A week of waiting and 40 hours of transit
It’s good to be home. I missed two wheels, burgers, and being in the same time zone as my family and friends. Portland is really green.
Making light of religion and getting through the Vatican
I am not religious. I’m not an atheist, but the word agnostic just sounds difficult. Secular Humanist? I’m not sure. What I’m getting at is that I don’t believe in God, so going to churches for three weeks is really getting tiring. Yesterday we went to the Vatican to check out the museums and the [...]
Step throughs, roots, beers, traffic, and the wind in my hair.
And it’s pretty decent, If you can find the office to fill out the paperwork. It took some searching but I finally found it. Ten euros to get started, 5 for the card, 5 for the initial loading. Once you sign the documents you can find a bike. From our apartment there are a couple [...]
Two of the nastiest beers I’ve had here – so far
Up around the corner from our apartment is a bulk-type store. Not like costco back home. This is still relatively small, but things are cheap. It was here that I found some interesting looking beer. Castello is really really sweet. Misia seemed to like it, or she took on for the team and finished the [...]
Warning: Pictures of Paris and other touristy things
Portland has light rail. And it’s great. If you want to go to Hillsboro or Gresham. Getting around the city itself is done easily by bike. Paris on the other hand has an amazing subway system. It’s cheap, efficient, and really fast. And on top of that the bicycle infrastructure is incredible. The traffic signals [...]
Roubaix from my perspective
Real race news will give you insight and drama. I’ll just leave you with pictures. And a few words. Roubaix is a pretty depressed town. Granted it was a Sunday, but the town had a creepy feeling to it. Following the signs from the city center to the Velodrome led down some pretty rough streets, [...]
It’s not international travel, it’s just France
When we got to Italy there was no customs check. Off the plane, get your bag, and you’re free to wander the country. When traveling in between countries in the EU it’s much like traveling in the states. So when we got on the plane in Rome and landed in Paris we walked right out [...]
Even savvy travelers get hustled sometimes
I live in Portland. For the last six months it’s been grey, cloudy, and wet. The rare moments of sun were welcomed because they didn’t stay. There wasn’t enough time to get sunburned or worn out by the bright light. It’s been 70 and sunny the last couple of days here in Rome. Now I’m [...]
Europe on spring break and the throngs of wandering idiots
The sun is out today. In full force. Hovering around 65 degrees for the better part of the day with not a cloud in sight. Two days after easter and Rome seems like the Daytona Beach of Europe. Want to see the forum? 1 hour wait. Want to see St Pauls? 2 hour wait. We’re [...]
Vorrer due birre per favore
We left Portland at 12:30 on Saturday and got into Rome around 1 on Sunday. Smooth flights, bad movies, microwaved food. The usual. After a long/slow train into the city we caught the subway to Coliseo, which is right at the Coliseum. Duh. After a 5 minute walk from the Coliseum, we found our apartment. [...]
