Oh, well, um, to be honest, I was only in London for one day, to get a train to Belgium because from Bombay there were no flights directly to Brussels. I will be back in London though 
As for photos I can look into that. 
–Jbest
Hey people,
After a long while in Belgium, I traveled by train to Munich, Germany, last night. It took a lot longer than it should have (12 hours) but we arrived safely. It’s very cold out here!
Okay, I go through this every year. Cold is, at first, kind of harsh, but then you get used to it. Fine. Then summer comes around and now it is too hot! Then you get used to that. I have tried playing mind games with myself and reversing the seasons. So, if it is cold inside, I try to imagine that it scorching outside. And when it very warm inside I try to imagine that it is freezing outdoors. This really has not been too effective, yet it is a diversion.
Have fun on your tour!
pix
Thanks pix. I hear it’s especially cold in Europe this year. At least there’s snow.
Oh, at times I hate snow! It is kind of a bitch to take a whole day just to shovel off your porch, that is when you can even get the door open. Then you get to spend another day digging through waist high snow so that you can even get to your ash bin. Then you have dig out your firewood so that you can stay warm. Then, if you want some beers, you have put on your studded snow shoes (I use sheet metal screws in the soles, they work pretty well). Then you get to do a balancing act while taking your large dog with you to the store while walking on ice and snow (and he likes to pull, it’s really not fair, he has four wheel drive and I don’t).
So yeah, I know about snow and cold. This winter has been pretty mild though so far. Only a hand-full of days when the temps were below the twenties. Not that much snow either.
Folks that live in milder climates should just be happy. The mountains can be somewhat harsh, if not even deadly. Still, spring is coming…
It is kind of strange, the deer, elk, squirrels, doves, wild turkey and other critters don’t seem to have much a problem with it all. I see their tracks all over the place! Even cougars (why I keep my dog indoors).
So, give all of those people living in “cold” places greets.
Cheers, pix
Think that’s hard work, try being in a situation where you would have to dig out your house.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/amazing-international-snowfall-1/61479
If you like the snow, I suggest you go to Eastern Europe where people are tunneling out of their homes in villages buried in 15 feet of the stuff. Here in Kansas we recently got a little over 2 inches of snow, the first half-decent blanket of snow we’ve gotten during our unusually warm winter (our daffodils are almost to the point of blooming already)
Alright, let me see if I can tell you about this before I forget. (I do this a lot these days). For a time I was in southern India. I was there at the Schiefflin leprosy research and training center in a place called Karigri. I think that means something like elephant hill. Well, it was total trip. I met some really good people there, famous doctors from around the world. I don’t know, just something about helping the poorest of the poor seemed to be enticing So I did it (by invitation by the way). I did live with the poorest of the poor, and do you know what? They are good people!
You probably don’t know about walking down jungle paths towards a village that was having a big sing in a language that you don’t even understand. It is scary at first. For some reason though, you just have to keep on going. Then when you get there, you find out that they are all people, sort of like yourself. They will give you water and tea and food. Then they tell you stories that you may not understand at first, yet eventually you will. You know, it is odd, yet you can understand any language if you just listen( and not just with your ears).
So if you ever get a shot, you should try it! It will change your life.
Cheers and stuff, pix
Hey Ace Dragon,
I like snow, but not that much snow.
The Indian villagers are good people. I was around them a lot in India. I never did go to an Indian village but yeah, they’re all people like us. I was having a hard time communicating though … but yeah. You’re right there, pix.
Oh yeah, now I am in Czech Republic. More snow here than Germany. I don’t think it is colder though.
As far as I know, most of Europe is just coming out a major wave of cold, so your timing when it comes to cold could’ve been a lot worse.
As for where I live, temperatures have often been averaging in the 50’s, not a good thing for those that like seeing blankets of snow, but a great thing for those trying to maintain or lose weight through outdoor activity (I think I’m getting well in of a personal record for outdoor winter walking distance ;))
Have you ever thought about visiting Sweden? ;D
Yeah! I am disappointed I am not getting to go to Scandinavia this trip. Oh well, maybe next time. Can’t really complain.
Now in Slovakia. It’s not too different (to me) from Czech in terms of buildings and language. People are different though.
I also went to Prague while in Czech Republic:
Took 15 hours of train travel and three trains to get from Slovakia to Croatia via Budapest. Spent about three hours waiting for the train in Budapest and then took a really awful train from Budapest to Zagreb that was really dirty and cramped. Ugh. At least Croatia is a beautiful country.
Do they have any good beer there?
Let me tell you a little story here. It is true.
See, I was flying around halfway around the world on British Airways. All in all it was around a 21 hour trip (including stop-overs). We stopped for awhile at Gatwick airport somewhere in England. Actually I think that it was in Sussex close to central London.
Well, anyway, when we got there (my friend and I) found that they had a hospility lounge. They had an open bar and everything was free! So we got crocked! Then we found out that they had free showers and we decided to take one (I think it was like 50 cents for clean towels).
Then we did our business and on our way back, I was drinking free beer. So after a while, I really wanted a cigarette. Well, you can not smoke in the cabin. I was going crazy! You can not smoke in the bathrooms because they have smoke detectors. So, in a moment of distress, I asked a stewardess about this. She told me “no problem, you just have to come into the galley” So I did. There I was surrounded by about six stewardess puffing away like crazy. They started asking me all kinds of questions about where I had been and where I was going. And they were really cute too. I could not tell them many facts, so I just leaned back on the counters or stove and finished my cigarette.
Yeah, world travel can be fun!
Just a side note. On our way back we stopped at Gatwick again. It was around 6:30 or 7:00 in the morning (local time). Now there is not much to do at that time of day. All of the shops were closed. So we walked about in the terminal and found a pub or something that was open! So we decided to have a couple of pints of some nice dark ale, it was Guinness I think. So we were talking with the bar-keep and I said “it is kind early in the morning to be having ale don’t you think”? He replied “ Well it is probably not that early where you came from”. How true! Jet lag and time differences can really mess with your head! It was nice to have an understanding bar-keep. We left him a nice tip.
pix
Okay, some how or the other, my friend and I ended up in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. We really didn’t know what to do. Yeah, you can can sit around and drink rum all day, yet that is boring. So we went out and rented a couple of Honda motor cycles. It didn’t cost much. They were pretty wimpy though. We paid $2.00 US for drivers licenses, no test or anything, just pay for them. Then we set out to explore the island. It was kind of strange because you have drive on the other side of the road than what you are used to. That is not too difficult except at intersections. So we set off. We found a path that went down into a large canyon. There was a stream at the bottom and we decided to check it out. Going down was fine, a little tricky, yet we made it. We stopped and looked around for a while and then thought it was time to continue our explorations. Well, getting back up the hill turned out to be a problem. You see, the wimpy little Hondas were not up to the task. So we had to take turns pushing each other up the hill, maybe around 100 feet at a time. We made it though, finally, pavement again! So then we started cruising again. Along the way, a wasp flew into my Levi jacket and under my shirt. It started stinging me! It felt like being whipped by hot wires! I almost wrecked the bike, yet I did not. I smashed the little thing. The pain did not last that long and I did recover shortly. Then, we discovered an old Dutch (I think) fort on one of the coasts. All of the doors and gates were locked, no way in. So my friend and I checked it out. We found an old pipe up the side of the thing and decided to climb it. Well, we made it. Soon we were at the top of the fort. We started looking around. It was strange, we found a room with old records and stuff, mostly medical things about various conditions, mostly sexually related. Then, we went down into the court-yard. There were prison cells all around us, iron bars and everything. There was a fountain in the middle (not working by the way). Then, we got attacked by a hoard of fleas, thousands of them! We had to go and jump in the ocean to get rid of them.
Another thing, see I was wearing my Levi jacket Yet I did not button up my cuffs, so they blew back while we were riding. I got sun poisoning, do know what that is? It is not like a sunburn at all. No, you get blisters around two inches in diameter and about 3/4 of an inch high. It is like your skin is getting cooked off of you. Really not much fun.
So if you ever go there, do not play in the midday sun, the locals don’t and for good reason.
try being in a situation where you would have to dig out your house.
So, line in maine?
As for croatia, wish I was there.
Interesting stories, pix. Croatia is a nice country. After Croatia I went to Hungary and Slovenia, and now I am in Venice, Italy. Venice is definitely a interesting city, totally worth a trip, I think.
After Venice I went to Florence, and then London. I also visited Ireland in the beginning of April.
I just checked out this awesome video of a fellow named Matt who danced in tons of countries. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlfKdbWwruY&feature=relmfu) He’s visited like 80 countries … I wish I could do that myself someday.