From France to Spain

Well, we finally found access to the net again! Right at this moment I am in Spain! Near Plaza Mayor in Marid to be exact. We just checked into our room in a cute little family run hostal with a very nice lady owner who speaks fluent English. We are really looking forward to a wonderful Spanish lunch after this!

But to back up a bit. The rest of our trip in Paris was good. We were overwhelmed at the size, grandeur and sheer bulk of the art in the Louvre. Stared at the Mona Lisa and other works by the Masters. We saw a LOT of stuff from Egypt. The really interesting stuff was all the stuff from their everyday life like foot rests, makeup jars, clothing and board games. We were also stunned by the size and ostentation of Versailles, Louis the XIV´s pleasure palace. We were annoyed by the lack of toilets in Paris! I don´t know where these people pee but it felt like half our trip consisted of walking around doing the bathroom wiggle while desperately looking for toilet. And half the time when we found one we had to pay!

We have run into a lot of Japanese. We even saw Mitsukoshi department store in London and everything was in Japanese and there were lots of Japanese inside. There are a lot of sushi places in Europe but we havn´t tried any. A little expensive.

The highlight of the trip so far has been our one night stay in the small town of Chartres about an hour outside Paris. It is famous for it´s 12th cent. gothic cathedral. I have been interested in this particular cathedral for a long time, with it´s 800 year old stained glass windows and mysterious labyrinth on the floor. It was magnificent and there were hardly any tourists. It is surrounded by a town so old and picturesque you can´t believe it! We made our own dinners most nights in Paris so we treated ourselves to a nice French dinner in a 16th cent. building in Chartres. I took a lot of pictures and will never forget that place.

So, my overall impression of Paris was: a bit dirty, seedy in places, have to look out for dog poop on the sidewalks, great bread, cheese and wine, beautiful architecture and an arrogance to be expected. I wonder was southern France will be like.

Last night was an interesting experience. We waited at the train station in Paris for a few hours for our train to the Spanish border. We were in first class which was nice and had comfortable seats. We had brought some sandwich fixings but were not sure if we were allowed to eat at our seats. We decided we could but our cheese was quite stinky and one French woman was clearly not happy about it and stormed off to another car. About 9pm we arrived in Irun on the Spanish border and transfered to a 2nd class sleeping train. Damien and I were in a SMALL compartment with three SMALL beds one on top of the other, three on each side. We had the top to bunks facing each other. Damien couldn´t even stretch out! It was so tight and I had no water and didn´t sleep well on the 9 hour ride. I tell you what, if you were at all claustrophobic you would have been in trouble!

Anyway, we made it to Madrid this morning, figured out how to get to our hostal, had a bit of breakfast and have been walking around. So far I like it better that Paris. Don´t know what we are going to do today but whatever it is will be new and exciting!

I hope I can get pictures up soon but am not sure. I miss everyone and hope things are good in your corner of the world!

In Gay Paris

I am sitting at an internet cafe in Monmartre in Paris. I am only a short walk away from the Moulin Rouge and other places where the famous Impressionists ate, argued, created masterpieces and drank themselves to death. We are staying in a little hostel near here but this time we have our own little room and don't have to worry about being quiet all the time!

Before Paris though, we had some other cool experiences in London. The coolest thing was the Tower of London. It was so full of history and so old. We spent the whole day there actually, walking in the footsteps of 1000 years or British monarchs. We also saw the crown jewels. Then we met up with my friend Steven who I knew in Narita in Japan. He and his friend Glenn went to get some dinner and then Steven took us to see a musical. We saw High Society. It was really neat to see a show in London! And very unexpected. We finished off with a drink and talked about the world.

We also spent a whole day at the monsterous British Museum. We took 3 guided tours and learned a lot about Greece, Egypt and Europe. We saw the Rosetta Stone, Parthenon sculptures, religious relics, the famous Lewis Chessmen, tons of giant Egyptian heads and things. It was soooo big we didn't even see half. I think our heads are reeling with the sheer amount of famous things! We really liked London. I think it is the most international city I have ever been to.

We got the train to Paris really early. It was so nice, smooth and quiet. We got the see a little English and French countryside. The French countryside is just dotted everywhere with small stone churches. We were both excited and a bit nervous when we exited the station and there we were in Paris! We saw on the map that we are really close to our hostel so we walked. It seemed like something out of the movies the way everyone around us was speaking French! The trains here are quick and easy to navigate but very seedy and dirty. Paris definately seems seedier than London.

Today we visited the big church on Monmartre hill just outside of our hostel. It is the highest point in Paris but is only about 100 years old. There were lots of Africans outside it trying to get you to let them make a bracelet for you for money. They were very pushy! The day was beautiful so we went to Notre Dame cathedral. It was very surreal to be touring through it and walking up its towers and then looking out over Paris. The Eiffel Tower, Monmartre Hill, the Arc d'Triomphe, the Louvre and the river Seine. Lots of gargoyles up there! So then we just spent the day walking along the river, went up in the Arc d'Triomphe, had a coffee and then walked back through the showclub district. It must be very dry here or something because I have felt much in need of water ALL the time. My back really hurt all day today and I have really bad sore throats every night. It is not easy to find water or toilets when you need them!

Well, this is probably too long already but I have so much to say! I havn't posted any pictures yet but plan to at some point. Until the next time I can find internet access, adieu!

In merry ole England

Well, here I am in London. I don't even know where to begin! The whole city is like a big old museum with amazing buildings and famous landmarks around every turn. We have been to the British Library where we saw the oldest exsisting bible and handwritten notes by Leo Tolstoy (among many other amazing documents!), the National Gallery of Art where we stood in front of paintings by the likes of Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo, and the Tate Modern Gallery with works by Wharhol, Miro and Dali. We also visited Westminster Abby where we saw the graves of Queen Elizabeth I, Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Issac Newton, Chaucer and tons and tons of random Lord, Ladies, Barons and Knights!! The coolest one was in the cloisters which are the walkways around the courtyard. We sat down for a breather on a stone bench and in the stone floor akwardly arranged and all but forgotten was the weathered grave of a knight who died in 1082.
Being here with Damien is amazing!! We missed each other so much and it was the most beautiful thing in the world to see him waiting for me at the airport! We are staying in a hostel across the street from the British Museum. There are 5 sets of bunkbeds in the room, each with its own locker for our stuff. There were a bunch of Spanish people staying there but I think they are leaving today and will probably be gone when we return tonight. The place is old but comfortable with 1 good shower and 1 bad one and a kitchen downstairs with breakfast every morning of coffee and jelly rolls. The weather is a bit cold but it has cleared up a bit today and isn't so gray.
Food has been great! Had Indian curry first for lunch. We have also found a couple cute typical Englishf pubs for meat pies, fish n chips and English beer. We have been able to stick to our budget really well. We also discovered that we can pretty much walk everywhere and dont need to spend money on the trains. We each spent £5 on all day train passes yesterday and today we realize we didn't even need to get them! Oh well, ya' live and learn. The underground is very very quick and easy to use though. And crossing the street here is an experience! I have never seen people jaywalking and darting all over the place! It is like the lights don't matter AT ALL as long as you can get across before the car or double decker bus hits you!
Well, I am at an internet cafe and my time is running out. Hopefully I will be able to sleep better tonight then I did last night. The air is really dry here and it makes it hard to sleep. Plus one of the Spanish women has cried out clear as a bell in Spanish in her sleep the past 2 nights and woken me up. It certainly hasn't been dull!!
I will try to post some pictures in a few days and post again soon.
"Cheers!"

Leaving America

I leave tomorrow for Europe! But before I left I thought I would write a bit about my time at home. This month has flown by. I felt pretty weird at first, adjusting to life in the States again. New money, new language all around me, new faces, new portion sizes! Not to mention different time zone and different weather. I missed Japan terribly the first couple weeks. I still miss Japan a lot but I know I am off to create a new adventure.

America has definately changed since I was here last. I feel more of a sense of fear and paranoia. There seems to be more censorship and certainly more influence by right-wing groups. I have to admit that there has been nothing that has made me feel like I was missing out on something great. And nothing that really screams "Come back and live in the US!!". Of course, that is not exactly true because my friends and family here are very very important. They are the only thing that makes me homesick or makes me want to stay here. I feel that America is traveling down and dark and dangerous path. I certainly don't want to say that I would never move back here but America is not making itself easy to like right now!

I have had a lot of fun while I have been home though. Hanging out with my parents and brother's family and various friends. Our new art museum is outstanding and there are a few new coffee shops around. I was able to see Jeremy several times and I talked to Damien on the computer phone almost every day.

I leave in a little over 24 hours and will be meeting Damien at Heathrow in London. I hope to be able to post any interesting experiences and thoughts as I am traveling. Most hostels have internet access these days. So, the next time I post I will be in the "Old World"!!!

First Post

Here are links to my photo site http://photos.yahoo.com/anajay74
and Damien's http://photos.yahoo.com/boredweekender and Jeremy's blog site http://wilcotangofoxtrot.blogspot.com/
Today I am spending with my family, parents and brother and sister-in-law ans nieces and nephews. I only have 1 more week in the US before I am off to Europe! My friend Jeremy left today to go back to Japan. I will miss him a lot an hope to see him again soon! I probably won't write much until I leave. I also might not be sending many mass emails anymore since people can check this blog site. If you would like to recieve any mass emails because you can't access this site just let me know.
Ciao!!

Hi

This is my first post. Actually, I'm not even posting, my awesome friend Jeremy is showing me how to do this. Hi, Damien!