new photos

hey world

have updated the photo briefcase with new pics and ensured at all can access it.

the link is on the left hand side. the briefcase link.

Berlin… city of wasps and sirens (Sunday)

**
Breakfast at the hotel. What the hell is it with Germans and sandals and socks. Ive counted 6 people in the breakfast room alone.
Sunday and all the shops are closed, so no shopping today…just tourist stuff.
Hmm, except we seemed to spend more in the tourist shops today and the normal ones when they are open. Got my nieces a post card, with a piece of the Berlin wall in it. Thought they might like it.

Looked at the outside of the Reichstag.. line too long to go in… lay o the grass outside for a bit, just to recharge.. then walked all around the central park. Didn’t seem to have too much trouble finding the gay section where dozens of topless men lay around on the grass.. hmm… noice kimmie!

this city is full of wasps and sirens. theres always a siren going off somewhere.

Walking is getting easier… had lunch at potzdammer platz and then back to the hotel to dump the bags and rest. Then had Mexican for dinner.. creatures of habit I guess. Drank a little sangria which took the edge off the day. Didn’t end up sleeping much, and so we are having a quiet Monday in the hotel lobby on the laptops. Jon has 3 with him for work so im using one to write my blog.
Must look up what train to catch tomorrow and arrange a seat for Jon. Heading for Hamburg again tomorrow

Ich bin eine Berliner (Saturday)

**

Got woken up at 6.30am by the newly arrived aussie. Bloody tourists. Early breakfast and then back to bed for an hours more sleep. Caught the ubahn to where we were supposed to start today’s walking tour, but got off at the wrong station [note to self…Dan to pick the train stations from now on] and ended up in the seedy red light district. How typical…as if drawn by some giant cosmic magnet.
Eventually got to Europa centre, the starting point for the day, about an hour later. Very disappointing shopping centre but Jon did buy a ceramic pig.

Sitting on a very hoity toity boulevard eating Mexican…alfresco. Ok, at least we moved away from McDonalds and Australian. Finally found some shops and talked Jon into getting this totally hot biker jacket that they didn’t have in my size. Bugger.

We did manage to see a biker rally drive past. Oooh so many hot biker types.. sigh.
Went into an army surplus store to buy a t-shirt and the Turkish guy at the counter took great delight telling me he had been to Australia.. and had been to one of the famous gay saunas there… why he wanted me to know this im not sure.

What is it with Berlin and wasps ? there are everywhere.

Went to schoneberg, which is supposed to be the gay area, although im sure we were in the wrong part as it didn’t look too gay to me.

Hahaha sitting here writing this and again we are plagued by a wasp.

I think I almost broke Jon with all the walking I made him do (ive had several weeks of practice) so at about 7pm we thought we would have a nana nap before going out. We woke up at 4am. Darn.

4 hours and a pack of lollies later (Friday)

**

Since I haven’t had the chance to get back on line I have been writing my blog in a note book as I go. So heres the catch up

Sigh. My last day in Köln. I got up early, after not much sleep. Ok so im running behind schedule by about an hour. But low and behold the sun is shining and it’s another glorious day. I check out of my hotel and go have breakfast at my fave café, to write this in my book.
The girl remembers my coffee order. How sweet. It was quite funny here yesterday, as I had a coffee with a local I met thru the internet. He and I were speaking English, and sitting outside. I go in to order a hot chocolate for him. (in German) the girl asks me in German if I want with or without cream..so I ask him in English, (even though he can hear her) and then I reply to her in German, like im the local and he’s the tourist.

Anyway…what did I do yesterday since the last blog. Well I bought some German chill out trance cds. Quite good actually. went for drinks with Jens Alex and andi last night. Jens is a friend of andreas from HH. Alex is a wonderful lady from hessing…who taught me a few new naughty words. And Alex is from ……..eek, ive forgotten but it’s a smaller town. I was so surprised when Alex told me she was so impressed with me. Not only my German by with me as a person. I think it’s got to be one of the nicest things someone has said to me in eons.

Then spent some time with another Alex .. who is a local. Very sweet man. He gave me a German copy of a terry pratchett book im reading so I can improve my German..

Well Ive enjoyed Köln, somewhat. Would have been better with company I think. Now I have to tote my bags to central, and hop on a train to Berlin, where Jon will be there 3 hours ahead of me.

Now on the train. Slightly disconcerted when the 5yo child in front of me, who has been speaking normally for the past 20mins (in German) has suddenly started speaking in a voice exactly like the child in the shining. Im sure he’s saying the German equivalent of RED RUM.
The ICE trains are really beautiful in 1st class, and I recommend train travel as a great way to see Europe. It’s so easy and comfortable. (sans possessed children of course)

Oh the train trip improved dramatically when in the 2nd half 2 early 20’s skater boys came on and a hot late 20’s guy in a military uniform, (cammos, crew cut and 8 hole boots..the works) I think they were 2nd class, and 2nd class must have been full, as they sat in the entry vestibule behind me, in first class. The conductor checked their tickets same as mine, and said nothing. Not sure why they were there as 1st class was only 1/3 full.
Anyway didn’t notice much outside the windows for the last hour. Spent half of it checking the guys out. Oh man the army guy was so hot. On the last 20 mins the 2 skater boys snuck into the 1st class cabin, in the last row..across the aisle from me, and had a ciggie. One of them was a typical skater pin up boy..oh my god..hottie.
A relax and a half my friend aphro would say. Well any more relax and he’d be catatonic. So I pretty much missed the sights of the entrance to Berlin. Although there were 2 Berlin stations, and before the first one, the announcer rattled on something in German way to fast for me, but mentioned something about alexanderplatz which was the ubahn station near my hotel, but I was going to ostbahnhof, which was the 2nd of the 2 Berlin stations.
Besides, I had told Jon where I was arriving, and I had an inkling. Oh yes kimmie, I could feel it in my waters.
I got off the train, and saw this guy walking towards me. It took a few seconds before I realized it was Jon, who had come to collect me. He’d been here 3 hours already. He knew Köln wasn’t that much fun for me so surprised me at the station, and gave me the most beautiful rose, to cheer me up. It worked.

After dumping the stuff off at the hotel.. we walked….supposedly…straight towards B-berg gate. But we ended up walking in this S shape…well actually it was more like and SS spanning half of Berlin mitte.
[note to self…Jon carries the map from now on]
Finally, after more side trip adventures than the USS Voyager, we made it to potzdammer platz. And ate dinner at an Australian café. How typical, other side of the world and we eat Australian. Hmm.. it wasn’t particularly Australian, nor very good. (gold coast chicken… since when is the gold coast known for chicken.. and I sincerely doubt this chicken has seen anything gold in its life)

Found out what I had suspected last time…..I don’t understand the Berlin German. Neither does Jon (as he speaks no German)
Then we looked at the Jewish memorial. Wow..very impressive. It was being built on my last trip. It looks like nothing to begin with, looks like small concrete slabs lined up, over a whole city block. But as you walk thru it, it quickly turns into a dark maze of huge grey monoliths. Rows and rows of them. There’s a museum underneath I think. also saw the gate..and the remnants of the wall.
But both our bladders hit defcon 3, so back to the hotel.. by the time we got there we were at bladder emergency 8.5 out of 10.

Settling in for the night. Jon is tired after the flight from Sydney and I don’t feel like going out alone. So having a beer in the room. [note to self…..avoid becks green lemon at all costs] normal becks is just fine.
So writing my blog in my book, and virtually polished off a pack of lollies. Such a pig.
Listening to a new cd I got by a band called Shiller, called Zeitgeist. It’s a bit like a German Enigma.

here comes the rain again

**

falling on my head like a memory.
sigh...so much for clear skies.

well.. not doing all that much today... since its raining so much. its not really walk around weather. did a bit more window shopping.. but only managed to buy a couple of cds and a air brush for my camera lens as i think i got a couple of rains of sand on it and want to clean it without scratching it.

tomorrow i go to berlin..and meet up with Jon... who as we speak is already inflight. its going to be good to have some company... the last couple of days have been lonely.. but its prob more due to the fact its cloudy grey weather and ive a few things on my mind. but yesterday was a good day..the sun shone and i could forget things for a while whilst basking in the sun. hope berlin is a bit warmer though.

well..not much to say today.. ill have to ensure some catastrophic adventure occurs between now and the next blog. hahaha i do have to catch a train to berlin, so chances are an amusing anecdote will present itself.

bis gleis

Dan

Waroum Ich ??!! (why me)

well the adventures since i left the relative safety of the internet cafe yesterday.
i proceeded to get myself thoroughly lost. i think Köln got me back for saying it was boring.

picture me, totally lost on the city fringe, no idea which way the city is. (got all turned round) and it starts to rain. heavily. i have no umbrella. its then, as im dashing blindly for civilised shelter, that i realise that all the walking ive done over the past weeks has worn a hole in the bottom of my favorite sneakers, and my left foot is getting wet, and im squelching as i run. sigh. and just to really put the icing on the cake, my bladder has delcared an emergency situation on board.

i run on, and finally, after waiting two large spas and possibly a couple of washing loads worth of rainwater just to cross at some lights, from which i could see on the other side, shop awnings, beckoning their santuary, like an oasis in the desert. a very wet desert.
finally i gained cover, and watched with envy, as passersby carried umbrellas past me like some giant sadistic sushi train, after youve already eaten your fill.

i briefly pondered the countries criminal penalties for mugging, and trying to recall if there are any parton saints for rain stoppage, and took the opportunity to look at my city map.
but where was i ??
i guestimated the park i had just run past mightbe the one in the top left hand corner, seemingly miles from anywhere (how the hell did i get here) so figuring i might be on "this" street, i waited for the rain to ease, and using a very scientific "eeny meeny mynee mo" i walked (squelched) off in one direction.

about an hour later, after many map consultations and blind guesses, i got back to my street. phew.

dinner was the biggest donner kebab ive ever seen....it was served in a bap roll not a pita roll, and it was so wide i couldnt get my mouth around it.
i had declined an invitation to the sauna with friends of Jens, and have opted for the safe warm security of my cell (after my day, i thought it was best) and watched desperate housewives in german.

i forgot to mention that my room has no clock. but its ok, the old church down the road lets me know what time it is, 4 times an hour. (i was so glad to know it was 3am last night) my cell block also comes with the additional torture feature of fresh baked bread smells at about 3.30am its so strong, your mouth waters for it.

still having an ok time speaking german. the people here seem to be so much more pleasant to speak german with. i see the occaisional smile at my german, as they realise im not a native, but appreciate the attempt and they talk slower back to me, then in hamburg.

one thing i like about the germans is ive learned that they love to play with their language.
theres over 17 different dialects of german. aparently i speak plat deutsche. (its what the fisch kopfs speak)
and even with the different dialects to contend with, they like to play with the words. not only are there different words for the same thing, dependant on context and emotive strength, and based on colloquialism, but you can add 2 or more words together to make a completly different word to specifically describe another thing. some times the translation is amusing.
for example my 2 faves.

stadtrundfahrt translates as city-round-drive which actually means city tour.

and my all time fave

brustwartzen which translates as breast-wart, and actually means nipple.

when you think about it the imagery is logical, but when i heard this i almost wet myself.

and its a great language to tell someone off in. you can really throw a very descriptive insult, in a way and tone that really shows how much you mean it.

halt die klappa du labetaschendrecklockfotzenleckmachine !!!


with all this confusion, its no wonder so many germans have problems with their own language. its not uncommon to hear someone asking what a word means or how someone else says a particular word.

today (yesterday when i wrote this down) Sara Conner and Marc (the german version of Jessica Simpson and Nick) got married. (it was sooooooo twee you could puke)
i cant believe they have made a german version of this. mind you, we in Australia make Jessie and Marty, the love story, so best i not bag too much.
they even have a german Rove here. HELP!


well wednesday...today..has brought with it clear blue skies and a nice mild temp. today i walked and walked.. shopping day.... can you believe after 4 hours of walking the entire length of the city...all i ended up with was 3 lousy postcards. had a bit of a nana nap this afternoon as my legs were threating to go on strike.

one good thing out of the last few days has been ive been inspired to continue writing my book. (the main body of which i think may be lost in a old hard drive which i desperately have to retrieve)

anyways... the adventure is continuing. have so much on my mind, that im basically walking around the city in a daze, but im taking photos where i can so that ill prob look backina months time and think what the hell was that ???

ok chatzies....bis gleis (i know thats not spelled right)

TSCHUß !!

look! up in the sky!!

is it a bird? is it plane? (is it a bee?)
no it is the sun!! oh arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with envy. (oh dear, its gone to my head)

sorry world for disappearing. ok, lets recap the last weeks events. last week the sun shone (and was schöne) for 2.5 whole days.. wow.

took great pleasure in going to the beach.... was fantastic to be lying on the sand, the cool breeze keeping the heat at bay...... had a great time.... although not really sure why it was so great...i never go to the beach back home... but since its on the other side of the world.. i made concessions with my enjoyment.

then went to a place called travemünde. had to have ice cream there.. was the sun was really hot. i ordered off the menu, and of course i had to accidently pick the biggest, tallest, most gayest looking ice cream dish they had..... ill try to connect the photos next week.

spent time just lazing around hamburg, basking in the new summer 8which y the way has quickly disappeared again.

then, 2 days ago, i hopped on a train and headed to Köln (thats Cologne for the english people)
a friend of andreas' whose name is Jens was going there for a seminar for a week so invited me to go along if i wanted. Köln is nice..but a bit boring. with Jens at his seminars during the day, im left on my own to entertain myself. im sure theres lots to do...if youre with someone...but its a bit boring on your own. but on the up side..spending so much time alone has made be think twice about being single. have spend so much time on my own.. has made me think about abandoning the single life and settle down. so i thik i have some serious thinking to do on this one.

having to deal with a bit of heartache, on my own, which is a bit hard, and im sure this is what is making the city seem so grey..that and the constant grey clouds.

went to the zoo today.... wandered around looking at the animals. was a small zoo with your standard animals... but was surprised to see they had a cassowery (how ever you spell it)

my hotel room..... ive dubbed my cell.. it absolutely tiny.... and is reminiscent of a cheap motel in Queensland.. the garish bed spread and drapes, that almost match, except they shouldnt. but its cheap and kind of central.... a 15 min walk to the main railway station. but it suits my purposes nicely. not looking forward to the schlep back to the main railway station with my bags, on friday.

off to berlin on friday...where my friend in sydney, who works in Amsterdam, is meeting me. hes coming back to work and is taking a week early to come see germany. his chance to see it with someone who can speak the lingo.

hahaha.. ok so im not fluent by any means.. but since in Köln, alone, i must fend for myself, and am not speaking english during the day at all, and ordering meals and coffees like a pro.
havent managed to figure out the train ticket system here yet...so have been walking endlessly... got a bit of a cold which yesterday had me doped up to the eyeballs with codral. but i soldier on.

will attempt to find more internet cafes to keep the blog up to date, as so much has happened and i keep thinking in my head to put it in the blog, and yet now all seems misty and inconsequential.

bis bald

tschuß!!!!

ein schönes tag gehapt

well yesterday was such a nice day.....

first i had breakfast (früstück) with a friend Ollie.. hes very nice, and reminds me a lot of myself in some ways. got introduced to a friend of his from berlin.. .oh my god.... how hot was he!!!!!!!!!!


then (oh god i keep going to write in german) i met another friend of mine Andreas and had an elbe day (elbe is hte river here) we went ovet the bridge and under the tunnel.

we went to an area called blankenese that has so many steps in the streets and its all hills and valleys... so i got alot of exercise. then we went to the deer park, and walked around since the sun was finally starting to shine.

then to the elbe beach and sat eating some kind of meat (frikadella??) and beer and watching the cargo ships go past.... this is very hamburg.

then to dinner

and finally an exhausted dan was to bed going.

ive come up for air

hello world,

when last we spoke i had just arrived in Hamburg.

i was on my way to have coffee with a friend that i knew from last time and ran into a guy i had been talking to on the internet, in the street.

anyway... had coffee with an old friend Jan and then dinner with Andreas and Henning.

the next day was my day to meet Ollie who i had met in the street. what a nice guy. he took me around Hamburg and we walking our legs off.

the next day i did another walking tour of the city with another friend also called andreas. but walked to different parts. (all this walking is keeping me fit)

then friday night.... oh my.. where to begin....
i had an invitation to go to a big huge leather party, with some people i know here. felt very nervous to be going to such a thing, in germany, alone.... but worked up the courage and tagged along with some friends.
(ok this is where those of you with sensative minds or under 18 must leave the blog. )
i now have a small idea of what Dantes inferno would look like. firstly the men were all hot and sexy... but my god it was like a den of iniquity. beingt he brave boy that i am.. i got dragged into the darkroom (mum...dont ask) and had a bit of a pash there.. but that was all.. mind you the room was wall to wall men, flailing arms and legs and sexual activites going on everywhere.... (oh my eyes are burned for life!!)
anyway.. had a bit of a bop on the dancefloor.. which let me tell you was not much better.... they had a stage where som epeople were.. umm.. "dancing" and low and behold..a guy is dancing and another comes behind him and fists him... im not sure what was more shocking.. the fact they did this on the stage in front of all the dance party or the ease in which it went in.. anyway.. i tried not to stare and tried to look the other direction.. but alas 3 guys all giving each other blowjobs on the other side of the stage. eeeek!! was a good boy though.. only did the pash and dash twice and that was all. went home at 3-4ish. slept most of the next day.


sunday had a nice day with andreas (the original) and we went with Jens, another friend of his.. on die stadtrundfahrt. which is german for a sightseeing tour bus. it was raining string as they say here but still was nice. then sunday night was my welcome dinner with all of andreas friends. was so nice..and i tried to speak as much german as possible, which i think is already so much better than last time.
ill try to use andreas`s internet to upload some pics for you all.

today is monday and a lazy sleep in and now.. shopping.... einfach einkaufen.... have bought some nice tshirts.. because lord knows i dont have enough of those.

love to all.. and will keep you posted...

tschuss tschuss!

Im Deutscheland Sein !

Hallo world,

well, i finally made it to Germany. 1st up, forgive me if i misspell anything.. the keyboard here is a little different.

well.. got a bit of a surprise when i found out on the train from AMS that i had to change trains half way. picured myself getting so lost and ending up lord knows where. amazingly i managed to get to Hamburg ok.

at first the german was so overwhelming.. they speak so fast. but by the end of my first night i was speaking more german. i think in about a week, i will be used to hearing the language as can easier make out the words. i am going to try to read a chapter a day, of my "german for dummies" so after 10 days i should be speaking a lot better.

well....so much for the summer. i have arrived here, only to find that the weather is not that much different to the winter when i was here. its grey, cold and raining. so summer is not to be, for me, this trip, but (oh god i keep thinking in german and its now hard to be 100% english without trying to translate everything in my head) the weather is not my reason for being here.

im staying in a nice apartment, close to the city. it was strange to wake up this morning... alone in the world... but i am getting a taste of what it would be like to live here. i discovered this morning that i had no towel.... so im probably going t osmell by the end of the day, but andreas is bringing me one. they forgot to leave me a towel, as his boyfriend i think is slowly moving to andreas´house and has taken most of the manchester and clothes.

watched desperate housewives last night in german.. its so funny.. to hear the wrong voices.. but i actually understood some of what was being said. and i hope that by the end of the trip, im speaking like a native. this afternoon ill just do some shopping and later meet andreas for kaffee und kuchen (thats coffee and cake)

i only have connection to the internet via an internet cafe so the pictures will be slower in coming to you.. but i will try to upload some from andreas´ house one time soon.

already they are making fun of my tastes in food. nto that i see a problem with egg and cheese on bread but aparently its a funny combination for them.

hello to all back home and around the world.. thinking of you all...and so glad im not at work (sorry YM)

God how could I forget

I had almost forgotten.....

imagine this...... I've come out of the nightclub..... Bit tipsy and all..... And we go sit in a cafe waiting for one of the shops to open, before we go back to the flat. im sitting alone waiting for Jon who is ordering coffee at the bar, when a Dutch man comes up to me and asks if I can help him.

he shows me a newspaper, and says to me, can I please explain what this word means...... Wait for it.... The word he points to is...........(drumroll) ENEMA.

firstly, picture the state im in.... secondly, how the hell do you explain enema to someone who's first language is not english.. oh man.. ... Im still wondering if i am to be on a hidden Dutch camera show or something. WAROUM ICH??

on the up side.... after 7 visits to nederlands, i can now pronounce Regulierdwarstraat. finally.
(thanks Paul)


oh and sorry for another Cliched grachte pic...couldnt help it.

what a weekend !!!

** ** ** **
oh my god i just dont know where to start.

lets rewind to Saturday. got up early (again) and went shopping at the supermarket to get some supplies to make breakfast. During the walk, i had the revelation, that crossing the roads here, is a bit like playing Frogger. (which i was never any good at anyway) this could explain why i have almost been run over by bikes about 3 times now. i think bikes have right of way in all cases...even if the pedestrian crossing says green, the bikes dont stop.

went to watch the pride parade..... see my photo links on the side bar to the left to link off to the pics ive taken.

the buzz in the street..or the canal really, was unbelievable. and i managed to get right into the swing of things by drinking 10 beers. oh my ...this is the most beers i have ever drank in one sitting... tee hee.

then we went to an outdoor dance party thing along side one of the canals... by this time i was absolutely busting to go to the bathroom..... but i just couldnt bring myself to use one of the outdoor pissoirs. i mean.....just standing there pissing into a hole, with hundreds of people walking by.... hmmm.. but i think eventually i could do it.. except this time i didnt and as we are walking to dinner.... i thought my bladder was going to explode. in the end i had to divert to the nearest bar and use the bathroom, or there would have been a urinary explosion of mammoth proportions.

over dinner, a liquour champagne, a huge glass of red, and a port, and im well into the mood.
you know youre in Amsterdam, when after dinner, the waiter offers me a line of coke. (why does this always happen to me here?? )

went back to the flat, just to have a rest, as its 9.30 pm and we plan to make the most of the weekend by joing the pride celebrations. woke up at midnight and got ready to go out.....except it was about 2 by the time we actually left the flat. just in time for the rain...... sheesh they really know how to do summer here.

anyway...met up with one of Jons friends Kurt, and went to a bar, had more beer. then when that closed at 4, we went to a club.... called The cockring.... poor kurt, who was straight, lord knows what he thought of the place, but i think he settled in ok.

never have i seen a club so hormonally charged. they had shows every 40 mins i think...2 big muscle guys up on a podium dancing....well at first i think they were dancing , until i looked closer... is that.....couldnt be...oh my god they are...... flopping out their huge (and i do mean huge) dicks, waving them at the crowd... striking poses that were so sexually suggestive. anyway...show number 3....and they were actually fucking on stage... you should have seen the vultures all crowding around to have a good look.
although the guys were good looking (ish) i just couldnt comprehend how they could stand up there and cheapen themselves so much. it was worse than any girl strip show i had seen.. yet, like a car crash, you just couldnt look away.

we stumbled out of the club at about 7am and sauntered the length of the city back to the apartment. i had actually shocked myself at my incredible restraint throughout the night... and was not my usual piggy self. (i actually didnt need to be)

spent the day in the flat snoozing and recovering from a night that shall be burned n my memory for a long time.

today is my last full day in amsterdam... darn it... having so much fun and have even come across some job prospects here. (i wont say too much about the 20,000 euros i had been offered to do something which i wont go into )

today i must do the shopping i have been meaning to, and to book my train seat to Hamburg.

its hard to believe its only day 6 and ive done and seen so much. still 5 weeks to go!!

Pride Day

what a day.

about to head out again...its 2.30am but here is the link to my photos that i took today. well some of them....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/boserwolf/

so much to tell.... but cant stop now.............too much fun to be had

Amster-Dan

Well...as threatened, heres my Grachte pic.

behind me is the Homomonument. last night they had a big outdoor dance party type thing there as the opening for pride festival.

prior to this i had gone to meet Jon at his work and we went to a womans house with his work mates, for drinks. Maureen is a wonderful hostess, but i couldnt help but make comparisions to Mrs Madrigal. 3 beers later and we set off for dinner. this photo was taken at 9pm.... can you believe how light it is.

had dinner at a friends restaurant. very very nice food. (had lobster) my friend shouted us a bottle of wine and a port.. this on top of the beers....well you can imagine my state. left the restaurant at midnight.. lord knows how i didnt fall asleep at the table.. jet lag still playing havoc. was going t go out drinking after, but sensability prevailed and i went home like a good boy and promptly fell asleep.

but Godverdammer.... i woke up at 6am. if only i could wake up like this at home on a work day. ive planned a nana nap this afternoon, although we are going back to the restaurant after the pride parade so i doubt ill get any sleep.

will go shopping this afternoon if i can manage it. off to the supermarket to buy breakfast so i can cook for Jon, as this couldbe one ofthe few chances i get to do that, with our schedule.. and i wanted to say thanks for letting me stay here. and i just love shopping, even if its for food... will give my dutch another go.

bye all.

And this is summer???

**
ok guys....What happened to the summer.

today is like I know Amsterdam to be. Cold, wet and windy.

im laughing now that thank god I didnt make too much of a fuss to my mates back home that I was escaping the winter and heading for summer.... Because I think its warmer and nicer back home in the winter, than it is here today in the summer.....

but still I am having a ball. got to see more of the city today and my god, I cant believe I have never been to Vondelpark before. very nice and green.... a hidden oasis in the midst of the crowded hustle and bustle that is A'dam.

walked around the centrum today..... ive learned that i can walk around for about 10 mins knowing exactly where i am and then all of a sudden i have no idea where i am..... but have learned that if i just keep walking inthe one direction, in another 10 mins im back on track and know exactly where i am. i think its important to have a vague idea of the direction you want to head to and just cross the fingers and hope for the best.


walking along a normal looking street today, and something caught my eye in a window down at knee level.. oh my god it was a semi clad prostitute smiling up at me from her window. i had forgotten about this.

tonight we are to go to a restaurant of a friend of mines, on the Prinzegracht (i think thats how you spell it)

oh today i ordered my coffee in dutch... very impressed.. actually it was sheer blind luck i understood when he asked if i wanted it black or with milk but ...shhhhh secret squirrel.... dont tell anyone.

thankfully my pay has gone in on time so now i have spending money (and who says miracle only happen at xmas..... flight centre actually put the pays in on time for once. although im betting the next one is late)

hope to have more photos for y'all soon. just today was such crap weather theres not much point getting out the camera, although im tempted to take a typical grachte pic with me on a bridge. so cliche but then..... its not a cliche for nothing.

ok, off drinking now... mmmmmm.....Becks Gold !!!!

My first night in Amsterdam was spent having a quiet night, sitting at the balcony of the apartment that we are staying in. this was taken at about 7.30pm (the sun was still up at 9.30)

amazed that i lasted until 10.30 pm with no sleep but wasnt very energetic. Jon, my friend, was also tired as he had woken early that day and had worked. He's off working today, leaving me to explore the city, and im planning to check out parts of the city i havent been to yet.

had typical continental breakfast this monring of breads cheeses meats and spreads. (yes Andreas, Eirsalat mit kase !! ) had fun trying to figure out the multitudes of coffee machines they have here... except once we finally made a coffee we realised no suger. oh well !!

well.. off to explore.

The Wolf has landed

Hi World,

well.... what a schlep!

so many things have happened to me so far.. i just dont know where to begin.

so lets start with the flight from Sydney to Bangkok. the line at immigration, to get out, was huge.. took over 30 mins.... mass exodus from sydney???? is there something i dont know about yet?

got bulkhead aisle seat, with seat next to me vacant... wonderful!!! unfortunately... no upgrade, but hey, premium economy is still pretty good. managed to watch Constantine and Hitchhikers Guide on that flight.

my god, the smoking rooms at bangkok areport are like little torture chambers. you would think for a major airport and transit point like Bangkok, they woudl at least have decent smoking rooms... every other airport does.. but it hasnt changed in at least 10 years that i know of. picture this.... 20 people, all crammed into a 5x5 room.... with hardly any ventilation.... i still managed to smoke about 8 smokes in 40 mins.. becuase i didnt get much of a chance to stock up on nicotine before i left i was craving all flight.... but at least im only smoking 1's so its the equivalent of smoking 1 8mg.. not too bad.

the flight from bangkok to london.. fuck what a flight..... got the same seat.... and was on the aisle of a row of 4.. the 2 middle seats were vacant.. and the same guy was sitting on the far aisle as was on the prev flight. we joked about how lucky we were having the 2 seats between us empty. famous last words. after about 1.5 hours.... 3/4 of the way thru the film Madagascar..(very good by the way) a flight attendant brings 2 english slapper backpackers to come sit.. apologising as she had to move them as a guy down the back was really giving them grief.

turns out the guy was going ballistic... throwing food, punching seats, hurling abuse.. etc. (AKA air rage) the purser get s them to fill out a statement report sayingthey will be going to the police on arrival.

anwyay we land in london and the captain says that the police need to do a security check of the plane, and can everyone remain in their seats with belts fastened until the captain gives the all clear.

well.. 2 HUGE wall of men type cops come on.. armed with guns and tazers and cuffs etc.. and go down the back. we know it was to get the airrage guy. anyway... back they come with a guy in cuffs.. and it wasnt the guy who was the air rage guy.. so lord knows what he did.... and then 3 more cops come on, and get the air rage guy.. also cuffed. finally we were allowed off. little thrill for the trip.


the flight to AMS was quick and painless....except as per usual we land on the runway farthest from the terminal and its a 15 min taxi to the gate.
my friend tells me to get the hotel shuttle to the marriot where he will meet me. after walking back and forth across the terminal 4 times (with heavy bags) i find the counter to buy the ticket.
i go outside.... and stand in line...you woudl think the bus woudl just take whoever and go around the houtels.. but the organiser at the line is organising people into shuttles depending on which hotel you are going to. well.... it was such a shamozel... it was over an hour that i had to wait for a bus.... mind you.. by the time i get on one... i had landed 2 hours ago.... you can imagine the state of me.

then... this stupid american chick..who quite frankly woudl be dangerous with a brain.. gets on.. and shows her ticket to the driver... but shes got the wrong ticket... but this is what the woman gave me"" and ïm not even supposed to be here" and so the driver tells her its 11 euro for the ticket "but i dont have euro......i have dollars"meaning USD. like the whole world uses this currency!!!
(sorry chris but the fucking yanks!!!!! )
anyway, turns out she had missed her connection from iran back to atlanta... she says she will go back and check out why she has the wrong ticket from some woman.. the driver says he will wait a little.. (AHHHHHHHHHHHhh says dan inside his head) the stupid bitch disappears for ages.. and shes left all her bags and stuff on the bus (luckily all 6 of us on there were honest.. but you think you would take it with you

after about 30 mins the driver starts trying to figure out if she has bags on board as we really cant wait any longer.. but as we are about to hand her bags to the line sorter.. she comes back saying its taking too long and she will just get her bags... (shes really as thick as mud.. ) an american on the bus offers to swap some USD for some euro so she can get a ticket...

finally we are on our way. shes the first to be dropped off..... she thanks everyone on the bus.. like we had persnally arranegd for her transfer.. and we can hear here talking to herself out side thebus asking no one in particular where the front door of the hotel is.... ...sigh... at least i can laugh now.. but imagine... it took me 3 hours from the time i stepped off the plane until i get to my friends apartment.

moving on...... the apartment he has here is beautiful. so big.. ok the stairs are a bitch, but its holland.. so what else can i expect. ive never enjoyed a shower so much.... except i got trapped in the shower as the doors were magnetic and i couldnt figure out how to open them... im wetting myself laughing.. as i can just picture on top of all else.... im now trapped in a shower! but i got out eventually (thank god my friend didnt have to come looking for me)

had lunch in leiderplein. and then my friend went to work. i am wandering around AMS now... already used dutch twice. i was so proud of myself...when a woman tried to ask me some survey or something..and without thinking i just said "ney, ik spracht geen nederland's" without pausing.... (it means i dont speak dutch....except i just did)
and i had to get a spare key cut, so went into a shop as asked in dutch if they speak english... (well its polite to anyway)


and thats my trip so far. are you can see... very fun filled.. i can laugh now.. but you can imagine my blood boiling at the time.

thankful im not at work..... amazed at amsterdam in the summer.. since i havent seen it like this for 8 years. usually its winter.

i had forgotten how HOT the european men are.... im trying not to stare !

off to find a good coffee shop and join the locals
(oh by the way, i could smell it even at the airport... welcome to Holland!!!)


love to all

The BOSER Wolf!

Last day at work

panic is starting to settle in that i have not organised everything. rushing around this after noon to find some space bags. im going to fit everything in my back pack if it kills me. however, i pity the poor customs office who opens it and the tiny packages of clothes spring out all over the place once the air rushes back in.

todays phrase ich bin ein Geschäft Analytiker
which is a fancy way of saying im a business analyst.

2nd last day almost over.

**

and after the day ive had today...... thank god im going on holidays.

sounds like all hell is going to break loose while Im away


anyway.. been listening to my german language cd today.

phrase of the day - es freu mich sehr sie kennen zu lernen (in a nutshell = very pleased to meet you)

had to have a good chuckle at the pronounciation guide at the start where they give you the english letter, then the german pronounciation for that letter and then a german word its used in.
E was used in Lieben (but the way he said Leiben which means love, sounds very lester the molester) F was Finger im not going to continue but the words they picked seemed to be making a very odd sentance.

2 more sleeps

as i prepare to say goodbye to sydney, and pack my bags, im arranging things into ever growing piles. do i really need to take all these things that i just cant live without? Im thinking 6 weeks is a long time to be away and i dont want to be doing washing every few days, but then theres the convienience of having a backpack to cart on and off trains around Europe.

some serious thinking has to be done between now and wednesday about what im taking.

double checked my itinerary about 6 times so far.

arriving in Amsterdam on the 4th at 10am, and catching the airport bus to the Marriott, to meet my Aussie Haggis there. Then im thinking ill be so ready for a shower it wont be funny.