverd my listening has become poorer...no good. 問了幾句，那澳洲青年便招認出他是二戰迷。不想冒犯，但我實在很難明白那些戰爭迷的想法，我倆同樣看過"Saving Private Ryan"，我看到的是血腥與恐怖，但他在Normandie卻不斷流露出興奮的神情。至於我為甚麼來到這裡？全因為我相信62年前的今天，在這裡發生了一件改變了世界的大事，我到來只是為了憑弔。 在美軍墓地走著，忽然軍樂響起，全個墳場的人皆面向傳來樂曲的一方肅立。我走了幾步，雖然不知如何才好，心想還是停下來會恰當一點，有人甚至向著同一方向行敬禮，剎那間，全場靜默。... read more

i came across a french teacher in berlin in 2004. when i asked where he lived, he hesitated and said, "mm... it's in central france, famous among the french people,but not well-known internationally, it's famous of it's volcanoes, of course it's sleeping, haha..." i looked through the touring books, only clermont-ferrand fit his description, so i went there today. out of expection, the tiny city is quite beautiful. it's sunday and the streets were deadly quiet, so i could take many photo there. and of course, i couldn't meet him la, although i've tried my best to let it happen, haha... 　　因為只顧著在公園看"The Lord of the Rings"，錯過了不用訂位的回程火車，在火車站乾等接近兩個小時 1837　Clermont-Ferrand Voie H 　　趁空檔預訂6/6、7/6的票，職員一邊數手指一邊唸"one, two, three……"可惜我只懂說"merci"，再高一級，我怕我只能說"danke schön"或"vielen dank"，在法國，看見德文或聽見德語已倍覺親切（英文則別奢望了）。 VIDEO-so bored... read more