Blogging Burnout

So I did make it back safe. I'm surprised I was able to write every day for about first 4 weeks but then the burnout hit me.. 2 weeks in Finland were great, see some apple pics on my flickr site. My sisters kids were as fun as ever, and I just received news a few days ago that the third one arrived! So congratulations to the whole family. It'll be a quite of a show but since my mom retired last week she can start being a full time grandma.

New York was pretty amazing, like a friend of mine once said, it's the greatest city in the world. And that indeed it is. I met some old and new friends, crashed an art gallery opening etc., you know, lived the city life..

I have to say it was a relief to get back to normal life after being on my toes for 6 weeks, making sure I'll make all the trains and planes, and afraid losing something or getting mugged. But don't get me wrong, it was quite of a trip. My traveling days are far from over..

Day 23 - Going to Finland

I packed my bags early in the morning and my hosts gave me a ride to the smallest international airport I've ever seen, although just next to the old building was a construction of a modern big terminal. It seems to me that Luxembourg is the fastest growing city anywhere just the amount of cranes I could count. I am very grateful for the hospitality I received from my hosts and willing to pay back any time.

Everything went fine until I landed in Copenhagen. I had a tight connection so I was half running to the screens to find the gate of my connecting flight. Well, it was an hour late already. Then I thought that I had a perfect chance to get me a sandwich while waiting and I was pretty much starving already. So I got my sandwich and soda and started paying in the cafeteria when I was told that they accept only bills. I was thinking ftw and handed the waitress a 20 euro bill. She gave me back Danish Kronors, money I thought was extinct for years. So what happened was that I bought an overpriced sandwich and had to exchange money 2 times with a bad rate to do it. Lovely. And I thought the Danish were smart enough to join the Euro. Apparently not..

Well I made it to Finland and I'll be staying here for the next 2 weeks. I doubt I'll be making posts every day since I'll be taking it easy and not exploring anything too new, but we'll see if something worth writing comes up..

Day 22 - Caves and Graves

Today was my last day in Luxembourg and we went to see the remaining sights in this small but surprisingly interesting country. The first stop was an American war burial site, with a few thousand graves of American soldiers fallen in liberating Luxemburg, right around the corner, a second burial site for the Germans, with a double of the amount of dead. Very touching, and very important places both. Although it was not so hard to see who was the winner and who was the loser. Well, actually, I'm not quite sure if there was a winner.

The second place was a very cool spot called Petite Suisse (Little Switzerland). The amazing rock formations looked more from The Lord of the Rings than from this world. Extremely cool spot, I hope the pics I took can give even a hint what it was like.

Also worth noting was the group (8-9 of them)of Finnish au pairs we encountered at night in town. In Finnish you'd call them 'pissis', not really sure if there is a word for that in English. Anyway, it gave me a reminder what life would be like to move back to Finland. Teenage girls with no class, no style, no brains, loud and drunk or pretending to be drunk. A quite of a fall to reality..

Day 21 - German Socialists

The old socialist me (yes, irony..) had a perfect chance to see Karl Marx's home. The birthplace of the revolution was an hour drive from Luxembourg in Trier, Germany. So I also got a chance to add one more country in my travels. I've always thought that Germany is boring and there is not too much interesting things. Well, help came from the Romans.. Trier was a some sort of a central in the Roman empire some 2000 years ago which left some interesting structures in the city. The museum didn't show any artifacts at all, but gave a reason. The Nazis burned everything on their endeavor for world dominance. To be straight, be it good or bad, it is history and it's worth protecting. Just think about the Louvre or Versailles, most of those guys were not nice but certainly worth remembering.

And Hooray! (in Dr Zoidbergs voice) Germany was to savior to my electrical problems, I finally acquired an adapter and brought it safely back so you should expect some more documentation in the form of images.

Day 20 - Problems with Electricity

Sometimes things that should be easy just won't end up working.. My camera is out of battery and I desperately need to recharge it so I can document my trip. I forgot to take my European adapter plug with me, so I decided to go and buy one. Sounds fairly simple task for an educated man, eh?

So yesterday I walked in to this electronics store and manage to buy the last piece they have with a discount. It's early in the day so I take off to the Luxembourg market place which is surrounded by restaurants and grab some lunch. When I sat on the table I set the plug on the tray and start eating. A few hours later on my way back to my friends place I realize that I'm missing the plug. Yes, I showed it in the trash with my food wrappers. Nice.

Come next day and visits to 3 different stores to find if there would be another plug sold in this country. Finally I manage to find one and with relief I showe it deep in my pocket to make sure I won't lose it. Later when I get back to my friends' I'm anxiously digging the plug from my pocket so I can start taking pics again. First I get the first pin out of my pocket, then the next one. Wait.. They should be together. The crappy piece of cheap plastic fell apart in pocket and is unusable.

Wish me luck for a try 3 tomorrow..

Day 19 - Luxembourg

There are more banks around than restaurants. And I'm not saying there are no restaurants around. Luxemburg is a very idyllic town. On a warm night sitting on a terrace in the bottom of the valley which steep walls drop 100m straight down in the middle of town. The place was almost mystical, crowded, but quiet just by a river surrounded by history of hundreds or a thousand years built on the walls of the valley. A perfect moment on a vacation.

It is funny indeed that this country exists at all, but they are doing good. You can see the wealth in cars and expensive stores, but people are not showing off. Many new buildings rising in the outskirts which won't necessarily fit in the picture, but it seems the place is growing rapidly. At any moment you'll able to spot at least 5 construction cranes on the horizont.

But Luxemburg seems to be a very nice place, glad that I can spend a few more days around.

Day 18 - On the move again

Big thanks to my hosts in Paris. A beautiful city with such a history. The modern part of France was not so impressive though. I know I only had the chance to see very little, but still I was left with a feeling that this "world power" should function a little better. The doctor story should explain a little..

So, we were driving around in the chaotic traffic in search of a place I could see a doctor. I thought the American hospital of Paris would be a good bet so I could explain what I need. Oh well, they refused to speak a word of English and were about to take 210 euros for a 2 minute consultation. So I decided to forget about it and we started driving around again and Tuomas called to this place where you can ask medical help and ask for a doc to visit your home..

First call:
Us: we need to find a doctor somewhere no need for a home visit.
Person on the phone: we only send docs to homes, call the general number inquiry, they'll know

Second call:
Us: we need to find a doctor somewhere to have a consultation.
Person on the phone: no idea, call the police, they'll know

Third call:
Us: we need to find a doc for a short consultation
Police: we have no idea, call the fire department

Fourth call:
Us: we need to find a doc to get a prescription
Fire department: we don't know, call 911 (the local emergency line)

Fifth call:
Us: we need to find a doc, no emergency just a little throat ache.
911: how old is the patient?
911: any chest pains?
911: is he still breathing?
911: we don't know where you can find a doc

Sixth call to the first place:
Us: send a doc, we're home in 10 minutes..

And to mention, it took about 15 minutes for 911 to pick up, and the waiting music was pretty much what you hear in funerals..

Anyway, I took the subway to the trainstation and hopped on a train to Luxembourg. The subway experience was not very impressive after Japan but the train was a little better. Sadly my hopes for a "Before Sunrise" type of scenario did not happen and I spent the train ride by myself reading the Economist. I was surprised to find a couple of English language mags on the train station.

My new hosts were waiting me on the station at night and I'm ready to see something new again.

Day 17 - Culturel in Paris

Oui, café express, orangina et baguette tartine in a street cafe. A few glasses of red wine and I'm all in the culture. If only I'd find a beret somewhere. This was pretty much a day of relaxation, enjoying the warm weather and vacation.

I've stayed mostly around the place I live walking around. Every building, as stylish they are look exactly alike. All light brownish, same height and same style. I'm instantly lost when turning around the corner. Gladly the river Seine gives some guidance of my whereabouts.

My host Tuomas had to take off for a business trip but I had the chance to stay here for another day. And oh, did I mention that his girlfriend Eva is also and old friend, from time they 2 didn't know each other. It seems that for some reason I know every finn in this city.

This was my last full day in Paris, tomorrow afternoon I'll hop on the train heading to Luxembourg, if I can only find my way to the train station. At first sight, the underground system didn't seem quite as logical as the one in Tokyo, but I'm probably not set to the Parisian mindset quite yet (which appears to me that absolutely nothing can be achieved in the first, or even second try..).

Day 16 - Louvre

After some partying the night before my host felt a little sleepy (all credits for him lasting till 10.30 in the morning, I already had to retire at 3..), I took the streets of Paris on my own. Since we are stationed right next to the Louvre, it seemed a perfect place to visit. Well, there was good news and bad news. Every first Sunday of the month the museum is free. So, no need to pay to see the history. But obviously it attracted a lot of people and at some places the museum atmosphere was completely ruined by this one of the lowest ranks of humanity - tourists. I took a glimpse of Mona Lisa, but I had to break free to explore more areas which were more quiet and you were actually able to see something.

The size of the museum is astonishing, and in all fairness it just cannot be explored in one time. I spent about 2.5 hours and saw maybe a third of the collection. But anyway, a well worth the visit. Although I didn't manage to find the final resting place of the holy grail, eventhough the recent historical documents describe it in detail.

We picked up Tuomases girlfriend and his bro at the train station at night and I booked myself a ticket to Luxemburg for Tuesday. I have a Champagne Socialist to meet.

Day 15 - Paris

This city is just beautiful, there is nothing else to say. History is all around you and filled with more culture than pretty much any place else. Communication seems to be a problem again, I think in Japan my English was as useful as it is here..

The first thing which caught my attention was the traffic, and at first sight everything seems to planned well. We got small cars, perfect for the city. Plenty of roads, streetsigns and traffic lights? Check. Ok, lets let the cars on to the street. I can imagine a discussion between French transportation engineers:

- It seems to be fine now but I have a feeling we forgot something..
- Oh yeah? What then?
- Damn, we forgot to paint the lane lines, look at those people, they are driving all over the place!
- Merde! But I already opened a bottle of wine and put on my béret.
- Oui, and I'm le tired. It'll be ok, nobody will notice.

I am amazed that I haven't seen a single accident yet, for some extrodinary skill, the people seem to manage not to hit anybody else and find small holes to fit through.

Sightseeing today included Versailles, which I have to say was impressive. Too bad for the revolución, the kings certainly had some style.. Next project was to find a doctor who would take a look at my throat. Well it seems that on Saturday night, the only way to see a doc is to invite one to your home. Anyway I got my antibiotics and ready to get rid of this throat annoyance. We ended the evening with some Japanese food (like I haven't had that enough for a while..) and a few drinks around town. We were accompanied by Tuomases friend Mikko, who also lives here, and turned out to be a guy I know through a friend. He was even at my going away party in Mocambo 2 years a go. How did the annoying song about this being a small world go again..

Day 14 - Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Wake up at 5.30, and a brief walk to the Shinjuku station. Then to Narita airport via Narita express train. Boarded an 11 hour flight to Amsterdam with a connection to Paris. Then took Air France bus to Porte Maillot and Tuomas was there picking me up with his car. So that was a day full of different means of travel.

We got to his place around 9 in the evening, which is located in the heart of Paris right by Seine and a block away from the Louvre. We went out for for dinner and had a few beers afterwards. I got to bed around 2am, so the day was pretty long for me. My cold/throat seems to be getting worse, maybe it is a time for a doctor's visit.

Day 13 - Last day in Japan

Not too much happened today, I took it easy with my cold. I walked around Shinjuku and took my last look around. I think Tokyo looks like an anthill from a distance, millions of people board and hop off the trains and subways every day and make their way around, a neverending flow of people.

I had dinner with Yayoi, the woman I met in the airplane on my first day. She came a little late against Japanese customs since all trains stopped due to an earthquake. Don't know the actual strength but I'm guessing something between 4 and 5 and I don't think there was any damage. My final taste of Japanese food was Okinawan which included raw fish (surprise) and seaweed. Again, maybe a tiny bit too salty for my liking.

Next, I'm off to a long flight to Paris, and to a more familiar ground..

Day 12 - Cold

Well, the weather has cooled down a little and we had some rain today but that`s not what I`m talking about. I managed to get a travelers cold. It actually took a little longer than I thought, usually it hits me after one week when I travel somewhere. And I never get them if I stay put. Nothing bad, I`m just a little stuffy and feeling tired. I think I`m getting a little travel fatigue anyway and already look forward of continuing my trip to Europe.

As wonderful as Japan is, you are an outsider as a westener around here. And I think it would be much harder to settle in here compared what I went through moving to San Francisco. But I`ve met some people, mostly americans, who came here to teach English for a year a long time ago and never managed to leave. So it takes a lot of work but evidently is not impossible to immigrate.

I spent the day hanging out with Saeko again and I`m grateful for her making time to show me around. I think I`ll spend the time on the last day close to the hotel and trying to rest off my cold. I managed to upload a few pics and ended up hitting the upload limit this month, I should be able to put some more up after a few days. Future updates on this blog might be a little less frequent when I continue my travels and need to find new spots to get access.

Day 11 - 2 sides of Shinjuku

I took time today to see my current neighborhood. The railroad splits Shinjuku to 2 parts; east, where my hotel is, and west which has some the highest skyscrpers symbolizing the economic success of the country. The difference is significant, west is strictly business and east all for entertainment. Both sides are very impressive on their part. For some reason the 70s glam rock hardos are very popular among young men on the east side, whether they are learning the Yakuza ways or just picking up girls.

It seems that black men are profiled in a certain profession here, this far every one I`ve seen (3) have asked me if I would be interested in meeting girls which apparently would be very beautiful and offered with a very special price since the men consider me a good friend. Friendship seems to come very easy but I`ve had to politely decline the offers.

I visited the Adobe office and had dinner with Dwight and his wife who currently live here. I`m only now starting to learn that the restaurant industry spreads in three dimensions. On the main streets, the side alleys and most importantly on many floors. In the west all bars and restaurants are on the street level, here they extend 5 to 10 floors up with a different restaurant on every floor.

Day 10 - Back to Tokyo

Back to Tokyo, which seems better than ever. I`m staying the rest of my time in Japan in Shinjuku, a neighborhood I have mostly yet to explore. Shinjuku is the busiest, wildest and flashiest place i`ve ever seen. I switched from the Shinkansen to the now all familiar Yamanote train at Tokyo Station, and 20 minutes later arrived to the busiest train station in the world. This place has to be the entertainment headquarters of the world. The internet/manga cafe I`m currently sitting in is amazing. For some 100 bucks you can rent a room filled with all electronic devices and flatscreens all over for the whole night if you wish. And drinks are on the house.

The hotel rooms seem to get smaller the cheaper they are. But I`m not complaining. The 50 bucks a night I`m currently paying won`t give you anything anywhere close at least in the US. My hotel is deep in Kabuchio, the scene of Takashi Miikes Ichi the Killer, which is supposed to be the rauchy part of tokyo. I`ve seen some Yakuza mobsters in their fancy suits and some working girls, but the area is still cleaner than most of the worlds cities. And there is no real fear of crime since it`s just not the way of life here.

The train ride from Hiroshima was again as pleasant as ever. 4 hours and I don`t know how many hundred kilometers. I`m guessing somewhere around a 1000. The metro and train networks reach every corner of the city, and there are high speed trains leaving the city every few minutes to different directions. Not once you need to wait for transportation. The rest of the world could, and should take some advice from here how an effective mass transportation is organized.

I`ve got 3 more days to spend in this fantasy land, which doesn`t feel real at all. 2 of them I`ll be spending with new friends, and I`ll try to enjoy the tropical weather for a little while longer.

Day 9 - Hiroshima

Hiroshima ended up being all but what it first seemed. An extremely welcoming city full of friendly people. To think that one 60 years ago there were nothing but ashes here, and I mean nothing. In a short time rose a lively city with blossoming culture aiming for spreading the message of peace to all the world.

The peace park is well held and shows the respect to the tragedy as it should. It's not about pointing fingers but just showing that once is enough. There is a flame burning in a monument until the last nuclear weapon is gone from the face of the planet. I'm afraid that the flame is not about to burn out anytime soon.

In a way, it's a sad city, and for that part, a sad nation. I was expecting something else. I think the people understand that Japan itself was not innocent in the wars either, and maybe a little, brought this onto themselves. But the bottom line is clear. Never again. I was especially impressed by a collection of letters from the mayors of Hiroshima to the corresponding ambassadors of condoning every single nuclear test made since some 35 years ago.