Timetravel

I wish I could go back and write fresh about all the ups and downs of the past few weeks, but I'll try to do a quick rewind here and include the highlights that I can remember, and maybe some pretty pictures now too. It's in order, starting with whatever I thought of first.

Europe is obviously a lot more expensive than China, and I wanted to do something more than see a bunch of castles and churches, so Brian and I decided to bike the way from his place in Heidelberg along the Rhine River to Joe's place in Delft (see the route here to the nearby metropolis, Rotterdam, here). We had some (mis-) adventures along the way, but mostly a lot of rain and some wonderfully friendly folks. Brian and I decided it was crucial to focus on the silver lining, otherwise I think we never would have made it through all that sidewaysly stinging rain. We enjoyed some in-city renegade camping (I think giving it a name made it seem less stupid and more intrepid), a romantic getaway in a town you will have to date me to discover, and the unexpected invitation into a slightly nutty-looking old lady's home for "some coffee." The phrase "some coffee" in Germany actually turns out to be strawberries & cream, cookies, some bread and homemade jams, fruit, fruit juice for the road, wine, and of course, coffee. Allegedly, we covered some 400 km along the way, but since we didn't have a cyclometer, and we repeatedly got lost, who knows. Although we did not achieve the goal of avoiding castles and churches (the Rhine is littered with them), we did get to enjoy the village life a little and hang out with some very interesting folks, who of course all spoke perfect English (it kind of makes you feel like a pompous American for not learning a bit of theirs).



Marijuana and Windmills:
The Netherlands seem to get a lot of talk about their open pot use (including sharing joints in the bathroom with yours truly), but I think that their liberal view towards "sin" is really a product of one of the most modern countries I've ever visited. Maybe it's just the culmination of a steadily increasing degree of developed countries I've been visiting over the past year, but I think there's more to it than that. Along with making Americuns look like neanderthals, you have these funny quaint little villages and windmills decorating the landscape, contrasting oddly well with the post-modern sculptures and architecture. (Who puts a purple racing a stripe on a skyscraper?) Throw in some unbelievable friendliness and generosity, and I think it will be an excellent stay.

German Hospitality:
Germany was also really awesome in many of the ways the Netherlands are, and I also was treated to some wonderful hospitality. Our once exchange student (and now good friend), Britta, invited me to join her and her husband Eric to a tour of all that is deliciously German. We ate schnitzel, drank beer, and sampled spargel (German for "makes your pee smell funny"), along with all the other things Germans are good at (race cars, cheese, etc.). Since food is by far my favorite thing to explore in a foreign country, and they know a lot about good food, we got along quite well. Their powers of hospitality even extend to Amsterdam, where I am to be visiting another of their friends. Brian, a buddy from Eugene, also was generous enough to share some floor space with me while two other friends (Megan and Allison) slept on his bed. What a good guy.

Turkey:
Turkey was excellent, good food, more examples of unexpected hospitality, etc... I think I will have to save it for another post, but here are a couple pictures for now: