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Published: April 20th 2008
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Hello, Bonjour & Goedndag!
spent my last afternoon, a chilly 10° London day, catching up with Stuey & his better half Ally, first watching the not so serious contenders of the London marathon ie. costume clad superheroes of all varieties, near naked cavemen & a team of very authentic looking rhino costumed entrants with names such as Rhino Joe, Rhino Thomas etc, etc. then as the rain became heavier we took refuge at Walkabout, an Aussie themed pub packed to the rafters with beer swillers & "wanna be" premier league football fans. After a few pints and the demise of Stuey's footy team we strolled back through town & towards my hostel, my hosts picking out a few of the more interesting landmarks on the way and also very kindly supplying me with a new map (see pic of well used old one). Was great catching up, seeing a familiar face even after a short time away was a real treat.
The following morning I was on my way via an intercity 300kmph train, under the channel, to Brussels, Belgium, home to too many beer varieties to mention, the most deliciously amazing chocolates you've ever eaten and definitely some
of the best 17th century architecture I've seen so far. The city has an amazing history with records dating back to the 6th century AD, this is really well illustrated through great artifact, painting and model exhibits in the national museum.
Hostel accom. seemed to be a little scarce here and I could only get one night in both the places I stayed, this was probably a bonus in the case of the first night as it was a far cry from the standard set in the U.K. and my roomy was an 18 yr old Harry Potter look alike from Worcestershire that didn't mind the sound of his own voice. I could have easily stayed another day or two in Brussels, I loved the "romantic" old city with it's narrow cobble-stoned alley ways, quirky & elaborately dressed shopfronts and particularly the grandiose gothic architecture.
On to Amsterdam.
No sooner had I put down my French phrase book and I was picking it up again for Dutch. (actually English seems to be commonly spoken here more-so than Brussels). Enjoying the whole 1st class Eurail experience so far, you pretty much just turn up at the station, flash your pass
and you're on your away. The travel is fast, there´s service staff to cater for your food & bev needs, it´s very comfortable (I´m talking reclining leather chairs with TV (Trent you´d love it) & you get to see the country side (this has been a bit flat and uninspiring so far but I think, like the temperature, it will only improve as I head south). Oh and also when you make a mistake and don't board the correct train you end up in places like Antwerp, which fortunately is on the same line and a simple matter of changing platforms & boarding the next available...phew!!
Amsterdam, what can you say?, well more than I can say really, I mean it's something you need to experience for yourself with an open mind firmly attached....it's almost sensory overload in many ways. The obvious liberal views on sex & "soft" drugs is what hits you first, you don´t need to venture far before you´ve strolled passed dozens of "Coffee Houses" (that ain´t no coffee like I´ve smelt b4), been approached to buy almost anything legal or not and a trip through the infamous "Red Zone" flanked by scores of male & female,
young & old tourists of all ethnicities (plus the rowdy Pommy contingent) is quite surreal...there's no escaping it really, their tourism thrives on it and whether you're here for those reasons or not, curiosity is a powerful thing!
That aside, (if anyone has any further queries on the above, yes that includes you too mum, I'll happily elaborate upon my return) and really this does become tedious after not long, the most appealing thing for me here has been (apart from the amazingly beautiful Dutch woman) the collision of so many cultural styles, fashion and the wealth of art both historic and contemporary. The city is pretty enough with its canals, monuments, bicycle cuture etc. however it´s galleries, museums, antique shops (like really antique) with the most amazing collections are at the soul of this place and are to be found everywhere. The Van Gogh museum, although missing a few of my faves (they must be in Paris), was a highlight.
Right so on to Germany!, 3 days of "the Dam" was enough & I´m on the train again heading for Frankfurt via the scenic Rhine Valley......´til next week or so,
Bye for now, Au revoir, Dakh &
Auf Wiedersehen!
Dave
xo
p.s. with the photo thingy, here´s just few randoms, I´ve actually shot over 1000 in 2 weeks and not only do I not want to bore you all, (until I´ve got them sorted that is) it actually takes quite a bit of time to choose then upload -so you´ll just have to wait. Also i´m not sure whether this software resizes them so any feedback on that (ie. are they huge and take ages to upload?) is welcome.
p.s. to the too many Collingwood supporters in my life - Beaten by Carlton hey? haha!!!!!
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