October/November Chronicles

     Dear Lord, where have I been!? I apologize to everyone who hasn't heard from me in a while. It's harder then I thouhgt to get internet time in Finland...
     When last we heard from, uh...me, I was in Munich. Beerfest. Or Octoberfest, as you Yankees call it. 3 1\2 liters of Germany's finest pilsner pulsing through my veins, dancing my little fanny off, when word came that the U.S. had begun bombing Afghanastan. And that's where I was, when I was. Since then, it's gone a little like this:
     From Munich to Luxembourg where I landed at a hostel in a room with five other men. One who snored, one who was about 65, one who seemed to be entirely uncomfortable with his role of simply being a man, one nice young man about my age who was riding his motorcycle across Europe in three weeks, and myself. Oh yeah, and the sixth guy. The one on the bunk below me. The 45 year old man who talked in his sleep. In French. The one who smelled of pee. Naturally, these were not the best two nights of sleep I've had on my trip. And that's all I have to say about Luxembourg City.
     Brugge, however, almost on the northern coast of Belgium, was rather nice. A quaint little town surrounded by a pair of circular canals and overrun with bicycles. A countryside where farmers still dig up over 2 tons of ammunition in their fields left over from WWI. And the smell of Belgian chocolate fills the streets. And all the chocolate is washed down by a huge variety of Belgian Beer, with alcohol percentages ranging from 5%-12%. The higher percentage, of course, is made with love by the local monks.
     From there it was on to Holland, and a base camp at a friend's house where I could relax in comfort with home cooked food before and after heading into Amsterdam. Europe's own city of sin. Sort of like if you were to take the seedy underside of Las Vegas, flip it over, and feed it full of culture, you'd have Amsterdam. At least half of it. The other half is a city of canals, museums, and history. And of course, the Heineken Brewery.
      I went to the Van Gogh museum, saw the paintings. Went to the Ann Frank Huis, saw the hideout. Walked through the Red Light district, went to a show. For the, uh, experience. Then I went to the Riksmuseum. And of all the museums and paintings and brewerys in Holland, one thing there will remain with me longer then any other...
      Shiva. India's Lord of the Dancers. Four armed and dancing in a ring of fire, Shiva is the God who creates, preserves, and destroys the world. He beats the rhythm of creation on a drum held in his upper right hand. With the fire in his left hand he destroys the world. And Below, Shiva crushes a Dwarf underfoot(!), vanquishing human ignorance. (Read: Dwarf's represent human IGNORANCE!) So that's what Michael Flatley's all about! If you know any Dwarfs, warn them now!

     I thought about this on an overnight train to Copenhagen, Denmark. Land of Vikings, the Carlsberg Brewery, and the all important staple food item, the Danish. At the Carlsberg Beer brewery, I came across this quote in the History of Carlsberg section:
     "In my small household, beer is often lacking for 8 to 14 days...at these times my children must either go to the water pump, if the water is drinkable, or I must with sadness see them become weak on tea water." (1805)
      I don't see how that needs any more explanation.
     Copenhagen's other tourist draw (though I'm not entirely sure why) is the statue of a "Little Mermaid" (nothing to do with Disney) which sits in the harbor. As I sat on the rocks staring at this naked beauty, I thought of the thousands of sailors who have passed by in ancient years with their own tales of mermaids tormenting them from the water. Here were men, I thought, lusting after a woman who was half fish. Fish smell, don't they? They smell bad. And yet, here were boatloads of men excited about a woman who smelled like fish, and couldn't even seperate her knees. Sounds like a pretty dead-end fantasy if you ask me. But sometimes you just have to sit down and really think about these things before they become clear.
     I took a daytrip to Helsingør where I saw the castle that inspired Shakespear to write Hamlet. It was closed on the day I was there, but I peered in every window I could looking for the "out, out, dammed spot!" rug, but to no avail.
     In Stockholm, Sweden, I took a tour of the City Hall. There I learned why the "Blue Room" where the Nobel Prize dinner is held is actually red brick. I also learned that the bust statues in the hall upstairs are not of important dignitaries, but of the workers who built the building. And the largest portrait painting is of the man who brought those men their beer and wine during construction. In addition to this useless information, I learned that the crown princess of Stockholm is only 24, and destined to be a queen. Sorry Mom, I'm not coming home just yet. I've married a princess! Wanna try on the family jewelery?
     On the overnight ferry to Helsinki, Finland, the passengers are not allowed on deck, sighting saftey reasons. Saftey reasons like: you might slip on the ice and fall overboard!
     Helsinki, where I watched city workers put up Christmas lights in the city streets. Damn, is it Christmas time already!? Helsink, where one day Hotmail was down. And the next day the entire ASDL network in the country of Finland was down! By the way, in Helsinki they have a Karaoke bar. It's not different, but it's still just as weired.
     Heading north through Finland determined to see the Northern Lights, I somehow landed in my best heap of luck yet (Vaude). The son of the hostel owner just happened to be heading in the same direction as me. With a (Vaude) company car. And he just happened to be a really nice guy (and his friend, too). And they just happened to run an adventure outfitting store (Vaude) that sells ski/snowboard/rock climbing equipment. And they just happened to be going to the opening weekend party at the largest (only) ski resort in Finland. Yes, I gladly went with them. And there, I met their (Vaude) partner who drove me all the way up to the northern border! So if anyone is in the market for some of the best ski/snowboard/rock climbing equipment on the market, check out <http://www.vaude.de/>www.vaude.de Take it from me. I've tested this stuff in conditions far colder then any you could ever find in California -- on the drive north, the temperature hovered around negative 16 degrees celcius, and it works! And I'd like to thank Roope, Olli, and Possi for all their genuine kindness. I look forward to seeing you in L.A. someday. And Roope, I'll never forget your stiring rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama." In Finnish.
     Having gone as far north as I could (Hammerfest, Norway) far above the Arctic Circle, I still haven't seen the northern lights. Apparently, it's been too cloudy...and not cold enough! I guess that's a goal for my Canada trip...
     The trip back south began on a ferry down the coast of Norway through snow and choppy waters. My brain still thinks it's moving.
     Next stop, Oslo.

     The Road goes ever on and on
      Down from the door where it began.
      Now far ahead the road has gone
      And I must follow, if I can.
      Pursuing it with weary feet
      Until it joins some longer way,
      Where many paths and errands meet.
      And whither then? I cannot say.
     

--Frodo Baggins

All my love to Everyone out there,
Chris