Catching up
Phew it’s been a while since I’ve posted. I may take another direction now with this blog, and stop being so ‘professional’, so I can just get writting out the door.
Anyways let’s see if I can recap some of what I’ve been up to. The end of 2009 I think I was settled back at my grandma’s place for a bit, enjoying Berkeley and a nice life there continuing self exploration. Somewhere along the way I took grandma to Washington DC for a couple weeks, and saw all the expected attractions (The Washington monument, congress, some of the Smithsonian museums, …). She wrote a bunch about it while we were there, maybe I’ll post some of those emails at some point.
Early 2010 I lived in Kihei (Maui, Hawaii) for a couple months. Then came back and took my dad to Europe for a few weeks where we saw London >> Dover >> Paris >> Madrid >> Barcelona >> (Marseille?) >> Milan >> Bern (Switzerland) >> Nancy-Lorraine >> Frankfurt.
Late 2010 Stpehanie an I drove partially across the US stopping in Vegas, camping at the grand canyon, living in Houston (Texas) for a month, and various towns along the way. It was fun living in hotels for a while, taking a couple months to get across. Then onto a week long Cruise from Galveston Texas stopping in Cozumel Mexico, Jamaica, and the Cayman Islands. After that we went to Europe for a few weeks and traveled Rome >> Florence >> Bologna >> Venice >> Villach >> Salzburg >> Munich.
Along the way in 2009 and 2010 while on the road in the US I continued to consult, my old 3 hours a day schedule which worked pretty well with moving about all the time, and provided enough resources to keep everything going. There are so many memories in all of the travels. From the crazier of handing Grandma off to a stranger in DC, my dad seeing ghosts in Lorraine, and landing in Rome with no reservations with Stephanie. To the fond memories of exploring Spain with my father, sighting Biden in the Senate with my politically active grandmother, and being taken care of completely for a straight week on the cruise with Stephanie.
I’m so greatful to have been given the opportunity to give and share these experiences to those I love.
Early 2011 life took a sharp turn – and while very different I’m enjoying it. Stephanie and I settled here in San Leandro for the year. And I’ve been crazy business focused – working more hours than I have in a long time, upwards of 40 billable hours weekly (I was traveling and taking about 2 months annual vacation on just 15 hours/week the past few years). It’s taken it’s toll, but I’m on vacation now for a week – which is a welcome respite. I’ve learned a lot and continuing to grow. I’m working on so many things right now (holding down half a dozen clients, building a calendaring tool with a sharp guy in Sibera, continuing to hone in on business processes, …). Future posts may contain some of those details or be about them only depending what’s on my mind. We’ve also refocused on health getting mostly back in shape again; I lost a fair amount of it for a while there.
For the rest of 2011 I’m working hard, and taking one more week long vacation after this one. Then off to a cruise where Stephanie and I are getting married (see Astige.com), and travel for a month probably in south east Asia on our honeymoon. The plan after that is to settle for three years an build up a stronger business. Those of you who’ve been talking to me lately probably know what’s planned the year after that ; )
Alright well that’s all I have time for tonight. I have a monthly reminder to post at least something. Feel free to pester me if I neglect this things and I’ll try to get back on it. I love you all, thanks for reading. Make what you want of your life, it’s there for the taking!
Finishing up in Beijing and coming home
I suspected as much before leaving, but the Wall was hard on my body. The next day a cold came on somewhat strong. I took it easy staying home. Dan left, and the room was my own for a good part of the day, quite relaxing. 
Got a new quiet room mate, much improvement from the three loud Russian guys that would routinely bolster in at 4 in the morning. Anyways, Wednesday the 29th I was out and about again. 
Spent some time at the Summer Palace. Nice gardens to relax within, and continued imperial architecture and history. Some humorously translated plaques refer to the “savages” of the west whom “ravaged” their buildings, requiring reconstruction in the late 19th century. Afterwords I headed to the 798 Art Galleries, which turned out to be a bunch of small studios with contemporary art. I don’t usually like modern art but I really connected with some of it’s ancient Chinese infusion.
Took it easy the next day as my cold returned, but did manage to spend an hour or two at the Temple of Ancient Monarchs a couple blocks from the hostel. For centuries worship and sacrifice was done here in homage to the many past emperors of China. Worship goes all the way back to the “Three August Ones” of legend around 2500 BC. I equate the first two with the west’s Adam and Eve. Legend states they were mankind’s common ancestors (one man and one woman) whom lived many centuries because of their virtue, after of course a great flood.
Alright Dad, this event the next day is for you – you were asking if the people have pictures of Mao all over. Well I didn’t see those so much except one in a store for sale in Shanghai. And I know they have status on campuses, but there’s been some backlash recently because of economic reforms – I’ve seen a few resources call him the one that got “70% right” or the inverse “30% wrong”. However, I saw Mao himself, the line was huge, and many flowers were left by national tourists. I have my doubts as to the legitimacy as the preservation process was shrouded in secrecy until a few years ago, they don’t allow pictures, and he looked kinda waxy. But hey, I’ve never looked at a man dead over thirty years so I’ll take their word on it.
After Mao I headed over to the Olympic stadium, the “Birds Nest”. Initial impressions were alright, but really it felt like a stadium with slightly intriguing architecture. After paying 50 Yuan to enter I was in…a stadium selling marked up souvenirs and tourists wandering the field in awe. I didn’t get it, what were all these people so excited about, couldn’t there at least be an event? 
I started writing notes about it to myself sitting in the stadium, and suddenly it dawned on me! This event was huge to the people here being legitimized as a part of the modern world. World class athletes from all over the world came to their country in an ancient tradition. Well welcome to the free world China~ Now I’ve got to find my way to some actual Olympics. Looks like 2012 they’re in London so that’ll be easy assuming I can get tickets to some actual events.
That night I got back and there was a free “dumpling” night at the hostel, or as we know them back in the states ling ling or pot stickers. Pork was being served, and I mentioned to the group I wanted to get over my complete aversion to it. So I let the peer pressure set in and had some~ Images flashed back of pigs on the road to Jinshanling crammed in the back of a truck squealing limbs and nostriles squeezing out of the cage, but ah well we’re the superior species right~ Mentally a little troublesome but they tasted good, and I wouldn’t know if there was even pork had I not been told probably. I won’t be having tons of it any time soon, but I’m glad I’m one step further away from mental aversion, know I can physically stomach it, and have more options for future food adventures (It’s hard in China and some other countries to get things without unknown meats).
Friday I got lost on 
the way to the ghost markets (largest second hand markets in China) – I misplaced my compass. So I went to the Temple of Heaven instead, another religious structure where emperors prayed for good harvest. Apparently the emperor is also known as the “Son of Heaven”. There’s often a divine rite assumed by rulers throughout history, but this translation/definition struck me and I’m guessing goes back to pre-christian times in China. Outside of the temples inside the gates are nice parks, I took a short nap on one of the benches and headed home.
Sunday I wanted a relaxing day before leaving, so I headed to “Forest Park”, just north one subway stop of the Olympic Stadium. I glanced at it earlier, but didn’t get a chance to explore. I spent about 4 hours wandering around the park on a beautiful untypically clear (from pollution) day. Got lost with the signs, but I had plenty of food and water so nothing to worry about. Beijing apparently doesn’t have many open free parks for public use, so I’m glad I discovered this place and had somewhere relaxing to go Sunday.
Today I left the hostel early in the morning to catch a pretty guaranteed 1st class flight. Things went smoothly from coast to coast. I’m really starting to appreciate what traveling like this allows. I come back much more rested, full of good food and plenty of water. Closer to being back on schedule. It may end up saving me a full two days of life to live including the flight it’sself and chaos avoided afterwords.
Most of this was written on the plane and I’m back at home now. I loved this trip to China, but it feels great being back too. Freedom!!! The internet just works, I can converse easily in English with anyone, drink the tap water, cross the street without being on alert, read all the signs, and breath clean air. I’ll miss the $0.30 train rides and some of the culture which I probably only began to scratch the surface of. A couple days ago I’ve started reading “The Post American World” (Fareed Zakaria), a book passed on from a nice hostel room mate, about the history and rise of other nations including China. It feels an appropriate end and continuation after a trip to China, having seen first hand how they are rapidly progressing economically. It’ll be interesting to return perhaps in a few years and see how things look then.
Beijing great wall day trip: Walking Jinshanling to Simatai on inexpensive local transportation
Quick summary
- Subway to Dongzhimen
- City bus 980 to last stop in Miyun
- Minivan to Jinshanling
- Hike to Simatai
- Minivan to Miyun
- Bus 980 to last stop in Beijing
- Subway to home
Detailed summary
| Time | Price | Transport | From | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5:25 | Walk | Hostel | Stopped at an ATM, bought a ticket, etc | |
| 6:00 | 2 元 | Subway | Local station | |
| 6:15 | 15 元 | Bus 980 | Dongzhimen bus | Find inside bus station connected to metro |
| 8:00 | Walk | Miyun | Don’t make the mistake we did, get off at the last 980 stop. Out of annoyance we walked around Miyun to find a bus or driver not with the hawkers. Getting off at the last stop will save you this frustration and you can barter/group together at a reasonable price. | |
| 10:00 | 50 元 | Minivan | Miyun | Found a price of 100 元 for the two of us. |
| 11:15 | 50 元 | Hike 12[km] | Jinshanling | As advised we stayed on the wall 100% of the time taking no “shortcuts” from the locals |
| 15:30 | 40 元 | Hike | Simatai ticket official | |
| 15:45 | 5 元 | Hike/Walk | Skybridge | |
| 16:15 | 30 元 | Minivan | Simatai parking lot | Four of us grouped in a minibus negotiating a price of 120 元 to be dropped off at the Miyun 980 bus station |
| 17:30 | 15 元 | Bus 980 | Miyun | Let off a block or two away from the station |
| 20:15 | 2 元 | Subway | Dongzhimen subway | |
| 15 hrs | 209 元 | Total | You could knock off 20-40 元 without mistakes and better negotiating. But I feel pretty good paying around $31 US for this adventure. |
Useful reference
| English | Pinyin | Simplified Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Dongzhimen | Dōngzhímén | 东直门 |
| Miyun | Mìyún | 密云县 |
| Jinshanling | Jīnshānlǐng | 金山岭 |
| Simatai | Sīmǎtái | 司马台 |
| Beijing Subway | Běijīng dìtiě | 北京地铁 |
My story
While in Beijing I knew I had to do the great wall, but stories of rampant tourism to the easily accessible great wall site of Badaling were appalling. I still wanted to keep it a day trip, but being herded in a tour group along didn’t feel right either. After a little research I knew the best option was Jinshanling to Simatai without assistance. I made a friend in my hostel so it was least a little less daunting by mere company of another. As you can see from the summary above, I had quite a path laid out for us the day before. We woke up quarter to five on Monday July 27th and were on our way shortly.
Walking to the metro and getting on was pretty easy and uneventful, as was finding the bus. A nice lady even let us know the 980 bus was the way to Simatai and told us when to get off. As soon as the bus pulls away she waves us over to her car, and we know we’ve made a mistake. We walk away instantly. She will not stop following us. After a long time I low ball her an offer, and she says no but keeps trying to get us to give her a real offer. Out of stubbornness and a feeling of dishonesty from her we simply keep walking figuring we’ll find our own way. We walk by a few more “early” bus stops where everyone wants to hawk us tickets, presumably expensive, and in maybe a mile she stops following. From there we get directions from a tourist information office to a bus stop which doesn’t exist. Apparently there is no bus from Miyun to Jinshanling, just “mini-buses” as I’ve heard them called online, or minivans as I’d call them. 
Eventually after trying to haggle with a few drivers (not even knowing if they’ll go there), we run across someone who will take us. He won’t go down low as we were trying, but is friendly enough. We get on the ride, presumably with who is his mother holding his son in the front seat, and are on our way to Jinshanling. Turns out he’s quite a driver. I think a city bus would have taken twice as long. Passing trucks making the one lane two way highway look like a two lane one way highway, drives “VIP” style in the shoulder, and makes liberal use of his horn like any decent Chinese driver would.
Arriving at Jinshanling we’re greated by what was expected, a few people trying to sell stuff at the gates with marked up prices. Head in, and though there are a few tourists and more vendors I’m very happy to have gone this way rather than Badaling. 
Once up to the wall my buddy Dan is a little too nice and we get some followers along the way. If you don’t want a new Chinese best friend, don’t give any eye contact, nor answer any questions. Maybe say “bu yao” (in Chinese – “no want”) while pretending not to speak English. If you do however want a “guide”, by all means strike up a conversation and make a new friend. 
She’ll even bring you on a “shortcut”, where from what I hear, if your willing, you can be persuaded into buying marked up goods from other local villagers. After I knew she would follow us to the earth’s end I tried to tell her multiple times we weren’t going to buy anything, eventually a kilometer to five in she actually did take her shortcut and we didn’t see her again. A few moments later we have another friend, but Dan’s caught on now and we’re free pretty quickly with what must have been departing chinese curse words.
Despite, or perhaps in part because of these events, I was enjoying the journey. It feels good overcoming troubles. It was great to get out of the city for a day, the wall was amazing. I took all of the “hard ways” never stepping off the wall until the very end where we pretty much had to (or make a 20 foot drop which I wasnt willing to risk). I climbed down that face on the right, when all dozen or so others went around : P. Took some of the uphill stretches without breaks quickly as I could to find peace with no one at the top of one or two towers. The “skybridge” near the end didn’t look so bad, but once on it felt kinda rickety. I stayed in the middle, got a little vertigo looking down, but just kept moving forward. Cool experience. Skipped the zip line at the end as it didn’t seem like part of an “ancient” experience to me, but walking down was peaceful.
In the parking lot we met a couple people we saw along the way and formed a group of four — Together we batered an inexpensive minvan fare for everyone since we were all going back to Miyun. Once there I got yelled at trying to go in the back entrance to the bus stop, but for me at least, it was all in good fun. The bus ride back felt longer due to traffic and probably also because of how tired we were. At the final bus stop all of us tourists were hesitant to get off — it was on the streets not in the bus depot we had departed from. And no doubt we were a bit mistrusting because of what happened to some of us on the way to Miyun. But as the bus driver says uninterpretable words motioning a few times we all get off, and find our way to the subway a block down the street . There was food waiting for us back at the hostel, free bbq they put on that night for all the guests. Nice surprise as I didn’t try any of the unknown meats on the snack street we went down. Overall a great trip and I’d do it again in a second.
Shanghai 2009 total eclipse, Yuyuan Gardens, getting to Beijing, & The Forbidden City
Wednesday July 22nd Stephanie and I woke up in hopeful anticipation of the Solar Eclipse. The skies were filled with clouds for the first time in a week since we arrived. We walked down to the river a few blocks from our hostel and sure enough the skies were covered in clouds. I did get a glance at the prior partial eclipse when the clouds parted a little, but they quickly rushed in and a warm rain was upon us. Cheering erupted from a distance when the sun fully disappeared, then silence.
It was a strange feeling as we walked along the river in what looked like night time, but had a silent peaceful aura to it (usually the city is most alive at night). Slowly like a cat stretching after a short nap the sun came back and the city was back to life.
We stayed home most of the afternoon as Stephanie was feeling a little sick and I didn’t feel like venturing out alone right then. The next day Stephanie departed to Taipei, and I visited the Yuyuan gardens. They were the total opposite of what I’ve been doing,
in that the outer square was filled to the brim with tourists, and it showed much more imperial architecture. Wandering through what seemed like a large maze, though just a couple acres, I passed through rock faces, over ponds, and peeking in artifact rooms. One of my favorite parts was slipping past a guard into a room where apparently not a single other soul ventured. Beautiful fan work and as a bonus some refreshing air conditioning.
Friday I left my hostel in the morning around nine to catch a prearranged flight to Beijing. I went through the usual figuring things out along the way (catching the bus the wrong way, going to a couple desks at the airport to get what I needed, etc), and then hit a huge delay on the flight. In fact we got most of the way to Beijing, when our plane turned around. Luckily I made friends with a neighbor across from me, a Shanghai resident for 10 years, and got some interesting business insight from him as we chatted. There were some angry yelling Chinese guys on the plane when we found out were were headed back to Shanghai, but otherwise pretty uneventful. I arrived around 10PM and decided to catch a taxi rather than navigate the subway and risk getting in after the usual check in time of 12:30. My driver was friendly and though we tried we couldn’t get too far communication wise. It was a pleasant experience, I think we both felt at ease with each other.
Getting in I made friends with my bunk mate, Dan, and Saturday we head to the Forbidden city together. What I’ve been reading about Chinese archetecture is right on — to show prominence they build out rather than up. This place is huge! And filled with all sorts of artifacts. Some pottery from 4000 BC or so, though most of the exhibits and history are from the Ming (1368-1644, when it was built) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties. I think we saw 80-90% of it and spent the better part of the day there. We walked through Tiananmen square, passed by an unexpected guard (training we thought) ceremony, and ordered dinner from a restaurant where we of course couldn’t read any of the menu (but he had a guidebook and I knew how to say “I want chicken” so everything turned out well).
The next day I relaxed, found the local grocery market, got a bunch of supplies, and planned a trip to the great wall. More enjoyable to embark on a personal journey, rather than being herded along in a tour group offering. It had some holes, but on Monday morning waking up at 4:45, we (Dan and I) were shortly on our way. I’ll follow up in a few days with a detailed entry describing this journey aiming to provide value to others going on a similar adventure.
Shanghai: Arrival, adjustment, & adventure
Running late we were the final passengers to board our international flight to Shanghai, once aboard we handled some last minute online items just in time before take-off, and then relaxed for the next 13 hours in our fully reclining seats. I read a short e-book, 279 Days to overnight success from The Art of Nonconformity, 
which gives insight into how he made a writing “career” out of his travels as he aims to visit every country in the world before turning 35. Good positive community building advice, in line with what I’ve been reading from Seth Godin. Also read a few more chapters of “The Global Consultant: How to make seven figures across borders” by Alan Weiss & Omar Khan. The first applicable personally while the second more professionally. Both of these and many other sources focus on providing value to whomever we connect with, and I agree wholeheartedly.
Before departing the plane, our temperatures are taken to protect China from H1N1. Then past customs we wander around a bit trying to read signs and got on our bus. I begin noticing the difference in driving style here from the US. Lots of weaving around, honking horns, etc. Despite the chaos on the road a feeling of effortless flow persists between drivers. Events on the ride include – welding sparks falling to the road’s center from overpass construction (which drivers readily dismiss), an almost ominous cloud filled sky but somehow majestically colored orange lightning, and finally getting left off the bus in an unknown location surrounded by people we can’t speak with (but finding our way by asking for directions in English at an upscale hotel).
Thanks to the relatively strong US Dollar to China’s Yuan, 
our hostel is much higher class than my prior long term travels. We get a large & clean private room with our own bathroom and maids among other services~ Around $30US/night total, not the cheapest I’ve been even in other countries, but a good value.
We wander the streets a mile or so the next couple of days getting to know the neighborhood. Went to a bakery and wasn’t sure if the price was 64 Yuan or 6.4 Yuan, and or course it’s 6.4 which is under one US dollar for something like a piece of cake, a croissant, and some scone cream like thing. Sit on the street people watching, wander through back alleys where live animals (to eat) are for sale, and in general get to know our local area. The 3rd day we go out at night and the sidewalks are packed with street vendors selling all sorts of stuff~ Our walk that night is somewhat short because we’re tired from jet-lag, but 3 yuan got us enough tasty street noodles to satisfy both of us for dinner.
The next morning…I came down with something bad. Diarrhea, nausea, fever, lightheaded, no appetite, headache, sneezing, dizziness. Luckily I’ve felt this way before back in the US, knew how to take care of myself, and Stephanie was here to get things from the store for me. It was only an hour or so of feeling absolutely horrible, and I even laughed through some of it knowing the dietary adventures were the cause. I indulged in more than a couple ill-advised activities– Drank milk products, ate street foods without sanitary standards, brushed my teeth with the local water. I confirmed my understanding online, guessed it would pass in 3-5 days, and drank plenty of electrolyte replenishing fluids with sugar to keep up my strength. I don’t regret getting sick, one step closer to having Stephanie’s “stomach of steel” (immune system)~ Needless to say I didn’t wander too far from home in those few days.
As I’m feeling better a couple nights later Stephanie and I were out watching some young kids roller blade, we lean on a ledge to take pictures. A creepy old Chinese man with a walking stick sneaks up behind Stephanie reaching his arm around and jingles his cup for coins. I saw him a couple days later do the same thing to some young local girls as they jumped back startled. Both times were pretty hilarious, I think he gets a kick out it.
Other random adventures include: Wandering into a tightly packed shopping mall from what looked like a single store front. Short ceilings in one of the restaurants where I had to hunch over. A really pushy beggar who we were stuck at with a red light, saying something to us like “What would you mother think” when we didn’t give her money.
A couple nights we’ve bought things at the street markets learning how to haggle. I know the hand symbols pretty well now, learning how to count verbally but it’s tough for me to understand them speak (Stephanie does well verbally though). It feels kind of silly because of the small amounts of money involved. We talked down one item from 20 to 15 Yuan, and some others from around 35 to 25 Yuan. Which is all under about $5 US. I’ve had some discomfort haggling, especially when it gets heated. I actually got shaky after one of the, monetarily minute, transactions. So while I’m not be getting a high ROI (money for time), the skills could prove very helpful in other situations.
By Sunday, a week after landing, I’m feeling completely better. I reserve tickets for us at a Chinese acrobat show. We catch a bus to a temple which we only get a chance to glance at (running out of time figuring out the map), and walk the rest of the way to the show. Stephanie really overheats on the way there with the 110º F heat index, but it’s nice inside. The show has some cheesy tourist elements, but is a lot of fun. The taxi ride on the way back was entertaining as the driver got frustrated with Stephanie trying to communicate with him, but we of course got back to our hostel just fine.
Catching up
About 6 months since my last update, here’s a quick recap of some of what I’ve done in that time
- Came back home passing through Frankfurt
- Ramped up business
- Saw a Broadway musical in New York
- Improved my culinary appreciation & skills
- Swam with the fishes in Maui
- Took up jogging
- Pushed past my childhood fear of driving
- Camped a few weeks (new skill: using a sling)
- Got rid of my TV (& watching habits on the internet)
Now my personal & financial security allow me to take my first real vacation from work (July 4th-August 9th). Right this minute, I’m on a plane in first class on my way to Shanghai. Hostel reserved up to the solar eclipse of a lifetime on the 22nd. All senses open and looking forward to whatever adventure I find myself in.
Update: Looks like my subscription service sent out email notices early, I’m not actually flying until around 2pm today.
Catholic influenced adventures in Rome
Thursday the 15th we decided to check out Vatican City. We walk into the piazza encompassed by statues a top the surrounding structure, walk through security, and into St. Peter’s Basilica. Once again the inside is monumental, the walls covered in art, and beautiful sculptures fill the enclaves including one by Michelangelo. Building construction started over 500 years ago, still amazing what things the church accomplished. Turns out the pope moved here to Vatican city in 1377 and officially declared it his own country in 1929.
After St. Peter’s we find our way a few blocks down to the Vatican museum. I try to get in with my old student ID, but they make us pay full price. First time that trick didn’t work. Anyways we wander through dozens of rooms all with gorgeous art including sculptures, paintings, wall tapestries. The Popes’ have acquired a whole lot of art through the years. Somewhere along the way I lose Chuckie, he often wanders ahead of me wanting to see more quicker vs me wanting to read and take things in at depth. This time though he’s really gone, not worried I keep following the signs that say “Sistine Chapel”. After a while I start to wonder, did I miss the chapel, are these signs just saying the place is called the Sistine Chapel and this is the path? It’s all quite astounding so I wasn’t quite sure. After an hour or two of walking I do end in the chapel, and of course it’s amazing.
After that there’s other exhibits in the museum. I walk quickly through the Asian sections, some interesting things there about China saying no to the pope. I figure at some point I’ll travel to China though and see it’s art in the flesh, and they’re not open all night so I move on. Then I find the ancient Roman / Christian exhibit, which was quite interesting anthropologically. Learning how the ancient Christians were accepting somewhat of the old roman gods, and seeing things in a transitional stage.
It’s strange that this exhibit is put on by the pope. I’m a pretty devout atheist, seeing and reading this history further strengthens my world view. I have to assume though it must strengthen the popes’ and others’ faith in god. The exhibit demonstrates the evolution of faith, what an oxymoron. There really weren’t that many people in this exhibit though, so maybe it’s just the pope sharing with us few atheists. I entertain conspiratorial fantasies where the Pope is power jockeying and knows it’s all a crock, but the more likely truth is that he too is sipping the cool aid.
Hours later of course I find Chuckie back at the hostel, and the next day we slow down a bit and go to see Basilica of St. John Lateran. I notice outside the simple Roman architecture is accented with slightly intricate baroque details. On the inside huge statues line the main hallway of this Roman Catholic mother church. A few silly catholics are worshiping inside this grand place. I’m so grateful that the church has preserved so much history and helped create such beautiful art, and at the same time it’s quite stupefying seeing these modern day people devoting their lives to such an idol.
The next day we drop off our laundry and wander into a slightly smaller quaint looking from the outside, but still quite grand on the inside, Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli. This one has some scientific exhibits including Galileo and how he helped separate the church from science. I would have spent more time there exploring but I had to run out to prevent myself from disturbing the peace within and coughed up a good amount outside. By the time I was done Chuckie was ready to get our laundry. Best for me anyways. Along the way we also picked up ingredients and made some good spicy pasta. Today, Sunday, I rest.
A week in Paris, and the beginings of Rome
We wake up in London after 4 hours of sleep and hop on the tube to connect with the Eurostar. My ears pop rapidly as we go underground and reach Paris in a little over two hours. We walk to the local Metro, try to use the ticket machine but give up as other tourists do, and get in line. Buy one week passes, which when we get to the gate don’t yet work, and it looks like others are having trouble getting in a well. 
Lucky for us, a local hops the gate, hits some ‘open’ button, and all the gates mysteriously open. We walk by curiously wondering if this is a normal thing. Departing we find there’s no exit check so we don’t have to explain ourselves to anyone, a slight relief. We sit down and grab some Crepe at a small Cafe near our hostel, and navigate our way from there using my cell as usual. The room looks nice~ Chandelier, private, and it’s only around €20/night total. Though it doesn’t come with sheets, we’re okay as we have sleeping bags.
I have a Pizza with Salmon dining out later that night. This is when we begin to notice dining out in Paris can be expensive, though large, that meal cost me €18. The town is a bit more alive at night, and some restaurants customarily don’t open until late evening.
The next day we navigate to the Eiffel tower. It’s an amazing structure and I love seeing all these monuments in the flesh. We wander around the city for a while, stop and have some more local dining, the French Onion Soup and Crème brûlée are great. 
We find ourselves at Arch de triumph. After climbing 284 stairs to the top, the views of the city are astounding. It’s a 360 view including the Eiffel Tower from a distance and more than a dozen streets extending from the huge turnabout around the arc. After going to a couple phone stores I pick up a local sim chip for my cell, they’re kinda strict here and luckily Charles had his passport on him so I could buy it in his name. Getting back on the Metro there’s another hold up and no one can get through. Behind the turnstyle some guy is holding the gate open for his friends, we hop over behind them and say thanks.
Getting back to our room we notice things smell kinda strange. We think part of our room used to be a shower, and notice there’s a leak in the corner. Mmm mold. Wifi gave us trouble the day before and I still can’t get it to work. Monday I decide to stay home and rest as my right foot’s been hurting. I find some other local Wifi that works in the room, and purchase it. It’s through this ‘FON’ network, which is really cool idea. Basically people at home share their Internet and get a cut of the fees.
Tuesday we find a huge local market, pick up some things and later find our way to the local pantheon. Inspired by the Pantheon in Rome, it has beautiful religious artwork and sculptures lining the walls. Science has currently won over the center of this Pantheon with a huge pendulum hanging from the top of the dome. Basically it proves the earth rotates. We walk down to the crypt and find ourselves surrounded by the tombs of great minds like Rousseau and Voltaire. Chuckie was insistent Voltaire discovered the volt, but of course that’s not right as I now know it was Alessandro Volta of Italy whom is credited. Voltaire’s primarily contributions were not scientific. Of intrigue also here is Braille, you know that guy who invented the embossed dots for the blind to read.
Walking down from the pantheon we wander into Jardin du Luxembourg. The landscape is beautifully covered in snow and kids running about playing in it. We sit in some chairs under a deck for a while and enjoy the peace of the city.
Wednesday I take another day’s rest and play with some new technical tools to, ermm, find wifi anywhere, can’t quite get them working but I learn a lot. I won’t say more then that here.
The next day we make our way to the Louvre. As expected, it’s huge. We wander around and I can tell my appreciation and connection to art has grown. Though I’m not yet knowledgeable enough to speak in detail, we did see the Mona Lisa and some originals by Picasso. The Louvre is truly beautiful, they paid attention to the detail here in the building it’s self. Though I loved the exhibits at the British Museum and National Gallery in London, they were saying “look what we’ve got”, in contrast to the Lourve, “look at what I am”.
On Friday I start to get a cold, and on Saturday it gets a bit worse. So I stay at home and start working on my consulting site. We tried the wifi at McDonalds down the street Saturday night when my internet pass ran out. Though it felt a bit funny we got used to it and actually watched some online tv there in McDonalds.
In all I enjoyed Paris’s relaxed atmosphere, lights, open sidewalks, and artistic beauty in parts of the city. The people were mostly friendly. Understanding French was hard, though by the end it at least sounded like words I simply didn’t know rather than gibberish and I knew how to count to 3, say thanks, and excuse me.
To Rome
Sunday we get up at 4am, take an hour long ride to the airport, and get on our flight to Rome on Ryan Air. Being sick on a plane is no fun; my ears refused to adjust to air pressure. I’m was very happy figuring out to plug my nose and blow hard, usually that just makes things worse, but in this case it worked wonders. I find the flight amusing as they are constantly selling us stuff on the plane ride. The walls have ads, and they bring lottery tickets down the isles. The crew is friendly especially one guy who I wonder if was flirting with me. Maybe I come off friendly to flight attendants though as I’ve learned from Stephanie.
We arrive at our new hostel which is a 6 bed mixed dorm. We instantly feel welcome here. The beds come with sheets, blankets, there’s a common kitchen, and best of all no mold in the corner! Our two room mates come back later, and though I’m improving in my social skills I have much to learn. The girls both changed in the room that night with us there, but before they did I went to the bathroom to change because I was concerned with making them feel awkward. A general lesson that applies much everywhere else, to not be so afraid of how I might make others feel. I think it just makes the overall feeling more awkward then if I just don’t worry in the first place. Make things flow more smoothly.
Monday we get our 7 day transit passes and find our way to the coliseum. We walk around the outside, and it’s amazing to think it was constructed almost two thousand years ago. Find our way to a local market, I get some good food instead of the usual brownies and croissants I’ve been eating last week in Paris. On the bus ride back I see a couple mobile stores, we hop off and I grab a sim chip as always in a new town.
Starting that day walking the streets I slowly feel history enter me as if intravenously. From the water spigots which must be remnants or influence of roman aqueducts, ruins all around, tiny cobblestone streets where horses much have walked and now tiny cars and mopeds squeeze their way through.
Later that night we meet with some acquaintances from London New Years, turns out their trip overlapped a day with ours in Rome. It was nice catching up with Dan and Peter. Again walking the streets this time running across a few beautiful fountains at night.
After not having much work last week and taking much rest, I decide it’s time to start moving forward again marketing for the first real time since leaving home. I tried to do it in London, but was kept pretty busy there by current clients. Persistent marketing is a must to keep my job stable. I finally got http://AnthonyRL.com up with full content, and will see how it goes as I push it in the coming few weeks.
Tuesday we walk up the Spanish Steps. They’re the largest steps here in Rome, though Charles isn’t quite impressed with them as they really aren’t that much effort for us to run up. The sight down the street is nice though, and we take pictures of each other sitting on the ledge. 
A couple friendly Italian guys say hello to us, they know some people in the bay area too. Nice to have a conversation with some locals. He asks about my life, mentioning some local things, if I’ve found love. I respond, no I don’t have a girlfriend. A minute later he gently reaches for my hand and starts placing a string around my finger talking about luck and how this will help me. I notice they’ve got us facing 140 degrees in separate directions. I start to get nervous, but I don’t want to be rude if they’re just being friendly since I don’t know local customs. I cross my left arm over my chest where my wallet is, resting it on the ledge as he continues playing with my right hand telling me not to be so nervous. I keep alert to his hands, and the general location of the guy with Charles. He ties the strings into a bracelet around my wrist, and says that’s 5 Euro. “Why didn’t you tell me the price before?” I reactively respond. At this point a useless piece of string is attached to my wrist, and I can’t very well give it back. And I’m very nervous, not wanting to give him anything but afraid of conflict. Reluctantly to just get out of there I give him the €5, and he says no it’s ten, five and five pointing at separate pieces of string. Chuckie says, “no I already paid the other guy for yours, let’s go”. My guy is somewhat insistent on getting ten but I think his partner pulls him back.
Walking away I jokingly tell Chuckie to take a picture of our friends, and he does as you can see one of them trying to cover his face.
As we distance ourselves making sure we have all our belongings I tear off the bracelet and throw it to the street. We stay on public roads, make some random turns. We just want to be sure these guys aren’t following us. We’re both very shaken by this. I don’t think I’ve been conned in person before. Turns out Chuckie gave the other guy €10, so our loss in total was €15.
What a good laugh and at least inexpensive conning. Just last night actually a girl in our hostel got her purse snatched with her passport in it. She was in a group, but it was after a pub crawl so she was pretty vulnerable. I’ve realized Rome is a poor place, with smart industrious people. This is also apparent by the street vendors chasing down everyone with umbrellas soon as it starts raining.
Anyways an hour passes while wandering, our nerves are at ease, and we found our next destination — Trevi Fountain. Though there are fountains all over Italy many would concur it’s the largest and most astounding piece. Apparently €3000 are tossed in daily for good luck.
Later we wander to this amazing looking building. I wait a second, decide to turn the corner to look at it. Intrigued by the ruins on the side we find our way to the front and it’s the original Pantheon! This huge dome has stood here since it was rebuilt in 136 AD. Though I don’t like the fact that religion is still winning in this one since the 600′s, I’m appreciative that they’ve maintained it for so long. Another astounding experience to stand where such a grand building was built so long ago.
The last few nights have been pretty good at the hostel meeting people traveling through. Living dorm style with a community kitchen defiantly has it’s advantages as a social scene.
Yesterday I woke up sicker than usual and decided to stay home. There’s still more to see in the six more days here in Rome, which I’ll get to in the next post hopefully sooner this time. I’m finding it hard to make time to blog properly, and I’m not quite satisfied with the quality of some parts of this post in particular. I suppose I’ll improve my speed with quality though as I do it more.
Living & loving life,
~Tony
Finishing the year in London
After such a busy week my mind and body were fairly tired, so I decided to take a day off and rest a bit at home on Sunday. Read online, found some more things to do, watched TV. BBC is great here – tons of TV available online for free, commercial free. Well the locals have to pay taxes, and some of them are torn about a mandated £30 monthly tax, but from sci fi to local heritage the quality is great.
The next I was ready to go, so I took a stroll through both Hyde 
and Reagent park. Slightly disappointed there were no crazies talking at speakers corner, and a bit surprised at the carnival in the middle of Hyde. Reagents was of course much more royal, and had some nice gardens and small waterfalls. Relaxing, nice, and I imagine stunning the spring.
I found myself a little depressed the next few days around Christmas, staying in my room entire days at a time. Flat mates down stairs partied all night on Christmas eve. I woke up a couple times, thinking hrmm they’re still up, and would fall back to sleep uncomfortably. At 8am when I got up I realized they were just getting to sleep. During all of this I realized I had some remaining fears of drunks. Going way back to childhood I imagine myself a small boy locking myself in a room in fear of my father’s angry antics. Although of course not pleasant in the moment, this is a great experience. It opens my consciousness and I am able to address this fault within myself, as I’ll get to later.
On Friday I’m up and out again. I walk down my own way and find a few beautiful views of Tower Bridge. I didn’t first realize what a monument it is — finished in 1894 and 42 meters above the River Thames, allowing large ships to travel under and pedestrians above. Walk around the outside of the Tower of London, grab some fish and chips, see Tower Hill Memorial. Walking around I find a piece of the London wall built by occupying Romans around 2000 years ago. So much history just simply walking around town.
In the time previously locked in my room I met some people online, and along the way saw a picture of a traveler by some rocks. What are those I thought, the name was on the tip of my tongue! So I asked her about it, and once I knew it was Stonehenge and they were close I had to go. Sunday I hopped on a train, found my way to a local bus, and arrive in Amesbury. It’s 2 or 3 miles out, I’m not exactly sure where but start walking in the general direction. After a mile walking on the road I reach a fork. I think it’s another 1 ½ miles on the main road, but there’s another path measured at 2 ½ miles. I’m a little concerned about it getting dark, but I have a few hours and I can always walk back in the dark, so to hell with light and a busy road, I take the path. And I am so glad I did. An amazing sight from the hills, I can see the stones protruding from miles away. Serene walk, passed by some cute tiny little lambs baaa~ A couple of farmers pass me but that’s it; the path is all my own. It’s a bit cold, as you can see in the pictures I wrapped my sweater around my head which worked quite well once I figured out how to do it properly. I get to Stonehenge and it’s packed, turned into quite a tourist attraction since the 1970′s. Huge stones obviously arranged for ceremonial purposed 4000-5000 years ago, I can’t help but feel some connection to the land. I find my way back just fine, wandering through the quaint little towns out here. It’s nice to see another side of England.
Once home I talk and have a good time with a flat mate, Martina, and her friend Sara. They’re a little tipsy, and good fun. This is the beginning of where I can tell I’m starting to let go of my problem with people drinking.
Sunday morning I have plans in Greenwich to meet Abi, whom I met online earlier in the week. After minor confusions on the way at the pier, I get on a clipper, find a window seat, take some pictures, and arrive on time in Greenwich to meet her. Sit down at a french restaurant and I once again discover I love salmon, this time with Gruyere. We walk around the National Maritime Museum, I’m intrigued by the astrolabes used to navigate by ship hundreds of years ago. The journey naturally progresses to the Royal Observatory with a great view of the city, the prime meridian line, and interesting pieces on time keeping. A live actor brings John Flamstead to life, who in the 17th century declared Greenwich Mean Time and helped move forward longitudinal measurement via astronomy. This all helps me connect the historical dots from the maritime museum. From there we catch a train to Canary Wharf bending our necks upwards at the financial buildings, discussing how crazy the world is where resources are used in this way. Walk by St. Paul’s, another astounding cathedral, and end our night with a movie near Leicester Square. I have to get up early tomorrow morning to pick up Charles from the airport, and had a great time Sunday.
Monday I head off around 5 am to meet Charles, Paul, and some others at the airport. They don’t get out until an hour after landing, apparently they don’t like the fact that Charles has been unemployed for a year, and only has $2000 in his bank account. They give him a week here instead of the usual six months. Nothing too bad as we’re planning on leaving soon anyways, but next time in customs hopefully I’ll be able to help smooth talk us through. From there all dozen or so of us hop on the tube, and after arriving in White chapel, where we’re all staying, we finally get a hold of Paul’s contact on my mobile. We part ways, only Charles staying with me. Though one in the group had been in London before, I’m glad I was around to help out connecting.
Tuesday I bring Charles to the changing of the guard and show him around Westminster. Westminster is always a beautiful sight and I’m happy to pass through once again. 
Wednesday we get tickets for the rest of our journey, stop and have some fish n chips at a pub. We walk by the British Library, but it’s closed. They have the Magna Carta which I want to see, but perhaps I’ll find my way back another time. Night’s approaching and we want to get a good place for new years. Abi told me earlier the London Eye is where all action and fireworks are, and I read online that they close the viewing areas as they fill up. So we get to the London Eye around 6pm, and find a slightly more busy but somewhat usual crowd there. Walk around, I talk with a guy working that night, and find out the best place to see the display is actually directly across from the eye. Good thing I asked him, otherwise we’d be asked to leave from sitting underneath the eye, us naive tourists.
We wait around a few hours, it’s very cold. We jokingly get each other to do some push ups to stay warm, eventually wander around grabbing some food. Then settle in standing just across from the eye around 8pm. The party starts, music blaring, the crowd grows. A friendly guy just ahead of us starts up a conversation and introduces us to his cousins. 
Offers us some drinks. We decline, and after a couple times offering I let him know I don’t drink alcohol. This guy is crazy friendly, one cousin really playful with him, and the other friendly as well. The group grows to a small dozen through the night, with the couple of them leading dancing and singing in the crowd. I join in the dancing at times, and have a great time. People drinking alcohol don’t have to be mean, angry, or scary. A couple weeks ago I probably couldn’t have let go as I did, and I’m very grateful for the experiences leading to this and this experience in particular. The night builds up all the way to the countdown and final show. All of the bubbles on the eye are tricked out with colorful search lights and the entirety is utilized as a launching pad for fireworks. The display is astounding. Though at times the media portrays them a bit full of themselves, London proved itself an amazing city once again.
Finding our way back home was a crowd of which I’ve never seen or been in the likes of. I realized at some point, if I absolutely needed or wanted to, there was no way I could escape. For a split second I felt claustrophobic, but let go and enjoyed the experience. People around all night were very friendly, someone even randomly came up and gave me a hug saying, “happy new year~”
Thursday and Friday I continued exploring with Charles. We skimmed through the Tate British as we happened to pass by it, spent some time in the Science museum, and found ourselves in the British Museum. I got to see most of what I missed last time, including the actual Rosetta Stone!
Well it’s late now and I’m off to bed. We have tickets to Paris in a few hours, to Rome on the 11th, then Frankfurt on the 20th. Happy New Years everyone!
A full week of exploration in London
I might have gotten the order of things mixed up in the previous post for the British museum, because I know distinctively that on Sunday we actually went to Westminster. Stephanie really wanted to see evensong at Westminster abbey.
Big Ben
Walking out of the underground was the astounding site of the Westminster Palace also known as the Houses of Parliament or Big Ben. Such awe inspiring architecture unlike anything I’ve seen in the US. The pictures here simply can’t evoke the same sense of awe we had walking out to see it for the first time.
Westminster abbey
We find our way just down the street at Westminster abbey and it too is amazing. All the buildings here are built with a sense of grandeur. We read the signs and notice that they are closed to visitors on Sunday. We walk around a bit and notice a guy talking to all the tourists. In a loud proper voice he bellows, “Closed to visitors, come back Monday”. However we also notice some people come up to him talking quietly, and walk by into the abbey. Stephanie figures out it’s a service. I don’t want to intrude in their rituals with my general view of religion, but Steph really wants to see the choir. So I tell her sure, if you do all the talking. She asks the guy if there’s service, he says 1 hour, and we walk by.
The inside is as inspiring as the outside. The building opens upwards to the sky what must be the entire height of the building. There are sculptures all around. We sit and listen to their service which included many rounds of the choir. My reaction is mixed. In part I appreciate the beauty of much of what they do and say, and this amazing place I’m in. On the other hand I’m disgusted by some of the guilt ridden passages they read aloud and my general preconceptions of Christian faith. 
I’m also very tired from jet lag and almost fall asleep in the service. All in all I take away a positive feeling from the sheer beauty of the place including most of their message, and am very happy Stephanie took the initiative to get us in.
Oh I almost forgot, the Santa’s! Randomly before going into the service there are a whole bunch of Santas rollerblading around town. We have no idea what this means except it’s near Christmas. Randomly we’ve also seen a few Santa’s on the tube dressed up as well.
Wood green
Monday I have an appointment setup to see a new let in Wood green, which is a suburb in Zone 3. We get out there after a 30 minutes ride on the tube, and though nothing at all like Piccadilly circus it’s still a fairly dense population. We get there and their father opens the door, invites us in for a cup of tea, and we have a nice chat while we wait for the owners to return. He reminds me of my father in his political views, mentioning how Margret Thatcher ruined the peoples spirits here making them self centered, much as my dad would say Reagan did in the US. But now things have been turning around, much like Obama might do for us in the US.
Lily and her partner return and we talk with them for half an hour or so. They’re musicians and going away to India for a few months. The guy I speak with whose name evades me is uplifted by Obama being elected in the US, and Lily is impressed with my lifestyle as Stephanie describes what I’m doing. I had a wonderful time meeting them and happy to have gotten to know some locals in depth. The sad part is that they aren’t going to be there for the let, so I’m a lot less inclined to actually take the place. The other guy we meet who’s staying there is a producer, and though nice enough wasn’t as outward as these people. They tell us he stays locked in his room overworking himself 10 hours a day, and his tired figure is apparent on first sight.
Bangladeshi food & thoughts
On Tuesday we rest at home mostly but in the evening make our way out to a local street, “brick lane”, known for it’s various authentic curry restaurants. After wandering around a while, not making a decision, we’re getting increasingly hungry. Steph makes a stand and says choose one of these two places. I choose the one without white people in it. Turns out we’re in a Bangladeshi restaurant. After looking confused at the front with the food choices a guy comes out that speaks English and explains to us the various foods. They’re mostly fish and most of them have a lot of bone. He explains that’s the traditional way they eat their food. The food does indeed have a lot of bones, I’m constantly picking them out of my mouth. It would be a fatal mistake to simply chew and swallow. It’s fun and tasty, glad we came in.
On a side note I notice a part of me that’s a bit afraid being surrounded by middle easterner’s as the place filled up more. I have these preconceptions from the US, and I really don’t like them. The host is nothing but friendly, and we’ve run into other friendly middle eastern folk as well. I don’t think there is any more hatred for us then we’d find back home from random people in grumpy moods. I’m starting to shed this part of me, but it’s not easy to get rid of bigotry ingrained by the US media. I honestly think for the most part if I have respect for people, they’ll have respect for me. Changing how I feel will take a bit longer.
Changing of the Guard
Wednesday morning we head out through St. James park to Buckingham palace. Not sure where we’re going we follow signs and a school of Japanese children figuring they’re going to the same place. On arrival there are a lot more people then I expected; it’s the middle of the week in December. Not sure were to stand we get on curb which is a decent spot. It’s fun watching the mechanical toy soldiers walk around, though next time I’ll know if I want a prime location to get there more then 30 minutes early and to stand by the gate. After the event as we walk away the guards (which must be the new ones?) walk within feet of us.
London Eye
It’s a clear day and the London eye just half a mile away or so beckons us. 
We wait in line about 30 minutes and get our tickets. This obviously has to be the largest Farris wheel I’ve ever been on. We get an amazing view of the city, though I wish I was more familiar with the layout to pick out what each and every sight is and connect with it. Steph is a bit afraid as we climb 135 meters, though I found my general fear of heights faded and I felt very protected in our glass bubble and focused on enjoying the experience.
London Dungeon
While at the eye we also bought some tickets for the London Dungeon. We went on Thursday, and while it wasn’t all that scary, it was a fun entertaining experience. Live actors interacting with the crowd in a semi-scary fun making way. I won’t spoil the surprises in case anyone else decides to go, but I did find out I live near where Jack the Ripper struck. Whitechapel. That’s kinda spooky.
A few days ago we also went to the Clink Prison Museum, a small hole in the ground that used to house and torture prisoners. It was operational from the 1100′s through the 1700′s and a creepy place to be.
Steph’s Departure
Thursday morning I tried to find tickets for a weekend to Paris with Stephanie, but it seems the prices were quite high because of the holiday. It would have cost us around $500US for round trip tickets, when I think otherwise we could do it for a little over $100. Or we can simply fly into Pairs from the US pretty much free anyways. Because the loads on the planes after the weekend are increasingly full, Steph decides to leave before the weekend to make sure she makes it back for Christmas. So Friday I Walk her to the tube and she finds her way home. I send her back with a UK cell phone, oyster card (tube pass), and some British pounds. The plan is to give the stuff to Chuckie so he has an easy transition, as he’s planning to come now around the end of December. Randomly Paul’s also coming to meet some friends at the same time.
Tate British
The same day Steph leaves I decide to go the Tate British museum. 
She wasn’t so interested in art while here. It’s another free museum with mostly paintings on the wall. I didn’t connect too much with the paintings here except a little with the romantic period and some amusement with a couple of the modern exhibits (which I’m not sure if was their intent). I was also interested in an exhibit here about the technology of early art prints, which of course is what I’ll always connect to. I’m glad I went, though I wasn’t as inspired as by the other attractions. I walk home along the river Thames and find myself walking through Westminster again which is always beautiful.
National Gallery
Saturday I decide to give art another chance. I catch a bus to Trafalgar square, which is another amazing sight to see, just outside of the British Museum. After walking around a bit inside I pick up a map and notice they give introductory tours. I take it and am guided through with a few dozen others for about an hour. We sit on the floor at various exhibits, and the guide connects me a bit more with the work. I’m intrigued by the history of the museum itself, and amazed to hear that this place with it’s over 2000 pieces is tiny compared to places like the Louvre. After the tour I start at the beginning in 1260AD, and work my way through about half of their collection to around 1600. I enjoyed this one much more then the Tate, and may very well come back to finish seeing the collection. On a side, either this place and or the art of the time sure is obsessed with Mary and baby Jesus.
Phew so I’m finally caught up with the attractions. Sleep is starting to get better as I’ve gotten up at 7:00am and 6:30am the past couple days whereas before I had the habit of waking up around 4am. Which makes no sense really because that’s 8pm back home. Also I think work will be a bit easier to sort out now that I’m on my own. I’ll work in the mornings here, and leave communication hours for the evenings. Mixing it up a little between work and play in the evenings, because at that time of day I can’t really program efficiently as I’ve found, or at least it’s not very fun. And I need to be online then for my clients to get things done with instant communication. So all in all I enjoyed my time here with Stephanie, still having fun on my own, looking forward to friends coming at months end, and probably on to other parts of Europe with them when they get here.
