It's been a long time coming, but here's the Leicester update. Cheers to all of you who have suffered through my long, long absence from here, which has in most part been from having not a great deal too talk about. During the meat and potatoes of the trip, namely the schlepping around Europe, it was something new every day, but with Leicester it's been a nice, relaxed counterpoint to that. I've made some great friends, worked for a company that I hold in very high regard, and spent time getting to know a really great city.

From UK pt2

Leicester Market.

It's very much like Canberra, actually. It has the same small-town feel to it, where you can go from one end to the other and still see someone you know by name. It has the same size population, with the same basic proportions -- students, mostly. And if you replaced chinese with Polish... you get the idea I hope. It's also very relaxed, not that the people who live there believe that :-)

From UK pt2

Given a highly original name, this is The Clock Tower

It also has the same semi-retarded local government, among whose major acheivements are such magnum opi as: killing small businesses through a combination of a horribly expensive and torturously complicated signage laws, and astronomical council taxes (I know of a high-street property that costs GPB250,000 per year for the privilege of just being there). Although, they do have a VERY clean, well-maintained city :-)

From UK pt2

Is it just me, or does this look like it started out as a penitentiary?

The one thing that it has and Canberra doesn't is rain. Lots of it. For the first 3 weeks, it rained EVERY SINGLE DAY. Big rain, small rain, horizontal and vertical, storming and sun-showers. I'm told I missed 2 weeks of 35 degree weather by as little as a week. Bah, I say :-)

From UK pt2

Nottingham.

Oh, while I was there, I hit Nottingham, famous for its castle and the various stories that go with it. I'll be honest, there isn't a lot of Robin Hood there, whichh is sad. There was a spectacular ghost tour, though, run by someone of the Norse Gods faith, a name for which i've never learned, who was an amazing storyteller.

From UK pt2

Oh, and a beach-themed carnival in the centre of the city :-)

From UK pt2

From UK pt2

I also hit up Warhammer World while I was there, which proved to be the utterly geek haven I was expecting, and came complete with a Dwarvish-themed bar. Classy :-)

From UK pt2

Howdy,

I've just had the privilege of being linked to your website and your fine cause. I take my hat off to you -- tackling the problem of the removing derogatory usage of homosexual, bisexual and transgender terminology in schools is a very weighty, very lofty goal, but one well worth the effort to acheive.

However, I honestly do not believe that you will have the effect that you intend. I'm curious: what do you believe insulting 90-95% percent of the populace will achieve? Do you believe that it will produce results beyond defensiveness and retribution? Because when humans are attacked in such a manner as you're attempting with the poster advertisements on your website (I do not know the physical or electronic distribution of the ads), they tend to retreat, put up their defences, and then remove whatever thorn is currently in their side.

I would consider myself a reasonably open-minded man, one who has studied the human consciousness at great academic length, and later on from a more creative perspective. I have a number of gay, lesbian and bisexual friends with whom I have relaxed, studied, and worked closely. I do not pretend to understand their points of view all the time, though I do try, but I don't always have to: they are their own people, and usually stronger and more independent than I. I'm a graduated university student in the field of language and communications, and constantly it seems I am stopping young children, with whom I work closely, from using gay out of context. I do not say all this to impress you, but rather to impress upon you that I am not your enemy, simply an intelligent observer.

However, I am also an avid gamer -- I have collected many titles, over the course of many years. The volume of these games might even outnumber the many people I consider friends. One of your advertisements denigrates me, attacks my character, insults me. Would you consider me, the "gamer guy with more videogames than friends," to be a second-class citizen compared to a homosexual individual?

The concept of "Otherness" is not an alien one to the world. Humans naturally place themselves and those who share their beliefs above those who do not, and as part of the process of "Othering" their chosen enemies humans have always resorted to name calling. Names have power. Gook, Spick, Raghead, Charlie, Nigger -- even names in common use like Frogs or Ruskies can be used to describe or insult an entire group. The HBT community, as with all communities, has adopted phrases coined and used in a derogatory manner by the "straight" populace as badges of honour, as names for themselves and their lifestyles. It is only through the guerilla use and eventual mainstream acceptance of these terms that the communities are so cohesive, so vibrant, so united. Language can be a banner to unite behind as well as a weapon to cower from. So how you plan to eliminate your chosen language from harmful use when the community you seek to protect uses these terms itself. These terms insult you only because they name you, and they name you only because you choose to let them. I would even question why a term used so proudly by members of the homosexual, bisexual and transgender community can hurt so much -- surely when the Others try to use them to hurt you, they are really just accepting who you are?

I would suggest that, perhaps, you are fighting the wrong battle. Firstly, you must battle Otherness -- human nature itself. When you have beaten that, there will be nothing left to fight.

I leave you with that, although I welcome the opportunity to debate and discuss with you on this topic.

Kind regards,

Dave Ellis

Hi guys,

Well, this is my last update about somewhere i've been on continental Europe -- knowing me, i'm sure i'll find something else to talk about, though :-) Sorry about the wait!

From Amsterdam

I absolutely love Amsterdam. It's a truly amazing city -- I wandered, and wondered at it, the whole time I was there. I took tours and did attractions, but what I did mainly was just wander, just casually checking it out, on guided walking tours and in person.

From Amsterdam

This house is the thinnest in Amsterdam -- about 1.8 metres wide, built that way because there ussed to be a tax based on the width of new houses. The current owner is taller than the house is wide :-)

Amsterdam's got Quirk, which is more than I can say for a lot of European cities. Oh, they all have something unique about them, and that's great, be it history or a famous monument or building or they're near something, sure, but Amsterdam has a history that sees it as a mere fishing village, then transforming into quite literally the most powerful place on earth, and perhaps the first global superpower.

From Amsterdam

I was lucky to get this shot and get out alive, I think -- I found out later, when I took a guided tour, that the girls are very protective of their identities and their profession. If they see someone taking photos, they grab the camera and smash it, if the guy's lucky, and throw the photographer in the canal if they're not. Apparently some of them even keep small cups of urine next to their doors, and if the guy's bold enough to stand there and take it they get a short sharp shower. Go for ingenuity :-)

From Amsterdam

I took this before I was told that the three crosses are Amsterdam's coat of arms. Even knowing that, it's amusing :-)

From Amsterdam

Much to my disappointment, these are both glass. Still, the Gassan 121 cut is gorgeous.

From Amsterdam

The diamonds on the table, however, are completely real. And apparently the diamonds themselves are worth roughly 60,000 Euro total. The guide, a sales rep, also brought out about ten boxes of jewellery filled with diamonds and precious stones for the guests to try on (ladies mainly -- no mens jewellery). They must be sadists, I think, in the Gassan factory -- they're waiting for someone to try to pocket something, so that they can watch them get shot on the way out :-)

From Amsterdam

So I didn't realise that Coffeeshops in Amsterdam were actually places to buy weed. Drew, you don't need a license to get it, you'll be happy to learn :-) So anyway, I learned this the easy way -- didn't need to go in and ask for a coffee, as they stink of marijuana, so I worked it out on my own without embarrassment.

On my second day in Amsterdam I did a walking tour, met a fun American sociology teacher who wanted badly to smoke some ganja, so we went inside a coffee shop and split some cones, and who should I see but Ivan, a guy I met five days earlier on my Chernobyl tour! So we sat with him and his space-cake, chatting for an hour. Single oddest moment of my trip so far :-)

From Amsterdam

The Condomerie -- a thoroughly amusing shop consisting entirely of plastic condoms, which are useless to use because they break easily but are fantastic for moulding into, say, Big Ben, or animal shapes, or Pokemon.

From Amsterdam

Lastly, this is my favourite shop in all of Amsterdam. I giggled every time I walked past :-)

I'm in Leicester now, have been for 2 weeks or so, so i'll throw some photos together for that soon.

I'm leaving Europe now -- the European Union anyway. Britain calls me again, or at least somewere stable for a while calls me. I'm tired of the traveling that means you have to pack up and leave every 3-4 nights, and be paranoid about what you've done with or left in your bags. I feel like finding a nicce quiet spot and settling in for a bit -- Leicester, namely. I'll be here for roughly a month, and then we'll see what happens again.

So today i'm going to catch up on the entries i've missed - Kiev and Munich. I'll be leaving Amsterdam to its own entry, as i spent more time thjere and got many more likable photos.

So, Kiev. From the moment I stepped on the tarmac I knew it was going to be a challenge, and then revised the estimate as I spent a half hour in passport control.

From Kiev

View from my hotel.

From Kiev

A monument. I don't know what it represents, though.

From Kiev

Outside the old town, this is what Kiev is: apartments.

The language barrier was the hardest thing to overcome -- Kiev seems like an amazing city, but unless you know how to ask people where to go you don't necessarily get to see very much of it. The monuments and museums are also very spread out, and I didn't have a lot of time. I'd love to come back, though.

Munich:

From Munich

The Munich maypole. There are many conflicting stories about WHY there are maypoles, and i'll be honest, none of them sounded even remotely feasible. So, this being Europe, I choose to believe them all :-)

From Munich

This, I think, needs no introduction.

From Munich

I had the pleasure of seeing these guys perform their CD twice, and they were wonderful! I was a little saddened, though, that the woman never seemed to have any solos, just the two on the left.

One thing i've seen perhaps more than anything else has been churches. And temples. And shrines. Places of religious experience, created for the dead, dedicated to the dead, and populated largely by the dead. Here, in Europe, they have a fetish for the dead.

In every cathedral that i've been in -- more some than others, really, nudge nudge Westminster Abbey -- tombs have had pride of place, reliquaries containing old bones or skulls (or worse -- there are stories about blood, hanks of hair, foreskins and Mary's amniotic fluid), wrapped in prayers scribed onto ancient paper, surrounded by stained glass in gilded caskets. It's downright disgusting to see bones and bodies mutilated into a holy purpose like this. Not that I particularly care about what happens to a body after death, but to see remains treated like this by the church as if it means something is horrific.

Europeans, or at least European museums and religions, have a fascination with Egypt, which I suppose meshes well with their death fetish, as Egyptians revered death. And yet it isn't horrific to see a mummy in a sarcophagus (which I have, in the Vatican Museum), I think because the body is treated with reverence, kept whole, treated with chemicals to preserve it -- it is worshipped. Unlike the Catholic church, which cuts up their dead saints and apparently distributes them to churches around Europe, as if being closer to a dead Saint (who's spirit has, I might remind viewers, LEFT THE BODY by now for destination heaven) will bring you closer to enlightenment, or God, or perhaps merely a miracle.

Now i'vve been mulling all this over, and I think the Bible holds the answer here. Revelation, and any works based on Revelation, remind us of the Christian belief of the final judgement, when the dead shall rise and walk the earth while the faithful rise to heaven. The Catholics have been collecting bodies of saints and celebrities for centuries now. I have personally stood in the presence of Voltaire, Napoleon I, Charles Darwin and (apparently) Saint Peter. Among others, many many others, ranging from military names to authors. If the Catholics believe that they are going to Heaven in the final hudgement, and they have interred most of these famous dead whole in body in churches, and the dead shall rise and walk the earth, have the Catholics been carefully keeping track of who they don't want to see in Heaven when they get there and making sure they have a body to reinhabit? Will these famous dead be ripped from Paradise to walk the earth eternally as zombies, while the Catholics look down from heaven and laugh?

But even before the Final Judgement happens, the dead are almost exclusively being buried in consecrated ground -- ground, if you believe the church, that is highly charged with spiritual energy. If the dead are infused by God's will, energy, whatever, which has already got a track record for bodily resurrection, then churches are prime candidates for ground zero of a zombie event.

I urge you all to be on your guard. Should this happen, Zombies will be be able to count on their side some of the greatest writers, thinkers and military minds that have ever existed. They will truly be a force to be feared. On the upside, of course, Australia is nicely removed from Europe, where the worst of it will be. Oh, and Zombies apparently can't think. But still, be vigilant.

Maybe,

From Chernobyl

You'll think of me,

From Chernobyl

When you are all alone,

From Chernobyl

Maybe the one who was waiting for you,

From Chernobyl

Will prove untrue,

From Chernobyl

Then what will you do?

From Chernobyl

Maybe,

From Chernobyl

You'll sit and sigh,

From Chernobyl

Wishing that I were near,

From Chernobyl

Then,

From Chernobyl

Maybe,

From Chernobyl

You'll ask me to come back again,

From Chernobyl

And maybe i'll say,

From Chernobyl

Maybe

From Chernobyl

“In matters nuclear one thing is certain: there is no protection in an iron curtain.” A letter in The Times May 3rd, 1986.

A nice quick entry today. To start with, After Prague I went to Krakow, with a mind to use it as a base to see Auschwitz and Birkenau. I'd also heard good things about Krakow itself.

However, there's not a lot to Krakow aside from Oscar Schindler's factory (hard to find if you're not on a tour) and the castle / dragon's cave.

From Krakow

The best statue in Krakow. Just plain awesome :-)

I didn't take an enormous number of good photos, or even passable ones I think. So moving onto the most depressing part of the trip so far, Auschwitz:

From Auchwitz

The famously ironic slogan.

From Auchwitz

From Auchwitz

An equally infamous railway in Birkenau.

So the guide we had was, in a word, melodramatic. Okay, so we're in a death camp, a concentration camp, we all understand the gravity of the place, but every second thing was the "NOUN of Death." Every second phrase was "But only a small number ever lived." I don't want to say comical, but towards the end it was eyes-rollingly predictable, and had gone far beyond the happy medium of being informative and moving.

I have now seen a case full of human hair, spectacles, shoes and hairbrushes. I was suitably shuddery and creeped out at that stage. THAT, while her commentary was silent ("needs no explanation") was moving.

I've been on trains for the last 2 days to get to Munich, where tomorrow morning early I catch a plane to Kiev, then the Chernobyl tour. This is the one final thing, short of the job that I have in Leicester, that I am actually planning to do here in Europe. Quite frankly, traveling alone is draining. I've met so many people, and they've been great, but I miss home, and I miss Denisse.

So probably a grand total of 6 weeks to go -- more if the job is amazing, but that would have to be a pretty strong amazing at this stage.

I got back late, i'm tired, and i'm heading to Krakow tomorrow on close to a 9 hour train ride. So this will be short :-)

From Prague

The old Jewish cemetary. Something like 12,000 ddead are stacked in there, i'm told.

From Prague

The Astronomical Clock. Very cool :-)

From Prague

A statue of Saint Wenceslas.

From Prague

Prague Castle.

From Prague

The cathedral inside Prague Castle.

Sadly, I was unable to find yonder castle of Vyseharad. Next time :-) Incidentally, since I left Venice there hasn't been a single day without rain. Today was no exception: the sun shone for a grand total of 20 minutes! Not that i'm complaining, it's wonderful touring weather, the kind I was wishing for in Rome.

More when i'm not so tired and don't have to pack!

A quick entry:

From Vienna

The Ukraini Embassy in Vienna -- practically my second home.

Okay, so there WAS a picture of my Ukraini visa here, but as it was pointed out, that isn't very secure or safe, so down it goes.

I have a few of the basic Cyrillic character sounds worked out, too, so i'm on my way to being ablee to pronounce the Russian language... ultimately, nothing matters aside from I HAVE A UKRAINI VISA! Woo!

Chernobyl here I come :-)

I'll be brutally honest, Vienna really has become simply a base for stuff I have to do. I'm sure there's one in every trip, where you go out and buy the stuff you need, or get the planning done for the next bit, or whatever, and that one is Vienna. I've spent most of my time mending/replacing clothes, looking for and working with the Ukrainian Embassy, and booking the Chernobyl portion of my trip that I honestly don't have any time for this city anymore. It has become little more than a very average experience.

From Vienna

That said, I love when the Europeans do this with their buildings under renovation :-)

From Vienna

Well-timed photos are awesome.

From Vienna

Tick that box. Not gonna tell you who this is, BTW, you can figure that one out by yourself.

From Vienna

The blue Danube... canal.

From Vienna

Lastly, this building is thoroughly awesome :-)

I'll be putting up photos of my beloved Ukrainian Embassys soon, too. I think it earns its own entry, given how much of a pain in the arse it has been :-)

Ahoy! Nothing for awhile, but that comes from the total and complete lack of any free wireless internet in Venice. I did find a place, but it was sitting next to a capped artesian well at 12 a night, by accident, while I was writing an entry, and it lasted just long enough to see all the emails that had built up. So eh.

Venice! City of bridges my arse, it's really the city of many small bridges and very few major ones. The city of walking huge lengths of path until you stumble upon a way across the Grand Canal. It's a gorgeous city though, absolutely gorgeous. The water is this amazing turquoise, the houses reach haphazardly for the sky, and the people are friendly. It was, of course, hot and humid. This is a seaside Italian town, after all.

So, day one:

From Venice

Murano, an island with all the appeal of a Charlie Chaplin lookalike, because unlike the rest of Venice, the inhabitants are rude and strangely mute when you try to speak to them, the island is ugly both to the eyes and the nose, and the glassworks galleries are wonderful look-but-don't-touch affairs.

From Venice

Burano, the exact opposite of Murano, this time with lace instead of glass, I think, but more importantly they specialise in the ancient art of attempting to hold onto visitors for more than the half hour it takes for the next boat to arrive when they realise that there's nothing really there.

And that's basically that for day one. I had some dinner and went to bed. Day two!

From Venice

Score for timing!

From Venice

Taken from a water taxi.

From Venice

I still don't know why this happened, but it happened right before the Andrea Bocelli concert started. Yes, I got to "see" Andrea Bocelli live in concert, from the other side of high black panels designed to stop me doing exactly that. Ha!

---

Okay, moving on to Salzburg, an act that took me 8 hours on a train but will take you only a few second more...

From Salzburg

Contrary to what it looks like, it tastes exactly like normal tea and does precisely squat all.

From Salzburg

This couple had just come out of the museum, and I have to say it looked like every preconception they had about Mozart had been squarely shattered.

From Salzburg

Hehehe. Language barriers rock.

From Salzburg

Lastly, in Mirrabell Gardens, there are four statues that can only be described as GO PLANET!

Bear with me -- there's a few more to go!

From Salzburg

That afternoon, I went to the world's largest ice cave, hiked a kilometre up 1400 steps, and saw some amazing constantly shifting ice formations. Sadly, photographby inside the cave is prohibited, but this photo is the entrance.

From Salzburg

Salzburg. Fairytale city.

From Salzburg

Today, I got up early to go and see the Eagle's Nest...

From Salzburg

... And I discovered this abomination within it: a restaurant, a snack kiosk and a souvenir shop! Hitler's 50th birthday present, a symbol of the power of the Third Reich, and it's become what I can only say with venom is a tourist attraction!

From Salzburg

Didn't stop me having a bier at Hitler's place, though.

From Salzburg

One of my favourite photos.

From Salzburg

At the Salzburg fortress. Marionettes are WEIRD and CREEPY.

Anyway, Vienna next, then probably Prague. I'm still looking for a way to get to Kiev for cheap and quick, though, if anyone has any ideas.

I forgot to say in my last entry, I was burgled (or someone tried to) twice in Rome, on the first full day I was there. First time, the zip on my bag -- all padlocked up -- was split down the zip, like someone had yannked it open, and they'd been looking through it. The second time, a day later, someone kindly opened my toiletries bag and, leaving everything else, took the shampoo and liquid soap. Nothing else. Nice one, guys. Hope you feel good.

I decided not to go to Napoli, Vesuvius and Pompeii right now -- it's absurdly hot, and i'm not doing so well in the heat, so i went straight to Venice instead (it's on the way for the rest of my trip). I LOVE this freedom to go anywhere on a whim :-)

From Rome

On my last full day in Rome I did the Coliseum and the Palatino/Forum ruins and archeological site, which was a revelation. The Coliseum is in terrible shape! I know what I expected, and now I have a good idea of what it actually was: the differences between the two are huge. For one, the Coliseum is tiny compared to what I imagined. And, actually, compared to how it was described on the tour: as a stadium that could hold 50,000 people. Hmmm. Anyway, moving on:

From Rome

From Rome

The Palatino is amazing. Not amazing like the Trevi Fountain or David, but amazing in the respect that I was standing in the middle of history. As a tour guide who helpfully didn't notice that I had tagged onto his group explained, for hundreds of years every major decision in the largest and most powerful empire in the world was made in the Forum and the forum area. Nowhere else in history has had so much power so concentrated for so long.

A great final night out as well, with a couple of guys I met in the hostel: Hamish from Bordsmouth, and Antonio from Buenos Aires -- dinner overlooking the Coliseum at sunset, and then a couple of bottles of wine at the Trevi Fountain, culminating in proof that the British are shy and retiring, while the Aussies have balls of steel and can talk to anyone, anywhere, with no provocation. I hope you're reading this, Hamish :-)

Anyway, more about Venice later once i've had a look around. And from there i'm thinking Salzburg, because I want to go to Birchtesgardten (sp?) and the Eagle's Nest. Dangerous, I know, but the zombie Hitler hasn't been seen in years, so I should be safe.

From Rome

Oh, before I go, here's a photo for Dani and Jenny -- Denisse, please make sure they get horribly jealous? :-P Oh, and check out the web album for the set.

Rome is an interesting experience. In Florence I was approached at the train station and got lucky. Here I was approached and got complete crap. The hostel, "Hotel Michigan" for everyone playing at home, is possibly the single worst experience of my trip so far. Dodgy bathroom, blocked drains, no locking doors (necessitating the complete removal of anything valuable at all times), and rooms you're allowed to smoke in. I think that last bit is actually someone doing it despite the signs, but the hostel doesn't seem to care, and so I slowly get lung cancer in Rome. Gonna stick it out for just 3 more nights (including tonight) and not 4 like I planned -- Rome isn't the amazing city i've been told it is, at least not when you're travelling by yourself.

From Pisa

Pisa yesterday, before I get too far ahead of myself. I went there on my way to Rome, which was a good choice because there's absolutely no way I could have spent a full day there by myself. Saw what there was to see, took photos for people wanting to look like they were holding up the tower (I should have charged, I would have made a fortune), and left happy that i've ticked that box.

From Pisa

No hay underneeath this leap of faith (geek-alert).

From Rome

Last night I went out and had a look at the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain -- some of you will be getting postcards soon, incidentally, written at the fountain. That might be my favourite part of Rome, actually -- chilled out, relaxed, good conversation if you care to try, and an awesome fountain :-)

From Rome

Oh, while I think about it, Trajan's Column.

From Rome

Did the Vatican today -- smuggled a pocket knife in by accident, showing how good security is :-) Got up nice and early to get in before the lines (mission successful) and managed to get a good long look at the Basilica and its cupola before the crowds really got there.

From Rome

St Peters at 0900.

From Rome

And then the Capella Sistina, full of crowds, which actually ended up being a good thing, as I was able to get plenty of photos while security was bothering other people. Woo!

From Rome

Michelangelo's Last Judgement

From Rome

Onto the Castel Sant'Angelo, then, for a short walking tour. Not what I envisioned, but still a good experience -- I think it's the only castle in Rome, short of Vatican City, and I didn't realiase that some of the Popes apparently used it as a residence too, so there were some nice rooms there.

From Rome

Piazza Navona after that, which has ugly signs and boards all over it right now for some reason, but I managed to get aa nice shot regardless.

From Rome

Lastly, the Pantheon, which I expected to be somewhat like the Parisian one, but it ended up being simple an enormous church. Deapan hurrah.

From Rome

Branded Roman tough.

Missing you all, especially here and now -- please keep me updated on stuff that's happening back home, I do get lonely and it does help.

Went to see the Uffizi gallery today -- and aside from the many busts of Roman Emperors, which was cool, the museum as a whole was disappointing. Plenty of paintings of Venus, including that famous one "the Birth of Venus," but I honestly think i'd have been just as fulfilled, culturally, if i'd missed this one. Aside from that, I hit the cupola of the Duomo, which was great.

From Florence

The ceiling in the cathedral-otherwise-known-as the duomo. Cos I can't remember its real name.

From Florence

Look closer and you get to see the thoroughly awesome Dante-themed frescoes :-)

From Florence

Lastly, the obligatory proof shot, proof of course that I climbed ALL 463 STEPS to the top, and all the way back down.

Florence is my currennt location, for only 2 days -- I was going to spend more time, but the place i'm staying (a small B&B, single room for the speedy recovery of my sanity by actually getting some sleep) didn't have 4 nights available, so I figured that rather than sending an entire day at Pisa and then coming back, i'd juist head to Pisa in the morning, sopend a half day there getting the requisite photo, then straight onto Rome.

Anyway, Florence is a nice little tourist trap, full of ancient history and designed clothing at ridiculous prices. Oh, and guys selling fake goods that run when the cops get there. It's fun to watch :-) And ONLY THE WOMEN beg. No men allowed, apparently. Even then they do it badly, I didn't see anyone give them anything, but people were buying copied paintings and sunglasses and handbags all day. Lots of money there.

Florence is also absurdly expensive. Not the food, which is alright and priced reasonably well, but the museums and monuments. Horribly expensive. I hope Rome is better, or i'll be running out of cash.

Onto the photos!

From Florence

The obligatory Proof I Was There shot. HELLOOOOOOOO TUSCANY!

From Florence

Michelangelo's David, the after shot. This was in the botanic gardens, and it's the only fat sculpture i've seen. I assume it's the ancient equivalent of Mad Magazine, caricaturing someone.

From Florence

In the Piazza del Duomo (or something). Thes guys are three out of maybe 15. WWJD?

From Florence

Michelangelo's David is the only reason I went to the Galleria Accademia, and paid the ridiculous entry fee. But it's worth it! This one statue is an example, perhaps the only example so far, of why I came to Europe: to immerse myself in the culture that we are sorely lacking in Australia (read: anything older that 50 years). The proportions are perfect, the sculpting is subtle, the skill of the artist obvious. This isn't a tiny portrait, this is an enormous example of what art is all about.

This is the only shot I was able to take before they cracked down on photos. So no Dave with David photos, like I was hoping for :-(

Oh, and may I just say, the women they have doing the security are SCARY.

From Florence

Two awesome street performers.

From Florence

Odd one out on the Basilica's doors, telling stories of happy-fun-times.

The Geneva photos:

From Geneva

GUESS WHERE I WENT! WOO!

From Geneva

GUESS WHERE I WENT! WOO!

Yeah, so not much else. I didn't do a great deal in Geneva. But where I did go was cool :-)

Howdy, y'all,

Well, I haven't updated in a few days, as you've likely noticed: I've been enjoying Interlaken thoroughly, and I haven't had a chance to recharge the laptop or even get the photos off my camera. But i'm in Geneva now, a place where the list of things I want to see is numbered at only two, and so i've set aside this Sunday afternoon/evening to do this update.

Switzerland is an interesting place. Unlike Paris, where the locals were constantly chatting with me or trying to get my attention, Swoitzerland doesn't really seem to care that i'm here. This is a nice change! I've met more tourists here in Switzerland than I have anywhere else, chating aimlessly, perhaps trying to fill the void left by the locals? Anyway, the locals seem to know what a good thing they're onto here, so they just sit back and let the business come to them.

The long-overdue Paris update (for those playing at home): Paris is a dirty, smelly, in-your-face city with no morals. It doesn't have that schizophrenia that Brussels has, with one foot in the past and onee in the future. No, Paris is all about the past, museums and monuments, scuplters and painters of days gone by. I love it. The city is uncomplicated, friendly and simple to navigate. It really is a romantic city, too.

Moving on, I was in Geneva first, straight from Paris, but there was no accommodation, so I went to Interlaken on the first night. It's been a goal of mine since I started planning the trip that I wanted to get to the top of Jungfrau... and now I have. Tick! Geneva's even simpler: a trip to visit CERN and then a trip to the UN HQ. These, collectively, should take me no more than a day, and so after that i'm heading to the hustle and bustle of Florence (and Pisa).

Up Jungfrau it's eternally snowing, and fog can (and does) roll in at any moment. This, sadl, happened to me. Although I suspect t's probably for the best, as I got a bit burned from when the sun was out. The snow's albedo is so high it was hard to see anything, hence the squint, and hence the burn, as I was getting twice as much sun at any one time... yeah.

Some photos (I took LOTS of the Alps, but I won't force you to suffer through them. Here are a few, though:

From Interlaken

The water really was this colour. I have no idea why, probably some mineral, but I was drinking it and i seem fine, so whatever really.

From Interlaken

Amy will appreciate this picture :-)

From Interlaken

I'm fairly certain this is the peak Jungfrau. I didn't get to the top, this is a viewing gallery a little way away, with some great views.

From Interlaken

I can now say that i've been high in Europe (bah-doom TISH).

From Interlaken

Sled dogs! :-D

Guaranteed to make you a better person.

I think i'm coming back here after the rest of my trip -- there's so much to see, and i'm not finished yet.

From France

Arch du Triumph.

From France

Moulin Rouge. Obligatory photo :-)

From France

The Sexodrome! Guess what happens there?

From France

From the Louvre -- Da Vinci's "Check Out My Stick"

From France

Also from the Louvre -- got lost in the Egyptian wing, and I noticed that they really new how to zombie-proof their sarcophagi. Good for them. Still didn't have shotguns.

From France

According to the random patronising worker bee who walked past as I took this, I angered the ghost of box 5. So they're going to be enjoying visits for awhile :-)

From France

For sale: One French cannon, never used, abandoned once.

From France

For Nathan, Drew and especially Sushi: Rodin's door design based heavily on Dante's Inferno.

From France

Lastly, according to Dan Brown, this woman has her hand on a penis.

Hi guys,

Well, i've spent a couple of days in Paris right now, and i've been surprised: I actually like Paris. Brussels was awful, but Paris has been, right from the get-go, pleasant to stay in and pleasant to tour around.

I've been doing a LOT of touring, so I won't do a systematic breakdown of most of the photos -- later. That'll come later. Until then, enjoy :-)

From France

Sacre-Coer, on a rainy day.

From France

Saint Ichabod Crane, in the Diocese of Sleepy Hollow.

From France

Vigo from Ghostbusters 2 :-)

From France

The Eiffel Tower

From France

This photo is great -- and was a complete fluke to get, with all the people around.

From France

Another great photo. I'm heading there tomorrow to see the Museum properly, when it's open.

From France

Hehehe :-)

From France

Lastly, pick the ceiling and win a prize!