There is glitter on my backpack

Day... 6 maybe? Not really sure, but I AM sure that the days are going by much too quickly. I so wish I had a month or so to do this. Guess I will just have to come back again next year after chemo.

I have so many pictures I want to post, but they upload so slowly that it's hard to find enough time to do them. When I have the time to blog, like now, I have no internet (like now) or no power... when I have strong internet and full power or an outlet, I have no time. Alas, the pity.
It is 12:38 (just past midnight) in what has just become Monday morning. I am still at the Paris hostel. I bought my train ticket today to move on to Nice, and then missed the train by about 5 minutes. I had to reschedule for tomorrow morning, and lug all my crap all the way back to the hostel. Luckily, even though I had checked out, they let me have my room back again. It's that private room again. The only problem is they still have not rebooted the DHCP device up here, so I have no internet unless I go down to the lounge. Since I am in my skivvies, I think I best not.

No clever title or text... just a few more paris pics

outside hostel

blurry street - there are a few of these here

these were holy crap yummy

hostel restaurant/bar

tilt your head to the left and it will make more sense

OK, I gotta run.  cannot post the pics of yesterday's adventures like I wanted.  I have to go to the laundrymat, and then the picasso museum.

I go out walking... after midnight

My feet hurt!  There is so much to see here.  I walked for 5 hours straight last night.  Everything ached when I got back to the hostel.  I wanted to post last night when I got to my room, because I have TONS of good pictures to share, but the wifi is my was not working.  I ended up just passing out, and slept until 11. 

I came down this morning and told the hostel staff that the wifi in my room was not working, and that they needed to reboot the dhcp server, as I was not getting an IP address.  The dude said he didn't know anything about it, and that I should just use the wireless down here in the common area, which irked me because I told him exactly how to fix it.  I really wanted to have the wifi in my room.  I paid a lot for this room (I got moved yesterday) because it's a private room.  I don't mind the shared rooms at all, but am loving the private room for one main reason - I don't have to lock everything up every time I go anywhere. I have my stuff sprawled out all over the entire room.  I am staying in that room again tonight, and will probably move on to Nice tomorrow. 

It is 1:30p right now.  I will probably go to the Picasso museum today, but have decided to make this day more relaxing so am not sure what I will do.  I started out this trip with a very "take my time, relax" attitude, but since getting into Paris, being that there is so much to do and see here, I keep slipping back into a sort of "gotta-get-there" mode, and keep having to remind myself that there is no reason to rush... there is nothing I have to do, and no where I have to be.  It actually takes some effort.

The amount of stuff I want to post about, and the amount of pictures I want to post is becoming overwhelming.  I may have to save a lot of it forwhen I get home.  I guess that would be better anyway.  It would be silly to come home with no stories or pics to share because they have all been posted.

My battery is dying soon so I will have to move to a table with an outlet.  That's all for now... I am going to post a few pics.

Day 5 - Paris (Saturday)

Time is going by much too quickly.  I wish I had another 3-4 weeks to stay.  I am probably going to stay in Paris longer than I thought, as there is so much I want to see.  I am heading out in a few minutes to the Louvre.  I had breakfast a little while ago with Sonia and Maryanne.  Then I had to pack up my luggage and store it until 2:00 when I can move into my private room.  I wish there were another dorm bed open because it's much cheaper, and I like making friends with the women from all over.  Too bad we don't have hostels in the U.S.  I would travel more if we did.  Between the public transportation system and the hostels, Europe is really set up for visiting throughout.

This is some sort of high security building in Paris.  Perhaps there's a Brussels bakery in there.

YUMMMMMMM

There are a lot of these little cars around.

The hallway of my dorm

Paris - right outside the hostel

Outside of the hostel again

A women in front of me leaving the metro station had this little guy sticking out of her suitcase.  It made me giggle.

My hostel breakfast.  Look how huge the spoons are!!!

OK, on to the Louvre

Day 4 (right??) - Paris

Arrival platform at train station

This is the metro station for my new home.  (the new Leidspleins for you da-Damians)












I go to my hostel to check in (it's called Saint Christopher's) and the clerks are just changing shifts, so they asked me to have a drink in the bar and come back in a minute or two.  I say "sure."  So I go sit at the bar, and look down in front of me, and notice that apparently this is my seat at the bar!!! 

Wow.  I was impressed.  I only made the reservation a few hours beforehand. 

church

My Paris home - St. Christoper Hostel.  It's great here!  New building, super clean, lots of stuff to do (bars, restaurant, internet cafe, common room, etc.) huge bathrooms, roomy, comfy beds, large lockers, etc.  I met a few women in my dorm.  This one is all female (The Pig was mixed).  I was rooming with a very sweet 18 year old from Canada named Sonia, a nice mother/daughter team (Maryanne and Lisal) from Australlia, and a couple of other girls I did not get to know, as I just saw them briefly.  I have found several other women travelling Europe alone.  Today I move to a private room, as the dorms were all booked for tonight (Saturday).  I had to pay for both beds in the room, so it's like 95euro ($150) but is still a LOT cheaper than any hotel.  I also get free wifi  here. 

This is a little boutique I found near my Metro stop (Crimee).  It is run by an asian mother/daughter team (I think).  I bought several things here.  Their prices were good!   I got 8 things (tops, skirts, etc.) for about 120 euro.  It will be neat to have clothes that I bought in Paris.  I am still looking for second hand shops

Last of the Brussels pictures

these are all made of chocolate

Rear: Some Brussian (is that what they're called?) who got mean when I asked for directions

Front: Some Brussian who yelled at me in some non-English language when I took this pic of bitchlady.  I told her "I don't speak...that" and bitch lady said she was saying I cannot take pics in there.. the bakery...apparently it's top secret.

A pay-by-the-day locker at Central.  I kept my bag here (In No. 11) while exploring  Brussles.

Art in the street.

More street art.

more street art.  Belgian Waffles.

More random pics

Market area in Brussels

Here they number the floors like PC hard drives... starting at 0

Waterloopein market in da Dam

some gals smoking at a hookah bar in brussels

gyro in brussels

Brussels is cool looking

Random pics from da Dam

a gross beer I had at the Flying Pig (hostel in da dam).  I didn't like it at all.  I don't like beer... not sure why I thought I might like this one.  Some dude was happy to take it over though.  Gross.

Some fellow hostellers at The Flying Pig in "da Dam" (Now I like that name)

Leidesplein - you all know what that is. 

Soap, from the grocery store.  I am glad they rename it in the U.S.  OUCH!

The case at Boom.

Fountain in the plaza in front of Boom.

Kinda hard to see   but this is some lady in an old fashioned dress, like a fancy one from Little House On The Prarie.  The type Nellie Olsen would wear, not what the Ingles' would have.  I don't know why she's wearing this, but it caught my eye.

da Dam.

Anne Frank memorial.  I was not allowed to take pics in the Anne Frank house.  Sorry. 

Dolce & Gabbana!!!

Dude sitting outside a cafe, that I talked with for a few minutes.  His name is Aipi.  It's prounced appy, like in Happy.

He has a dog named Jackie Chan.  That's about all I got out of him.  His English was... how you say... no too good

OK, I know the pics have been somewhat lacking.  I have some on the camera from Brussels, and my arrival in Paris, and will post them tomorrow.  I will also have really good pics starting tomorrow as I will be at the Louvre.  In Paris.  Yeah... I know.... right????!!!!

.

yeah, um...

I'm in Paris
'nuff said.

Day 3 - Blrlooooosallays

That's how they say "Brussels" here...where I am... in Brussels.  OK, so here's what's happened since I left off last night.

Internet in my room kept cutting out so I was not able to upload my post and pictures.  I went to sleep.  A few hours later some new roomates come crashing in, putting on the lights, being very loud and rude.  Although it's very out of character, this did not anger me.    Seriously... I didn't even swear at them.  So they are complaining that some dude is in their bed, and they go get the clerk who comes in and they are talking, and waking everyone up, and not making any effort at all to try not to disturb people (it's like 1 or 2 a.m.) which I cannot understand at all, how people can be so rude.  I would not even pack up my things when I wanted to because the two girls in the next bunk were lying there, not even sleeping, but I still didn't want to disturb them.  So anyway, I figure these loud jerks will get theirs in the morning.  I went to sleep.

This morning I woke around 8:30, and was eager to get going, since I am heading out of Amsterdam today.  I look over at the bunk of the two kind, quiet girls, and they are already gone (I didn't hear a peep!) so I proceeded to pack my thing at my own pace, not trying to be quiet (not trying to be loud either, that would be just assholeish).  Soon the whole room was up but no one said anything.  I guess some cultures are just jerks.  Oh, maybe they are from Belgium... I found out today that the Belgineese (or is it Bolognas?) are not the kindest of people.

Anyway.... I pack up, get a quick bowl of corn flakes from the common room, and head out, to Leidespleins to catch the tram to Central, to catch the Rail to Brussels.  Again I'm impressed with the ease of the transportation system, asI leisurely meander my way to Central, get a ticket for Blrlooooosallays and go sit on the platform, which to my disappointment was 13a and not 9 3/4, and talk to the old couple next to me.  Before I know it the train is there.  I get on, fall asleep, yada yada, I'm in Brussels. 

I figured I would go ahead and get my ticket to Paris before leaving the station, and it's a good thing I did, because I didn't know this, but that clerk closes at 18:30 (yeah, I hate this 24 hour time.  I'm forever counting).  So I buy my ticket for Paris for 84 euros.  It leaves at 21:30 (9:30) tonight.  So... I have 8 hours to walk around.  I put my suitcase in a locker in the station for 3 euro, and I take a bus to a random place that looks interesting and get off. 

Unlike Amsterdam, not everyone here speaks English.  In fact, they speak French (I didn't know that).  So, being fluent as I am, I have begun saying "bon jour" and "merci" to every shop keeper as I come and go.  Apparently it's an insult if you do not do this.  At first I was just saying "Hi" and "thank you" because, well, I speak English... but then I realized I'm sposta try to speak French.  Ooops :)

The people are not as nice here as they are in Amsterdam.  Perhaps they are on to something with that legalized pot thing.  (Which reminds me... I never did make it to the red light district.  Not a huge disappointment but would have been interesting to see.)

Oh darn... I only have about 20 minutes left on my laptop battery, so I will finish up here and put a few pictures up, then pick up again when I am in Paris.  How cool is that...in Paris.  I still can't believe I am here.  In Brussels.

OK, so I've been looking everywhere for something for James.  I didn't end up getting him anything in Amsterdam... I really looked but couldn't find anything :(  So I really want to get him something here but again cannot find anything.  I did get a box of Belgian chocolates for my beautiful daughter.  (Oh, that reminds me... Joss, I sent a package from Amsterdam to your house.  YOU CANNOT HAVE THE SHOES (you wouldn't like them anyway).  But the little thing in the bag is yours, and there are also some Amsterdam sweets from the grocery store... help yourself.  Email me when you get the package please.)  It cost me 20euro ($30) to send home those shoes that were already too expensive.  That's OK though... Neil says I'm worth it.  :)

OK, where was I?  So I am walking around Brussels, and I stop to get a gyro.  It was good.  I've been looking for internet since I got here.  Not everyone has it like they do in Amsterdam (or 'da Dam') as I like to call it.  Just kidding, I don't call it that... OK, actually I just made that up.  I digress.  I come into this coffee shop because they have delicious looking eclairs in the window, order a cup of coffee and an eclair, and decide to turn on my laptop and create a blog entry even if I cannot post it now because of no internet.  To my surprise, I actually picked up a connection, so here I am.  In Brussels.  At Cafe Liegeois. 

OK, gotta run so I'll have enough battery to find a room in Paris.  Love you all.  Your mission today:  Tell someone you love them.  I love all of you!