I was a bit sick the day I wrote that entry and was in a very bad mood, the next day and the day after I enjoyed Amsterdam a bit more. It's a very pretty city and the people are friendly. I didn't try the eggs but I'm sure they're delightful.
Right now I'm in Barcelona, after Amsterdam I headed to Rouen, France with plans to visit the Normandy coast and see where the allies landed during WWII, but after problems finding the hostel, which was situated in a bad area, I booked a hotel for two nights, saw where Joan of Arc was killed, visited a cathedral or two and headed out.
Barcelona is nice, it's a bustling city. Yesterday there were union protests so the subway was shut down, so I walked for a few hours, not seeing much. Though, I did follow a group of protestors for a while, they were comical, they stopped at all the big department stores and malls and flooded them, sticking stickers everywhere. I have been very tired the last couple days, getting from Rouen to Barcelona required 3 trains over a 48 hour span, so I've mostly been resting. I'm in Barcelona for a week though, so I have time to visit Claire and Co. and see the sights and maybe have a beach day.
All this traveling has been conducive to reading, though. I read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance twice, a good philisophical style read, and currently I'm working on The Count of Monte Cristo which I have trouble putting down. I brought The Stand, a Steven King book, with me and after reading its 1200 pages or so, I left it in a hostel. It was a sad thing to do, but necessary.
My plans, as of now, are to head to Portugal for about a week, then come back through Spain, possibly stopping in Madrid, but slowly working my way to Prague, which is one of the last places you can get real absinthe apparently. Not that I'll try it, I'm a good boy.
Your reading is serious stuff. That is good. Portugal, be sure to go to Porto, we spent 4 or 5 days there, liked it a lot. VERY HILLY. Actually, all the towns we visited were hilly. They are built around a river or so. We went to Coimbra, and then spent a week in Lisbon.
ReplyDeleteClare will have excellent suggestions for Barcelona. Are you in a hostel there? Where is it, say from the train or the Rhomba (sp?) Please say hello to Clare for us.
The Dutch are friendly and they all speak English, a definite plus. Enjoy Barcelona, and Portugal. I hear Madrid is a fun city. Your uncle and I went to Prague soon after the wall fell and then again when I was pregnant with Chiara, it had become very crowded. Hopefully that won't be your problem as it the off season. It is a beautiful city. It is good to try new things, even if you are such a good boy. But only one drink!
ReplyDeletebring a few liters of absinthe back to the US and we'll give some to tucker
ReplyDeleteHi Sam!
ReplyDeleteupdate this please
ReplyDelete