Taylor Vafiades

I´ve never been much of a sports fan but the passion Europe has for thier soccer (eer…football?) kind of rubs off on you while youre here. I was in Holland for the semi finals when they lost to Russia. I was coming into Germany on a train when they won against Turkey. And for the finals, I just happened to be in Germany. Somehow we managed to sneak into Brandenburg Gate to watch it even though it was blocked off for a mile in each direction around it. At first we hopped a fence at a memorial but the cops quickly saw us and started blowing thier whistles at us. After walking around the entire blockade the group I was with found a breach and snuck in through the park. It was worth it because there were thousands of Germans screaming for thier team and it was amazing to be a part of. Half of the group we were with ended up staying at the hostel because we heard from several people that it was so packed that nobody else was being let in. Ha! In the end, Germany pretty much got thier ass handed to them by Spain.

As far as my time in Berlin I have gone to see most of the basic sights. The Berlin Wall, Reichstag, Checkpoint Charlie, Potsdamer Platz, Hitlers Bunker, SS headquarters, The Holocaust Memorial, The TV tower and of course Brandenburg Gate. I wanted to go to Sachsenhausen today but I didnt look closely at my information and the concentration camp is closed on Mondays. It was raining the other day and I spent most of the day looking for a Jägermeister T-shirt. Germany does have a pretty cool nightlife and I have gone out almost every night to a different bar or club with people I either met here or some that I met in Amsterdam. The first night here at the Wombat hostel a group of us went out with a young Italian writer named Melissa Panarello that we met at the Skybar. After seeing her work I understood why she didnt really get into specifics about what she wrote when we were out.

I did try a bratwurst and yes it was good but I am leaving that when I leave Germany. I got it from a guy in a wheelchair that had a BBQ built into it. I thought this was so cool until I saw about 3 other people around the mall like this a few days later. I have been trying to hook up with someone I know from the states who just happens to be out here also for the past few days and am acually going to meet them around the corner in a minute. This trip has been great but I am eager to get back to England and regroup. The hardest thing besides all the drinking is all the eating out. My next trip I will bring a small bag just for food stuffs.

I am getting on a train to go back to Holland and taking a flight to England in about 12 hours. My phone will work again too once I land which will be nice. My flight gets into London at about 8pm so I am planning on staying there and taking a taxi back to Milton Keynes when Eric gets back the following day into Heathrow. Ive been burning it at both ends and cant wait to rest!

I just got off a night train from Amsterdam to Berlin and am waiting a few hours to check into the hostel I am staying at on the east side. As the fog clears I can finally reflect on my experience in Amsterdam. I really wanted to do a day by day post while I was there but as soon as I got into the groove of things there I quickly realized that wasnt going to happen. I really believe that I got the true Amsterdam experience though. At first I was eager to go see this or that museum simply because it was there and I felt like I needed to since I was there. After the second day I stopped beating myself up for not making it to any of the sights I intended to and began to really dive into the heart of the city. What Amsterdam is really about in my opinion is this.

- Meeting new interesting people going to and from all around the world
- Taking yourself to new heights never before been reached
- Being in the most relaxed social setting of like minded people imaginable

I think me staying at the flying pig hostel had a lot to do with the outcome of my experience. The staff there are great and the setting unmatched. I met more people in the past week than I have ever met in my entire life. This trip really forced me to be social which was tough at first but very rewarding in the end. The great thing about traveling around Europe is that you always have an instant icebreaker. “Where are coming from?” and “Where are you going after this?”.

Besides the fantastic atmosphere what else does Amsterdam offer that nowhere else does?Convenience. Where else can you stumble out in the middle of the night worry free and get booze, munchies, weed and a woman all on the same block? And while the states offer all these things individually Amsterdam packages them up nicely for you and puts a bow on top by turning a blind eye. Nayesayers to the legalization of marijuana and prostitution might lead you to believe that this type of setup would surely cause mayhem when in fact its just the opposite. I didnt see one fight or one person out of control. Plus you have to love the fact that everyone rides a bike! They even have separate lanes just for the bikes. I didnt ride the tram there but to anyone planning on going to Amsterdam be mindful of them for sure. They are so quiet that you can turn around and see one about to hit you if you arent paying attention when you are crossing. Also bike and cars have the right of way.

*I just saw this guy Phil I met in Amsterdam in the lobby. Pub Crawl Berlin style tonight maybe*

If I have one regret its not taking as many pictures as I could’ve while in Amsterdam. The first day I went out I didnt take my camera and ended up seeing a guy on a 10 foot unicycle blindfolded juggling flaming torches in Dam square. Besides the few photos of the city I was able to take I did manage to get one or two photos of myself with other people. Finding someone who could actually operate my camera properly proved difficult. Yes I know pushing a button down half way until it focuses and then pressing it down all the way seems simple to you and I now but explaining this in a smoke filled room over music never seemed to work out well. The shots I did get I should be able to post in about a week.

Oh and mayo on fries is the bomb. ;D

Yes I am alive and well! These past few days in Amsterdam have been surreal. I have tons to post but my computer time is up in 2 minutes here and I have to meet someone in Dam square to go to a museum I’ve been trying to make it to for 3 days now. Amsterdam has a way of placing you into a bit of a timewarp. I will amend this post later tonight.

I left Tulse Hill in London around 1am to pick up my flight to Holland which was leaving at 6:55am and still almost missed it. I took the correct bus going the wrong way and wound up on the wrong side of London. I ended up taking a cab which cost me $100 and still took an hour to get where I was going. When I arrived into Holland that was the first time so far that I really felt like I was traveling. Although everyone for the most part speaks English everything is in Dutch. Plus the accent for both ends is much harder to understand. To make matters worse when I arrived I was informed that the buses were on strike so I had to take another cab. Fortunately I met a fellow from South Korea named Alin who split the cab ( another $60) with me to the central train station. I got a great picture of him before we parted but can’t post anything until I get back to London.

In fact that’s basically the only picture I’ve taken so far since I got into Amsterdam yesterday. Because I didnt sleep the night prior by the time I arrived I was beat by 2pm and got a room at a hotel named old quarter in the red light district and went to bed. I woke up at 10pm and went out a bit to check things out. By that time most stores were closing but coffee shops and pubs were still open. I didnt really like the feel of the red light district too many people trying to sell you cocaine and such. It was pretty neat seeing half naked girls attempting to sell thier services behind a window on every corner. I had a pint or two, ate a pita with falafel, checked out a few shops and ended up going back to bed at about 1am.

This morning I made my way to the hostel I intended to go to in the first place which Eric reccomended named the Flying Pig. Its about $20-25 cheaper a night and it is a much better atmosphere plus it is on the other side of town. I am sharing a room with 5 other people but I dont expect to spend much time in there anyway. There is free wireless, computers to use, a pool table and a small bar with drinks and food.

It’s was raining here this morning which is one of the reasons I left my camera in the room. I also want to wander around a bit more and get a feel for navigating this area so I dont take my camera down the wrong alley. I ate a toasted sandwich with cheese, olives, peppers and pesto this morning. I know I dont normally eat dairy but I saw a number of people eating these sandwiches with copious amounts of ketchup on top and had to try it. To be honest it was pretty good.

I think the rain has stopped and I’m about to venture out. Someone told me today that the Hieniken brewery tour isnt going on right now because they are rennovating or something which is a drag. Also, my phone doesnt work very well here. I have a plan for minutes locally and internationally while I’m in England but traveling its a pay as you go thing. From what I can gather it cost me $20 to talk to Donnie in the USA last night for roughly 10 minutes and that was all the ëxtra’” money I had on that phone. I have to figure out a way to top it up but because its so expensive I’m just going to use it as an emergency thing. On the bright side the computers here have skype and even have a skype phone attached. I can log in to chat and even make calls if I put a little money onto it. Alright then I”m off.

Well in a few hours Eric is off to the states and I’m headed into London with him. I got two days to mill around before my flight leaves for Holland. The most important thing I have to get done before I leave is finding a power cable for the Tom Tom GPS Eric is letting me use. This thing is sweet and I should have no problems navigating around as long as I can keep it powered up. Also, I was able to pick up a cell phone while I’ve been here. It also keeps me logged into skype so I can send and receive text and voice over IP calls too while I am in England. Anyone that has a computer can download it and install it for free. That part wont work on my cell while I am traveling for the next two weeks however. I should be able to have a lot more time to sit down and post descriptively and email people assuming I can find Internet cafes along the way. Eric and I have basically been out every night since I got here and its been a total blast. Now I’m ready to do ton of walking and take some pictures!

Phone number is 0 7533355265

skype is buffw1

Here is a picture of me and two Italian girls we met at Brainfeeder last night.

Things have been crazy and I really haven’t had a chance to sit and the computer and post. I was able to post pictures from this last weekends rage, Stonehenge and Windsor Castle here. We got to Windsor too late to go inside so I will be going back another day. Eric is headed back to the states on Monday for two weeks so I will be flying to Holland on Wednesday and probably take a train to Germany from there. Since I will be leaving my laptop at his house hopefully I will be able to find an Internet cafe along the way. Also, I should be picking up a cell phone today if I can get there in time today.

I was finally able to get my first batch of photos off my camera and uploaded a few of them here. This photo site is also available by clicking the hobo turtle on the right. I’m still working on getting the slideshow to work on the blog page and will move it up once I do. I spent most of yesterday at the British Museum . For those of you that know me I don’t have to tell you I went right for the Egyptian and Mesopotamian artifacts. I ended up walking through the entire museum twice to make sure I did’nt miss anything.

I’m off to get ready Eric should be here soon and we are headed into London for the rest of the weekend. Cheers!

I’m guessing some of you are wondering why I haven’t posted any pictures. Well, quite simply, getting an American appliance(i.e. laptop) to work in Europe can be a major pain in the ass. At first I thought I fried my laptop and I still might have but I’m leaning more towards this US power adapter I brought being a piece or the fact that Eric has this power strip I’m plugging into bridged off like 3 other power strips. Or it could be solar flares I really don’t know. Either way I’m only able to charge my laptop for about 15 minutes before this adapter gets too hot and in turn stops charging. That’s with the laptop off. If I turn the laptop on the adapter lasts about 5 minutes before meltdown. So what I’m doing is plugging it in and charging then unplugging and waiting. I should be able to get enough juice in it this way to at least get my pictures off my camera. If I don’t figure out this power problem soon though I may have to shelf my laptop and go to plan B.

My non-stop flight from LAX to Heathrow was pretty uneventful. I managed to drown out the 3 screaming babies that I was sitting next to by watching movies on the touchscreen that was mounted behind the seat in front of me. Cloverfield was amazingly different and 10,000 BC was a major disappointment. Once I arrived it was 1pm local time (4am my time) and I was in need of some coffee if I was going to make it to the end of the day before sleeping. I bought a coffee for 2.50£ ($5) in the terminal and got my first taste of how much more things cost in England. On the bright side it came in a really nice ceramic mug on a plate instead of a paper cup.

Once Eric arrived I purchased my oyster card to travel on the subway system while I’m here and went and had a late lunch in London at Garfunkel’s. From there we met up with a few of Erics friends in Southern London before getting onto a train and heading out through the English countryside to a town called Milton Keynes. When I finally got to sleep that night I ended up sleeping until 6pm the next day which worked out well because that’s just about the time Eric got home from work. That night we met up with a few more of Erics friends and went out to a pub named The Cock and got a pint.

This morning we drove into the neighboring town of Buckingham and had breakfast. I had baked beans and a hash brown which turned out to be really good. Right now I am at Erics place in Buckingham and will probably be staying between here and his place in Milton Keynes when I’m not traveling. It’s overcast and raining right now which apparently is the norm but after I’m done with the computer I’m going to venture out and explore the town a little bit. I’m really glad I bought a good raincoat before I left.

I’m using a computer that’s in the kitchen here because I haven’t had a chance to get mine working yet so I don’t have the ability to post any pictures right now. My power converter that I brought worked well but I still need to get one more adapter for my laptop to work properly. Over the next few days I’m going to get settled in and establish a home base while I book my flights/trains for the other countries I want to visit while I’m here.