Stranger in a strange land that's me

 It is so weird coming back to the U. S. after 6 months away. I can only describe the feeling as being kind of disoriented. 

I had mixed feelings coming back. On the one hand - so ready to go home, back to a familiar place where I knew my way around, could speak the language, was familiar with the food. On the other hand, I dreaded it. The violence, The craziness. The loud Americans.

And America did not disappoint. Two mass shootings in the last few days. Same political shit. Same loud, acting out in public.

As far as being familiar and all that, it has been nice to see things I love. Yet I feel strangely ambivalent about stuff. 

Maybe its let down from he trip. Maybe I'm exhausted in every way possible . Maybe it's jet lag. Maybe it's a combo of all that.

Maybe I've changed. We shall see. I didn't expect to feel this way.

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November 25, 2022 at 01:50AM

I should have bought the $4 beret in Paris

Scenario: Eiffel tower, Paris, 2022. Olivia and the boyfriend are setting up for todays instagram photo. Olivia has on a red beret (or was it a raspberry beret I can't remember). She is wearing a designer dress, cleverly thrifted from T. J. Maxx for just the occasion. There is the inevitably red lipstick. She will be striking one of 3 poses:

1) One leg kicked up, one arm thrust toward the tower

2) Gazing nonchalantly to the side like she sees the eiffel tower every day

3) Both arms up jumping jack fashion in a "look at me at the eiffel tower" pose

Todd the boyfriend looks dishelved and a little peeved.

 May I just say how absolutely, positively, sick and tired I am of instagram posers? Enough already!! Doesn't anybody take a normal bad picture anymore? I have observed them with loathing from one one end of Europe to another.

Stop with the red berets in France,  kicking one leg up in Barcelona, acting like you are cleverly putting your finger on top of some monument!! Stop, before I come over there and slap you silly! 

The  vast majority of the instagrammers are heavily made up young women (in red lipstick) in Vogue inspired outfits,  dragging some poor sap (usually a man) with a camera. Selfie sticks are out these days. These people have professional camera mounts. 

There was one interesting guy with a glittery sombrero and what looked like a bullfighter outfit at the Louvre. They have cement blocks there probably meant for sitting that people stand on and he was standing on one. So that was entertaining.

Paris is probably the worst place for this with all the cliche photo ops. People literally take their lives in their hands in front of the eiffel tower and arc de triompf in the middle of traffic to get the perfect photo or til tok video. 

Then there's me and Mike over here looking like something the cat dragged, in trying trying get an occasional picture together. I wish I had thought to buy us a couple of red berets. What a memorable photo that would have been...

I am an old fart okay? I remember the good old polaroid days when your brother Jimmy's head was cutoff and nobody looked happy at Disneyland. of course the picture was discolored too. Ah...1970s...what a wonderful time...

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November 19, 2022 at 07:52PM

Lauren Boebert is the last straw

I've made a decision. I'm staying here. I'm never going back to a country that would re-elect Lauren Boebert. 

So what do I think about coming back to the U. S. after living over here for over 6 months? I have mixed feelings. 

On the one hand, I am so ready for the familiarity, comfort and security of being home. It has really made me appreciate the importance of having your own space, stuff, place. I am looking forward to familiar food, grocery stores, neighborhoods, streets, to hearing my own language, seeing familiar people. 

On the other hand, I dread the violence and current chaos of our country. It has been nice living in my travel bubble where I don't have to hear about last nights murder in north Minneapolis or what idiot shit did Trump spout today. 

It has felt safe and comfortable here. I haven't felt the need to keep my guard up walking here like I do in Minneapolis. Of course I have used common sense with safety but it definitely feels different. 

The biggest difference I have noticed is that there are not the obvious drug addicts, drunks and mentally ill people visible here like in the U.S.  I'm not saying that we haven't seen it here, we have. On the scale of the U.S.? Not even in the ball park. 

I realize that we haven't gone into the poor areas here where it is probably more obvious. The thing is, you don't have to go into the poor areas in the U.S. to see it because it's right there in the central city on the street, on public transportation. 

Do people use less drugs here? Are there less alcoholics? Are there less mentally ill? I think there are very few countries that compare to the U.S. for drug consumption and the heavy kind of drugs we use: fentanyl, meth, heroin. Is it easier to get drug treatment here? Alcohol is part of everyday life here, especially wine. It is consumed with food. Do people do less binge drinking because of that?Are there less alcoholics?  Is it easier to get help for mental illness here? I don't know the answer to any of these questions. 

These are countries with long histories, completely different experiences in their pasts than that of the U.S. Countries share one culture.

Being here has been made me realize just how young of a country the United States is. We don't have the wisdom and experience of all these societies. We don't have an overall common cultural experience and identity like a lot of these countries. Europe and the UK are diverse, but not as diverse as the United States. The United States is not one culture, it's many cultures trying to live together under the same roof. That makes things difficult and has shaped our country. 

Will this trip make me more patient with the youthful, multicultural country I live in? I doubt it. Har. It is home though.

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November 18, 2022 at 09:29PM

the wavy streets of Lisbon

Lisbon has STEEEEP hills...but when you get to the top you are rewarded with beautiful views of the city.  Visually, Lisbon is stunning to look at  Multi colored houses and buildings with terra cotta roofs of different heights because of the hills. It looks like a painting, especially with the harbor in the background. 

Down at street level, most of the sidewalks in the central areas are made of black and white small tiles called called Calcada Portuguesa or Portuguese tiles. They have different patterns and have all been laid by hand. There is no other way to do it. 

They are in danger of disappearing because they are somewhat dangerous- slippery when wet and can be uneven and cause a tripping hazard. Also installing them, keeping them up, is labor intensive and few young people want to learn the trade. 

What you find is that Lisbon streets are wavy. A lot of the time there is no consistent flat surface. In Lisbon, I feel like I am often walking at an angle up a hill or down a sidewalk that slants downward so you are walking on the side of it. 

On narrow streets, there is barely a sidewalk on either side of the street. There is room for one person to get by.

It makes walking challenging, but the tile designs  are charming and pretty. 

Like all of Europe people live in row after row of apartment buildings with retail on the first level. Like Spain, the architecture is ornate and there are Juliet wrought iron balconies on most apartments.

When the sun came out today, the blanket men appeared! Selling scarves, fake purses on plazas. Restaurants have hawkers with menus trying to persuade you to come to their restaurants. There are "tuk-tums", 3 wheeled vehicles that offer a menu of tours around the city for a price. They are decorated with flowers and art.

The sun brings everybody out.

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November 17, 2022 at 08:00PM

The 100 foot waves of Navare, Portugal

Navare

 

  
It was one of those Susan off the beaten path.   days today. It was gray, gloomy, looked like rain but we had to go. We had done it in Scotland at North Berwick to see the North Sea, at Greystones to see the Irish sea near Dublin. Again at Tramore to see the North Atlantic near Waterford. I could watch to the beach in Valencia and Barcelona. 

We had to go see the ocean. Where I wanted to go would take us an hour by bus and train.  I wanted to go to Carveletos beach.

Like most port cities, Lisbon is not on the open ocean. it sits at the mouth of a river that empties into the ocean. The open sea is 15 miles away. I wanted to go to a beach 23 miles away. That was the nearest places with the biggest waves. They were up to 15 feet today. 

I knew that Portugal has some of the best surfing and biggest waves in the world. At Navare, 2 hours away from Lisbon, waves can get 100 feet high. So even though 15 feet seems paltry compared to that, it's good enough for me.

We got off the train  and walked the half mile to the beach and it was deserted. It was deserted except for surfers running to the waves, bobbing in the ocean or walking out of it. 

 The waves were beautiful. Yes they were big. Another unforgettable moment on the trip for me. I could be persuaded to leave Minneapolis for living by the ocean, that's how much I love it. 

Navare waves average 50 feet high in the winter months. A few times a season they can reach 80-100 feet. I'll definitely be back to see that.

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November 16, 2022 at 09:56PM

Ten things I have learned traveling in Europe

pay toilet

Ten things I have learned traveling in Europe and the UK:

1) Air conditioning is a very good thing. None of the airbnbs had air conditioning, many had no fan. One hotel had no air conditioning. Most homes, stores, restaurants have no air conditioning. 

2) Window screens are a very good thing. I have honestly never seen an apartment here with window screens. Open windows = bugs and that's just the way it is.

3) I don't actually mind not having a dryer. The vast majority of homes here have no dryer. People hang their clothes on drying racks or on balcony railings or lines. Your clothes last longer.

4) You should always have change because there are lots of pay toilets. Frustrating but true. I always looked for a McDonalds. They always have a free toilet. 

5) Most grocery stores here are small, especially in Europe. There are not the big stores we're used to. 

6) In the bigger stores there are large sections with fresh fish of many different kinds. Some are very large. It smells of fish throughout the store. In bigger places there may be be big pig legs hanging in the meat dept or they may have it in a holder where the hoof sticks out and will cut you bacon right there. A little disconcerting. 

7) Restaurants may not open until 8 or nine at night. People eat late here. Lots of people out and about in the evenings. You don't have to tip here if you don't want to. 

8) The car is not the center of the universe. Every city here usually has at least two forms of transportation be it subway, bus, tram, train. It is cheap in 90% of the countries. In Lisbon it is 1.50 to ride the bus or subway. Buying a book of tickets in most countries it is discounted even further.  The public transport  goes everywhere in the city.

9) Airfare is so cheap between countries. From Paris to Lisbon was 40 dollars. There are trains that go to practically everywhere in Europe. Imagine having that kind of system in the US.

10)  It feels like so many more people here smoke.Not as many people speak english as you think. Toilets all have button flushes and very little water. Lots of places closed on Sunday. There is no Target type place where you can get a variety of stuff. Lots of places close early. It is so weird how many shirts, sweatshirts you can buy here with American city names or American colleges. People here don't hate American.  In fact it's just the opposite.

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November 15, 2022 at 09:57PM

One veterans perspective on Veterans day

Veterans day felt different over here. I think that it is acknowledged in a similar way to the United States. It's a public holiday with a day off for a lot of people. It feels more personal here. 

People who are older remember the days of war here. Not so much the young people. Just like in the U.S.  It means a lot more if you had relatives who served in war or you yourself did.  It means more if you lived in a place where the war was real every day.

Many of the cities we have visited had up close and personal experiences with both World Wars. Their cities were bombarded, their homes destroyed. France lived under German occupation for 4 years. People in London lived in the underground during the war.  Will the people in Germany ever forget what happened there? 

The history of  warfare here, the direct effects it has had on peoples lives,

gives a different perspective. When you haven't had bombs dropping on your city, lost loved ones, friends, known the horrors, it's not quite as real. 

When it doesn't feel personal, when no one you know dies or is wounded terribly, it easier to sit back and let your country involve itself in many wars. After all, there are no bombs dropping on your house. Your brother didn't die. That far off war isn't real to you. It's real to those in the middle of it.

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November 13, 2022 at 07:18PM

Did the revolution start without me?

I walked where I was going today which wasn't that far. I didn't realize there was a metro/train strike going on. 

I didn't  even realize it when a big march started at the Place de la Republique, near where we have been staying.  It took me a while to figure out what the march was about. I couldn't read the signs in French. I didn't know what the lettering on the balloons on top of trucks stood for. Someone told me it was against the Ukraine war. Not true.

It turns out it was a march led by unions for wage hikes. This centered around the transportation unions wanting wage hikes. The letter CGT on the balloons stood for the Confederation Générale du Travail (General Confederation of Labor). 

I wondered st the time how all these people could be marching during the day. Didn't they have jobs? Well it turns out they were on strike!

There were loud bangs periodically and I honestly thought at first it was the police setting something off to disperse the crowd. People also had flare devices that produced lots of smoke. Apparently it's all part of the march. Lots of singing and chanting. There were thousands of people. 

The same kind of march had happened in mid October involving a lot more people. I read that the union head said today that if they didn't get what they wanted, the transport union would go on an indefinite strike bringing the metro/ trains to a grinding halt across Paris. 

It really something to see working people out in the streets by the thousands marching for their rights. It's something you never see in the United States.

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November 10, 2022 at 09:10PM

I meet my idol and soul sister

The minute you enter the Louvre you know this is going to be a completely different experience than you have had before.

We entered a section that had somewhat low lighting which only made the beautiful paintings stand out even more. Beautiful doesn't even describe it. The painters you see here are all the ones you have heard about:  van Gogh, da Vinci, Manet, Cezanne, Matisse, Monet, Botticelli. The paintings were like nothing  I had ever seen. I was honestly stunned at their beauty. Moved even. 

It's really something to see paintings by by such famous iconic painters.

That was just the beginning . There was room after room of paintings, some so big you wondered how they ever did it. They depicted people, animals, religion, war, kings and queens, moments in history, everything you could think of. 

There were beautiful Roman and Greek statues including the Venus de Milo, two by by Michelangelo. There was Egyptian art, Asian Art, Islam art, African Art. Just about any of the world is represented. 

Of course there was the most famous painting of all, my idol, my sister in the struggle, etc., etc., the LADY HERSELF, the Mona Lisa. You come into the room where she is and there is a roped off section to get up close. You have to stand in line, you can't get really close up like the other paintings. She is covered in glass with two guards. But I got to see her and it was really something. I think she winked at me.

Then to top it all off, there is part of the museum is called the Galerie d'Apollon. This was built as a reception hall for Louis 14th. Some of the greatest sculptors and painters of the time had a hand in its completion. It is so opulent that it gives you an idea of how royalty really lived. No expense was spared. This hall houses some of the French crown jewels including  140 carat Regent diamond (said to be cursed). 

This visit to the Louvre was one of the highlights of this trip. It's something I'll never forget.

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November 09, 2022 at 07:11PM

Paris is as real as it gets

We've hit the highlights in Paris that any tourist typically sees. Today I decided to go out and find the real Paris, the nitty gritty, part of Paris nobody sees. So I put on my beret, eiffel tower earrings and donned a stylish scarf and off I went. 

The first thing that happened when I stepped out the door was someone blew smoke in my face. Damn, a lot of people smoke here. Undeterred, I headed to a cafe for a cappuccino and croissant. I was ignored at the counter for 15 minutes. I finally got the goods and of course, there was no place to sit.

On to the metro, what could be more Parisian? Down 10 sets of stairs and I'm waiting for the train with 200 other people. The train is packed and my face is shoved against the door window. Unfortunately I am transferring trains so more stairs and another packed train. 

Up from the metro and onto the street, I'm heading for the side streets. No Champs Elysees for this gal. I'm a little hungry, How about one of those out of the way Paris cafes? What? Most  of the cafes are already closed or won't open again until 7:00 pm. I settle for a big mac. I'm hungry dammit!

OK I am not defeated yet. Surely there are a couple of small art galleries somewhere along here. There are. They are closed, only open 1:00-1:30, once a month. 

I come out of a side street to a roundabout and there are a couple hundred people shouting about something. There are banners and speeches are in French so I don't have a clue what they are unhappy about. 

I notice about 10 police vans on a side street with heavily armed police. They ain't taking no chances this crowd won't turn violent, as Paris protests sometimes do. 

Meanwhile, a homeless man sits on the sidewalk with a  cup out while a women who looks like she stepped off the cover of vogue walks by. People rush here and there- a mother with a stroller, an old woman with her groceries, teenagers on skateboards. The sun is shining, it's a beautiful day. 

There is a beautiful building across the street with a gold horse and rider on both sides. I stop to take a picture. Paris is both beautiful and real.

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November 07, 2022 at 09:53PM

Five eiffel towers for $1!!

 If I ever had any illusion of living in a big city, Europe has dashed those thoughts. I could not live in the middle of crowds so large you can barely walk down the street. Subway cars so packed, people have their face against the window. Lines, everywhere lines. 

Today we went to a new hotel 30 minutes from the old one. We let 5 trains pass by because they were so crowded.

The thing is we have been in Europe in what is considered the low season of tourism. I cannot fathom what it is like in Barcelona or Paris in the middle of summer. Add in heat, humidity and tourist trinket hawkers, instagrammers in the middle of the streets getting pictures. Getting into museums, restaurants without a couple month prior reservation would be impossible.

Everybody must breathe a sigh of relief in late September when tourist traffic lessens. Even when it lessens, there are still a lot of tourists here. 

Five eiffrThese cities, because they are old tend to be gritty like New York, but the subways are so much cleaner. 

There are as many homeless people here as in the United States. They sleep on the streets. There are a few tents here. No tent cities. 

In some countries the homeless just sat with a cup and quietly asked for money. In the UK they were more aggressive. In Spain there were people sitting and wailing about their situation. I saw the same person do that every day. There were people who sat in a hunched over prayer position with their cup in front of them. People go into restaurants going from table to table asking for money.  The most striking thing I saw was a couple of women laying in the middle of the sidewalk in a rich area with their head and face covered with a cup out. Same problem, different expressions of it.

Safety wise, I haven't felt threatened by anyone in any country. We have used common sense and been careful. 

One big difference is that there are very few mentally ill people acting aggressive and weird on the street here. That is very common in U.S. cities. I haven't seen any really drunk or high people either. You might think, well, you are in tourist areas. In Minneapolis, it doesn't matter where you are, you deal wit this. 

There are no homeless sleeping on public transit here. Many places you have to have a ticket for access. No drunk or drugged up people. There were so many countries that operate their trains and trams on an honor system but you still don't see it. I swear we could have gone through half of Europe and not paid a dime on trains, trams, even a couple longer distance trains. Nobody would have known.

The conclusion: Big cities with millions of people here have many advantages. There are great museums, monuments.concerts, restaurants, beautiful architecture and much more. They are great to visit, but I would t want to live in them.

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November 05, 2022 at 07:00PM

the difference between Americans and Europeans

I've finally realized why most Europeans are less fat than Americans. They are going up 25 sets of subway stairs a day.(har) They are WALKING  up 4 or 5 flights of stairs to their apartments in old buildings with no elevators. They don't drive cars and do a lot of walking.

They are dodging foxes, rats and running away from sewer smells. They are standing waiting for buses that are either early or late, never on time. They are squeezing through crowds on the streets or in subway trains. They are sweating because there is no air conditioning in buildings or in their own homes. 

They are hanging wash because there are no dryers in the majority of homes. They are running to grocery stores daily because there are no big supermarkets in Europe. 

They linger over food and meals in restaurants instead of the gulp and run in America. There's a reason we call it fast food people. They spend evenings out of their homes, in parks, taking leisurely walks,  instead of sitting in front of a television set. 

Work and money are not the be all and end all of their lives. They are not what they do for a living. Spending time with family and friends tops everything else. There is a balance in life  but the balance seems to mostly swing toward relaxation and happiness.

  Just one persons observations.

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November 04, 2022 at 06:45PM

American apathy vs French activism during times of turmoil

France is my kind of place. The French have been a rebellious people throughout their history. If you look at their history, it has been one rebellion, protest, riot after the other continuing to this day.  

In 1229 there was a 2 year strike by students at the University of Paris. What's interesting about this is it started during a festival in which students got drunk at a tavern, there was a fight over a bill and the students were beaten up  and thrown out. They came back the next day and beat up the owner and destroyed the tavern. Students were not subject to penalties under regular law because the university was controlled by the church. This incident angered the towns population which led to authorities arresting may students and some were killed in the process. The strike started after that. 

Through the centuries here there have been riots, strikes, violent civil unrest, guerilla warfare. A lot of it was about taxes, food shortages, cost of bread. In 1789  the monarchy was overthrown in the 1st French Revolution. What followed were power struggles to get control of the government leading to the dictatorship of Napoleon. A couple revolutions later and a republic was established.

In May a period of civil unrest occurred with large demonstrations against capitalism, consumerism and American Imperialism (!). There was severe repression leading to a general strike by unions involving 11 million workers. Violence by the police and the government only spurred the movement leading to riots in the streets. There was fear that the government would be topppled and de Galle left the country for a short period.  An agreement was reached with unions for wage increases. The parliament was dissolved and new elections were held.

Very recently, there was a demonstration of thousands of Parisians on October 15, a couple weeks before we got here, about  cost of living increases. There have been strikes on oil rigs and in nuclear plants. Some strikes were settled. The cost of living is only going to go up no doubt leading to more demonstrations. Meanwhile U.S. citizens sit around, apathetic about the same situation, with little inclination to do anything about it. 

  

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November 04, 2022 at 01:08PM

Observations on my 4th day in France

Tourists act crazy in Paris, particularly instagrammers and tik tok types. They literally take their life in their hand to get a photo or video. 

They stand in the middle of the street, cars streaming around them, striking poses. Today at the Arc de Triomphe they were literally going out in the intersection and then having someone film them walking forward. It's scary but funnier than shit to watch.

***

The Paris Metro is similar to the London Underground in one way: Stairs. When you transfer trains it is down hallways and up and down stairs. The difference: the metro here is remarkably clean and bright. The prices are SO MUCH. cheaper than London.

***

Paris is similar to Vienna in that there are rows and rows of apartment buildings one after another for blocks and blocks that seem to go on forever. They are all the same height-about 5 stories. They all have ornate Juliet balconies. Some are architecturally unique. The difference: In Vienna almost every building had statues on top of them. 

***

Paris is probably one of the coolest looking cities at night. All the restaurants are lit up at night in the neighborhoods and looking down the street is really cool. It feels like the city comes alive in the neighborhoods at night.

***

French is such a beautiful sounding language. It's soothing to the ear. We have heard English with a  British accent, Scottishaccent, a Welsh accent, an Irish accent. We have heard German, Catalan, Spanish. Nothing is like French. 

***

Something I  appreciate about French trains, metros, planes: They make announcements in English. Maybe that's the self centered American in me but it's nice. France seems a friendlier and easier place for tourists overall.

***

Paris doesn't smell like a sewer. That's all I'll say about that.

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November 01, 2022 at 11:27PM

Smoking in the boys room in Paris

We are staying in a "boutique hotel" in Paris . Here is the definition of a boutique hotel:  

  a small stylish hotel, typically one situated in a fashionable location

This hotel has 142 rooms and I guess that is small by hotel standards. Is it stylish? Ok, it's stylish. Is it in a fashionable district? I wouldn't call it fashionable. It has lots of restaurants with a few sex shops thrown in. You and your friend Pierre can be eating a burger and fries at a table outside and across the street people are doing who knows what in "luxeux salons " at the L'ODYSSEX.  Kinda bizarre, but I'm just a naive little old lady from the midwest.(!) I guess that's just how they do things in this den of debauchery they call Paris. Har. 

So the hotel itself has a theme: art. There were 3 artists chosen to design 3 floors each. The floor we are on has a bit of  a dark theme. The halls are black with ghost looking animal figures in white. Our room has the same theme. It sounds more bizarre than it is. It's really kind of cool. The lobby has interesting artwork. They have art classes, cooking classes and different things here. 

The room itself is designed different than a gal from Minneee-soda is used to. First of all, the bathroom is a six by six coffin like box with a door (appropriate since we are close to the Paris catacombs). It is separate from the rest of the bathroom around the corner. The shower is in a corner and there is a short hallway in front of it. In the very short hall there is a sink. There is no door on this part of the bathroom. Very little privacy.  Weird design.

By the way, last night some naughty hotel guest either above or below us were smoking in there coffin like bathroom and we smelled it in ours, if you're wondering about the smoking in the boys room reference.

One interesting thing here, the people at the desk emphasized that there is not only a bar, but a speakeasy too. This place is just too damn hip.

I'm making this hotel and neighborhood sound weird, but it isn't at all. It's all kind of fun and different. That's what life's all about.

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October 31, 2022 at 06:06PM

Never tie your shoes in Paris

Oh what an interesting city Paris has been on the first day.

So even though we're tired this morning we decided to go see NUMER UNO, THE BIG ENCHILADA, THE STAR OF  THE SHOW !!!- Ladies and gentlemen - you seen it in pictures, on TV- THE EIFFEL TOWER!!!! (applause

So it's a two mile walk- a mere pittance in our long list of walks we have taken over the months. On the way, I stop at a small bakery for another French institution SI VOUS VOULEZ!  - the Parisian CROISSANT!!  Yes people, I got a croissant and a cappuccino and it only cost 3.50 euros!

I have found the Mecca and it's a bakery  on a non-descript corner a few blocks from the hotel. This place had all kinds of eye catching delights that could put back the weight I've lost on this trip in a couple days. The cappuccino and croissant were of course perfect. 

Getting back to the EIFFEL TOWER..we start on our journey. go about a block, turn and there it is in the distance- THE EFFEL TOWER!! Have to admit, all kidding aside, it's an impressive sight. It's almost like it's not real. That's not really the THE EIFFEL TOWER, but it is....and we really are in Paris.

So off we go, finally arriving and it is of course, teeming with people. So we join in the crowd, moving down the street and immediately are met by blanket after blanket of GITTERING miniature EIFFEL TOWERs for sale. Oh they have smaller, non-glittering ones for sale too, for those who are more boring and cheap. For the cheapest tourist, every blanket has a small corner of EIFFEL TOWER keychains, 5 for one euro. 

BTW, who is selling all of these EIFFEL TOWER trinkets? It's the same group as Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia - Africans. 

As you move along, the blankets start selling berets, some vinyl hat wit a chain in front, PARIS ball caps, PARIS shirts, totes, backpacks, umbrellas. EVERYTHING PARIS for todays modern tourist. 

We cross the street to the bridge over the Seine and on the bridge are purveyors of that ancient hustle - the shell game. Fascinating to watch. This was not for a dollar or five dollars, this was for 50 or a hundred dollars. 

It was obvious that the few people around the guy were part of the hustle. They won some but lost once in a while to make it look realistic. The thing is most of the time the ball was never under any of the cups but in the guys hand. I wonder how much money they make in a day?

Moving on, you could take your picture with a with a bouquet of red balloon hearts for a price of course. Meanwhile people were out in the middle of the street between lanes of traffic taking pictures of  with the EIFFEL TOWER in the background for instagram.

So here's the thing- I bought a beret (and PARIS ball cap for tomorrow), PARIS tote bag and backpack, PARIS umbrella, PARIS t shirt. I attached the glittering EIFFEL TOWER to the top of the beret (not an easy feat) and had my picture taken in the middle of the street with the bouquet of red heart balloons with the EIFFEL TOWER in the background. That was after I dropped  $500 on a couple of shell games. 

That folks was my first day in Paree.

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October 30, 2022 at 06:35PM

One thing social media got right

Google maps is a gift from the Gods. We never would have been able to navigate our way through these months of travel without it. 

When we get off trains or planes, it tells us exactly where to go to get to our next bus, tram or train to take us to the next place to rest our weary bods. We were never gonna be people who took a taxi from the airport. Too much money. 

So today we took a 45 minute train from Chuck De Gaulle airport to the neighborhood we're staying in and walked .7 mile to the hotel on a bag drag. 

We each are traveling with a suitcase and a backpack and even though I have left things behind, they never get lighter. I would only take a suitcase next time, forget the backpack. Or maybe just a rolling back pack. It's hard to know how much to pack for a months long trip. I role everything up to fit it in the suitcase. I put toiletries, jewelry, chargers cords, in zip lock bags. I have a cellphone and a tablet. Could have left tablet home. I packed too many clothes and have left at least 5 items of clothing behind. 

We don't buy souvenirs really. Mike bough a Arsenal soccer shirt and an Ireland shirt. I bought an Ireland shirt. That's it. My pictures will be the souvenirs.

Some things we haven't done is pay to get in many places. I have gone to a couple of free art museums, many free cathedrals. Paid to get into Gaudi Park in Barcelona. I just can't see spending a lot of money on tourist stuff. Paying to get into a church seems wrong. Cant do it. You could spend so much money on all of that and people do. Free stuff is more interesting anyway.

We could have took a train from Barcelona to Paris but it would have been a six hour ride with 3 train changes. Ah at this point, no. We took Easyjet and it cost about 50 dollars a piece. 

At first I was kind of leary of the low cost airlines like Easyjet, Ryanair, Transavia but after having used them, they are fine. A cheap, easy, reliable (for us anyway), to get around Europe.

Google maps and public transport get us around cities. And also our feet.  we walk to and from if it's less than a mile. 

We don't do much on the day of arrival. Just too tired. Between getting to train or airport, riding 2-4 hours, getting to next spot once we get there, ready for rest. 

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October 29, 2022 at 08:38PM

It's time to go home

This trip ends December 1st. We originally planned to it for a year spending a month in 12 countries. That didn't work out because it was just too expensive. When we end this we will have spent 26 weeks traveling.

Why are we ending it? Yes money is definitely a factor.  We could probably have squeaked by with money. The biggest reason is that we are tired. Just plain tired. 

This is not an easy way to travel, going from place to place all the time. Constantly changing where you are staying wears on you. Riding trains wears on you. You really start to long for the comforts of home. Your own bed.Your own stuff. Familiarity. 

This has been a juggling act of trying to figure out where to stay, how to get there. As I have talked about,  staying in airbnbs is a crapshoot. Mediocre most of the time. We've had a couple real bad experiences with them. You never know what you are going to get. Europe is old and with old buildings come problems. 

I don't know the process of becoming an airbnb host. Im sure that there are criteria you have to meet. I doubt anybody comes to inspect your place. I think once you are approved there is very little monitoring of their places. We have stayed in 11 airbnbs during this trip and there were only two that I would even think of staying in again. 

The hotels have been better. We have stayed in 6 and they have all been OK. Wow, we have stayed in 20 places by the time this is done!

Taking trains has been, shall we say interesting? On our first train ride in London, they didn't post the platform until ten minutes before the train left. When they did, there was a mass stampede as people ran for the train. We have sometimes been on 3 trains in one trip., having to run to the next platform to make the train. One time, they suddenly announced the train wasn't going any farther, we would have to get on a new train. Platforms have been changed at the last minute and there is a mad rush by everything to get there. Seating can be confusing, sometimes it's chaos.

I have to say, despite all that, the scenery on the train trips have been a highlight.

Every time we arrive at a new place we have to figure out how to get to our new home. Bus, train, tram? Where's the stop? How much is it? How do we pay for it? Where do we get off? In Europe, all this is in a different language. How are we going to get around the city? How much will that cost? 

When we get to the stop, how far to the place? We have walked a mile sometimes up steep hills to reach where we are going to stay each dragging a backpack and suitcase. 

Where is the nearest grocery store? Are there restaurants around? Is the area safe? 

In between all this, we have seen speculation sights, beautiful scenery which made it all worth it. Would I do it again? Of course. But alas, we are tired. I say this with a lot of sadness: It's time to go home. 

BTW, we will be spending last month in Paris and Lisbon.

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October 27, 2022 at 10:31PM

the nooks and crannies of Barcelona

I really love Barcelona! It has grown on me. What I love most is that it has a lot of nooks and crannies just like Edinburgh. You go down a narrow street and there's always something interesting. You might come to a plaza with restaurants, an old church. There are vintage shops, strange little shops along its narrow side street. I found a shop that only sold condoms. Won't be needin' any of those but interesting... Then I found a shop that sold crucifixes, baby Jesuses, saint statues, etc that was 104 years old. 

The Roman city of Barcino was founded in 15 BC. A wall was built around the city at that time. In the 3rd Century and 2nd wall was built incorporating more land and in the 13th century yet another wall. Apparently you can never have too many walls.

I love this ancient history. It's so cool that there are parts of ancient walls from 15 BC that you can still see. In the Placa Nova in the gothic quarter there is an entry point, which was one of four, to the original walled city. One of the main roads of the original city started here.There are still two towers there. There is also evidence of the arches of  2 aqueducts that came together here that provided the city with water. 

A bishops palace is attached to the wall here. There is also a cathedral. This where Barcelona began

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October 26, 2022 at 09:

selling on the street in Barcelona

There is a phenomenon that apparently occurs all over Spain but I've just seen it in Barcelona. It's called top manta (top blanket). It is the illegal sale of counterfeit products on the street. 

Ive seen it along the beach in gava on the boardwalk/sidewalk. Sellers lay out a blanket and put their products on it . In this case it was blanket after blanket of sneakers, purses, sports jerseys, belts and the list goes on. These products all look like the real thing with nike swoops and jerseys that look like the real thing. 

These products are produced in factories in China, India, Spain. They are sold mostly by  illegal and legal African immigrants. They are know as manteros. Some  work for larger scale criminal organizations and make very little. Others do it because finding a job as an African migrant can be impossible.

This was a huge problem pre-pandemic in central Barcelona along streets frequented by tourists. It would often be set up near subway stations. When the police approached they take the blanket in a bundle and run down into the station to escape. 

They have met with mixed reaction in the past, sometimes ignored by city officials. There has been a crackdown after a couple violent incidents and they are much less present in the central area. 

I've seen them in parks, at landmarks selling on a much smaller scale selling jewelry, fans, water. 

 Anywhere there are tourists, you will find them. 

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October 25, 2022 at 09:39PM