We arrived in Venice around 9:40pm local time, and already this feels much better than Milan. First of all, there are no cars on the island. The main form of travel is by foot and by boat. It took a little effort to find the Hotel Marin in the dark, narrow streets, but we got there before 10:00pm.
The room itself is much, much nicer than the hostel, but then again we are paying more for a night (30E versus 23). It is a private two-bed room, so no more sleeping together. The truth is that Marin seem to only charge discount rooms from Monday to Thursday, so we’re lucky. One of my main peeves is that they don’t have wireless internet in rooms, which explains why this and the last one are late. This is a major lie from what they say on the website. Apparently, they also don’t have heated water, which is a much smaller problem given the temperature here.
There’s not much to say except that I’m fine.
Salut.
31 July 2008
Milan – the day after (Wall of Text)
Alright, so when we arrived on Wednesday, it was hot outside and fairly dark. We had to walk a long way with inadequate directions to the place. It took us near an hour to locate “Hotel Medusa” only to find out that it is completely full. It was a hot, humid place that seemed tremendously shady. The guy at the counter told us that if we waited ‘five minutes’, someone would pick us up and take us to another hostel.
Half an hour later, we were told to follow him down the street where we just stood there for a couple of minutes without action. Later, one of them told us to get in, and we did. They didn’t really speak English that well (I’m not really faulting them for this), but our conversations felt kind of creepy. He kept on referring to the “orte de Diablo” when we asked how he came to own the business. I was thinking along the lines of the mafia.
It turns out that this new place is totally sweet. It was raining outside, and Derek and I are in the Hostel “Hotel Diablo”. With us are a professional Italian Violin Maker and a Japanese-Australian studying south of Paris.
During the day, we checked out and everything was fine. The ‘breakfast’ part is just a croissant, a cookie, and two bread ‘toasts’ in a sealed wrapper. Yum.
We headed for the Duomo first thing. It is the third largest Cathedral in Europe, supposedly. It was busy inside. We opted to not pay the additional one euro for entrance to a tiny treasure room. The Duomo is a pretty standard church, really. Just imagine stained window panes, and various sculptures that may or may not have missing limbs/heads. There was a rather large stone casket, but all the signs were mostly in Italian.
Right outside the Duomo, Derek got ‘conned’ by a bird-feeder. These people would go up to a tourist and put bird seed in his or her hands and signal them to raise it up for a pose. We both knew that he should have refused some more and we both knew that he had to pay. The ridiculous thing is that the guy expected twenty Euros for his less-than-a-minute service. Derek emphatically said no and despite the Italian’s scare tactics “We do business in Italy, don’t mess with us,” they eventually decided to ‘let us go’ for 5 Euros. He really didn’t want trouble so that was that.
After that nasty experience, we went towards Piazza Castello, which is an old 14th Century castle which has been turned into various museum exhibits. I have come to realize how much post-modern ‘art’ and art in general bore me. I swear there are at least fifty statues/paintings of Mary and the baby Jesus. This seems to be a major theme in Roman Catholic Art.
After we exited the Museum/Castle, we were just looking to waste time until our train arrives. We went to a lesser church nearby. It is, again, standard fare. I thought it was laughable that there was a coin-machine which illuminates a room so you can take pictures. They don’t want a flash of light from your camera, but their lights are fine.
We tried to go to the National Museum of Science and Technology (Leonardo Da Vinci), but it was closed until September 15.
At this point, we were severely thirsty and slightly tired. I think the temperature on thermometers stayed at a consistent 31 Degrees Celsius. Add in the heat from the sun and you start to see the asphalt melt. I’m not kidding; I made shoeprints when I stepped in the asphalt. We went to a Grocery store named “Pam”. From what we surveyed, the prices were pretty fair and on par with France’s.
Walking back to near the Duomo, we were going to make our one last stop at one of Milan’s Royal Palace/Museums. Due to the fact that the building looked entirely crummy and costs 8 Euro to enter (with an additional 5 Euro to see the painting ‘The Last Supper” ), we decided to just skip it. We ended up waiting at the train station for close to two hours.
So, my conclusion for Milan is that it is overrated. It is just another European City. Yeah, the church is nice, but that’s pretty much standard fare for cathedrals in Europe. It isn’t a bad place at all, just that we have seen and done these things already. If you’re not visiting any other place, Milan is a fine city to go. I would have just skipped it if someone told me what was here.
Half an hour later, we were told to follow him down the street where we just stood there for a couple of minutes without action. Later, one of them told us to get in, and we did. They didn’t really speak English that well (I’m not really faulting them for this), but our conversations felt kind of creepy. He kept on referring to the “orte de Diablo” when we asked how he came to own the business. I was thinking along the lines of the mafia.
It turns out that this new place is totally sweet. It was raining outside, and Derek and I are in the Hostel “Hotel Diablo”. With us are a professional Italian Violin Maker and a Japanese-Australian studying south of Paris.
During the day, we checked out and everything was fine. The ‘breakfast’ part is just a croissant, a cookie, and two bread ‘toasts’ in a sealed wrapper. Yum.
We headed for the Duomo first thing. It is the third largest Cathedral in Europe, supposedly. It was busy inside. We opted to not pay the additional one euro for entrance to a tiny treasure room. The Duomo is a pretty standard church, really. Just imagine stained window panes, and various sculptures that may or may not have missing limbs/heads. There was a rather large stone casket, but all the signs were mostly in Italian.
Right outside the Duomo, Derek got ‘conned’ by a bird-feeder. These people would go up to a tourist and put bird seed in his or her hands and signal them to raise it up for a pose. We both knew that he should have refused some more and we both knew that he had to pay. The ridiculous thing is that the guy expected twenty Euros for his less-than-a-minute service. Derek emphatically said no and despite the Italian’s scare tactics “We do business in Italy, don’t mess with us,” they eventually decided to ‘let us go’ for 5 Euros. He really didn’t want trouble so that was that.
After that nasty experience, we went towards Piazza Castello, which is an old 14th Century castle which has been turned into various museum exhibits. I have come to realize how much post-modern ‘art’ and art in general bore me. I swear there are at least fifty statues/paintings of Mary and the baby Jesus. This seems to be a major theme in Roman Catholic Art.
After we exited the Museum/Castle, we were just looking to waste time until our train arrives. We went to a lesser church nearby. It is, again, standard fare. I thought it was laughable that there was a coin-machine which illuminates a room so you can take pictures. They don’t want a flash of light from your camera, but their lights are fine.
We tried to go to the National Museum of Science and Technology (Leonardo Da Vinci), but it was closed until September 15.
At this point, we were severely thirsty and slightly tired. I think the temperature on thermometers stayed at a consistent 31 Degrees Celsius. Add in the heat from the sun and you start to see the asphalt melt. I’m not kidding; I made shoeprints when I stepped in the asphalt. We went to a Grocery store named “Pam”. From what we surveyed, the prices were pretty fair and on par with France’s.
Walking back to near the Duomo, we were going to make our one last stop at one of Milan’s Royal Palace/Museums. Due to the fact that the building looked entirely crummy and costs 8 Euro to enter (with an additional 5 Euro to see the painting ‘The Last Supper” ), we decided to just skip it. We ended up waiting at the train station for close to two hours.
So, my conclusion for Milan is that it is overrated. It is just another European City. Yeah, the church is nice, but that’s pretty much standard fare for cathedrals in Europe. It isn’t a bad place at all, just that we have seen and done these things already. If you’re not visiting any other place, Milan is a fine city to go. I would have just skipped it if someone told me what was here.
30 July 2008
Leaving this place already.
In an act of spontaneity, Derek and I are leaving Paris for Italy today (Wednesday) on a train.
We'll be arriving in Milan tonight (9:30ish) and then heading for Venice the following day.
Heading for Rome on Friday, and then coming back to Paris on Monday.
We'll be arriving in Milan tonight (9:30ish) and then heading for Venice the following day.
Heading for Rome on Friday, and then coming back to Paris on Monday.
28 July 2008
Paris and Flash Rain.
First of all, I really hate the +9 hour time difference. I can handle the 8 hour time difference of London, but 9 is just too much.
Paris itself is much, much quieter and calmer than London. People just seemed less busy. The weather here ( at least during the day) is very sunny and warm. I find myself uncomfortably dying from sweat every second in the sun.
The price of food and other goods are pretty much on par with Canada (especially since tax is included in the price). Wine is really, ridiculously cheap. They can be found 1 to 5 Euros per bottle on the cheap end ( that's ~1.6 to 8 Dollars). I think I'll be using this time to build my wine Tolerance levels.
On our way back home, we experienced a sudden rain. I'll probably youtube that video soon. Expect it to be posted.
So, we went to Notre Dame, Arc of Triumph, some lame art gallery, and the base of the Eiffel Tower.
Honestly, we will probably be done here by thursday and off towards Italy. (Late Wednesday for you people)
Paris itself is much, much quieter and calmer than London. People just seemed less busy. The weather here ( at least during the day) is very sunny and warm. I find myself uncomfortably dying from sweat every second in the sun.
The price of food and other goods are pretty much on par with Canada (especially since tax is included in the price). Wine is really, ridiculously cheap. They can be found 1 to 5 Euros per bottle on the cheap end ( that's ~1.6 to 8 Dollars). I think I'll be using this time to build my wine Tolerance levels.
On our way back home, we experienced a sudden rain. I'll probably youtube that video soon. Expect it to be posted.
So, we went to Notre Dame, Arc of Triumph, some lame art gallery, and the base of the Eiffel Tower.
Honestly, we will probably be done here by thursday and off towards Italy. (Late Wednesday for you people)
27 July 2008
Summary of London/UK
So, I've arrived at Paris, essentially one week since I touched down at the UK.
First of all, there are a lot of smokers, which leads to seriously poor air quality. Combine that with the incessant number of autos on the road (at night, even) , and you've got Beijing-esque air.
So it is a good thing that London has a 'fully' functioning transit systems (metro and buses). As you probably know, there are double-decker buses. They're in the same transit system as the London Underground tied together by an 'Octo' Card, which has a wireless transceiver which you wave across the pad to pay for each transaction. The transit system is fairly convienient, except for the weekend maintenance and the inaccurate time schedules. I guess nothing can avoid that.
Right, so Britons are very focused and proud of their War Heritage and their Royal Families. This is reflected in all of their buildings and all of their tourist sites.
Truthfully, I got sick of all of the history. All of the 'victorian' buildings began to look the same.
Overall, I had some fun and saw some things that are truly magnificent. ( Saint Paul's Cathedral comes to mind) Living in London isn't cheap, but it isn't overly expensive like everyone says it is. Prices are probably closer to 1.4x our listed prices. I'm probably not going to want to come back as a tourist, because there is nothing truly spectacular here anymore. I don't love the city, but I can see myself living there if I had to (work, or whatever.)
First of all, there are a lot of smokers, which leads to seriously poor air quality. Combine that with the incessant number of autos on the road (at night, even) , and you've got Beijing-esque air.
So it is a good thing that London has a 'fully' functioning transit systems (metro and buses). As you probably know, there are double-decker buses. They're in the same transit system as the London Underground tied together by an 'Octo' Card, which has a wireless transceiver which you wave across the pad to pay for each transaction. The transit system is fairly convienient, except for the weekend maintenance and the inaccurate time schedules. I guess nothing can avoid that.
Right, so Britons are very focused and proud of their War Heritage and their Royal Families. This is reflected in all of their buildings and all of their tourist sites.
Truthfully, I got sick of all of the history. All of the 'victorian' buildings began to look the same.
Overall, I had some fun and saw some things that are truly magnificent. ( Saint Paul's Cathedral comes to mind) Living in London isn't cheap, but it isn't overly expensive like everyone says it is. Prices are probably closer to 1.4x our listed prices. I'm probably not going to want to come back as a tourist, because there is nothing truly spectacular here anymore. I don't love the city, but I can see myself living there if I had to (work, or whatever.)
25 July 2008
24 July 2008
London Day 4
British Museum: There's so much here. We spent 4-5 hours here looking at the exhibits. The truth is that after a while, all the ancient stuff (greeks, egyptians, chinese, etc) all looked the same.
Cartoon Museum: This was interesting, but ultimately lame.
Kensington Palace: Yay, Royal Family home. Lame.
Canden Town: This is basically the shopping area, but by the time we went, half the stores were closing.
Cartoon Museum: This was interesting, but ultimately lame.
Kensington Palace: Yay, Royal Family home. Lame.
Canden Town: This is basically the shopping area, but by the time we went, half the stores were closing.
22 July 2008
Day 3
We went to these places today.
1) Tower of London : Not that great of a place. Not really bad either. There's a lot of medieval historical significance, but it all kind of blends together. There's an exhibit with the Crown Jewels, but all of those crowns and jewels start to look alike after a while.
2) Boat Cruise on the Thames
3) Parliament Square
4) Banqueting House
5) Horse Guard
6) Namco Arcade (London Eye)
7) Watched Mamamia (movie)
1) Tower of London : Not that great of a place. Not really bad either. There's a lot of medieval historical significance, but it all kind of blends together. There's an exhibit with the Crown Jewels, but all of those crowns and jewels start to look alike after a while.
2) Boat Cruise on the Thames
3) Parliament Square
4) Banqueting House
5) Horse Guard
6) Namco Arcade (London Eye)
7) Watched Mamamia (movie)
21 July 2008
Well, that was awkward.
Having someone beside you get in a relationship-argument while using your skype connection.
Ugh.
Sharing a bed with another male is also strange.
Ugh.
Sharing a bed with another male is also strange.
(Complete) Day two.
Saint Paul's Cathedral
Shakespeare's Globe
Clink Prison
Southward Cathedral
HMS Belfast
London Tower Bridge
So, Saint Paul's Cathedral was really nice. Really, very nice. It is the kind of niceness that makes you stand in awe of to revel in its niquiessence.
Shakespeare's Globe was exactly like I thought it was.
The rest of the day was balls.
In other note, our power-swtich-shape exploded and now I'm running on juice.
Shakespeare's Globe
Clink Prison
Southward Cathedral
HMS Belfast
London Tower Bridge
So, Saint Paul's Cathedral was really nice. Really, very nice. It is the kind of niceness that makes you stand in awe of to revel in its niquiessence.
Shakespeare's Globe was exactly like I thought it was.
The rest of the day was balls.
In other note, our power-swtich-shape exploded and now I'm running on juice.
20 July 2008
Travelling involves a lot of walking.
A fiendishly large amount of walking.
Nothing has prepared me for this.
Nothing at all.
---
Nothing has prepared me for this.
Nothing at all.
---
In London.
My sister Mandy, Derek, and I have arrived at London in the place we're staying. It is a nice, neat little apartment. I'm sure that images will be coming soon.
So far, London seems very nice with very friendly people. The only source of grief is the entire customs/plane trip.
There are ridiculously long waiting queues/lines for everything. Disgusting.
So far, London seems very nice with very friendly people. The only source of grief is the entire customs/plane trip.
There are ridiculously long waiting queues/lines for everything. Disgusting.
19 July 2008
Child Pornography and Oversensitivity.
I don't really have any solid evidence, so this is basically a rant.
I really hate the way people are justifying their actions in the name of "stopping child pornography". Especially when what they're doing results in stricter laws and regulations. Nobody can really argue for child pornography, so everyone has to support these security laws.
There's a related problem that people are really oversensitive about child pornography. Picture this scenario. A mid-thirties man sits at the library with his notebook computer. On the screen, he is working on putting together some pictures for an album. A passerby notices that some of the pictures involve naked children. He gets reported and is banned from the library.
The problem here is context, and some people don't seem to understand. In order for things to be classified as pornography, they need to be sexually explicit. Family portraits are not.
So, what if you're a baby photographer (commisioned by parents, not to be shared ) ? (Yeah, this profession sounds dubious and strangely creepy) Would this automatically make him a pedophile? Would he get in trouble for having images in the work computer? In the state of world today, I'm sure he would..
I believe that everyone has a right to engage in free thought and free action as long as it doesn't 'infringe' on other people's rights. Fucking a baby infringes on their rights. Using children in these ways infringes on their rights.
On the Wikipedia's Article, an FBI agent says that internet communities 'validates' a pedophile's illness. People's response to this seem to be locking and jailing these people. If there really are communities of people who are attracted to children, shouldn't someone try and help them through therapy or support? I don't think labeling them as evil children-fuckers really helps anyone. Besides, I don't think these people can really help themselve in terms of liking these things.
PS: I will be leaving later today for three weeks. I hope Internet access is bountiful in Europe.
I really hate the way people are justifying their actions in the name of "stopping child pornography". Especially when what they're doing results in stricter laws and regulations. Nobody can really argue for child pornography, so everyone has to support these security laws.
There's a related problem that people are really oversensitive about child pornography. Picture this scenario. A mid-thirties man sits at the library with his notebook computer. On the screen, he is working on putting together some pictures for an album. A passerby notices that some of the pictures involve naked children. He gets reported and is banned from the library.
The problem here is context, and some people don't seem to understand. In order for things to be classified as pornography, they need to be sexually explicit. Family portraits are not.
por·nog·ra·phy  Audio Help (pôr-nŏg'rə-fē) Pronunciation Key n.
|
I believe that everyone has a right to engage in free thought and free action as long as it doesn't 'infringe' on other people's rights. Fucking a baby infringes on their rights. Using children in these ways infringes on their rights.
On the Wikipedia's Article, an FBI agent says that internet communities 'validates' a pedophile's illness. People's response to this seem to be locking and jailing these people. If there really are communities of people who are attracted to children, shouldn't someone try and help them through therapy or support? I don't think labeling them as evil children-fuckers really helps anyone. Besides, I don't think these people can really help themselve in terms of liking these things.
PS: I will be leaving later today for three weeks. I hope Internet access is bountiful in Europe.
12 July 2008
Californication
Californication is a show starring David Duchuvney as Hank, a best-selling novelist who had a movie adaptation to a book he wrote. During the season, he tries to get back with his ex-non-wife of twelve years with whom he shares a twelve year old daughter. He gets through life getting into outrageous sexual situations while his agent constantly badgers him to update his blog.
Essentially, the series is good due to having a smart main character that actually seems smart and witty. He gets into unreal situations but acts very realistically. The main problem with the series is the final episode, which is ultimately unsatisfying and illogical. For a moment, it seemed to be tying up the loose ends, but they messed that up. I thought if they ended there, it would have been fine. Moments before the end, one character makes a completely illogical decision which undermines what happened earlier, and the series ends on a 'good' note.
The show is pretty much filled with sexual content, so if you don't like seeing naked females ( and strangely, the show features no penis-shots), don't watch it. However, I'm not recommending this to anyone who would watch for the nakedness alone. It isn't that special.
Essentially, the series is good due to having a smart main character that actually seems smart and witty. He gets into unreal situations but acts very realistically. The main problem with the series is the final episode, which is ultimately unsatisfying and illogical. For a moment, it seemed to be tying up the loose ends, but they messed that up. I thought if they ended there, it would have been fine. Moments before the end, one character makes a completely illogical decision which undermines what happened earlier, and the series ends on a 'good' note.
The show is pretty much filled with sexual content, so if you don't like seeing naked females ( and strangely, the show features no penis-shots), don't watch it. However, I'm not recommending this to anyone who would watch for the nakedness alone. It isn't that special.
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