Dracula...well....tomorrow

So....last blog was a little weak...I will attempt to compensate today. Still paying for internet...but...less than a dollar/hour.

Let's see....last blog was in Eger, Hungary. From Eger, we went to Budapest (a backtrack that I was expecting...to get to the larger train station). Then, an overnight from Budapest to Bucharest (Hungary to Romania).

There are three different train arrangements we have encountered...standard seats....rows...the occassional four-seater (one row backwards)....that is an ok set-up...I slept well on the one we had that way...this is usually the cheapest route too. More expensive is a sleeper. There are six beds stuffed into a compartment that usually quickly becomes hot...smelly......we had one of these (only b/c for some reason it wasn't too expensive)...I hated this set-up. But...the worst of all...a small compartment with six seats...three and three...facing each other. Trying to sleep in these....let's call that hell. Not only are you restricted to a small seat....your legs are restricted by what the person in the seat across from you is doing. In our last compartment of this sort....Kevin and I had a snorer also...a nice-looking old granny who could do some serious noise-making while sleeping....Kevin and I ended up sleeping out in the bike storage area. The overnight from Budapest to Bucharest...my fav. arrangement....another 6-seat hades....but....we lucked out....we started with five....then two got out at a stop about an hour in....leaving us with three people in the 6-car compartment. It ended up being an ok night of sleep....which was good...because.....then came Bucharest.

I will firmly say now that I do not believe humans were meant to live in cities....how it happened and why it wasn't stopped...I dunno. Maybe our current taxing of the environment will eventually stop it...... The heat was the main factor in our day of misery. It was upper 90's I would guess (although here of course...Celsius...but, I can't do the conversions without a calculator). We found the second largest building in the world....built by the former Communist dictator....in the process of building it he tore down about 5 square blocks worth of building...where...people lived in aparments....displaced thousands....a popular guy I'm sure. The building was...well....huge...but...boring. Romania had it's revolution in 1989....making it a very young government....that is playing catchup....the city looked like a Chicago that had been governmentless for about 10 years. We saw a dead cat on the sidewalk.....something I have taken for granted in the US....people who pick up the dead cats on sidewalks, so I don't have to walk around them....so...a new appreciation for those folks.

After getting lost....sweating profusely.....Dave accidentally bought carbonated water again (time number four...really quite amazing....I don't know how anyone can drink that...but...they do all across Europe)......and finally getting a taxi back to the train station (only like 2 dollars)....we were in a McDonald's enjoying the A/C and a value meal. We met a gal from Oregon who has been traveling Europe for 4 months and volunteering....we shared McDonald's together before almost missing our train...she was leaving to head back to Germany...we just wanted out of the city. A 2-3 hr. train ride brought us to our current location of Brasov, Romania. We found a great hostel...around 10 bucks/night.....free drink/night......free laundry (our dirties are out on a rack drying right now)......shower....english DVD's......comfy bed. We stayed last night.....I enjoyed a shower....finished On the Road (Dave finished Life of Pi a day or two back, so we traded before bed). We are chilling today. We slept until about noon....grabbed a Jelly sandwich for breakfast (leftovers of the hostel breakfast others had picked through)....and started on a walk around town. We saw the Black Church, named thusly because a fire darkened much of the stone. I think we should make a grand church out at Schnepp's out of Indiana limestone...anyone else with me? The Abbey of Lafayette? The Basilica de Schnepp?

So...chilling today....the plan is to find a market...get stuff to cook ourselves a nice meal back at the hostel......read......relax. Tomorrow, we will head to Bran, Romania...home of Dracula's castle. Well...it actually wasn't Dracula's castle...he likely visited it but never lived there. And...interestingly...the author of Dracula never visited Romania at all. But....it is supposed to be a nice castle...and we've only experienced one weak castle (Eger) thus far. There is apparently camping and some bungalows in Bran for us to stay there. We've had to reduce the pace of our trip...because, we realized that we are currently at the half-way mark of our 9 week trip (that we were thinking was 8) and have used 9 out of our 15 rail-days (and 2 must be saved to get back to our flight). So.....we're trying to slow down....stay an extra day at places.....and slow down our pace. We can pay for trains to supplement our pass...but...they tend to be rather expensive.

Happy Birthday to my Aunt Traci......you look more beautiful with every passing year : )

In Eger...onward towards Romania

From Budapest, we moved on to a smaller town called Eger. We found what is much like a hostel.....although here they are often privately owned and operated and called "pensions". Dave and I have been the only ones in the place for two nights now.

The first day here was mainly getting acquainted and finding some cheap food. The prices are very nice. I had the coldest beer I have ever had...a pint...called Saproni....for about a dollar. We then found hotdogs for about a dollar...and enjoyed another cold beer after that. Our pension runs about 10 dollars per night.

Yesterday was mostly sight-seeing...took in a few beautiful churches as well as Eger Castle....one of the more miserable castles I have experienced...mostly the walls of the castle remain....but...it was only a dollar....and a lot of it was closed because it was Monday.

Today we experienced the Valley of the Beautiful Women....which is a wine-making valley with numerous places to sample wines of the region. We had about three different glasses of wine before returning to town. We opted for the semi-sweet wines....white and red...which were very good. I am not a good judge of wines by any means, but I would say they are much less oaky than the California wines I have experienced.

From here, we will travel closer to Romania today. We are headed back to pick up our bags and drop off our keys...then to the train station. We have been warned to be especially careful in Romania and will keep this in mind. After Romania......through Bulgaria to Greece. Thanks for the hostel recommendations mom.....good work...we will check those out in Bucharest for sure. Thanks.

Chilling in Budapest....on to smaller towns tomorrow

We decided to stay in Budapest another night.....the comfy bed and kitchen were definite pluses. This morning, we walked around for about an hour before hitting a Chinese restaurant in which we were probably overcharged (but at Hungarian prices...overcharged meant like 9 dollars instead of 5...not a huge deal). We hit the market to buy some supplies for dinner tonight......a kind of chicken fritter over spaghetti. The prices here are very reasonable....and we are in the city...it will be interesting to see if they go even lower when we venture out into smaller cities tomorrow. Budapest is 10 times bigger than the second biggest city in Hungary....so....any travels in Hungary will definitely be a change of pace. We will be heading to a smaller town tomorrow....not sure which yet....but something east of here that will get us closer to Romania.

Last night, we had another delicious gyro (here they called kebabs) for around 3 dollars. That was going to be our night, but when we returned at 11pm, some friends of the hostel worker invited us to an open-air party....and....of course...had to check it out. Our guides were very nice.....Esther had an especially fun and warm personality along with the one of the cutest accents in the world. The bus was interesting.....it was like a bus that would cart you around Purdue...except packed to the brim. The bus that picked us up was already overflowing....and then 30 more people got on.....totally jam-packed. The open-air party had a cover of 100 forint....which is about 50 cents....no problem there. Dave and I got a beer for 2.50....Pilsner Urquel....the first bad beer I've had since heading across the ocean. This beer must have been imported from the states...because only us yanks know how to brew beer that tastes that skunky right out of the keg. I would equate the party to an outdoor Neon Cactus of sorts. There were maybe 4 different music areas....the two we stopped by were the early 90's rock (Nirvana, Blur) and the modern hip-hop. I am not that into dancing, but our hosts were....so...I played along. Then, I was inspired by my Kerouac reading of yesterday. Kerouac and the Beat generation were very into people who knew how to love life. So...I did my best to make my dancing an expression of my love for life......it was still ugly of course...but....I enjoyed myself. The two best songs to dance to were two random oldies......"I feel good" and "twelve o'clock rock". Cory....you would've dug this place. Dave and I passed some of our time people-watching....a fav. activity of ours. Especially grand was a punching bag test of strength game that the drunk folks were all about. We had a good laugh when one guy practically missed the bag.

I just caught a show on the DaVinci Code which has re-enthused me for some travels to Italy....Sistine Chapel...all that good stuff....mmm.mmm.mmmmmm. Well.....I'm going to read some more Kerouac until I fall asleep for a nap. Then.....cooking some dinner before bed.

What's for dinner....

Ok...here's your chance to tantalize my food-deprived taste buds and showcase your culinary skills. If you have any dishes in mind that you'd like to.......well....cook for me when I get back....here's the place to post that (as a comment), and I will make sure to take you up on it in a month. If you prefer to let a restaurant do the cooking....and me do the eating...that's cool too.
Bon Appetit.....

From Munich to Budapest

We have definitely hit a landmark point in our journey where 4 becomes 2....and 2 that are on their way back to the states. We enjoyed our time together in Copenhagen at the Carlsberg Brewery...despite being fairly unknown in the states (unknown of course...because it is good beer...which we know little of how to make.....) it is one of the main beers in Europe....and we heard the tour offered some cheap drinks at the end, which was in fact true...the tour was about 4 USD with the student discount and ended with two free beers. The beer I had...a traditional Carlsberg Pilsner...and another offshoot of Carlsberg...Jacobsen (Saaz Blonde was the flavor for me) were both excellent....and I bought my first souvenir...a t-shirt with their quaint slogan on the back...."Probably the best beer in the world". You have to give credit to a slogan that is unsure of itself....or just respectful enough to allow for dissension.

We decided a great way to enjoy our last night as a foursome would be to sleep in hot, cramped train cochettes with annoying companions. Well, we might not have came up with the idea ourselves....but fate dealt us the brutal night of non-sleep it ended up being. Kevin and I were in a car with 3 others......one being a grandma whose snore could embarrass.....well....anyone. With her snores and the guy beside Kevin slowly encroaching on his personal space (moving over as he slept to create more room for himself)....we headed out to an open area where the bicycles are transported and slept on the floor in between bikes. Cory and Dave endured some similarly-aged travelers who shared the headphones to jam to some epic fantasy speedmetal as they slept.... But, alas, we arrived in Munich...beermaking capital of the world (so Munich claims). We enjoyed a litre of beer each (a huge mug for only around 7 USD) and various sausages put together on a plate with mashed potatoes at the world-famous Haufbrauhaus.....one of Munich's beer gardens.

From there, we thought it'd be a good time for....well...more beer....and Dave and I's favorite beer is brewed in Munich....Hackor Pschorr. The brewery doesn't offer tours, but we found a restaurant offering 5 different varieties of the brew....you can only get your hands on one in the US that we've found. Of course....good stuff.

Cory and Kevin walked us to our train, and then we said our good-byes. It was tough to say good-bye to such good, fun travelmates. Cory has a job...the slacker....so...he has to get back to that. Kevin is looking forward to seeing his family again and starting the Floridian chapter of his life. They hit an overnight last night to Amsterdam....Cory flies out from there on the 25th. Kevin travels on to Dublin via London and Holyhead the following day.

Dave and I boarded a train to Budapest, Hungary via Vienna, Austria around 3:30 and arrived at about midnight clueless of where we might stay. I will admit being very tired of arriving in odd cities late at night with no clue where I will lay my head for the night....but....so is the way of the budget traveler. However....we were lucky. After about two minutes of walking from the train station...and avoiding our first room hawker (which we were warned of in our guidebooks...folks who offer you rooms to stay in right off the train......some will then transport you to a shady part of the city and overcharge you....you oblige to get in off the street).....we found a nice hostel for about 12 USD per night and decided to stay two nights. After getting settled, we went in search of food (ATM first obviously). The hype about low prices in Eastern Europe has lived up to billing. We found a gyro for about 2.50USD. Today, we enjoyed Ramen noodles (cheap and available apparently all across the world) mixed with fresh vegetables from the store for lunch.

There is definitely a different feel to this city than others. My guess would be the difference will be exacerbated in smaller towns.....of which we are planning to head to tomorrow. For now, I am loving the free interenet, cheap eats....and sleeping arrangements that have been solidified since I awoke this morning....two nights in the same bed....yay.

I am definitely homesick. I haven't heard my mom's voice in....way too long. I will try to call soon...but....that gets increasingly difficult and expensive as we travel further away from home. It is odd....but....I look at the map and see that I am moving further away from home...and not closer....and that weirds me out a bit. Kevin and Dave replied to that that they just see themselves as "in Europe" and the different locations within Europe don't affect them......it does for me. Although I am enjoying the trip....I look forward to moving closer to home....and then actually being home. I am putting aside my homesickness as much as possible. I will not have the opportunity to experience many of the upcoming places again probably...and it would be silly of me to wish away any of the great experiences to come....it's only another month. I guess another aspect of my homesickness is the fact that I will not return to a "life as I know it" but a life altered greatly by some recent moves, changes, and maturations. As Kevin and I parted ways, we both realized we probably won't see each other again until September when he visits....and that is after living together in the same city for the past year...and being close relationally and geographically since about 6th grade. Dave will be in Marion upon our return...again after years together...and what will be two months straight at the end of this journey. My friend Lydia has moved to Missouri (she is currently in Mexico with a summer missions-related internship dealio). And....I will greatly miss some of the youth group kids that will be heading on to college...... So......call me overly pensive....but......I will return to a different life. But, my family will remain, and I look forward to growing closer to each of them.....all included...... And....there are a stack of books on my bed at home that are waiting to be read. Dave and I stumbled upon an English bookstore today, and I picked up Jack Kerouac's "On the Road". I also have Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell in my bag...but I'm saving it for our time in Taize.

Thanks for reading what has turned out to be a long post.

Change of plans....in Copenhagen...of to Munich

So....we enjoy each other's company enough to re-arrange things a bit. Instead of parting as mentioned earlier in Oslo, we all traveled on to Copenhagen together yesterday. We stayed in a hostel last night.....free internet here before we check-out and head to the Carlsberg brewery, where apparently you can partake in about as much beer as you'd like for the most part. Then, an overnight train to Munich where we will enjoy the Hofbraeuhaus for lunch. Then, Cory and Kevin will head back to the states (Cory via Amsterdam....Kevin via Dublin). Dave and I are tentatively heading to Budapest then to begin our eastern European tour. Must jet....later.

Fjords, Rain, Parting Ways

Last night Dave and I headed up the mountain to camp. It was about a 45 minute hike...and raining....we stayed warm enough, but in the morning when we packed up our stuff to leave...it was all wet. We are hoping for dry weather in our next location to dry out...... We then sprinted across the park to the tram that would take us down to the city...nothing like a 10 minute sprint with a 35lb. pack to start the day I say....but....memorable and beautiful...and cheap...free camping.

The fjord tour lasted from our embarkment at 8am until our return at 7pm. I was trying to think of how to put it into words....but...with the clock on my internet clock ticking (I am spending my last Norwegian Kroner...and don't want to withdraw anymore), I probably won't be able to do it justice. If you get a chance...we visited Noærofjord...it is pronounced Narrowfjord...and is what it sounds like...... We took a boat through a string of beautiful fjords with mountains that jutted proudly out of the water into their places of grandeur garding the water below (that's my weak attempt at describing them). It was pretty awesome......after that...a bus and train ride brought us back to Bergen.

We approach the point where our travel party must part ways. We will take an overnight tonight to Oslo.....from there a morning train to Copenhagen. Kevin and Cory will enjoy Copenhagen for a couple days (Carlsberg brewery).....Amsterdam for a few more days (Heineken brewery).....Cory will fly back to his home and life in LA from Amsterdam. Kevin will make his way back to Dublin via Paris, London, and Holyhead and depart the day after Cory (the 26th).

Of course, Dave and I have only a slight clue of what the near future will hold for us. From Copenhagen, we will make our way down to Berlin (that will then be 24 straight hours on trains). From there the hope is to make it into eastern Europe. The Czech Republic is not on our pass, but we've heard great things about Prague. Hungary and Romania are on our passes and lead us down towards Greece. From Greece....a ferry to Italy....from Italy.....Switzerland....over to Spain....up through Taize and to Dublin. Sounds like a plan, eh? Wrapping up a month in a sentence-long string of random countries should give you some idea that we will be seat-of-our-pantsing it....but loving it.

For all the World Cup fans, we watched Brazil last night...and I am predicting them to go all of the way....they looked superb. Their 2-0 win could've easily been 5-0 with some better finishes. And...the US experienced the worst officiating in the cup in their tie with Italy....a red card for a clean (ball first) slide tackle is ridiculous.

We have heard that eastern Europe is very cheap...and I am hoping that is indeed the case.

Only a few minutes left....must go....love to all....will blog again when I can.

Fjord tour

I only have a few minutes on the internet..but....staying on the top of a mountain overlooking the city tonight....slightly chilly...but....we'll survive. Dave and I are camping...Cory and Kevin are hostelling it for some comfort. We have an all-day fjord tour tomorrow that I'm excited about (our only splurge thus far). May blog again tomorrow night and let you know how it was. 'Til then.

Norway....fjords...nuff said

I am in Norway.....a simple start to this post...but....I like the way that sounds...and I wouldn't have guessed I'd be saying it as of...well...a year ago or so.

After our short stay in Sweden, we hopped on a night train to Oslo. The night train was a 6-bunk.....hot.....loud...smelly mess of a sleeping quarters.....none of us slept much...so...to celebrate (and to keep our trip within one rail-day), we hopped on a 7-hour train this morning (after not sleeping all night on the first train) to get all the way to the western edge of Norway to a town named Bergen....the second largest city in Norway at only like 250K.....small cities here. We were slightly slap-happy by the end of the train ride.....and we didn't eat today until about 3 when we found the market....but...tummies are now full....and all is well. The train ride here is called one of the most beautiful in Europe....deservedly so....would've been better on more sleep...but....lots of mountain landscape with melting snow coming down the mountainside....sweet stuff.

We will be here in Bergen until Tuesday night (another night train....this time...even better...saving some cash by sleeping in a regular train seat). A plus of the not sleeping on trains is that sleeping in our tents on the ground at night is made....a little easier. In our time here....we would like to take a few hikes....visit some of the museums (including a leprosy museum and a Nazi-resistance museum?)....and enjoy some non-train time.

We meet nice folks on about every train......the latest was a guy from California who had lived in Sweden for 12 years...moved over here to teach trumpet and play in an orchestra....he invited us to his place to crash.....but, we had reservations on the night train. Today on the train, we met a couple from Texas that was over for the World Cup and some traveling.....nice folks.

The US plays in the World Cup tonight......we hope to not carry the embarassment of another loss around.....go Yanks (as many call Americans over here).

I appreciate the replies.....keep 'em coming. Let me know what is happening where you're at....if too private for a post...shoot me an e-mail.

Oh...and Dave's blog has pictures and mine doesn't....because he is a big nerd...and lacks the writing skills to go picture-less.....don't tell him I blogged that.

From here.....to Berlin (we will literally travel on train for about 24 hrs. straight).....then saying goodbye to our travelmates Kevin and Cory...and hello to Eastern Europe and cheap prices...we've heard hotels can run around 10-15 dollars in some parts of eastern europe. Unfortunately, our savings will be hurt by the fact we'll have to pay for some extra rail legs.....Eurail isn't good in all of Eastern Europe. But...I'm getting ahead of myself.

Oh...one last crazy thing....we are close to the time of the year here where there is no night. In Sweden...the sun went down around midnight and came up around 4 or so.....it will probably be even shorter now.....odd since a late night in Indiana during the summer is what....9 or so? This is like daylight savings on crack.....

Dirty laundry, ewwww

Mom asked about laundry....so.....there's a quick blog topic.

I started off wearing the same clothes for about a week....they actually didn't smell terrible......but I used the shorts for swim trucks in Pontorson, France and the shirt for an ongoing Kleenex as my allergies were bad there. Since Pontorson, we have all pretty much worn the same clothes for a week and a half....although, all of our stuff got a washing in Bonn, Germany by our nice host, Pam (Dave's neighbor's daughter). That is one thing we could have packed less of for sure.....basically....one pair of things to wear....one to have hanging to dry on the back of the pack. I have tossed out what I can thus far.....but.....the rest isn't too bulky.....the dri-fit type material has worked out nicely...dries fast...doesn't hold smell much.

Dave and I have worked it out so that we can pack everything inside of our bags...tent....sleeping pad and all...which reduces bulk. My sleeping pad has been defective...but....Kevin is going to be nice enough to lend me his for the rest of the trip when he heads home in little over a week....it is smaller...and actually holds air.

So....that's the laundry.....we do smell a little....but....nothing too bad. We'll see how it goes in the warmer southern weather when I will sweat like a stuck pig.

Go Sverige (Sweden)....on to Norway

Last night, we found a local pub to watch the big game....Sweden versus Paraguay in the World Cup. Odd, because the majority of the US probably doesn't realize said event is taking place......in this neck of the woods....the biggest thing since sliced bread. It was a good game....nil-nil going into the end of the game....when Sweden scored and the place went crazy. Beer and glasses were thrown up and broken......Pandemonium. Afterwards, the streets were filled with crazies cheering for the win....cars driving around honking....I would liken it to the city of SuperBowl champs shortly after a win.....and in this case....it was only a qualifying game....first round.....

So.....we have an overnight train booked for tonight to go from Sweden to Oslo, Norway. It was like 20 dollars...but....we have our reservation now and a sleeping car....so....we get to sleep through the night on a train.....upon waking, we will take a train to Fense....and commence a 4-day hike that has been deemed one of the most beautiful in the world. So.....I will probably not blog or e-mail for a few days....but.....we will return to the mainland (Berlin) in about 4 days.....'til then.....much love.

4 countries.....1 day

Let's see......I'm finishing up the last leg of some shared internet time. So, I will spit out...well...type as much as I can within the next 19 minutes or so. I had to remember the last time I posted before starting.....Amsterdam. Amsterdam is pretty wild.....yes, there are prostitutes behind glass doors under red lights.....yes, people smoke weed right out in the open with the police walking by......but.....it is also a pretty city.....developed around a system of canals...interesting. The cornerstone of our stop was a visit to the Van Gogh museum (the largest Van Gogh collection in the world). We stayed in a Christian youth hostel which was a little more expensive than camping...but provided safe refuge from the big city.

Two days in Amsterdam....then......a lot of traveling yesterday. We were on trains from about 10am or so until midnight.....utilized that travel day well. We started in Amsterdam....made our way through Germany.....then Denmark (which is being skipped...sorry Denmark....random people badmouth your boringness...and you don't take the euro.....Sweden is also without the euro...but there is freecamping here)....then we crossed over to Sweden via a 20 min. ferry. We are now in Helsingor, Sweden. We were again entering a city a little too late....but....we met the nicest Swedish guy, Johann.....would really was an angel. He escorted us around to a series of full hotels...and one that would've run us 320 dollars...yikes...but...he then hailed a cab for us...and we took a 20 dollar taxi ride out to a campsite....which we camped next to....for free. Sweden and Norway have a tradition that you can camp on any lands outside city limits as long as you are 150 meters away from a building....stay no more than a night....and don't leave a trace of your stay. He said it is common for people to just hike and camp in the countryside....can't wait....every fjord I've seen has been pretty tight.....but...those have been pictures and movies.....a real-life fjord experience coming to a Josh near you (well....far away from you) soon.

We spent the good part of the morning walking back into town.....now internet......not sure where we go from here. The major destination is a four-day hike in Norway......so...figuring out how to get there effectively will probably make the schedule.

Kevin and Cory will depart homebound at the end of the month....Cory on the 25th of June and Kevin on the 26th. Cory will return to his job/life in LA......Kevin will be heading to Indiana.....his parents are conveniently visiting Indiana around that time anyways...then, he'll head to Florida to start his new southern living with his parents.

Dave and I will continue on with the current itinerary looking like....eastern europe (romania, hungary?), Italy, Greece, Spain, a week at Taize in France, back through Ireland and home. I will admit to being slightly homesick lately......missing good ole warm plentiful food for one...and all my family and friends also. But....I'm here....and I am looking forward to each of the remaining destinations very much. I will be home in almost no time...and then be unemployed and have plenty of time to eat......and spend time with family and friends....even more so if they feed me?!

Out for now.

Welcome to Amsterdam

Yesterday was primarily a travel day....we went from Bonn, Germany to Utrecht, Netherlands. In Utrecht, we hunted down a campground...watched the World Cup matches of the night and hit the sack. Camping has been more expensive than expected....last night was around $10......I can't wait to get to Norway where free-camping (setting up wherever within reason) is legal and accepted.

We woke up this morning and trained to Amsterdam. We have only been in the city for a little bit now, and we hopped on the internet to check out hostels...so, I thought I'd give a quick shout-out. So....hello....and good-bye for now.

From Germany on to the Netherlands

Hallo ünd Güten Morgan from Germany,

Since my last post we have...well....traveling through Europe....oh wait...that's old news. Ok....moving on.

We ended up in Bonn, Germany...home of Ludwig Van Beethoven and a nice couple that hosted us for 2 nights. Pam is the daughter of Dave's neighbors....it worked out wonderfully. She and her husband, Uli, are both members of the Bonn Symphony orchestra...which we were lucky enough to hear give a pops concert in the city center....a kind of world cup kickoff of sorts. Our hosts fixed us a great German meal....sausages, mashed potatoes, and beer. All the folks who said that Americans don't know how to brew beer.....correctamundo. I am not even a big beer drinker....and have an untrained pallet...but all of the beers I've had since venturing off about 2 weeks ago....grand. In Belgium, Dave and I had Chimay...brewed by Trappist monks. In the states it is usually around $12/bottle....in Belgium.....about $4. It was great...and the beer in this area of Germany is Kölsch...also very good. We have been watching a lot of World Cup action....it is huge over here.....we watched in a cafe with a tv set up outside yesterday....very festive.....neat....and now that I mention it...I had one beer not worth writing home about (although....I guess I kind of am....) is a beer flavored with Tequila....too sweet.....one popular brand is called Desperadoes.....yuck. We are looking forward to the USA's first game tomorrow....but of course will be careful about where and how loudly we cheer. It may be that we are excited on the inside....and calm observers on the outside.

We are now waiting on a train to head up to the Netherlands (the country of my ancestors). We will be spending tonight in Utrecht before moving on to Amsterdam. The final destination for this first half of the trip is a hike that has been called "the most beautiful in the world" before making it back to the mainland and saying goodbye to travelmate Cory.

All have been nice....some folks even see us looking confused and offer to help. I appreciate all the prayers....speaking of prayer....we just visited the cathedral in Cologne (Köln in German)....absolutely huge (biggest I've seen) and beautiful. Check 'er out online.

I am at a rate of checking e-mail and blogging every three to four days. Feel free to send me an e-mail with any interesting life happenings or about nothing at all....I check my gmail when I blog.

Normandy, Paris, Belgium

After our short time of rest in the nice resort-esque campground named Haliotis....which would obviously not work in the US....too close to Halitosis.....we embarked upon a mighty day of travel.

We first visited the American Cemetary located overlooking Omaha beach. To try to put this experience into words when I am in a timed internet cafe would not do it justice. I'll pass on one of the coolest portions of the time there. We were asking a cab driver questions...he spoke English well, so we were utilizing that....and he told us about one of his friends....an American...there on D-Day....and survived. It was odd, because he was younger....but....that aside. He had us read an article written by his friend...and then....he said something along the lines of....."He..and the Americans....saved my life....your life....the lives of many....I am always thankful". The stereotype of ungrateful, snobby American-hating Frenchman was blown out of the water. Here was someone....in their 30's probably....with more appreciation and understanding of D-Day than myself. Sure....the anti-American sentiment does exist....but...as a blanket stereotype.....wrong. The cemetary....walk along Omaha beach...and the museum....all beyond simple words.

We then hopped on a train to Paris...on the metro from one Paris train station to another....then on a train to Beligum...Brussels. We arrived around midnight and then had our first hostel experience.....pretty standard...albeit expensive...around 20 euro/person.

We are now trying to map out the future of our trip for the next while.....we have fulfilled our current schedule of travels...and now must map out some more.

Love to all back home.

Re-connection to "The More"

This post will probably prove more difficult than recent posts, because it is of a different nature...beyond the simple travel details and updates....although those are good too, of course.

Speaking of travel details.... here is that portion to begin....our day has consisted of a trip to the store (we made grilled cheese and tomato soup for lunch....mmm...warm food)....rummy......a trip to La Poste (the post office)....more rummy....and the other three are currently playing botchy ball.....I won the most recent game of rummy after jumping way ahead and accepting the forefeit of my très amigos....so, they could go play botchy ball.

To the deeper intentions of this post. On Sunday, we attended a catholic church service in The Cathedral of Saint Samson in Dol, France. The service was obviously in French and undiscernible to these English/weak Spanish ears, but the beauty of the experience reached beyond words. A catholic service in French is two degrees of separation from my norm, so I tried to look beyond the words to inflection and emotion. Here, I found God, aka "the More". No matter where I go or what I do...religion....Christianity in particular (most probably, because this is where my base of knowledge is the strongest....not because Christianity holds supremacy)....fascinate me. The attempt to look beyond the everyday....to reach beyond oneself......to connect with each other....to connect with the power that creates, nurtures, and sustains....which may in fact lie in the connection to each other in and of itself.....that continually blows me away. I use attempt not because we are always unsuccessful, but merely out of a sense of humility created in my experience of the More. Before this moment, God was definitely on my back burner......it is more difficult to sustain a relationship with God when it is your job....than when it is not....in my experience. I, truthfully, have struggled in both situations. But, alas, it is not of my own volition that I experience the more, but out of a continually dumbfounding set of coincidences that could be mistaken for the work of a master screenplay writer. And, it is to the author of my story that I give thanks for tapping me on the shoulder when she/he was not my main priority and reminding me of the meaning behind all.

Any similar spiritual moments for all those keeping up on my blog?

Some confirmed suspicions

Before I left for the trip, I received numerous lines of questioning on different areas...most of my answers came straight from guidebooks I had been reading for pointers, so I'll fill you in on the suspicions that have been confirmed...thankfully.

Food....typical question.....what will you eat? My typical answer.....food from a market...ya know...grab a bite here and there. For all of you who know my...fondness for food....this suspicion has been confirmed. Baguettes are the best friend of anyone trying to travel across Europe cheaply. Unlike our tidy, sliced Wonderbread, the bread here is freshbaked in every Supermarket across the land....and cheap....it comes in a long thin loaf that can easily be combined with about anything for a cheap meal...thus far my baguettes have been paired with meats, cheeses, butter, soup from the train station vending machine....we all sported a loaf weaved through the straps of our backpacks today, although Cory wins the award for "most obviously backpacking through France" for his baguette being paired with a half bottle of Calvados, a hard liquor distinct to northern France made from apples....often equated to an apple brandy....the taste being best equated with cheap whisky....when mixed with applejuice last night, it wasn't too shabby.

Sleeping....typical question....where will you sleep? Hostels? My typical answer....camping. Typical response to that was generally a slight disgust at the thought of sleeping on the ground for two months. Camping is indeed plentiful and cheap....but splitting things four...and six when we had our two travelmates...has opened up other options. We have...paid for camping....free camped in a field......stayed six to a hotel room....cheaper because the hotel thought there were only two....a cute young couple played by me and our travelmate Irene....enjoyable, excluding the fact I wouldn't date a loud, annoying chickadee like that for a monthly stipend.....Kevin slept in a ferry station.....he and the ladies didn't trust our Irish friend Martin....we slept in a bungalow last night, which was reminiscent of a churchcamp simple structure....and tonight...a chalet.

The bar this free internet is located in closes in a few minutes. I will post and head back to our chalet for some cards and comfortable sleep now....possibly more to this post tomorrow....the time difference is wild......it is 10pm right now.....and maybe 4 back home? Crazy...the body adjusts within a day though....and with our current amt. of walking..sleep comes quickly.....I enjoy Europe and dream of Indiana......still my wonderful home.

Pontorson, France

Bonjour

I apologize for the long delay between blogs. Ya'll have been on my mind....

We have been away from major cities for a matter of days now, so the internet cafes are few and far between.

Since my last post via my mom, we made it into France and lost the annoying travel companions....two fellow travelers from the States. From our entry point in France, Roscoff, we took trains to Morloix, Rennes, and Dol....in that order possibly.....I feel like a rockstar when I forget which city I am in....but everyone deserves to feel like a rockstar from time to time now, don't they? In Dol, we encountered a cancelled train due to the weekend....but we caught a local concert in a little bar....right by a cathedral....the bar was fittingly called Kathedral something. The drummer was absolutely phenomenal....band was ok....no CD, but K took some video with his camera. Interesting...they listen to mostly American music....I would've expected noneless from the grand exporter and conqueror of nonmonolithic culture that America is.

Yesterday we visited the Mont St Michel...which is the most beautiful Mont I have ever seen....and one of the most beautiful sights.....splendid really....enough to make one endure the vow of celebacy enforced on Benedictine monks....well, not really....I'll settle for our visit yesterday....I can't disappoint my future wife....wherever you are.

From the Mont, we found an inexpensive bungalow....8 euros....around 10 USD each. We set out this morning on a 7km walk to the train station.....again......problems with public transport....in this case....it was due to the celebration of Pentecost...which here is a national holiday. It turned out for the best. We found accomodations at a nice little camping area that offers chalets....very nice small mobile homes. For 12.50 euro per person tonight and 10.50 euro per person tomorrow, we are taking a short respite from busy travel to enjoy the pool and warm food....we have a full kitchen with utensils and pots and pans!

Tomorrow will be our last day in paradise before heading back to travel. We will stay here tomorrow to enjoy the amenities, and then head off on the morning of June 6th for Normandy....Normandie in French......we will reach the beaches of Normandie to the day on the 62nd anniversary of the landing.....a powerful experience made even more powerful. We will spend the afternoon at the beaches before hitting a train to Brussels, Belgium via Paris.

I will be here all day tomorrow and can hopefully blog again before leaving. Much love to all.

A blog from Mom

4:20pm Thursday, June 1st

I just received a phone call from Josh. They are in a Rosslare, Ireland which is a little town about the size of Attica. They camped the first night in a campground outside Dublin. They about froze as it got down to 40 degrees! Yesterday, they attempted to get to France, but missed their ferry by 15 minutes. They stayed in a hotel last night with a couple other Americans who also missed the ferry. Today they hooked up with a friendly Irish dude who showed them some spots and had tea with them. They're camping (for free) tonight in a pasture the Irish guy showed them. They'll head for Roscoff,France (by way of the ferry again) tomorrow. Stay tuned. Hopefully he'll blog again soon!