Eurotrip Letters

I sent some emails home about my trip to Europe. Enjoy.

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May 24, 2008 - London, England

We did London in a day:

Hyde Park, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, SoHo, Trafalgar Square, Tower of London, Millenium Bridge, London Bridge, and yes, even Chinatown.

We had a flight cancelled and a flight delayed on our way over, one of our trains nearly hit someone, and we waited on the runway for a plane to emergency land. I also have found out the perils of having no towel and so I have been using my shirt to dry myself off.

We haven't interacted too much with locals, but Puneet has been saying "Cherio" and "Pip, Pip," trying to blend in. We clearly can't afford much here though.

Hopefully I'll get Internet and be able to spam you some more!
Stu

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May 29, 2008 - Paris, France

Bojour!

We have just left France and entered Italy. I can confidently say that out of the two countries we have visited, France is my third favorite. Way to go France! It was everything I expected of France: the people were rude, the food was overpriced, and the baguettes were plentiful. The city was surprisingly dirtier than London with graffiti all over the place. French lovers call the dirt "authenticity;" I still call it "dirt."

We had a really interesting experience at the airport during our fantastic four hour delay. A man was sleeping on the one of the chairs in the airport, and we heard a splattering of a liquid hitting the floor. We quickly realized the man was urinating on the floor in his sleep. Being the good citizens we were, we told security, and being the good Frenchmen they were; they told us it was not our problem to deal with and they promptly did nothing. It was like a microcosm of foreign policy - the overinvolved Americans are chastised by the French for doing too much.

In better news, the hostel in which we are currently staying is providing a towel. Huzzah!

Stu
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June 4, 2008 - Rome, Italy

Bonjourno!

Our time in Italy has come to an end and we are now in Barcelona. Italy was like a more authentic version of Olive Garden - when you´re here, you´re really family.

Our first night here we went to a small Italian restaurant near Trajan´s column. Although we planned to have a nice hour meal, I fortuitously got into a conversation with the eccentric man at the next table. The man was friends with the owner, which meant two things:

1) we were suddenly showered with free wine and
2) we had to talked to this man and the owner for another three hours.

The man pontificated in great length about the indifference of Europeans and lamented the commercialization of Italy. He was also obsessed with the number of ¨cities, towns, and states¨ in the United States of America. He proved to be an expert in race relations; when he saw a Chinese woman in our group, he said two types of Chinese women existed: the strong type (and he made a motion indicating muscular shouders) and the weak type (which he indicated by making a prancing motion). It was an extremely comfortable and natural situation for everyone.

For the second half of our Italy trip, we went on an organized trip of southern Italy. The landscapes were gorgeous with the endless coastlines and crystal clear water. The accomodations were less so. We stayed in what were called 'tent cabins,' which included a bed, sheets, night stand, and light. Notice I did not include a blanket, bathroom, or anywhere to put clothing. My friends' tents even came with complimentary rat droppings. I love camping!

Overall, though, Italy was my favorite of all the countries we have visited, and I definitely want to come back because we missed so much. The sights were out of this world, the food was good, and the women were surprisingly gorgeous. I could have spent the entire vacation in Italy.

We are in Barcelona now, and it is much more low key. I probably won't be sending out any more emails, but I hope you all have a fantastic summer and we can talk sometime soon.

Adios, Au Revoir, Caio, and peace out!
Stu