Our Last Day in Japan, Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple

Dec 17, 2005

Jason and I got up early and got dressed up for the flight out of Japan, but we didn't plan on going straight to the airport. Heath was taking us in to the city early so that we could visit another beautiful Temple.

The Narita-san Shinsho-ji Temple was founded in 940. The legend has it that a Goma rite dedicated to the image of Fudomyoo, which had originally been enshrined at Takaosan Jingoji Temple in Kyoto, help to miraculously suppress a revolt against Emperor Suzaku. An oracle proclaimed that the image, which had been transported from Kyoto to Narita, should stay where it was to relieve the locals from suffering. Emperor Suzaku then ordered the creation of the Narita-san temple to enshrine the Fudomyoo image.

There were some of the most beautiful gardens surrounding the temple grounds and buildings, but Heath and Jason both assured me that they were even beautiful in the springtime when the flowers were blooming. A few highschool students were out jogging the garden trails, and Heath told us that in the summertime they were a more common sight.

We stayed for a couple of hours, wandering the garden and temple grounds before we had to get back in the truck and head to the airport. We thought we had plenty of time before our flight, so we had McDonalds with Heath while we waited. It wasn't until we were standing in a HUGE line for customs that we discovered we'd made a mistake. We noticed several Japanese girls talking to people in the lines, and when they reached Jason we discovered that they were actually looking for us! Our plane was about to leave, and we weren't on it!

Surrounded by Japanese girls on radios we were suddenly on a mad race through the airport to make our plane. They held the transport buses until we could get there, and broke the crowds ahead of us, all the time telling us that they were really sorry and that there was no way they could get us there in time.

To our surprise and shock they actually held the plane for us, much to the dismay and fury of our fellow passengers. We got hordes of dirty looks as we made our way to our seats and sat down. Thankfully we slept most of the flight home, and Jason admitted that he would be glad to sleep in his own bed again. I was a little less pleased to be on my way home, if I had my wish I would have stayed another week!

Kannon Statue Goddess of Mercy over Tokyo Bay

Dec 16, 2005

Shige spent the entire day with us, driving us all the way up to see the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy overlooking Tokyo Bay. Just like the statue of Liberty the Goddess has interior stairs for visitors to climb, but unlike Liberty the Goddess has beautiful shrines and prayer boxes along the way so that you can offer incense to the gods or goddesses that represent your needs. Within the Crown of the Goddess is a rickety ladder that you can climb to reach a small alcove with a book of goals or wishes left by past visitors. Most of them were written in Japanese, but here and there throughout the book you could find one in English.

We walked around the beautiful gardens for awhile, looking at all the statues and floral arrangements before taking a brief stop at the gift shop and heading back down to our vehicle.

I was dying to see the beach after standing out on the rails near the Crown of the Goddess, so Shige drove me clear out to one of the few beaches that weren't completely destroyed by polution from the city. From what Jason and Shige claimed, most of the beaches have become unpleasant due to the amount of waste being washed up on shore from the big cities. But the beach we visited seemed to be pretty clean, although completely empty of visitors. I collected a pocketful of shells as a souvenire before we made the long walk back to where we'd parked, and made our way homeward.


Next: Our Last Day in Japan >>

The Sega Center in Chiba

Dec 15, 2005

Jason had been telling me about a huge arcade center in Chiba where Desi and Rumi had gone earlier to win some Disney stuffed animals and other prizes, so today they took me down there to check it out.

Heath had to stay back at the house to teach his English class, but everyone else piled into the car and headed out to Chiba. I was surprised by the actual size of the place, it was like an arcade mall gone Vegas style. There were three or four seperate gigantic rooms. In the first room were every gambling style attraction that you could expect to find in a Vegas casino. That seemed to be where the men liked to hang out while the women headed over to the center room, which was a huge arcade center full of arcade cranes to tempt the passerby.

The third area was a big restaurant on one side and a small childrens area on the other. Kids ages ten and under could get their pictures taken in the photo booths or play in the fun areas provided there.

I was surprised by how generous the Japanese workers turned out to be. If they saw you trying to win a stuffed animal on the arcade cranes, and you'd put in what they considered the worth of the animal to be (about $2 and up) they'd come over, open the machine, and either give us the animal or place it dangling on the ledge where we could knock it down the chute in one or two additional tries. We all left with at least one toy and a bag full of candy.

Rumi and Desi decided to stay home, but Shige showed up and joined us for a trip down to a local Ramen restaurant. I was fascinated by the way the workers made the noodles right on the counter so their guests could see the process. The food was delicious.

Next: Kannon Statue of Mercy >>

Greater Tokyo and the Akihabara Temple

Dec 14, 2005

Desi had to fly home today, so Rumi took her to the airport while Heath dropped off Jason and I at the train station. We took the train in to Greater Tokyo and the Akihabara Temple area. It was amazing!

There were literally hundreds of people filling the area around the tourist booths all up and down the walkways between the street and the temple buildings. I adored all the pagoda roofs, and original statuary. Jason showed me how to correcly purify with the incense and water from the fountain before going inside the temple. I was surprised to see how honest and open religion was for the worshippers there. Nobody made fun of anyone as they dipped the ladel and washed their hands. Nobody laughed or pointed, or whispered behind their hands. There was true respect between the people, whether they were there to worship or simply there as tourists.

Inside the temple was an amazingly beautiful room, which unfortunately had to be barriered off from visitors due to the amount of gold and gold filigree throughout. We tossed our coins into the enormous freestanding collection box and stepped back out into the sunlight once more.

We walked around the gardens for awhile, noticing all the prayer notes tied high up in the branches of beautiful trees. Something else that caught my attention was the way that the Japanese clothed the statues around the temple gardens. Jason explained that they believed there were spirits in the statues, and that the clothing is a way of honoring and giving consideration to the spirits. (If you click on the picture you can see a close up of these two statues wearing warm red bibs)

We stopped to buy our own prayer note on our way back towards the railway and I adored the way that they had it set up. You picked up a box full of marked sticks and shook it a few times, then reached inside and pulled out a stick. You looked at the markings on the stick and then found the matching markings on a drawer along the wall. You open the drawer and receive a small prayer roll. Each stick is different and will give you a different prayer. You pay for your prayer and are supposed to tie it onto a prayer string nearby, despite all the prayers we saw tied in the trees.

On the way home we stopped and just talked for awhile at Starbucks. It was a perfect day!


Next: Sega Center in Chiba >>

The Yokota Airbase in Japan

Dec 13, 2005

Heath needed to go to the Yokota Air Base, so everyone decided to tag along and turn it into a tourist site. It was pretty much another shopping trip, but at least I can now claim to have seen the airbase my grandfather built.

I bought some postcards to send back home, and had a good time checking out the great shopping center they had on base. I also got to meet some of the people that Jason kept as friends back when he lived in Japan a couple of years ago. I think the stories that I heard from Heath and Jason on the way to the base set me up for the event however. By the time I met their friends, I had a very rich, and not by any means untarnished, picture of them in my mind's eye. They didn't let me down.

I bought a new book to read on the long flight back home, and we picked up some cheap souvenirs at the market before heading back to Chiharadai.

Rumi made sushi for dinner, which was spectacular! She taught Jason how to make California rolls, and a few others, when he was living their before. It was obvious she had culinary talent. After dinner Jason and I snuggled on the couch and watched the television show "24" in Japanese. It's amazing how popular the show is in Japan. Rumi had purchased the entire series collection, and from what Shige told us all of his friends were avid viewers.


Next: Greater Tokyo & the Akihabara Temple >>

Jason and I visit Chiba Japan

Dec 11, 2005

Jason and I were up early the next morning. Apparently jet lag was still affecting our schedules. We took showers and got dressed while we waited for our hosts to emerge from their beds. We found that Heath and Rumi wanted to spend the day together at home, which was no surprise considering how long Heath and Jason had been on their security tour. Desi decided to stay with them, so we called on Shige to take us around town and show us the sites. It's always nice to have a native at your side, especially in Japan the first time you attempt their notorious rail systems!

Both Jason and Shige were worried about my being able to walk for any period of time, so we divided the day up with lots of sit down time for me. We ate at some fun restuarants, and did a lot of window shopping at the more popular market places.

Shige was eager to introduce us to a waitress at the Chiba Outback Steakhouse, so we made that our final destination. It was a lot of fun, I only wished I'd been more physically fit at the time so I could take advantage of some of the walking tours of the area. Jason quickly promised we'd come back again, and not to stress over anything I might miss on this trip.

We arrived back home a bit late, and as I was physically exhausted, I went straight to bed while he stayed up late talking to our hosts.


Next: Yokota Airbase >>

Tokyo Disneyland

Saturday Dec 10, 2005

Desi, Rumi and Aika decided that I just had to see the shopping center at Tokyo Disneyland. Rumi particularly loved the Disney stuffed animals.

As we were walking through the shopping center we came across one of the most amazing Santas I've ever seen. He was dressed all in gold and white, rather than the traditional red and white. Rather like the Father Christmas image, but carrying a gold bag full of toys and surrounded with beautiful elves, also dressed in glistening gold silk, golden tinsel and sequins. I didn't have my camera with me, but Desi asked one of the elves to get pictures of us with Santa.

Unfortunately I wasn't really up to a full day of shopping, and found myself sitting down every few minutes, wherever I found a seat. Soon my feet and hands were tingling, which was a good sign that my damaged nerves had reached their limits. We had to call it a day earlier than we would have liked.

Jason and Heath got home about 10:30 that night, and I was very happy to snuggle up against the man I'd been missing for the past few weeks. We didn't get to sleep until midnight, as we had a lot of catching up to do. It was fun listening to his stories of bodyguarding for the Japanese rock star Gackt, and hearing all his crazy adventures.

Next: Touring Chiba Japan >>

My Arrival in Japan

Dec 9, 2005

I was surprised by how big and commercialized Japan actually was. I understand that there are a lot of people living on an island that can only grow vertically, but it was amazing trying to navigate through the crowds.

Jason had warned me that the minute the passengers of the plane landed there would be a massive rush, almost run, for customs. He told me to get off the plane as quickly as possible and try to stay at the front of this racing crowd. I didn't realize how important that was until I fell behind. Fast movements combined with a crushing crowd and I was soon suffering terrible pain along my damaged spine and through my neck. I tried to surf the sidelines, but was pushed further and further back. When I reached the customs gates I was left standing in long lines which took almost an hour to pass through.

As I at last passed through the gates and walked out into the main body of the airport, I was immensely grateful to see Desi there waving to me. She had been worried when I hadn't appeared quickly, thinking I may have missed my flight, or that I had passed by her without notice.

I was glad to retire to my temporary room that night. Jason was still on his security tour, and wouldn't be meeting up with me until the following evening, so I had plenty of time to relax and recover from the gruelling day. I snuggled up in some blankets and read until I heard Desi come up from teaching her English class in the city, then drifted off to sleep.

Next: Tokyo Disneyland >>

Japan "Land of Repression"

Buildings built on buildings
Meager farmlands in shadows of industry
Eyes cast to the ground
Hierachy is king here
Strangers here a curiosity
To be studied from a distance
Soldier ants from here to there
Build this, tear this down
Grow this, destroy this
Do not question, just obey
Party hearty when you can
Tomorrow your an ant again
Ancient temples of the Gods
Give us strength to carry on
Drink hard when drink is given
Pay the pretty whore for three
Tie your prayers high in the tree
Your body and home belong to another
Only your spirit is free...

The flight to Japan

Dec 8-9, 2005

I got on the plane for Japan early the next morning. There were only eleven on standby, so I was able to fly first class. ALWAYS appreciated! Because of the direction of the flight, it was about fourteen hours, yet they served two lunches instead of lunch and dinner.

About halfway through the flight I was awakened by a very tall, very broad, blonde Norse God-type that started asking me some funny questions. Where was I from, what line of work was I in, what was my name. My first thought was that he must be someone from Airline Security, and that somehow I'd set off some mysterious security alert. Beware the sleeping girl with the long black tresses!

After a minute an older Japanese man in the 1st row walked back to join us. Within seconds it became obvious that the Blonde Hulk worked for the Japanese man in some kind of bodyguard position. He'd been sent over to "feel me out" before the master decended from his throne.

I was quite amused to watch the airline stewardesses going out of their way to avoid causing these men any distress. They were trying to serve the meal, and were actually walking all the way down the other aisle and coming back up from coach on our side to reach the passengers that were blocked by this mysterious Japanese mogul.

I suppose even mystery men need to eat, because he eventually returned to his seat, and was waited on immediately. I munched down the food that was brought to me, and then drifted off to sleep again. I was still in quite a bit of pain from the car accident, so I slept whenever I got the chance.

About an hour or two from landing my mysterious Japanese friend and his Blonde Hero returned. They again woke me up to hear more about my travels and lifestyle. I found it interesting that they both asked if I was a model, and if I'd ever worked in Japan before. I assured them that while I had modelled a bit in my youth, I had never done so in Japan. The older man looked like he didn't believe me, and I was wondering if he'd had some lurid affair with a model that looked like me in the past.

The plane was now landing, and even the stewardesses had buckled themselves in. Yet they didn't seem to wish bothering my gentlemen friends to sit down for the landing. Apparently the Blonde man decided it was a bit unsafe for his companion however, and escorted him back to his seat.

What a strange flight!! We landed without any difficulty, and as I was closer to the door than my two mystery men, I made a polite escape. They were both very handsome and successful looking fellows, but I was starting to wonder how many niave American girls vanished in Japan after meeting just such men.


Next: My Arrival in Japan >>

Japanese Vacation, A night in the airport

Dec 7th, 2005

I was all packed and ready to fly by 9:30am and on the computer re-checking flights. If there's one thing I know, it's how to Travel Cheap , and this particular flight was going to be on buddy pass. The downside to Buddy passes, is you need to watch the seats and make sure there's room on the flights you want! At 11:45pm I was on the flight to Atlanta, and there ran into the first major hump in my journey.

I needed to stay the night in Atlanta so that I could fly out in the wee hours of morning for the twelve hour flight from Atlanta to Japan. Rather than dealing with the hassle of finding a taxi out to a hotel only for a brief two or three hour nap, I decided just to find a quiet corner of the airport and sleep on my coat. You'd be suprised by how many other passengers were doing the same thing!!

Despite the painful protests of my back and neck, I managed to catch a few minutes of sleep before I needed to check in at the terminal.


Next: Flight to Japan >>

Preparing for trip to Japan

I was worried about this trip. I'd been bedridden for the last three months after my accident, and was feeling weak as a kitten. I talked to all of my doctors about it, asking whether they thought it was something I should cancel and try again in a year or so. I didn't feel confident at all in my ability to stand alone, much less walk without assistance. But they thought that with proper care I might be able to handle the trip, and that it would probably help pull me out of the depression I was fighting with.

Each of my doctors wrote notes concerning the area they were worried about, most especially my neurologist. I had been suffering with minor brain seizures since the accident, which caused me to have momentary blackouts with loss of memory for several minutes before and during each episode. They seemed to occur more frequently if I was under stress or in extreme pain. The normal stresses involved with traveling could potentially set off more severe seizures, possibly causing me to fall from dangerous places (like plane ramps?).

I was instructed to show my "emergency care sheets" to personel on each of the planes that I boarded, so that they could be alert to any signs of trouble and respond accordingly. I was also given all the medication and emergency care items that might be possibly needed to keep in my carry on baggage.

All in all it was a very humbling experience. From the crazy kid that would race down cliffsides in a forward facing repel, hike down mountainsides with an injured elk calf on her shoulders, or ride horses at breakneck speeds to crash headlong into ice cold lakes... I never realized how mortal I was until I could no longer lift a gallon of milk without agonizing pain. Or the day I bowed my head in humility and handed letters of disability and handicap to the personel of each of those planes.

Next: A Night at the Airport >>

Planning to travel out of country? Check your passport!

I've been hearing a lot of news on the way passports are being handled lately. One of the biggest things that might affect you is actually traveling too frequently! Apparently people are having trouble getting into some countries if they have less than two blank pages in their passports. That wouldn't be a fun experience if you ask me, sitting at an airport and waiting for the embassy to pick you up and sort things out.

Another problem I've heard of just recently is the age of the passport and the time left before expiration. Passports that are showing a lot of wear and tear are under heavy scrutiny for fraud, and it might get you pulled out of line even if it's a simple scratch across the photo! If you're getting close to expiration remember that now you must have enough time to get back into the United States before it expires or you'll have big problems. I'd consider getting it renewed early rather than risk pushing fate. You never know how the weather is going to be the day you're trying to fly out.

The Backscatter Machine! Naked you came and naked you shall return...

TSA Announces Plans to Test Backscatter Machines in Airports

Just when you thought air travel couldnt possibly get any more fun - lines, wands and pat downs, oh my! - the Transportation Security Administration announces plans to test backscatter machines in airports throughout the country later this year. The backscatter is an X-ray machine the size of a refrigerator that can see through your clothes, down to your birthday suit. It also can detect metal, plastic and organic materials hidden beneath your garments or between folds of skin.

Flying round trip? Naked you came and naked you shall return. Screeners will be able to tell if a traveler is packing heat or simply hot.

Count me among the first to demand to screen my screener. I hereby request someone who has significant vision impairment and does not shock easily.

Relax, the TSA says. Sorry fellas, relaxed and undergoing a virtual strip search are counterintuitive in my book.

Ah, but males will screen males and females will screen females. Privacy will be ensured. Sure it will, and the price of gas will return to 93 cents.

To qualm jitters, the TSA is hinting at an electronic fig leaf of sorts to cover the more, uh, sensitive areas of the images. Privacy aside, there is also the matter of what will happen to the captured images.

Last Christmas airport terminals were overflowing with mountains of bags and suitcases that had missed their flights. And now we are to believe the same people will be able to hold onto some small, but highly entertaining images. These images are bound to find their way to the break room, the Internet and the tabloids faster than a stewardess can say, Now boarding all children and small animals.

There is a name to remember in all of this. Susan Hallowell. She is the director of the TSA security laboratory who will forever be known as the woman who went first. Dressed in a dark skirt and blazer, Hallowell stepped into a backscatter for demonstration purposes and allowed the backscatter to do its thing.

She appeared on the monitor naked as a jaybird, except for the gun and a bomb she had hidden beneath her clothes. In the interest of national security, Hallowell allowed the image to be released to news outlets. One Web site referred to her as looking like Uncle Fester from The Addams Family.

To put it more gently, lets just say Hallowell resembled Over-50 Barbie with a really bad bloat. The backscatter is said to be the great leveler in that it makes everyone look naked and fat. (Will we be able to order 8x10s?)

If the pat down is no longer an option and the full-body scan becomes mandatory, its not me Ill be feeling sorry for when I step into the machine. The ones I pity are the screeners. How will they ever close their eyes and sleep at night?

Should this new X-ray technology thwart any would-be terrorists, the first phase of their punishment should be to sit in front of a backscatter monitor and watch the images passing by. Lets make it hurt them more than it hurts us.

Our last day in Europe

Oct 30, 2004

As much as I hated to leave, we had to get back to the states for work and family. It was rather amusing when Jason's zipper broke as we traveled by double decker bus to the airport. Not much we could really do about it. Yet as much as it frustrated him, it was amusing enough to put me into a good mood despite him.

We had first class flights from Ireland to Atlanta, with an excellent steak dinner served midflight. Our tickets from Atlanta to home however, were coach, and miserable. By the time we arrived I was grateful to be off the plane.

I honestly wish I had more time in Europe. I'd like to spend at least a couple of weeks exploring the hidden places of Scotland and Ireland. But as it is, I'm really happy I was able to spend what time I had there.

Here's to the future, and the endless possibilities!

*cheers!*

Belfast Ireland to Dublin Ireland

Oct 29, 2004

We woke up early, got showers and ate a quick breakfast before we dragged all our luggage to the bus station. I can't believe we didn't stay in Belfast, Ireland for more than just one night. If you ever get out to Ireland here's what I'd recommend: Trinity College, the National Museum, Christ Church cathedral (amazing if you like medieval style), St. Patrick's Cathedral (Johnathan Swift's old haunt) , the National Gallery and a pub crawl through Temple Bar. If you still have time try to get out to Dublin Castle and catch a tour of the Guinness Brewery!

We headed straight from Belfast to Dublin by bus, so we didn't even get a chance to stop at any of the little rural towns or villages along the way, which was a real bummer.

Dublin was beautiful, but there were still many buildings and streets showing scars from "the Troubles" of past years. The bar next door to our rooms in the Chelsea hostel was peppered with bullet holes from a tragic night when someone opened up a machine gun on the patrons.

We spent the rest of the day seeing as much of Dublin as we could cram into it, and had dinner at the Hairy Lemon Pub. I HIGHLY recommend their lamb stew, it was absolutely delicious, and very nicely priced within a traveler's budget! We stopped at the mall and some local shops for souvenirs, then back to the hostel for baths and bed.


Next: Our Last Day in Europe >>

Scotland to Ireland, Another Ferry Ride

Oct 28, 2004

We all woke up insanely stiff and sore, having only achieved brief naps, in a drafty car, on a rainy night, in the middle of nowhere. But the world didn't stop turning to give us a chance at recovery, the ferry was leaving 11 am and it was currently 8:45.

Having gone back and looked at some of the amazing things we missed, I can honestly tell you that if I had the whole trip to do over again, I'd have taken at least a week for each of the countries we visited. We really didn't get much opportunity to see all the things we wanted to, especially in Scotland and Ireland. We very much enjoyed our stay in France, but I think that was due to the amount of time we dedicated to that portion of our trip.
Jason claims that he'll never go back to the U.K. again, he's had his fill, but if I got the opportunity, I'd probably take it. Especially if I had time to tour the less frequented parts of Ireland, or some of the cemetaries of Scotland. My ancestors all came from those areas, and I'd love to do a little digging into it. To actually see some of the places where they lived and died.

As it was, Jason dropped us off at the Ferry port and drove the rental car to the airport to drop it off. NEVER EVER drop off a rental car without having someone in the rental agency inspect the car for you before you leave! They told Jason to just drop the keys in the box and later tried to blame him for damages done to the car that were not there when we left it. We spent hundreds of dollars in long distance phone calls fighting their claims, and we finally had to resort to just reversing all the charges on our credit card. It was a huge mess that could have been easily avoided by having them sign off the car in our presence.

The ferry ride from Scotland to Ireland was so stormy we had to stay down in the belly of the boat, and even then we watched the waves licking right at our windows. We arrived safely however, called a taxi, and were soon snuggling warm in our hotel beds in Belfast, Ireland. Later we made a brief outting to Wetherspoon pub, for great drinks and some time to laugh about our adventures, before we were back in our beds asleep.


Next: Belfast to Dublin Ireland >>

Dalwhinnie Whiskey Distillery in the Highlands of Scotland

Oct 27, 2004

We had to be up and out of the room early that morning, but we were able to grab some coffee, and thankfully my stomach was feeling much better.

We headed North to the Blair Castle, stopping along the way for pictures, and to drop off letters at a small post office. As it turned out we should have stayed to another course. Blair Castle is not the sort of place you can simply take photos of from your car. They have a gate fee that tourists must pay, on top of paid tours or paid activities that they offer.

Considering we'd only planned to make a brief stop there we decided against spending any time at the location, and instead headed far up into the Highlands of Scotland for a tour of the Dalwhinnie Scotch Whiskey distillery. That was much more interesting by far, considering we were getting a little burned out on the standard castle/museum/cathedral tours.

From Dalwhinnie we headed straight up to Loch Ness (what tour of Scotland doesn't include a few pictures of that infamous location?). We shot loads of pictures, toured the nearby shops and had lunch at a nice restaurant near the shoreline.

As it was getting dark we had to move quickly to get back into the car and race back south. The roads were terrifying at night, to say the least. On the map it looked nice and straight, but in reality it was insanely serpentine. To make it even more frightening, you would drive around a sharp corner and find out that the road narrowed to one and a half lanes instead of a two car roadway. At one point we were just entering one of those narrowed areas just as a large truck approached from the opposite direction.
The truck was as wide as the narrow road just by itself, and if he hadn't slowed down to let us by he would have scraped us right off into the trees.

We were all exhausted from stress over the drive when we finally arrived in Glascow, only to find out that all the hotels were booked! We searched from Glascow to Troon to Prestwick and couldn't find anything available. Miserable and exhausted we gave up at the last hotel we were turned away from. They had an entire wedding party filling them up to the rafters, and we just didn't have the strength to go on. Moving the car into a discreet corner of their parking lot, we curled up in our seats and tried to get what little sleep we could. It was cold, cramped and miserable.


Next: Scotland to Ireland >>

London, England to Perth, Scotland

Oct 26, 2004

Unfortunately for me, I woke up in the middle of the night with such extreme pain in my stomach I thought I might have burst an appendix. I crawled miserably out of bed after a few seconds of rolling around in pain and spent the next half hour trying to piss hot sand. Apparently, with all the excitement, I had failed to drink enough water and my body was working on some kidney stones. I limped back to bed feeling rather like a badly beaten dog, but took a prescription pain killer and managed to get a few more hours sleep before we had to be up.

When we officially woke up that morning we had time only for a quick breakfast before packing our bags and retrieving the rental car from what the attendent insisted on calling a "whirly-park". I admit, it was rather fascinating to watch the car spin down from the upper floors on the lift.

The attendent kept asking us if we'd paid our taxes, which we thought odd at the time, and we assured him we were consistent tax payers. He gave us strange looks and asked again, which made us wonder a little about him, but we assured him we had already paid our taxes.
It turns out we hadn't. In the U.K. they charge what is considered a congestion tax, which I presume helps finance lots like the "whirly-park" and keeps cars off the streets. We had no idea what the fellow was talking about at the time, but we figured it out after we'd returned to the States and received a hefty fine and ticket in the Post only days later.

After hours of driving around the lower portion of Scotland we at last found the hotel we'd reserved. I was in misery by this time, as the painkiller had worn off, so I was eager to head straight to bed. My companions didn't hesitate in following me. A full day crammed into a compact car will wear you out pretty fast!


Next: Dalwhinnie Whiskey Distillery >>

---

London, England "City of Contrast"

Dignity airbrushed over dry humor
There is a tipsy turvy humor behind their royal airs
A playful splash of color to their timeless city
Beauty, strength and artistic angles
Pleasantly combined with ridiculous colors and detail
Gaudy uniforms on stoic somber guards
Playful names on noble, ageless buildings
Awkward double buses, versus classic century taxis
Quiet silly humor lurks everywhere
The whole city seems barely able to hide a grin
Just behind this exquisite cathedral
Surely a nun must be smiling
Just behind this grandois tower
There must be a 'Bobby' laughing
Just behind this majestic palace
A queen's eyes must be twinkling...

- Taliahad 10/26/2004

Buchingham Palace and the British Museums

Oct 25, 2004

We didn't have a place to park our rental car the night before, but a nice chap on the stree told us we could park it at the curb so long as it was moved before the parking meter police came out at about 8 am. We took the fellow at his word and left the car on the curb.

The next morning we were awed to look out the window at 8 am and actually watch what looked like a sea of police cars, footmen, motorcyles, etc coming straight at us. Jason and Nate bolted for the door as fast as they could while Robyn and I stood at the window to see whether they'd win this rather dubious race.

It did rather look for a minute like they might get stopped, even after they'd started the car and put their blinker on to pull away from the curb, but thankfully the police didn't press the matter.

Robyn and I headed off on foot to the Post Service while we waited for the men to find a safer parking stall and return to our sides. We shopped a few more postcards while we were out and spent the next hour or so waiting in our room. On their return we all headed out to see a few more famous locations.

Our first stop was, of course, Buchingham Palace and the Royal Mews. Then off to the Underground subways so we could get across the city to the British and National Museums. Robyn and I were terribly excited about seeing so many of the great master's works up close. Robyn in particular is an art student herself.

Back into the Underground again and on our way to the Tower of London and the London Bridge. It was getting dark by this time, but the Bridge was all lit up and beautiful! We walked through the tower yard by the river and slowly made our way back up to the Underground and the hotel to sleep.


Next: England to Scotland >>

London, England - The first day

Oct 24, 2004

We were up at 8am, showered, fed and out the door by 10:30 the next morning. Our plan was to head straight to London and find a little hotel there from which we could tour the larger part of the city on foot. Ambitious plans.

We had to stop twice for directions, which we secretly pretended were intended to get food or take rest stops, but at last we found ourselves in the heart of the city. With a little luck and the friendly advice of several Londoners were quickly located a hostel just a block away from Westminster Abbey. The tricky part was finding parking for the rental car. The men had to drive all over the place before they at last tracked down a lot that would let them store the car for more than one day.

With our bags stored away in the hostel, we set out on foot to see city. Big Ben, Parliament, the Victoria Gardens, Westminster Abbwey, Westminster Cathedral, the new Scotland Yard and Trafalgar square all in one day!

We stopped to buy postcards and trinkets on the way back home. We wanted to stop at one of the many colorful, and wonderfully named pubs, but we didn't think we could get back before it started raining on us again. And we were exhausted from all the walking!

While Robyn and I wrote postcards to those we'd left back in the States, Jason and Nate managed to sneak out and visit one of the pubs. It took Robyn and I about an hour to figure out they couldn't possibly be on the phone for that long and that they must have deserted us. We gave them hell when they got back, and only felt mildly smug over the fact that they'd each been able to afford only one drink on the cash they had in pocket.


Next: Touring London >>

Stonehedge to Croyden, England

Oct 23, 2004

It was still raining when we woke up the next morning. From what we'd been told by various people along the way, it rained a lot in October in England. All of us were feeling a little sad we hadn't stayed at Franz's chateau in France, we'd been spoiled rotten there and were sorry to give it up so soon.

We checked out of our room and headed downstairs for a warm breakfast and to use the hostel's only computer in search of a plan for the next leg of our journey. We all wanted to see Stonehedge, but it was rainy and windy, so we didn't think we'd want to spend very much time there.

Turns out we were right. What they don't tell you in the advertising brochures is that Stonehedge is surrounded by two fences. The first one keeps people from getting within ten feet of the stones, the second fence keeps people from getting within one hundred feet of the stones UNLESS you want to pay a rather hefty access fee. Our vision of walking around and getting magical pictures of the mystical stones shattered against the cruel blade of reality.

We grabbed lunch at the Stonehedge Kitchen, then got back into the rental car and headed out towards Croyden. We initially thought we'd hunt down Gabrielle, our friend from the ferry, but after driving around completely lost for most of the day, we decided we'd better just find a place to sleep. All of the hotels we checked were full due to some local event, but we were at last able to find a room in an adorable hotel that was currently overflowing with a wedding party.

They gave us a room up on the top floor, but we didn't get much sleep until all the wedding goers had settled done for the night.


Next: London England >>

Portsmouth "City of Youth"

Portsmouth "City of Youth"

Here is a curious child eager to see strangers
Curious eyes and eager gazes
A pleasant smile or impish grin
The weather is a thing to laugh at
The world around them a bauble to study
Strangers a welcome surprise
Here and there a wicked Irish joke
Here and there a flash of Scottish charm
The boats in the harbor look like playthings
Their buildings with a flare for the sea
The city has the feel of youth and playfulness
As a park for the young, a gameboard for life
Who are these newcomers?
Will they stay and play?
Tell us stories of your adventures!
They are full of curiousity and life
Here is a place to grow young!

- Taliahad Oct 22, 2004

Our Arrival in Portsmouth, England

Oct 22, 2004

Ah, the wind in my hair and the salty sea breeze in my nostrils...

The ferry ride was lots of fun. The boat was so large that even the big waves near the stormy coast of England didn't scare me that much. It was fun to ride them out and see how high they actually rose in comparison to when we started out in France.

We met an absolutely amazing woman named Gabrielle McCartan on the ferry, and she was full of great stories about the UK, her family and the best sites to see while we were there. We actually spent the majority of the ride just sitting pleasantly spellbound at her side in the ship's lounge. With eight hours of travel time ahead of us on water, she was a godsend!

Our arrival in England was nothing like our arrival in France. The people were friendly and appeared eager to ask us where we were from, where we were headed and how our vacation had gone so far. In fact if it hadn't been for their friendly demeanor we might have been miserable drowned rats that night.

The ferry landed just as the last rays of sunshine were vanishing on the horizon. We wandered out of the port feeling a little lost and worried, carrying our bags on our backs and hoping to find a nearby hostel before the dark clouds above us started dumping rain.

As the first big drops started to fall from the dark skies, we decided to divide our forces to cover more ground. Jason and I went one direction, while Nate and Robyn headed another. With the dark storm above it was apparent that few people wanted to be walking around in the weather, so we were having difficulty getting directions.

Seeing a pub just down the street gave us hope however, and Jason held my bag while I stepped inside to ask a few of the pub's attendees. The quickly pointed down the street where we'd come from, where there was a second pub that rented out rooms to travellers. Grabbing Nate and Robyn from a side street we headed to this second pub, where Robyn and I were invited to stay (in the beds of two locals) and Nate and Jason were given only goodhearted ribbing. After politely deferring on their playful invitations, all four of us headed off to a third location where we were told we would be able to stay together.

At last we found a hostel with four tiny single beds all in one room. They were bunk beds, and Jason's feet hung off the bottom of his, but at least they were out of the stormy weather. Robyn and the menfolk headed off to hunt down dinner, while I got out of my wet clothes and kicked back for some rest.

After a meal of authentic English fish and chips, we all attempted to get some sleep for the following day's adventures.


Next: Stonehedge >>

A Military Sendoff to Portsmouth, England

Oct 22, 2004

We had to be up very early to finish packing and get ourselves out to the ferry harbor. We ended up being early arriving, yet almost didn't make it on board in time. As we were attempting to board customs was checking everyone's passports, and bingo, here were four Americans with no proof of entry into France. (Remember the customs official at the airport that failed to stamp our passports, here's where that becomes a problem... getting back out!)

We were immediately pulled out of line by two serious looking men in full fatigues and automatic machine guns. They were demanding how we got into their country... in French, while we were trying to explain that we were going to miss our Ferry... in English. It was looking pretty bad for us. The French customs had every right to detain us for being illegally in their country, despite the fact that we had done so in ignorance. We were getting good looks at their guns and sweating a bit more than the weather might have recommended.

The last of the legal passengers had now boarded the ferry and it was getting ready to leave. We were starting to feel rather desperate about our situation when one of the girls taking tickets came over with an English speaking man. We explained our arrival and the actions of the customs official, and pleaded that we were only ignorant tourists. We showed them our airline tickets, showing the arrival time and the future departure time from Scotland. It was freaky scary to me, but Jason seemed to be holding it together pretty well.

At last they seemed to decide that since we were leaving the country they'd rather just get rid of us then throw us behind bars, or turn us over to the American embassy. The minute they gave us the okay, we grabbed our bags and RAN for the ferry. We were more than a little happy to find ourselves at last on the boat and safely out of the grasp of the French military.

Next: Portsmouth England >>

Destination Relaxation; Puttering around Berric, France

Oct 20, 2004

Wednesday morning we woke up to a drizzly day. Rather than spend the day driving around in the rain we decided to take a break from site seeing and just spend the day exploring the yards and just puttering around Berric, France.

We visited a few local markets, and stopped to mail some items back to the states (changing our minds after we realized how bloody much we'd have to spend for even a small box).

We had an early dinner and spent the rest of the night chilling in the main room, peeling the labels off from the Absinthe bottles and finishing off the rest of our horded liquor.


Next: A Military Sendoff >>

France - Tour of Mont Saint Michel Abbey

Oct 19, 2004

Jason and I were up early, but we stayed in bed and pretended to sleep until 8am. I was feeling a bit of gut rot from the food, so we had a late start to see Mont Saint Michel Abbey. It was a long drive there and a long drive back, but it was totally worth it!

Le Mont-St-Michel was used in the 6th and 7th centuries as an Armorican stronghold of Romano-British culture and power, until it was sacked by the Franks, thus ending the trans-channel culture that had stood since the departure of the Romans in 459 AD.

Before the construction of the first monastic establishment in the 8th century, the island was called Mont Tombe. According to legend, the archangel Michael appeared to St. Aubert, bishop of Avranches, in 708 and instructed him to build a church on the rocky islet. Aubert repeatedly ignored the angel's instruction, until Michael burned a hole in the bishop's skull with his finger! The dedication to St. Michael occurred on October 16, 708.

On the way back to the chateau we stopped at the train station to check on tickets to London, then at a supermarket for dinner. That night we were all up late talking and tossing around itinerary ideas.


Next: Destination Relaxation >>

Touring France, the Suscine Chateau

Oct 18, 2004

We woke up to the sound of Franz calling to us from the kitchen. Jason called back that we’d be up in a minute, so Franz left again. We showered and woke up Nate and Robyn, before heading out to do some touring.

Our first destination was the Suscine Chateau, where we just had to take the full tour. I adore old historic buildings, and this was right up there with Notre Dame on my list of sites to see due to my family’s historical past in that area.

On our way back we stopped at a tiny little village called Roucheford that was just as colorful and beautiful as Vannes, but in miniature. There were tiny little shops along both sides of the street, and you could almost imagine that it was the street Disney used to create their storyboard for Beauty and the Beast. It looked right out of a fairytale.

One of the buildings had a tree growing right up against the wall, and the shopkeeper had actually trained the trunk to split and embrace the building. Wrapping its enormous branches around to cover almost three sides of the store, like a giant wooden belt. It was amazing!

The rest of the day we just puttered around Franz’s chateau, feeding apples to the neighbors sheep, and enjoying the beautiful gardens out back.


Next: Mont Saint Michel Abbey >>

French Monoliths, and OMG Human BONES!!

Oct 17, 2004

We were up 8:45 on our first morning in Berric, France. I’d gone to sleep a bit earlier than my three companions, and had quite a bit less to drink the previous night, but everyone was in a foul mood. Jason was particularly cranky, which made breakfast rather unpleasant.

French people love their breads, and for good reason. Baguettes and soft cheese, or fresh croissants, are treats that I enjoy anytime. But the French people like to eat them every day, and often for more than one meal. So despite our attempts at staying in the range of our normal fiber intake, we were starting to feel a little plugged up. The hangovers from combining good Absinthe with cheap beer didn’t help our overall physical condition.

Robyn decided that she was feeling icky enough she wanted to stay back at the chateau, while the rest of us headed out to visit the nearby monoliths. Unfortunately they were gated and it was a Sunday, so we could only walk around the outside of the field and take pictures.

As we were walking around the exterior we came across an amazing old cemetery. Some of the headstones were so old that pieces of stone were actually rotting off from the headstones. The two guys headed down an eastern path while I headed north. A few seconds later I was freaking out and calling them both over at the top of my lungs.

At my feet was a freshly turned grave, which I merely glanced at until I noticed an eerily bone like object near my foot. Crouching down I pointed it out to the guys and they verified that it was a human finger! Oh my god! With three pairs of eyes now on the site, we were suddenly seeing more bones, including teeth, scattered throughout the churned up earth.

We couldn’t figure out why someone would simply grind up an old skeleton like that. It seemed extremely disrespectful to just chop it up and leave pieces of it all over like that! The only thing we could figure was that the town was limited on cemetery space so they decided they needed to dig up an old grave to plant a new body. I would have freaked out if they’d done something like that to one of my ancestors, but all we could hope was that it was a relative of the first occupant.

That was about all I could take of cemeteries. Seeing Jim Morrison’s grave was pretty awesome, but seeing human bones being trampled all over like this was an entirely different story. That was the last cemetery we visited in France.


Next: Suscine Chateau >>

Vannes, France - A colorful and beautiful piece of history

Oct 16, 2004

We were up at 8:30am, apparently the jet lag was starting to wear off. Franz had already been up and down to the local bakery for fresh baguettes and croissants! We soon learned that we better go to bed when Franz did, because he’d be knocking on our bedrooms doors bright and early every morning from that day on.

After breakfast we headed to Vannes for the open market. Vannes, France is AMAZING! It’s like stepping into a storybook or fantasy movie. There is so much detail even in the signs, so much color, and so many historic buildings to visit! If you ever get to France, I’d definitely recommend Vannes as a place you really need to add to your itinerary.

We had crepes for lunch in a little underground shop that served some great hard cider. It’s the first I’ve ever tasted, and had a crisp sweet taste that I loved. After lunch we drove down to the beach. True to the season it started raining as we were turning around to walk back to the car. We ran for cover and sat beneath the overhang of the only building on within running distance, which happened to be bathrooms built to support tourists during the summer months. They were locked up, but there was enough space near the doors for four sodden people to huddle and laugh about their predicament.

On our way back home we stopped at a coffee shop, slash bar, for warm drinks to drive the last of the cold wind out of our bones. To our pleasant surprise there was a big black bulldog mix that apparently belonged to the shop owner who patrolled from table to table like a miniscule waiter to check on each customer. With big brown eyes like that, I’m sure he got more tips than the woman who brought us our coffee, but his tips came in the form of tasty tidbits and admiring pats.


Next: French Monoliths >>

Berric, France - The French Countryside and Green Absinthe

Oct 15, 2004

Franz is an accomplished musician that came to America a few years ago to study. Here he met Jason’s uncle, a masterful musician himself and they began a steady friendship which lasted even after Franz was called home to Germany when his father became ill. After the death of his father, Franz stayed in Germany to keep up the estate there and inherited the beautiful chateau in Berric, France that his mother long kept as an exquisite bed and breakfast.

When we arrived at the chateau we gazed in awe at the sheer size and magnificence of the estate. It was amazing! Ivy and climbing flowers covered aged stone walls, and were framed by lush green fields.

God bless all friends and family! Franz told us we could stay as long as we like for free, if we wanted to buy our own meals. That certainly wasn’t a problem for us, especially after we’d visited the local markets and discovered that we could get top shelf wines for the price of bottom shelf wines in the United States. Another pleasant surprise for us was presence of green Absinthe available in every store. Anyone who has seen the movie Moulin Rouge should recognize Absinth as the alcoholic drink that made the drinkers think they saw the ‘green fairy’. It’s banned in the U.S. because of the thujone in the wormwood, which is the herbal ingredient that gives it the strong bitterness.

We soon discovered that the wormwood had the affect of making you feel ‘mellow’ after just one glass of Absinthe, where it would take several bottles of beer to get the same affect. Yet despite four bottles of green Absinthe during our stay in Berric, none of us saw any green fairies.


Next: Vannes France >>

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Berric, France "City of Life"

Weathered and aged, but of goodly spirits
Cheerful despite the weather
Like a plump and wholesome country grandmother
A smile and a cookie to ward of the storm
Moss creeps up the stone
As age creeps up on the old
But there is life and joy of life
To keep even the old age pleasant
A soft eyed cow
The bleat of a lamb
Life surrounds and uplifts the weary pilgrim
Here there is life and laughter
In the wind even the trees sing of it
Storms blow and rain falls
But open hearths give heart
Open doors give warmth
Open arms give joy...

- Taliahad Oct 15, 2004

Jim Morrison's Grave, the French Countryside, and Vacation Paradise

Oct 15, 2004

With the jet lag still messing up our natural timing, we all woke up about 4:30 in the morning and couldn’t seem to get back to sleep. We all laid in bed until 6am before deciding that breakfast was probably ready downstairs and it wouldn’t hurt anything to start the day early.

Being the big music fans that we are, there was one site that wasn’t on any standard tour which we just had to see. Buried in a Paris cemetery within walking distance of our hotel was the final resting place of Jim Morrison. He was THE singer for The Doors, but in about 1971 he went to Paris in an attempt to get his life back on track and failed. His girlfriend found him dead in the bathtub. I guess the French adored him enough that they didn’t want to let him go and buried him in the Poets Corner of Père Lachaise Cemetary.When we got there it was kind of hard to find him surrounded like he was with so many other tombs right up against his. But we found it!! We were running late on time, so we had to hurry back to the hotel and grab our luggage. It didn’t feel like we’d spent nearly enough time in Paris, but we had a German friend meeting us at the Eiffel tower that we didn’t want to miss.

Lugging heavy bags we hiked to the rail station and bought tickets out to the Eiffel tower, still somewhat amazed by the dirty looks we were getting from Parisians. Any time one of the guys would stop to ask directions they would get a snotty comment at best. Robyn and I at least got admiring glances from the men, until we opened our mouths and English came out.

We reached the Eiffel tower and were surprised to find more of the postcard carrying beggars scattered throughout the crowd. Fearing the loss of our luggage or valuables, we kept them on our backs as we waiting for Franz to show up and take us to Berric.It must have been less than an hour before French police cars began pulling up all around the tower. They were completely blocking off the road and traffic started backing up all the way down the street. We could see immediately that Franz was going to have a problem getting to us, so we sent Jason out with a sign to walk up and down the street looking for him. It’s bad enough trying to find someone when you’ve never met, but trying to find someone in traffic like that looked impossible.

To our great relief a silver car squeezed through two parked trucks only moments later, and it was our lost driver Franz to the rescue. We were amazed that he’d been able to weave his way through standing traffic, but I guess if you’re driven enough anything is possible.

Unfortunately the car was a little smaller than we’d anticipated. Especially considering that our bags were almost as tall as we were. It didn’t help that the French police were trying to break up the congestion caused by their previous road block, and that we were now hindering their progress. As quickly as possible we crammed two giants bags in the trunk, laid a third bag across the laps of the two back seat passengers while the fourth (and smallest) of the four bags had to sit on Jason’s lap in shotgun position.

Amazingly the doors closed and we were off on the next leg of our vacation. On our way to a beautiful estate in the French countryside town of Berric.


Next: Berric France >>

Tour Paris France, the Louvre, Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe

Oct 14, 2004

We woke up at 6am to shower dress and enjoy a French style continental breakfast, with fresh croissants! I adore fresh croissants!
Then after some quick shopping at a local grocery store for baguettes and cold cut meat, we packed ourselves bag lunches and headed out to see all the historic Paris sites we’d been dreaming of.

Notre Dame was incredible, but even though it was the off season there were a LOT of tourists milling around. I love gothic architecture, and the cathedral was absolutely magnificent. It was filled with large paintings of saints or other religious themes, which unfortunately they didn’t allow pictures of. There was some repair work going on at one side of the exterior, but for a seven hundred year old cathedral it was amazingly well preserved. The gargoyles and saint statues were awesome, but the stained glass windows were the best. We got lots of pictures of those. I bought myself a little prayer card in French for a souvenir.

From Notre Dame we crossed the river Seine to visit the pub, and saw a beautiful fountain depicting the Angel Michaels battle with Satan. From there we headed up to see the Arc de Triomphe, and artist’s square where we were bombarded by women claiming that they were refugee’s and needed money. They all had postcards with the same desperate sounding message printed on them, in English. It was obvious that they were preying on the tourists’ sympathy.

The Louvre was next on our list and we wandered its floors for over four hours before deciding that we would never see it all in time. I was exhausted and told the other three to go on without me. I found myself a little coffee shop on a balcony overlooking the main entrance and settled down to people watching. Within minutes I was joined by a pair of Chinese business men who were in Paris on business, but found themselves with a free afternoon before they needed to fly back home. We engaged in a lively conversation which ended in a firm command for our group to come out to China and visit their homes. They assured me that China was “even more beautiful” than Paris because unique style of their historic architecture.

With weary legs and soaring spirits we didn’t return to our hotel until very late that night. Exhausted, and a bit jet lagged to boot, it was all we could do to eat a light dinner and fall into our beds.


Next: Jim Morrison's Grave >>

Paris, France "City of Darkness"

Paris "City of Darkness"

Old buildings, the work of masters
Nature against man
Wind and rain, moss and earth
Battering buildings, eating the stone
Seagulls of the sky
Sparrow and pigeon afoot
Beautiful on the wing, but battered and torn
The city cries of age and growns beneath it's own weight
The people carry an air of depression
Reclusion
They dress in dark colors and scowl at outsiders
They walk beside the ghosts of their ancestors
Which is dead? Which is alive?
They embrace the darkness that surrounds them
The old...
The new...
The city claims them
The weather ages them
They become as one

- Taliahad Oct 13, 2004

---

Oct 13, 2004

We left the immigrations area and walked out into the main body of the airport to look for our luggage, then nearly turned and ran back to the counter when we saw two armed guards with fully automatic weapons heading our way!! Thank god they kept on walking, and we realized that security in France was a little different than it is in the United States. Apparently in France the guards carry around enough firepower to bring down any elephants that might try to sneak past their country's customs. Yikes!

None of us spoke fluent French so we had to rely on Robyn’s one semester of French in high school and a travel sized French to English language dictionary. We stood outside on the sidewalk for over an hour trying to use French bus maps figure out which route would take us to the part of the city we wanted to be in.

We at last found our bus and were on our way to the heart of Paris and the true beginning to our vacation. As if to counter our bad luck with the flight over and the airport personnel, we even met a man on the bus who was full of great advice on places to stay and sites to see. He introduced himself as “a Texan from Mississippi” and told us that if there was one pub we had to visit it was a small place located on the Seine River roughly a block kitty corner from Notre Dame. Before parting ways at the end of our bus ride we assured him we’d be sure to check it out.

After another two hours as lost tourists wandering the streets of Paris with heavy packs on our backs, we at last found a hotel with vacancies within walking distance (or short bus ride) of all the major sites in Paris. We promptly dropped our bags to the floor and crashed on the beds for five hours of badly needed sleep.

When we woke again it was already dark outside. We found a little restaurant for dinner, and discovered that if you didn’t speak French and you came to the city in the tourist off season, you were pretty much considered an annoyance that nobody wanted to deal with. Three times we had to send Jason out to find what happened first to our waitress, then our order, then the bill. Parisians didn’t want anything to do with Americans, especially considering the recent events in the middle east.

We headed back to our hotel a frustrated with the snobbish attitude every Parisian we met seemed to have in sixes, and soothed our battered spirits with a little wine and good sleep.

Next: Louvre and Notre Dame >>

Vacation Flight From Hell, and Illegal Immigration

Oct 13, 2004

The flight from Atlanta to Paris, France was horrible! None of us had really slept well, if at all the night before the trip, so we were eager to catch a few z’s on the plane. Wasn’t going to happen. We were stuck in coach, and in chairs that wouldn’t recline to save a life. As the stress and excitement of the trip wore off, headaches from lack of sleep crept in. And to top off the experience, an infant began to wail with earsplitting screeches which didn’t stop for the entire flight across the ocean!

We landed in Paris and literally ran for the exits only to find massive lines backed up from the emigrations counter. We found the line we were supposed to be in and prepared ourselves for a long wait. There were four or five airline personnel behind the counter, but only three of them had lines in front of them. We assumed there were simply no flights coming in for the last station, when he suddenly waved us over.

When you get an opportunity to cut in front of a hundred tired passengers you should probably consider the potential violence the act may incur, but to our surprise nobody moved to intercept us. We were all smiles as we handed the fellow our passports and disembarkation cards. Those smiles quickly turned to concerned glances amongst ourselves as he tossed the cards into the trash can and handed us our passports back unstamped.

Was there a problem? Did we fill the cards out wrong? He smiled at us and told us to enjoy our stay, then waved us by. We all hesitated, although for different reasons. Jason is an experienced international traveler, and knew that if we stepped past that fellow we’d be entering the country illegally. I, on the other hand, was miffed that I didn’t get the stamp in my passport because I wanted the bragging rights!

Despite our concerns, the four of us were too exhausted to question the man’s purpose and obeyed his command to move on. I was barely off the plane on my very first visit to France, and I was already a criminal in the eyes of the country.


Next: Paris France >>

Travel West Coast to the East Coast

Oct 12, 2004

Tuesday morning we woke up feeling anything but rested, and scrambled to load our travel gear into the car and get to the airport on time. Despite our early arrival at the airport, we got held up in airline security.

Nate was wearing a pair of hiking boots that looked as if they had shanks in the sole or something. We were expecting to see him dancing naked before they let him go. Jason gave Nate a hard time until his bag went through and also got flagged.

There was a solid black square in the middle of the pack that none of us could figure out. They pulled it off the belt to search, and the sheepish look on Jason’s face was perfect as airline security pulled out his solid lead flask.

There must have been a lot of people held back in security because the flight was twenty minutes late reaching the runway. We waited in line for take off, and all of us breathed a sigh of relief as the plane at last went airborne. We were on our way to France. After a quick change of planes in Atlanta we should be reaching destination Europe in the morning.


Next: The Flight from Hell >>

The Night Before Vacation, and all through the house...

Oct 11, 2004

We spent the night before our flight out to France filling up four full sized backpacks. Jason has a funny way of wanting to take everything we might possibly need on a trip rather than just taking the vacation essentials and just making due with what we have. So despite the fact we were flying out to Europe, which is far from being a third world vacation destination, my luggage was loaded with everything from a tent and sleeping bag to a folding stove and tiny cooking pots!

Originally we all thought we might try to tour Europe in the common fashion of poor students. Staying at hostels and shopping the supermarkets for good deals. We really had no idea what to expect, but we knew our goal was to keep the whole two week vacation, airline fares included, under two thousand dollars.

Nate and Robyn stayed at our place that night. We wanted to get to the airport early because we were riding on buddy passes, and needed to check in with the flight attendant as early as possible to assure we got on without any problems. Despite the early morning plans, we stayed up late surfing the internet for last minute changes to our vacation itinerary and potential tourist attractions we might want to see. Stonehenge, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum… were dancing in our heads like sugar plums in a child’s dream of Christmas Eve.


Next: From West to East >>