Goodbye France, Hello Belgium!

Attempting to leave Paris on Black Tuesday is a difficult but possible thing to do. I'm currently (sep7th at 3:15pm) on the train to Brussells. I'll be staying with a father, Roberto in a town just south of Brussels called Namur. In Amsterdam I'll be staying with Andrew's friend Ruben for a few days. I have a week from today until I am suppose to arrive in Berlin, Germany. Money budgeting was very difficult in Paris, the city was expensive even without treating myself to luxurious things. C'est la vie. Paris was really wonderful. Last night I went up the Eiffel tower even though it was raining I still loved the view from the second level tower. And before I got on the train I went to the catacombs which gave me a pit in my stomach as I wandered past the bones of so many lives that have passed. It was a very erie feeling being deep below the city with so many skeletons in damp cold tunnels. My decent down a stone spiral staircase made me nervous. I found myself spooked before even seeing any bones. And at the end you exit on a random street with no sign and they check your bag to make sure you haven't stolen any remains and then you're right back in the heart of the city and it's like no one around you seems to care or notice that you just exited a mass gave. By far one of the craziest things I've seen. So tonight I'll be just south of Brussels. I look forward to a new place!

Poem: String

Tie a string on your finger
So you can remember that love
Is hard
To come by
It's hard to keep
And even harder to ignore
Let that string remain
Let it get coarse and thin
Let it dangle as you run
Let it soak in the bath
Taking up suds
While you take off grime

Untie
Tie
Untie
Let it fall unto the table
Let your fat cat chase it
Put it on the stove
And watch it burn to nothing

Berlin by bike past midnight

Last night Julia and I went out by bike to a bar just down the street. The place wasn't that lively so we decided to bike further and look for another place to go. Being able to bike at night in Berlin is one of my top favorite things I've done since arriving in Europe. The streets on a Wednesday night were pretty empty but that gave me a chance to not have to worry about traffic and simply enjoy the ride. On the way we saw some awesome grafitti and met a few interesting people. Pics to come.

September 8th- September 11th

September 8th, 2010

NAMUR, BELGIUM

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

AMSTERDAM

Take my first train in the wrong direction (I got on the wrong platform at the train station). This is only a 30 minute mistake as I hop off the train in Hoorn and head back to Amsterdam Central station. Ruben greets me at the station and I arrive at Ruben’s house at 11pm. Time for sleep.

September 9th, 2010
First day in Amsterdam and I really don’t feel like doing much today. A relaxing day to shower, sit around and revitalize myself. I did some laundry and went to the local market to get some foods for the evening. I played monopoly with Ruben and his nephew, Ricardo, and I made dinner for the two of them. Chicken with a curry, cumin, dry rub. Instant mashed potatoes and sautéed mushrooms. Nom. Time for bed.

September 10th, 2010
I went on a canal boat ride trip that was free (well the guy worked for donations for restoring historic boats). Even though it was raining the whole time the trip was so nice. The canal system confuses me quite a bit, but I love the setup of the city. I love the whole look and feel of the city center. Then at night I went and grabbed drinks and dinner and then went back to Ruben’s place until I crashed out around 3. Good evening.

September 11th, 2010
Current location: Muidersport station not too far from Central station in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Today i went for a long walk and found a Brazilian couple who were headed to the Anne Frank museum (i.e. they were willing to read the bus schedule and maps). And they were happy to have me tag along as well. We first stopped by the North Market to see what kind of goodies they were selling, then we went and grabbed some lunch at a cute cafe. Apparently the woman Vaiara (spelling?) is a movie star in Brazil so she kept stopping to say hello to people. After lunch, the couple said they had to meet a friend at the Van Gogh museum so i decided to part ways and head to the Anne Frank museum since it was already 3ish and i had said i would return to Ruben's apartment by 6pm.
Anne Frank's house and museum really made me silent. It was heart wrenching to think of this girl's time in such an isolated and lonely environment. One of the diary entries written on the wall expressed her desire to laugh and play outside. So simple, yet you can't imagine the feelings she must have felt being denied such a privilege.
Tonight should be a nice time. Not much planned besides having a few people over to Ruben’s place, dinner and drinks. Tomorrow it should be rainy :-( but that is all good.