The Travel Thread

[miscorrections]

I just want his job.

[real talk]

I'm completely addicted to No Reservations. I have an enormous crush on Tony Bourdain.

Season premiere "Chile" tonight at ten! DVR is set!

[orbit]

second week in hawaii, three more to go.

so far i've spent a week each in kauai and the big island. some wild trails and water caves there! and of course beautiful landscapes. i just got to oahu yesterday and will spend around 10 days here before going back to kauai again. i still don't have an itinerary but will probably start with the north shore today and tomorrow.

[faxman75]

Sounds great Orbit. I have never been to Hawaii. Hopefully you have some pictures to share.

I just got a text from my roommate who is sitting in a bar in Dublin drinking Guinness after spending a few days camping at the cold and rainy Oxegen music fest. Needless to say i'm jealous.

I'll be there in November though. I'm wondering how smart a trip to the Cliffs of Moher will be in November. Mpeezy?

[JustSteve]

Leaving for family european vacation in 3 weeks. Berlin-Munich-Salzburg-Vienna with a side daytrip to Cesky Krumlov. I'm really looking forward to it, I have spent almost no time in Germany.

an interesting thing to do in munich is a bike tour. get to ride through a lot of the park with stops at beer gardens and also visit a lot of sites relating to hitler and the rise of the third reich. i think the company we used back in '02 was mike's bikes.

have you been to salzburg before? we stayed right on the river there, such a beautiful place! def. gotta walk through the gardens where "sound of music" filmed. we never made it up to the castle, but just walking some of those narrow old streets was amazing, seeing mozart's birthplace and childhood home was a nice time, too.

in vienna we spent a day in the park, found a little outdoor stage where a string quartet was warming up for a performance later in the day. had a few drinks and some ice cream while we sat and pondered what to do next...which ended up being a tour of the catacombs at st. stephen's catherdral, f'ing amazing.

damn, i miss europe! eveything is still so vivid even though it was 7 years ago. so grateful for the gift my dad gave my sister and i back at christmas of '01. Sent us there for 2 months all expenses paid...which tuned into almost 3 months. left august 20th, 2002 and came home november 11th. then it was straight into the hospital because i was sick as shit. my doctors were freaked out because i had lost over 20 pounds since i had last seen them. i told them it was fine, it was due to walking 10-15 miles a day for 3 months!

[JustSteve]

Does anyone watch "No Reservations"?

I found yesterdays episode to be really interesting. Anthony had a couple people convince him to go to places he hasn't been before and he went for Saudi Arabia.

is that the one where they are eating at that fastfood chicken place and the single men have to eat separately from the women and children?

[faxman75]

Yes, Tony and the Saudi lady ate in a both with doors on it. She explained the seperation quite well I thought too. She saw it more as the single men being isolated in the society.

[JustSteve]

you really need to find a way to see the english beat sometime.

also, great trip josh. But watch your wallet in Marseilles. Actually, here's a better idea. When you get to Marseilles, rent a car and get the fuck out of there. Go to Aix. Go to Nice. Go to the little tiny villages in the Luberon -- Gordes, Roussillon, etc. Go have dinner at Le Moulin des Mougins outside Cannes. cuz you know unless you're a junkie or a terrorist, Marseilles doesn't really have much for you.

I really enjoyed Antibes...there were some amazingly beautiful women sunning topless on the beach. There is an old waterfront fortress there, too, with old men playing bocce ball all day along the walk, it was fun hanging around there and people watching for a few hours before heading back to Nice.

[JustSteve]

Yes, Tony and the Saudi lady ate in a both with doors on it. She explained the seperation quite well I thought too. She saw it more as the single men being isolated in the society.

except single men won't get stoned to death if they get raped.

[rage patton]

you really need to find a way to see the english beat sometime.

also, great trip josh. But watch your wallet in Marseilles. Actually, here's a better idea. When you get to Marseilles, rent a car and get the fuck out of there. Go to Aix. Go to Nice. Go to the little tiny villages in the Luberon -- Gordes, Roussillon, etc. Go have dinner at Le Moulin des Mougins outside Cannes. cuz you know unless you're a junkie or a terrorist, Marseilles doesn't really have much for you.


PS Gordes may be my favorite place in the entire world.

The English Beat are comming to Vancouver sometime soon, but it think thats the "Dave Wakeling version which is him and a bunch of nobodies" version that you are talking about. Doesn't the old English Beat tour under the name "The Beat" now?

And you didn't enjoy Marseilles? Did you get pickpocketted and thats why you didn't like it? Or was it other things about the city? Because I have been looking into stuff to do and at the city in general and it looks both gorgeous and fun. We were thinking of going to Nice then to Marsaille, but we aren't exactly sure. We have to check rail prices.

And where is Gordes? Is it anywhere near Marsailles?

[menikmati]

2 weeks until Colorado.

[faxman75]

except single men won't get stoned to death if they get raped.

Well there you have it. I was wondering how many special permissions they got from the Saudi Government for that show. Tony walking around with this Saudi lady everywhere in public had to come heavily watched and with all kinds of restrictions. No doubt the Saudi's saw this as an opportunity to appeal to the western world and figured this show might drum up some tourism or something.

[JustSteve]

I'm starting to put together a rather sudden trip to Europe for myself in a few weeks.

Most likely will be flying into Germany (probably Frankfurt) and then will be meeting a friend in Prague. I'll have two weeks. I've been to Europe three times, but have not been to this central area. I want to see it all, which is not possible of course. Switzerland, how I'd love to see you, but think I'm going to have to let it pass on this trip. I'm trying to make it cheap as possible so I'm thinking Solvakia will take up some time.

Any tips/advice for a 2 week trip centered in Germany, with the possibility of hitting up Poland, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic would be well appreciated.

if it's a short trip and you don't have much time in one place then do the typical tourist stuff they talk about in the travel guides.

czech rep. - prague is amazing to just walk around in. the old town square, st. charles bridge, prague castle stand out in my mind. also got some new ink there to commemorate my journey. funnily enough i met up with my sister a week later and she had gotten a tattoo at the exact same shop just a few days before me.

hungary - hmm, not much stands out to me right now about budapest. stayed in an amazing hostel called the citadel which dates back to 1851 and was was built by the ruling family of the time to demonstrate their control over the Hungarians. it is at the top of an 800 foot hill with amazing views of the city and old cold war era canons outside. a huge firework display happened one night along the danube while i was staying there, it was beautiful.

switzerland - didn't spend too much time there because of the exchange rate, but all of our time was spent in interlaken, where you are surrounded by the alps. during a 2 day stretch there we went skydiving(jumped out of a helicopter after flying up over a glacier) and whitewater rafting and it was intense(fuckin' kiwi's are nuts!). if you have ever wanted to do either and you end up there then do it because it is such an amazing setting. on the plus side, too? lots of weed around...amazing hiking, as well.

austria - def. salzburg and vienna

[chairmenmeow47]

re: germany 2 week trip

i've only been to switzerland of those countries. if you go to zurich, have something to do. i mean, i had fun wandering around for the 2 days i was there (and mainly there to rest between cities for travel), but that'll get old after a few hours. the train rides are beautiful though.

also, keep it simple. don't plan to go to too many cities or you'll get tired pretty quick. or you'll feel like you missed out on something. switzerland is a beautiful & diverse country that deserves it's own trip. even with one week, i felt rushed and i only went to two cities. i'm very glad i didn't try to hop to italy at all as i would have been too exhausted to enjoy it.

have a safe journey

[faxman75]

czech rep. - prague is amazing to just walk around in. the old town square, st. charles bridge, prague castle stand out in my mind. also got some new ink there to commemorate my journey. funnily enough i met up with my sister a week later and she had gotten a tattoo at the exact same shop just a few days before me.

Nice, I would also recommend the jewish quarter, Josefov. Lots of history and a very old graveyard. Watch your pockets in old town square as prostitutes tend to try and pick pocket tourists there. It's a city stuck in time and can't recommend Prague enough. Simply beautiful with lots of good cheap beer as well. I also went on a jazz cruise on the Vltava river that was very reasonably priced. I will never forget coming into Prague late at night over the Vltava river and seeing all the lights from the city.

[chiapet]

Well there you have it. I was wondering how many special permissions they got from the Saudi Government for that show. Tony walking around with this Saudi lady everywhere in public had to come heavily watched and with all kinds of restrictions. No doubt the Saudi's saw this as an opportunity to appeal to the western world and figured this show might drum up some tourism or something.

I watched that episode pretty closely, as I was really interested how the culture would be depicted and how Tony & the Saudi lady would interact.

Firstly, the woman in question has a status that is a bit different than usual. She is US born and mostly grew up here. I've always heard from Muslim friends (Saudis, Kuwaitis, & Emiratis) that western women are given more lenience, in some ways they are treated "male-like" (mostly when the woman is involved in business, as it facilitates the business relationship). It seems like the women more than the men look down on these women though, it's considered not to be feminine, and the husband would considered to be emasculated by the behavior.

Secondly, she is in the entertainment business herself (a film producer) and is the only film company to NOT be required to have male oversight. This goes along with what I said above, allegedly once a woman has "male" like status in business, she is not required to follow all customs so closely.

She was never cavorting with a single man, either, Tony is married. (Sadly!)

I think the episode was carefully filmed. Women are supposed to be more guarded around males when unaccompanied by male relatives. Most of the scenes we saw, the woman was surrounded by her family. In the very few scenes where she was not filmed with her family, she was much more reserved. We also do not know what was off frame (such as having a chaperone on the set but not on film).

Maybe people are just shocked to see Muslims joking, speaking as openly as we would, entertaining both males and females with their family? I'm not sure why. I would guess it's just that most people in this country have never known anyone who is Muslim, so their assumptions are based on a few clips from the news. This doesn't truly reflect all the people or Muslim cultures. (I'm sure you can appreciate that other countries get a poor opinion of the US, too, based on selectively shown news clips).

Just as there are Christians who are moderate and those who are very strict in their observance, so are Muslims. The difference really is how closely one takes to heart the covenants of their religious laws and whether one can be punished for breaking those laws. A large part of the US is Christian and their beliefs in terms of moral behavior are not really that different -- it's just that we can't be severely punished for partaking.

FWIW, most muslims I have met, that are younger, they do the same things we do, sometimes they drink, curse, try drugs, date, have sex. They do worry about consequences (both the obvious physical ones and the legal ones) and most think their behavior is "bad" and behave a lot differently when in their home countries than when in non-Muslim ones.

Even the older Muslims I've know, while not indulging in that kind of behavior, were very moderate and not judgmental at all towards others who do not share their beliefs. It's been explained well several times, they live where they live because they want to follow the laws - because they believe in them and believe it guides proper behavior. Obviously this only speaks to people who can afford to leave if they want -- but I can't tell you how many people -- women in particular -- I've known who very willingly went back to the Middle East after experiencing their "freedom" here. They did not feel oppressed by the laws regarding women. It's just how it is, since it's what they expect, they don't feel they're unnecessary. *shrug*

[chiapet]

Yeesh, I didn't realize I was writing a book there.

[faxman75]

That was great though Heidi. Thank you for the insight on her background as well. I was curious about all the same things and found the episode really interesting. I like how Tony went into the whole thing by looking at it as a challenge and being skeptical and giving us insight to how liberal he is as well.

Some of my favorite parts of No Reservations are the uncomfortable moments and the misunderstandings. I watch a lot of facial expressions and sometimes Anthony's jokes don't seem to go over well or something. It's a really interesting show to watch and one of the better ones on TV these days.

[jazzz]

I just had the most stressful time booking flights to Europe... but I did it!

I am flying to London at 2:55pm on August 19th. I will then be seeing The Specials on August 22nd (at V Fest UK) and Monotonix on August 24th. I will be spending my time in London with Chris (sonofhal).
On August 25th I will be leaving for Paris by rail and will spend the next 3 days enjoying the city. My fiancee has been there and she speaks French. So she will be my tour guide/translator. I will also be meeting up with Jeff (boarderwoozle3) one of the days, because he just so happens to be in Paris at the same time.
On August 28th-30th I will be attending Rock en Seine, a music festival just 20 minutes outside of Paris. Acts I am most looking forward to are Faith No More, Madness and The Prodigy. As well as many other acts including Yeah Yeah Yeahs and MGMT.
After this I will be heading down to Marsaille and will just enjoy the city and sights for the next 5 days. On September 6th I catch a flight at 6:30am from Marsaille and arrive back in Seattle at 5pm.

I am so incredibly excited right now you all have no idea. I could scream right now.

Fuck I'm so happy for you! I'm really hoping and praying The Specials will tour North America. I have to see em' with Terry Hall before I die. Enjoy Yourself!!!!!!!

[TomAz]

The English Beat are comming to Vancouver sometime soon, but it think thats the "Dave Wakeling version which is him and a bunch of nobodies" version that you are talking about. Doesn't the old English Beat tour under the name "The Beat" now?

And you didn't enjoy Marseilles? Did you get pickpocketted and thats why you didn't like it? Or was it other things about the city? Because I have been looking into stuff to do and at the city in general and it looks both gorgeous and fun. We were thinking of going to Nice then to Marsaille, but we aren't exactly sure. We have to check rail prices.

And where is Gordes? Is it anywhere near Marsailles?

"The Beat" is the name the band always had til they tried to release a record in the US and found there was already an LA pop-wave band with that name so in the US (only) they have been the English Beat. Ranking Roger leads The Beat in the UK now and the guitarist who took Wakeling's place is the brother of a friend of mine. Wakeling lives in LA and has a band he calls "The English Beat" which as I said is not the real thing.

I didn't get pickpocketed or anything in Marseilles. but it is the Newark of France. except unlike Newark it has amazing stuff nearby. I like Nice. Nice is nice. but get up into the Provence countryside for the real great shit. Gordes is a small Provencal village in the Luberon that is what they call a 'village perché' -- a small village that sits on top of a steep hill. It is about 20 miles east of Avignon.

[jazzz]

yes the real thing would be with Dave & Ranking both will all original members including "Saxa" who I hear has health problems. I still don't understand why RICO RODRIGUEZ or DICK CUTHELL aren't playing with the Specials? I suspect it could be a Jerry Dammers thing.

[faxman75]

I think when I go to Ireland i'm going to do this day trip thing. It looks pretty cool. It includes seeing Limerick, Cliffs of Moher, Burren and Galway rail tour. It departs around 7:00AM and returns around 8:50PM and looks stunning. It's only $150 and seems well worth it. I'm hearing mixed things about Brussels at this point too so i'm not sure i'm gonna eat the $30 I spent on my RT ticket to there or not. The big obstacle is the 7:00AM flight times going there and coming back. I think that would mean heading to the airport in Burssels by 4-4:30am for the return since the airport is so far.

[MarkO]

When you go to Prague, you have to take the Funicular up Petrin Hill. Well worth it !!

[MarkO]

Nice, I would also recommend the jewish quarter, Josefov. Lots of history and a very old graveyard. .

Yup.

[TomAz]

Berlin:







Hohenschwangau:




Surfing Munich style:




Dachau: "Work Makes You Free"






Cesky Krumlov:




Salzburg:







Melk:





Vienna:




(Hundertwasserhaus)

[TomAz]

an interesting thing to do in munich is a bike tour.

we did bike tours in Berlin, Munich, and Vienna. I think they are a nice way to get the feel for a city without riding around in a bus or car, or hit and miss on your own, and you can cover so much more ground than on foot.

[rage patton]

Im in London now. Have been here 2 nights. Its great so far. There is so much to see. I am seeing The Specials tomorrow and am very excited. Almost missed my connection flight to London though and am having a hard time with jet lag, but no bigge. Im staying with Chris, sonofhal, too and he has been awesome. Very helpful. Anyways, I will probably be going to bed soon. It feels good to be here though.

[whynotsmile99]

Im in London now. Have been here 2 nights. Its great so far. There is so much to see. I am seeing The Specials tomorrow and am very excited. Almost missed my connection flight to London though and am having a hard time with jet lag, but no bigge. Im staying with Chris, sonofhal, too and he has been awesome. Very helpful. Anyways, I will probably be going to bed soon. It feels good to be here though.

damn dude, you didn't hear the Specials canceled?

guess the lead singer is sick.



ok thats just bullshit. have a great time in London. I don't remember it much as its been years since I've been, but the crown jewels/Tower of London was pretty memorable. How much is a cup of coffee there now?

[TomAz]

Hey Josh. have a blast.

ps the jetlag will be even worse coming home.

[faxman75]

Great to hear from you Josh. Enjoy! Can't wait to see some pictures.

Tom, I looked at your pictures. Fuck you. They are beautiful. The second Salzburg photo is fantastic.

It looks like i'm scratching Brussels of the list as I'm going to hit Scotland while in Ireland. I didn't want to pass up seeing Rodrigo y Gabriela in Glasgow. I may still do a day in another country depending on finances but i'm going to really soak in the Irish glory as I assume this will be my last visit there for a while as I have so many other places in the world I wish to see.