Eine Reise nach Frankreich

Tomorrow I leave for Paris for four days! During which, Lori and I will be celebrating our birthdays. How nice, oder?

If I can hit an Internet café, or a plain 'ole computer, I'll record something, otherwise you'll just have to wait 'till I get back on Monday. It just occured to me that I haven't posted any pictures on my blog. I'll have to find a photo host in which to dump them, and link them here.

Tschüss!

Fünftes Video

YouTube won't let you upload a 14 minute video so I had to cut it in half. Watch in the following order!





Tschüß!

Bier des Patriotismus

I've found it! The cheapest beer I've ever seen! How can it get much cheaper than 35 cents for 500mL? I defy you to find a cheaper! It's still good too! It's called 5,0 Original and it doesn't suck (you'll be able to tell from the name that it's 5,0%). Unfortunately it's in a can, but I pour it into glasses.

This one celebrates 60 Jahre Bundesrepublik Deutschland (60 Years of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949-2009 and still going!)). Notice the German flag on the can.



Here's what the text says:
Nur eine schwarz-rot-geble Dose ! Keine goldene mit aufwendiger Prägung ! Nur eine simple Gestaltung ! Keine teure TV-Werbung ! Diese Ersparnis geht an Sie ! Wir haben so gut wie an allem gespart ! Außer an der Qualität des Bieres ! 5,0 Original ist ein Pilsbier, gebraut nach dem deutschen Reinheitsgebot ! Zutaten: Wasser, Gerstenmalz und Hopfen ! Setzen Sie Ihr Geld besser ein ! Bezahlen Sie jetzt weniger für ein gutes PILS ohne Schnörkel !

Translation:
Only a black-red-yellow can ! No golden one with elaborate imprinting ! Only a simple design ! No expensive TV-ads ! These savings go on to you ! We have saved well on everything ! Other than the quality of the beer ! 5,0 Original is a pilsner beer, brewed according to German purity law ! Contents: water, barley malt and hops ! Use your money better ! Pay less for a good PILS without flourish !

And I only had to look up a few words...

Tschüss!

"Brauchst du etwas zu rauchen?"

When I get bored, I tend to prioritize the useless things I "have to do" over the important things I have to do. For example: Facebook moves high up the list on things I "have to do," even overtaking my essay research. I don't know why, but it appears that free time creates this useless mind-set within me.

I've been back from England for a week and a day, and I'll be damned if I've done anything but jog alot, and buy a book. Oh, I went out to brunch today at this famous Freiburg brunch house.

That's a story in and of itself. After eating brunch happily and leaving, I became light-headed about halfway home. This strange malady led me to take refuge on a park bench for awhile to steady myself. This caused this clean-cut Turkish guy to come a suspiciously long distance from me for a conversation where he asked me in German if I needed anything to smoke. Now, even in my fugue state I knew this was a drug-deal; hell, I am from Vancouver's East Side. This was around 13:00 in broad daylight in a relatively busy park, so I wasn't in any immediate danger, but the cloudiness in my head stopped me from being a smart-ass and I just told him I didn't smoke. Though I was tempted to tell him that I only smoke the finest Afghan heroin laced with Windex.

After a while I felt better, got up, and left to home, where I now feel normal. I guess it was just too much jogging/walking followed by a heavy breakfast, and not enough water.

Thankfully this coming week there's a lot to do (compared to last week) so I wont be as mind-numbingly bored, and might even get this essay done. Well, I should hope so, it's due on Friday.

Tschüss

Grossbritannien

Ah, England. The country I love. Especially London, which I always manage to have a good time in. However my feelings towards London have saddly changed, though not enough that I cease to get excited when I pull into it's chaotic streets.

First of all I am much more aware of them being a police state than I ever was before. Police litter the streets and tube stations, while announcements drone over the PA systems reminding anyone to report suspicious activity, or that they're captured on CCTV. Did you know that Londoners are captured on CCTV an average of 300 times per day? Did you also know you can face jail time for photographing police officers? Did you also know, that being arrested gives the British police the right to take samples of your DNA? For a country that published 1984, they're sure not paying attention. I mean it was a good book, but for other reasons.

However I had a great time hanging out with my friend from Vancouver, Stuart. He was here on business at the same time that I'd be passing through, so it was great to spend two days with him. He's the first friend from Vancouver I've seen in 6 months.

It's now 2:57am and I'm sitting on a "free" computer that only allows "free" access to select sites which don't include anything I visit. Instead they charge £1 a minute, only if you don't have any physical cash like I do, 'cause I'm broke from spending 2 weeks in the UK, you have to spend £3 for 30 minutes, which is pretty hard to use when you only needed to send an e-mail. Then they fill the screen with ads! I don't get it!

Damn! I'm bitching again. I'm just tired, really it was a good trip, though I'm glad to be going back to Freiburg. Normally this is strange after I come from England, I don't want to go back to anywhere but England, however I'm tired and need a recharge. I have 11 minutes and I should be getting back to my friends after leaving to go to the washroom 19 minutes ago...

I should go, I just figured out some stuff I can do on the Internet, that can kill the 9:40 I have left.

Tschuess!

Noch leben

So I'm still alive. I survived Dublin, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and am currently in London. I've slept on a nine-hour bus ride, and overnight at a ferry-terminal. I've been even more lax about posting because of the high-costs of Internet cafes, and the fact that I've been so busy from travelling that I just haven't been updating this blog.

The trip is good. I'm still in love with London, and hope to one day end up here. At the best of times this trip has been amazing, and at the worst of times the trip has been mildly irritating. Not bad, considering it's been 2 weeks on the road. I leave back to Freiburg on the 28th, and, frankly, can't wait. I love it here, but I really need to go home. If home was London, that would work, but home's Freiburg, so even my love for London needs to take a back seat to warm showers without sandals, and a peaceful rest.

Tschuess!

Eine lange Reise

I just wanted to pop by in the 10 minutes I have before I have to leave for the Hauptbahnhof to say that I'm going on a trip! I'm going to Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Edinburgh, London, and everywhere between. Hopefully seeing Nottingham and Oxford again. This will be a two week trip, which is sorta nerve-wracking as I've never gone on such a long trip before where I wont have a permanent (or semi-permanent) residence.

Without further ado, I go!

Tschüss!