Hello guys and gals,
Sorry it has been a while. Internet has been hard to come by so far, and I haven't had much time when I've gotten on.
We just made it to Durban, which on first sight is obviously much, much more wealthy than J-burg. I am currently at an enormous mall that would make ones in the USA blush.
Only time for a few highlights, so I'll go fast:
-Brazil vs. Ivory Coast game was amazing. Soccer City is a beautiful, huge stadium and we had so much fun. Shame that I.C. didn't play better, but the game was still fantastic. However, the roadways around the stadium were not at all prepared for this. Took us forever to ride in, and then we still had to walk a couple of miles to the stadium. However, we did get a bunch of Brazilians PISSED after the game by chanting "Fabi-mano! Fabi-mano!" I'm impressed that such a slight chant could cause Brazilians to chant "Fuck USA" after their own victory...
-Spain vs. Honduras: Great 1st goal by Villa, but let me say a new rule. You are not allowed to have your team spend all of their time getting you a hat trick if you miss a penalty. That's just weak. Made the end of the game a little worse than it should have been. However, Ellis Park was a lot of fun. We had a great time cheering on the Spaniards.
-USA vs. Algeria: Umm...need I say anything more than this game was AWESOME? I was crying my eyes out after Landovan scored...I just couldn't believe it. We partied with U.S. fans in the stadium for over an hour after the match. I will tell you all more about it in person at some point, it was a match for the ages.
-USA vs. Ghana: I'm not talking about this one. Just like I still refuse to talk about the USA vs. Brazil match from last year.
-WE GOT TO PET BABY LIONS! I HAVE HAD A BABY WHITE LION CHEW ON MY HAND. Such a great experience.
-Went to Kruger Park. Took a safari tour and saw Rhinos, Hippos, Elephants, Impalas, Kudu, Giraffes, and much more. Saw two Hippos almost fight. Also, if you have never wondered how a Hippo poops, you should. It's awesome.
I am having such a great time. Sorry these updates have been so short. I will hopefully have time in Cape Town to upload a few photos (I almost am to 2000) and write for longer periods.
Cheers
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Made it to SA
Made it to South Africa, met up with Jim, Scott, and Tyler. Will be at Brazil-Ivory Coast game tonight and Spain-Honduras game tomorrow. Having a great time. I'll give a better update after a couple of games and when internet is cheaper.
-Andy
-Andy
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Wow, I am a bit behind
Hello guys and girls,
I haven't updated in a while, so I will make a few interesting comments:
-I went to Ft. William after the Isle of Skye on several suggestions to go there. I stayed at a hostel by the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Great Britain. I didn't have any intention of climbing it, but once I got there they said that it was a 6-8 hour climb, so I figured I might as well. I ended up going up in 2:25 and down in 1:55, so I was pretty proud of that. The view from the top was magnificent, and apparently I got really lucky with the weather. I was in pain for a day or two afterwards, but it was totally worth it.
-I went down the entire lake of Loch Lomond on the bus a couple of days ago. Dad, you should get a kick out of that. No, I didn't see Captain Haddock.
-I visited Anfield yesterday and the Emirates Stadium today. I preferred Anfield, obviously. It definitely has way more character than the Emirates, but I guarentee you that everything about the Emirates was designed to make money. They even let you buy bricks out front with your name and a slogan on it. The Emirates seems to be a giant cash pinata. I'm glad I got to touch the "This is Anfield" sign. I feel like a real supporter now.
-I have met so many amazing people on my trip so far. At least three dozen great people that I have spent time with. I have had such a fantastic time meeting people from all over Europe, North America, and Australia/NZ. I can't wait to meet some Africans, Asians, and South Americans on my next legs.
-The world cup has been very unusual so far. The first set of games were very low scoring, but now the first games of the second round have been 3-0, 4-1, 2-1, and 2-0. Crazy how much it opens up in the 2nd round. I was hoping South Africa could do better to help out the atmosphere down there, but I guess I'll live. I have been doing pretty well making predictions on game winners, with the major exception of Spain losing and Italy drawing. But, I hope those cheap Italians lose out early. I was also very torn about the Mexico-France game. I didn't know which cheaters I should root against more.
-Finally, some bad news: USA vs. Slovenia is 3:00 London time tomorrow. My flight leaves at 2:55 London Time. AWFUL.
Next post: SA!
I haven't updated in a while, so I will make a few interesting comments:
-I went to Ft. William after the Isle of Skye on several suggestions to go there. I stayed at a hostel by the foot of Ben Nevis, the highest peak in Great Britain. I didn't have any intention of climbing it, but once I got there they said that it was a 6-8 hour climb, so I figured I might as well. I ended up going up in 2:25 and down in 1:55, so I was pretty proud of that. The view from the top was magnificent, and apparently I got really lucky with the weather. I was in pain for a day or two afterwards, but it was totally worth it.
-I went down the entire lake of Loch Lomond on the bus a couple of days ago. Dad, you should get a kick out of that. No, I didn't see Captain Haddock.
-I visited Anfield yesterday and the Emirates Stadium today. I preferred Anfield, obviously. It definitely has way more character than the Emirates, but I guarentee you that everything about the Emirates was designed to make money. They even let you buy bricks out front with your name and a slogan on it. The Emirates seems to be a giant cash pinata. I'm glad I got to touch the "This is Anfield" sign. I feel like a real supporter now.
-I have met so many amazing people on my trip so far. At least three dozen great people that I have spent time with. I have had such a fantastic time meeting people from all over Europe, North America, and Australia/NZ. I can't wait to meet some Africans, Asians, and South Americans on my next legs.
-The world cup has been very unusual so far. The first set of games were very low scoring, but now the first games of the second round have been 3-0, 4-1, 2-1, and 2-0. Crazy how much it opens up in the 2nd round. I was hoping South Africa could do better to help out the atmosphere down there, but I guess I'll live. I have been doing pretty well making predictions on game winners, with the major exception of Spain losing and Italy drawing. But, I hope those cheap Italians lose out early. I was also very torn about the Mexico-France game. I didn't know which cheaters I should root against more.
-Finally, some bad news: USA vs. Slovenia is 3:00 London time tomorrow. My flight leaves at 2:55 London Time. AWFUL.
Next post: SA!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
oops, forgot a couple of things
I forgot to mention that I went to the Glenfarclas whisky distillery and Grantown museum. They were both really cool. Though, the Grant Castle sucked. Turns out it is privately owned now. It said do not trespass, but I had to sneak on to see the castle, so I ignored it.
'Merica! Fuck Yeah!
Hello, sorry for the lack of posts lately. I'm going to have to keep it short, as I am running out of time on this computer and I don't know when it's going to stop.
I'm in Portree, on the Isle of Skye right now. Watched the USA-England match here. There were loads of Scots dressed as Obama, Captain America, and the like at the pub, and I had a great time. Wild game. Can't complain about a draw though, should make the race for 1st place quite interesting.
I have been visiting places such as Castle Urquhart (a Clan Grant castle for about 200 years), the Cairngorms National Park, and other really cool places. I will make sure to take some time to explain about them all once I get some time.
Scotland is absolutely beautiful. Every inch of it. The drive from Inverness to Skye was breathtaking. The green and grey mountains and waterfall-filled valleys were stunning. I hope some of the pictures from the bus came out well.
I think I will take today as a laundry and rather slow day. It's a bit rainy here on Skye, so it might be a good day for that anyways.
Cheers.
I'm in Portree, on the Isle of Skye right now. Watched the USA-England match here. There were loads of Scots dressed as Obama, Captain America, and the like at the pub, and I had a great time. Wild game. Can't complain about a draw though, should make the race for 1st place quite interesting.
I have been visiting places such as Castle Urquhart (a Clan Grant castle for about 200 years), the Cairngorms National Park, and other really cool places. I will make sure to take some time to explain about them all once I get some time.
Scotland is absolutely beautiful. Every inch of it. The drive from Inverness to Skye was breathtaking. The green and grey mountains and waterfall-filled valleys were stunning. I hope some of the pictures from the bus came out well.
I think I will take today as a laundry and rather slow day. It's a bit rainy here on Skye, so it might be a good day for that anyways.
Cheers.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Quick Update
-Went to Hampden Park, the stadium for the Scottish national team. It was badass. Cool pictures eventually
-Met a couple of Scots from Dundee. Drinking ensued. Always good to see Scotland from the local perspective.
-In Edinburgh right now. Hostel I'm at is supposed to be the highest rated in Scotland, but I liked the Glasgow one better. They don't have room tomorrow, so I'll be moving to a different part of town tomorrow.
-Edinburgh is definitely more touristy than Glasgow. I prefer Glasgow so far, but Edinburgh is definitely prettier. I'm going to try to head out to Easter Road to see my Hibs' stadium tomorrow, and then move on to various other attractions. I'm staying away from the standard tourist stuff, as it is much more expensive here (14 pounds just to go into the Castle). I'll keep you updated.
-Great shirts here. I've talked with quite a few Scots about football, and all of them are hoping so badly that USA beats England and that England plays Germany in the round of 16. They say nothing would piss off the English more. Shirts I have seen include "ABE: Anybody But England" and "I support two teams. Scotland, and whoever is playing England."
-Met a couple of Scots from Dundee. Drinking ensued. Always good to see Scotland from the local perspective.
-In Edinburgh right now. Hostel I'm at is supposed to be the highest rated in Scotland, but I liked the Glasgow one better. They don't have room tomorrow, so I'll be moving to a different part of town tomorrow.
-Edinburgh is definitely more touristy than Glasgow. I prefer Glasgow so far, but Edinburgh is definitely prettier. I'm going to try to head out to Easter Road to see my Hibs' stadium tomorrow, and then move on to various other attractions. I'm staying away from the standard tourist stuff, as it is much more expensive here (14 pounds just to go into the Castle). I'll keep you updated.
-Great shirts here. I've talked with quite a few Scots about football, and all of them are hoping so badly that USA beats England and that England plays Germany in the round of 16. They say nothing would piss off the English more. Shirts I have seen include "ABE: Anybody But England" and "I support two teams. Scotland, and whoever is playing England."
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Scotland the Brave (with more details about Antwerp)
Hello,
I just made it up to Glasgow this evening, and have been having a marvelous past few days. Both Antwerp and Glasgow seem to be turning out to be fantastic choices of stops.
Antwerp is a beautiful city with quite a lot to do. The train station has to be the most beautiful station I have ever seen. I will try to post some pictures at some point, but for now you might have to let google images do the work for you. I made sure to try belgian waffles in three different ways while I was there (chocolate covered, rhubarb-filled, and with strawberry ice cream on top), as well as indulging in local favorites such as belgian fries and belgian beer. The fries are twice-fried, so they are a bit more crisp, but the main difference seems to be in the dipping sauces. Sure, you could get ketchup, but instead why not try a weird half mayo/half curry sauce or something of the sort? The beer was....well...fantastic. If you like belgian beers it's worth the trip to the country just for that.
Staying with Trey at his apartment (in international student housing for the university) was fantastic, as not only did I get a free bed, but I got to meet dozens of students that were also studying in Antwerp. I have a list of people from Scotland, England, Ireland, USA, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Italy, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and Poland that I met during my 3 days in the city. I really wish I could have stayed longer, as it was so much fun, but I knew I needed to get up to Scotland (especially since I already had booked airfare). Plus, talking with Laura, a law student from Scotland, made me extremely excited to head up north.
A few notes about Antwerp: 1) there are no open container laws. Therefore, parties would form in the middle of squares and last until 5 AM. This was a great way to socialize and share great American traditions such as shotgunning beers and cutting your finger on your can while you do it. 2) The story of how Antwerp got its name is worth looking up. 3) Carnivals are practically the same wherever you go to them. However, there is a difference when you go with attractive German and Turkish girls. 4) I met up with a few friends who I had seen in Reims (the maymester group), and we made Pi Kappa Alpha proud. Beer races have never been won with such style. 5) Rob McMillan better come back with my glass from the Highlander. 6) I only have a few minutes left of internet time, so I better get on to Scotland.
Scotland is an absolutely beautiful country. Pictures definitely do not do it justice. Just taking the train up from the southern airport into the city was awe-inspiring. The flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and the sky is...pretty grey. But, the city is full of amazing, old buildings and the hostel that I am staying at might just be the best I have ever seen. Comfortable rooms, good prices, right by an amazing park, in a cool part of town, sells things you might need, has lots of useful information for the town and the country, has a shower and bathroom in each room, my room has a beautiful view of the west end of Glasgow, and I was able to quickly figure out places to stay all over Scotland thanks to their help. Also, the people in Glasgow have all been really nice. I talked with a waitress at a restaurant for a few minutes tonight, and she seemed extremely interested in my trip (same with the customs agent. And customs agents are usually dicks). I very much look forward to exploring the city tomorrow. I am about to run out of time, so I will leave you with that. I hope all is well for all of you keeping up with this, and I will try to get pictures soonish. Maybe laterish.
Cheers
Andy
I just made it up to Glasgow this evening, and have been having a marvelous past few days. Both Antwerp and Glasgow seem to be turning out to be fantastic choices of stops.
Antwerp is a beautiful city with quite a lot to do. The train station has to be the most beautiful station I have ever seen. I will try to post some pictures at some point, but for now you might have to let google images do the work for you. I made sure to try belgian waffles in three different ways while I was there (chocolate covered, rhubarb-filled, and with strawberry ice cream on top), as well as indulging in local favorites such as belgian fries and belgian beer. The fries are twice-fried, so they are a bit more crisp, but the main difference seems to be in the dipping sauces. Sure, you could get ketchup, but instead why not try a weird half mayo/half curry sauce or something of the sort? The beer was....well...fantastic. If you like belgian beers it's worth the trip to the country just for that.
Staying with Trey at his apartment (in international student housing for the university) was fantastic, as not only did I get a free bed, but I got to meet dozens of students that were also studying in Antwerp. I have a list of people from Scotland, England, Ireland, USA, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain, Puerto Rico, Turkey, Italy, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Canada, and Poland that I met during my 3 days in the city. I really wish I could have stayed longer, as it was so much fun, but I knew I needed to get up to Scotland (especially since I already had booked airfare). Plus, talking with Laura, a law student from Scotland, made me extremely excited to head up north.
A few notes about Antwerp: 1) there are no open container laws. Therefore, parties would form in the middle of squares and last until 5 AM. This was a great way to socialize and share great American traditions such as shotgunning beers and cutting your finger on your can while you do it. 2) The story of how Antwerp got its name is worth looking up. 3) Carnivals are practically the same wherever you go to them. However, there is a difference when you go with attractive German and Turkish girls. 4) I met up with a few friends who I had seen in Reims (the maymester group), and we made Pi Kappa Alpha proud. Beer races have never been won with such style. 5) Rob McMillan better come back with my glass from the Highlander. 6) I only have a few minutes left of internet time, so I better get on to Scotland.
Scotland is an absolutely beautiful country. Pictures definitely do not do it justice. Just taking the train up from the southern airport into the city was awe-inspiring. The flowers are blooming, the grass is green, and the sky is...pretty grey. But, the city is full of amazing, old buildings and the hostel that I am staying at might just be the best I have ever seen. Comfortable rooms, good prices, right by an amazing park, in a cool part of town, sells things you might need, has lots of useful information for the town and the country, has a shower and bathroom in each room, my room has a beautiful view of the west end of Glasgow, and I was able to quickly figure out places to stay all over Scotland thanks to their help. Also, the people in Glasgow have all been really nice. I talked with a waitress at a restaurant for a few minutes tonight, and she seemed extremely interested in my trip (same with the customs agent. And customs agents are usually dicks). I very much look forward to exploring the city tomorrow. I am about to run out of time, so I will leave you with that. I hope all is well for all of you keeping up with this, and I will try to get pictures soonish. Maybe laterish.
Cheers
Andy
Friday, June 4, 2010
Trains, Mispronounciations, and Waffles
Hello from Antwerp!
I am now in Belgium, as I came here from Reims, France yesterday. Here's how it went:
Stayed in my hostel in London, where we were packed in like sardines. I was the middle bunk in a triple bunk bed, so it was definitely nice and cozy. Especially since I was sleeping with my backpack with me in the bed. The evening before I had explored around London a bit, and I have quite a few funny pictures that I took. I even stumbled across Charles Dickens' house (bleah) and a sign right next door advertising Rhodes & Rhodes law firm or something. There was a pretty raging party going on that night at the hostel, but seeing as I had to wake up at 4:30, I was headed to bed pretty early. I'll save it for later hostel visits. Anyways, the next day I took a train from London to Calais, France, switched to a train to Paris, walked from the north station to the east station, and then took a train to Reims. My experience in Paris this time was pretty typical. I confused a lady selling sandwiches by speaking english, she got frustrated, then proceeded to do the rest of the sale without talking. Then, a beggar got really pissed off at me for not showering her in euros. I now know to start running at the sound of "Do you speak english?"
As for Reims, it was a pretty nice little town. Definitely nicer than Paris (can you tell I'm not a fan?). However, it is nearly impossible to pronounce Reims correctly, so I gave up. A few notes: The Notre Dame of Reims had to be the nicest cathedral that I have ever seen that didn't have any beggars out in front of it. There was a group of religious people singing and dancing for a little while, though. The friend I made there at the cathedral called them a "sect," but it just looked like they were having some fun. I had met a girl named Tiffane or Tiffani or something. Basically sounded like Tiffany without the y. She was from northwestern France, and was traveling around the country for a month using couch surfer. Well, anyways, Rob and Patrick ended up meeting me at the Cathedral (only half an hour late), and we went off for a night around the town taking pictures of people that looked like Rhodes people, crudely ordering food and drinks by pointing, and secretly making fun of french culture while french people secretly made fun of us.
The next morning (yesterday) I took a train to Antwerp to meet up with Trey. After sitting in the Antwerp train station for about 3 hours, I finally found him (email problems). I'll post more about my stay once I have some more time (about to cook dinner), but let me just say this:
BELGIUM IS AWESOME. Smells like waffles, pretty girls (who don't smoke all the time, unlike the French girls/chimneys who give new meaning to the term "smoking hot"), great food, super-awesome cheap beer (Awesome abbey ales and stuff for 2 or 3 euros. Cheaper than Corona or any of that crap), great weather, beautiful buildings, and tons of gold and diamonds. I'll post more about it later.
I am now in Belgium, as I came here from Reims, France yesterday. Here's how it went:
Stayed in my hostel in London, where we were packed in like sardines. I was the middle bunk in a triple bunk bed, so it was definitely nice and cozy. Especially since I was sleeping with my backpack with me in the bed. The evening before I had explored around London a bit, and I have quite a few funny pictures that I took. I even stumbled across Charles Dickens' house (bleah) and a sign right next door advertising Rhodes & Rhodes law firm or something. There was a pretty raging party going on that night at the hostel, but seeing as I had to wake up at 4:30, I was headed to bed pretty early. I'll save it for later hostel visits. Anyways, the next day I took a train from London to Calais, France, switched to a train to Paris, walked from the north station to the east station, and then took a train to Reims. My experience in Paris this time was pretty typical. I confused a lady selling sandwiches by speaking english, she got frustrated, then proceeded to do the rest of the sale without talking. Then, a beggar got really pissed off at me for not showering her in euros. I now know to start running at the sound of "Do you speak english?"
As for Reims, it was a pretty nice little town. Definitely nicer than Paris (can you tell I'm not a fan?). However, it is nearly impossible to pronounce Reims correctly, so I gave up. A few notes: The Notre Dame of Reims had to be the nicest cathedral that I have ever seen that didn't have any beggars out in front of it. There was a group of religious people singing and dancing for a little while, though. The friend I made there at the cathedral called them a "sect," but it just looked like they were having some fun. I had met a girl named Tiffane or Tiffani or something. Basically sounded like Tiffany without the y. She was from northwestern France, and was traveling around the country for a month using couch surfer. Well, anyways, Rob and Patrick ended up meeting me at the Cathedral (only half an hour late), and we went off for a night around the town taking pictures of people that looked like Rhodes people, crudely ordering food and drinks by pointing, and secretly making fun of french culture while french people secretly made fun of us.
The next morning (yesterday) I took a train to Antwerp to meet up with Trey. After sitting in the Antwerp train station for about 3 hours, I finally found him (email problems). I'll post more about my stay once I have some more time (about to cook dinner), but let me just say this:
BELGIUM IS AWESOME. Smells like waffles, pretty girls (who don't smoke all the time, unlike the French girls/chimneys who give new meaning to the term "smoking hot"), great food, super-awesome cheap beer (Awesome abbey ales and stuff for 2 or 3 euros. Cheaper than Corona or any of that crap), great weather, beautiful buildings, and tons of gold and diamonds. I'll post more about it later.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Flight to London
Hello all,
I have made it to London and found my hostel. I was able to get a nice window seat for the flight, and I ended up sitting next to a woman who was basically my mom. She looked like my mom, she had a profession similar to my mom, she loved to read, she had a son named Andrew who just graduated, was a math major, writes his letters from the bottom up, has similar handwriting to me, and apparently is basically me. Weird.
Once I was in London, I met up with my neighbor that I grew up with in the airport. He was on a layover on his way to Germany, so we got to meet up for a couple of hours and get some food. Random how these things work out.
Also, just a note for any of you taking future travels to London: Paddington Station is not as close to King's Cross as it looks. I definitely had a nice little hike once I got into central London so that I could get to my hostel. Though, the nice part of this is that I learned a bit how to walk like a Brit. Apparently you can step out in front of cars and not get killed. Weird...and to think that I was waiting for a break in the traffic... Also, I assumed that you would walk on the left of the sidewalk just like you drive on the left. It seems that might be partially true? Dunno, people tend to walk on the left, but it's been more of a free-for-all.
I think I'm going to head out to explore some more before I hit the hay early. I have to get up for an early train to France to meet Rob in Reims.
I'll try to get more interesting things in the next post, but I just wanted to let y'all know that I made it to the U.K.
Peace
I have made it to London and found my hostel. I was able to get a nice window seat for the flight, and I ended up sitting next to a woman who was basically my mom. She looked like my mom, she had a profession similar to my mom, she loved to read, she had a son named Andrew who just graduated, was a math major, writes his letters from the bottom up, has similar handwriting to me, and apparently is basically me. Weird.
Once I was in London, I met up with my neighbor that I grew up with in the airport. He was on a layover on his way to Germany, so we got to meet up for a couple of hours and get some food. Random how these things work out.
Also, just a note for any of you taking future travels to London: Paddington Station is not as close to King's Cross as it looks. I definitely had a nice little hike once I got into central London so that I could get to my hostel. Though, the nice part of this is that I learned a bit how to walk like a Brit. Apparently you can step out in front of cars and not get killed. Weird...and to think that I was waiting for a break in the traffic... Also, I assumed that you would walk on the left of the sidewalk just like you drive on the left. It seems that might be partially true? Dunno, people tend to walk on the left, but it's been more of a free-for-all.
I think I'm going to head out to explore some more before I hit the hay early. I have to get up for an early train to France to meet Rob in Reims.
I'll try to get more interesting things in the next post, but I just wanted to let y'all know that I made it to the U.K.
Peace
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