Interlude: Diseased Traveller

I remember when I first told my dad, two years ago, I wanted to do a big backpacking trip through Eastern Europe, he was hesitant. He kept emphasising “yeah, there are some beautiful places in Europe, like Spain, Italy, south of France...” and so on, i.e. Western Europe. And then when I had changed my destination to Argentina, he was all like “But what happened to Europe? I thought you were going to study Spanish in Spain?”

My dad is a wonderful loving father, but he definitely gets more excited about the things I want to do when they coincide with 1) what he’s interested in, and B) being safe.

I’ve had Crohn’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, for about 13 years now, most of my life. And although it’s been a pain-in-the-ass (heh, pun), it’s never really stopped me from adventuring. I was able to visit Argentina and South America for two and a half months, I was able to study film in Denmark for a year, and I’ve been able to place on a number of sports teams over the years. I’m still a pretty good long distance runner.

Still, whenever I go off to do something big, I have to plan and always be careful - make sure I eat healthy food, print off the contact info for all the local international traveller hospitals, organise all the pills I’ll need for the entire trip (plus extras), and so on. Plus special traveller’s diarrhea medication, vitamins in case the local cuisine lacks it, all that shit (heh, more pun). And it’s annoying, but I guess it’s worth it.

The thing is, after a while I get tired of it all. Obviously, I am grateful for the financial capability to see the world and the fact that I don’t have a more crippling condition (only 2 bowel resection surgeries thus far). It, of course, could be much worse. But I feel like I’m a smart guy and I stay healthy (I say this while eating Belgian chocolate - don’t worry, Mom, it’s dark!), so I don’t think it should be cause for too much actual concern.

So when I go somewhere, I’m gonna take the necessary precautions. I’m gonna make sure I have all my health forms and medications in order, I’m not gonna walk around holding my wallet and passport in plain view saying “Speak English?” and I’m gonna make sure I am ready for emergencies. I just don’t want to waste my time actually thinking about it. Because human bodies are pretty strong and every individual is capable of a magnitude of shit. So I “don’t worry, be happy”, and just mellow out, man. I’ll be prepared if shit goes down (heh heh heh). I just, y’know...

I do what I need to do and then enjoy. :D

Luxembourg City

Gillian

We arrived in the capital city here early afternoon and I couldn’t help but wonder, “What was the point of going here, even for just a day. Especially for just a day”...

First off, as mentioned above, I made/forced Gillian follow me on my hunt for Patton’s grave. That was quite an experience. The graveyard was huge and very well-kept. I kept thinking of “in Flanders Field the poppies grow...” when looking at the rows and rows of crosses, spotted with stars of David for the Jewish soldiers. I don’t want to say it was “cool” because that sounds offensive. But I don’t remember ever being to a military cemetery, and certainly not one of this magnitude. The Luxembourg American Military Cemetery is massive and has a huge monument in the middle, which you can actually walk into and pray. They even had two sides to the prayer room - one for Christians and one for Jewish folk.

After the cemetery, Gillian and I wandered around the town. The area our hotel was in was kind of gross and nothing special, but once you get into the city, it’s quite nice. The architecture is cool, a lot of pretty old buildings like in Brussels and Bruges, and in the middle of the city there’s a bridge that overlooks this massive beautiful green valley park. Gillian and I walked down a bit and eventually located ourselves at the top of this beautiful steep hillside. Down below we watched dogs play, people walk by slowly, and smell a couple guys smoking up behind us.

After dinner at night, Gillian and I were watching the French Open on TV. I wanted to go out for a walk and get a snack. Gillian stayed in. So before I picked up some food for us, I walked around. And with all the castles or castle-like buildings and parks and places, all lit up at night, it was quite beautiful. Kinda romantic, actually.

I even came across an Ionesco World Heritage Site - a monument known as The Golden Lady, commemorating the Luxembourg volunteers who fought in World Wars 1 & 2 and the Korean War. It had such an interesting history, too. It was originally constructed to honour the volunteer soldiers from World War 1. When Hitler came to town, it was torn down because it was a representation of Luxembourg independence and strength. In the ‘50s, it was reconstructed to commemorate those who fought in all three of the aforementioned wars. In 1981, I believe, it was knocked down in a riot for some reason only to be rebuilt a few years later at the request of the townspeople. I don’t know what all the significance of this was in the grand scheme of things, but I just thought it was kind of cool to see that. And unfortunately I’d forgotten my camera, so I can only go on my memory of it - a simple structure, but still very cool.

So it turns out that Luxembourg City is one of my favourite cities I’ve been in. Gillian was saying that, if she had the money and spoke the language (French seemed to dominate there), she would love to live there. And frankly, I agree. It’s beautiful, fun, interesting and, yeah, romantic. Plus, I got to practice my French and found out I can still hold a shaky conversation in it.

If I get a girlfriend next year, I’m totally gonna take her to Luxembourg City. :D

Interlude: Must See

INT. HOTEL YASHA ROOM, LUXEMBOURG CITY - DAY

GILLIAN (22), in sweat clothes, and DAN (24), in a blue-orange ensemble, walk in to their cosy-sized hotel room and throw down their backpacks. They stare at the one bed they have to share. Gillian flops down on it.

GILLIAN

There is no way we’re going to

that fucking cemetery.

DAN

What?! But Patton was buried there!

Gillian sighs deeply, frustrated. Dan looks out the window at the dirty, seedy bars and night clubs across the street. They are closed for now. He turns back to Gillian.

GILLIAN

(grumbling)

Alright... how do we get there?

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. BUSY STREET - DAY

Dan is wandering around the bus terminal, Gillian following reluctantly. They get on the number 16 bus.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. BUS - DAY

The BUS DRIVER is looking at Dan, confused. Gillian looks away.

BUS DRIVER

Non, vous avez besoin de prendre

le numero quinze.

The Bus Driver mimics drawing something on the ticket counter with his finger.

DAN

Uh... je m’excuse?

Gillian is concerned.

BUS DRIVER

Nu-me-ro quinze.

Again, the Bus Driver mimics drawing something on the ticket counter with his finger.

DAN

Uh... pardon?

Gillian is concerned for her and Dan’s well-being. The Bus Driver “draws” with his finger much slower a “1” and a “5”.

BUS DRIVER

(thick accent)

One. Five.

DAN

(realising)

Ohhhhhhh. (beat) Oh.

Dan and Gillian get off.

SMASH CUT TO:

INT. OTHER BUS - DAY

BUS DRIVER #2 is looking at Dan, confused. Gillian looks away.

BUS DRIVER #2

(heavy accent)

You speak English, yes? You need

another bus.

DAN

What?!

Gillian mutters the Lord’s name in vain.

BUS DRIVER #2

This is the right bus. But you need to

go the other way.

DAN

(hint of frustration)

Oh.

Dan and Gillian get off.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. BUS STOP - DAY

Dan and Gillian are waiting at the correct bus stop, finally. Gillian squints.

GILLIAN

Well this is a productive use of our

time in Luxembourg.

Dan tries to remain cheerful.

DAN

Well this is the big American Military

Cemetery. What else would you be

doing with your time?

GILLIAN

Walking around. Enjoying the city.

Dan tries to remain cheerful.

DAN

But this is fun. It’s an adventure!

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. EMPTY ROAD - DAY

The sun is beating down on Dan and Gillian as they walk down a deserted back road. Gillian frowns. Dan laughs nervously to himself.

GILLIAN

Are you sure this is the right way?

DAN

The sign said “American Cemetery 1km”

in this direction.

Gillian is concerned for their lives.

GILLIAN

We’re gonna die here, aren’t we? I

don’t wanna die in Luxembourg.

DAN

You won’t die in Luxembourg.

Dan looks around. There is a beautiful green and yellow field to the left. Bushes and forest to the right. An empty road ahead of them.

DAN (CONT’D)

Hmmm... maybe we should just head

back.

GILLIAN

(annoyed)

No, let’s just keep going.

They trudge on in silence.

DAN

Why don’t you take a picture of the

beautiful field? You love yellow.

Gillian rolls her eyes at him, stops, and gets out her camera.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. END OF ROAD - DAY

Dan has given up. Gillian is indifferent. Dan is about to say something when the road turns and they see a parking lot. They keep walking and they see a golden eagle over the side of a wall. As they continue, they see a magnificent entrance with a golden eagle on either side of it. They have arrived at the cemetery.

SMASH CUT TO:

EXT. LARGE MILITARY CEMETERY - DAY

Dan and Gillian walking amongst 5,076 graves for American soldiers who died in World War 2, including a special separate one marked for General George S. Patton, Jr.

Worth it.

Brussels (feat. Bruges)

Gillian, Vicky

“Can I pack some sandwiches for you for the train?” - Vicky’s mom

This is the kind of hospitality that makes “Family Tourism” so worth it. Family Tourism is the term I use for staying with a family in a foreign country. Now granted, Vicky’s mom is Dutch and her dad is Danish - both are cultures I now feel quite familiar with. But there’s also the aspect of just seeing what it’s like to live with another family. And Vicky’s family is pretty awesome!

Vicky’s house and general living environment is also tres cool. She lives in the suburbs (like me) and her family is fairly well off (like mine). She took us to one of her main high school hometown hangouts - the mall - for Quick, some authentic local fast food. This might not seem like taking advantage of the chance to explore another culture, but sometimes I like to find the stark similarities instead of looking for the shocking differences. After being away from home for enough time to conceive and give birth, it’s kind of relieving. I got a bit homesick for my own hometown hangout, but at the same time it was kind of a relief. We did some shopping, watched a movie (the first one I’d seen since school ended), and ate fast food.

Which brings me to the main “tourist stuff” we engaged in here: food. We ate Giant burgers at Quick, a typical local fast food joint; our first night, we sampled spare ribs from a local BBQ guy Vicky’s family really likes; we enjoyed mussels cooked in beer with fries on the side for lunch in Bruges; after walking that off, we had glorious Belgian waffles; we bought Belgian chocolate to enjoy once we left the country (I couldn’t wait and had some on the train to Luxembourg); and every night we enjoyed delicious meals in a lovely suburban Belgian household. Yumsies! Although Gillian and I are definitely looking to take a break on the rich foods. I definitely felt like a glutton, and I know what I did was bad medicine for my malfunctioning digestive system, but it’s hard to resist when the local cuisine is so rich and the local family is so damn hospitable. So I let myself go overboard.

About the actual country itself - Belgium is very beautiful. The cities and suburbs are surrounded by lush, green forests and the architecture is very nice. I love the old buildings and they build the new ones in such a way that they blend in with the old. It always looks awkward to me to see shiny skyscrapers next to venerable churches and castles. Bruges was especially beautiful and looking like a fancy fuckin’ fairy tale with all the pretty castles, churches, and canals.

Thing is, Martin McDonagh is kind of right - Bruges is this beautiful, magical-looking old town, but there really isn’t much to do there. You can walk along the beautiful canals, marvel at the old buildings (I took a picture of some iron gates, the oldest ironwork in Belgium or Europe - circa 1290), and walk up the Belfry. Interesting note: in the movie, one of the characters is able to jump out at the top, but in actuality the Belfry’s windows are fenced-off to prevent this from happening. Also interesting: people have taken it upon themselves to inscribe their favourite comments about Bruges that are made in the movie on a corkboard wall at the top of the Belfry. My favourite: “Maybe if I grew up on a farm, and was retarded... but I didn’t!” But when it comes down to it, Bruges is still fantastically beautiful and one of the coolest sites I’ve seen. I mean, the entire town is a fuckin’ Ionesco World Heritage Site. Very cool.

So upon reflection, Brussels isn’t a city I could see myself dying to live in, not the way I’ve fallen in love with Amsterdam or Halifax or other cities. But staying at Vicky’s was so much fun, so awesome. Vicky is a hella cool friend and so warm and welcoming in a way that she doesn’t get all flashy about it. One of those “yeah, course you can stay for a while” people. Or someone who is like “yeah, course I can arrange that for you.” It’s as if being so nice, friendly, warm, and helpful is common sense to her. Which maybe it should be for everyone. After staying with Floor and Vicky’s family, it’s gonna be tough to “rough it” in hostels. But then again, this kind of hospitality probably seems so common sense because of where Vicky’s coming from. I mean, look what her mom said to Gillian and me (see opening line of this entry). It could be a mis-statement and she meant “shall” instead of “can”, but I’m gonna give her the benefit of the doubt.

How can I not love a place where the matriarch takes dinner requests and asks to make food for me?

Interlude: Brief Encounters

There was a point when I kinda wondered - what's the point of meeting up with all these people? Is it because I can? To make myself feel "connected" to people around the world?

I think it finally actually hit me yesterday, when I bumped into Lisa randomly in the park ("LISA! LISA! HEY! OVER HERE!"). Apparently I was yelling to her really loudly. But that enthusiasm is part of my point - it was really exciting to see her and it would be really cool if we both lived in the same city and could have more encounters like that, walking through the park or hanging out and eating bitterbollen with drinks on a sunny afternoon on a bar patio. Lisa's a really awesome person and I miss our hang out times at Hipolito Yrigoyen in Buenos Aires. Ditto for Kamilla and Marlies. And Anil and Floor in Cordoba/Mendoza.

In a way, it is a bit of a tease - these are people who I'd love to hang out with on a regular basis, but because of distance and circumstance, I only get to see them for a little bit - for some just a couple of hours after not seeing them for a year and a half! But I guess even those couple of hours are important. It's staying in touch, in contact. Keeping the ties.

And then I guess we can always go back to being together, again and again. Life is pretty long. If I stay healthy and no surprises come up, I've got another 55 years or so of adventures to go.

I think I could fit in a few more meetings. :D

Amsterdam

Gillian, Floor, Anil, Lisa, Marlies

Smash Cut to some wonderful momos with Gillian. Super-size me motherfucker! (You won’t get that. Only Gillian will.)

Amsterdam was really cool. And this is from a guy who didn’t spend his days in the coffee shops and his nights in the clubs. Amsterdam just has this really wonderful atmosphere. On Friday, our first full day in town, we pretty much just walked around. Took in the sights, got a feel for the city, and ate some nice food. It was also our first full day together on our whole backpacking-through-Europe trip. So it was a good start and the weather was beautiful. And Mom: Gillian always makes sure we re-apply sunscreen when needed, so no worries. No burns so far.

One thing that was really nice is my friends Floor and Anil picked us up at the airport when we arrived. We sat in a cafe, caught up with each other a bit, then went home to Floor’s place. Floor was such a wonderful host to us. We could not have had a nicer, sweeter person to stay with - she gave us so much and it was no problem for her at all. It was really cool. So now she has to come to Toronto (or Ebeltoft, Denmark) so she can stay at my place and I can give her a place to stay, show her around, cook for her, and give her the royal treatment. So Floor, if you’re reading this: come to Toronto! (and just make sure I’m there, so I can do all these things for you :D)

Friday night was really nice - Floor, Anil, Gillian, and I went out to dinner at an Argentine restaurant in Rembrantsplein, as a connection to where I first met Floor and Anil - in Cordoba, Argentina a year and a half ago. Afterwards, we walked around (I got to see the difference between the older, heftier daytime Red Light District and the younger, slimmer nighttime Red Light District) and then went to a nice bar, where Floor got the bartender to make me a nice alcohol-free cocktail. I believe it was a Nojito. At the end of the night, Anil made his way back to Den Haag (The Hague) on the night train (which I think goes to show how small and cosy Holland is).

On Saturday and Sunday, we went into Tourist Mode. We went with Floor to see the Van Gogh Museum (which was the second time for me and frankly I could go a third), which was awesome, especially because Floor hadn’t seen it before. I think it’s a really special museum because it really gives you a feel for Van Gogh as a person, not just a painter. The collection of personal letters especially illuminate is tragic life and spiral downwards, as well as his brother and sister-in-law’s undying devotion and support. I get teary-eyed just thinking of it. On Sunday, we visited the Anne Frank house, which was also nice and informative and very interesting (it’s hard to say “cool” to tour a place that was a dank, often uncomfortable, hideout from the Nazis).

Saturday night we went to the restaurant Floor serves at, which was sweet because she served us and so we ended up getting the star treatment, lots of bread, and free drinks! Just another example of how cool Floor is.

Sunday, we got to meet up with Lisa and Marlies, both of whom I met while studying Spanish in Buenos Aires (the month before I went to Cordoba). This whole Argentina reconnection thing was really cool for me because that was my first big backpacking adventure (where I met a lot of Dutch peeps), so it was like connecting the two trips together. Both girls (young women) are very sweet and fun, and they took Gillian and I to a place to try “bitterbollen”, which I don’t really know how to describe. They’re sort of a Dutch pub food, deep-fried balls of batter and I think maybe some meat and what looked like spinach? So good. Mmmm. And Gillian and I also tried Fristi, which is this pink yoghurt drink that Dutch kids (like, little kids) apparently love.

So all in all, I think Gillian and I got a really good coverage of Amsterdam. We spent time in all the major neighbourhood/areas of the town and got to hang out with some locals and do local stuff. On Monday, we visited this really nice cafe called Latei that a friend of ours recommended us and then went for a walk in the main park, which was full of people walking/lying down and enjoying the sunny weather. And where I bumped into Lisa who was with two friends (which, again, goes to show how small and cosy Holland is). Having never accidentally bumped randomly into someone I know in a foreign city before, this was really cool. And since it was this city... with the people I know here...

...really makes seriously consider job-hunting in Amsterdam when I’m done. Hmmm...

Brief comments on Gillian (I’ll write more on her later ;) - very cool travel buddy. We both have a lot of things to say about what we see, so things never get dull. We can also comfortably enjoy silence together when waiting on a bus/train or when one of us is checking our email or reading. Also Gillian belched a big burp around me the other day. Which was nice. Both for its magnitude and to show how comfortable we are around each other. Hopefully we can keep that up without killing each other. :D

So, on the train from Amsterdam to Brussels, I have a new dilemma - yet another city I want to live in and keep returning to. It makes me not want to leave, especially away from such wonderful friends, but I guess it’s kind of a good “bad thing”. I mean...

Wouldn’t it be the most awesome trip if it was like this for every city I see?

Interlude: Big Plans

So I'm finally doing it. The whole "quarter-life crisis" backpacking-through-Europe thing. Which is not an easy thing for me. I am great at making big plans - I have a lot more trouble seeing them through to the end. Even with school this past year, I'd have elaborate plans for a film project and then it would get toned down more and more from "elaborate" to finally arrive at "good enough".

Well not here - Gillian and I planned out a 5-week travel plan and we's gonna do it. We are still arranging places to stay at in certain locations, but we have things organised and, regardless, I need to be in Rome on June 21 in order to fly back home to a home I'm already homesick for to see people I already miss so much. So it would be very easy for me to say "Aaaaaccckk I can't do this!" and rush home and see friends and family and it'd be awesome and I'd have a lot of fun and feel good. But I would also be thinking "Damn I could have maybe..." And even now... But no, I'm doing this. And it helps that I have a good friend along for the ride with me. A good friend whom I'm sure wouldn't be too pleased if I just up and said "Peace".

So yeah... Europe ho!

Oslo

Andrea, Fiona, Kamilla

Well technically not Oslo - I’ve been staying with Andrea’s wonderful family who live on the other side of the fjord in a beautiful house with a beautiful view of the fjord and the air smells so wonderful.

First off: summer weather. Finally was able to break out the sandals for sandal-appropriate weather. It’s nice. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t wear socks between May and September. But living in Canada and travelling/studying in Northern Europe won’t allow that. And maybe sunny weather makes every city look nicer, but I was really digging Oslo.

Andrea, Fiona, and I had some lovely walks around the city, Andrea pointing out all the important spots - very nice. There are a lot of nice parks and streets with trees lining the sidewalks; I always like it when nature and city collide. Oslo has some beautiful splashes of green in the concrete jungle. My friend Kamilla, who I met up with for a walk says that Trondheim is prettier, but that’ll have to wait for another trip.

Other cool thing - Syttende Mai (17th of May). That’s the big national day in Norway, which is what I experienced for my first impression of Oslo. I’ve never been in another country for their national holiday, so it was cool to be in one where they put up a nice celebration - children parading with their schools, the royal family constantly waving, people packing the streets... it was really cool to see. And then at the end, Andrea and I found ourselves at her cousin’s place having a lovely dinner while dancing and laughing with her cousins, sister, brother-in-law, and their friends.

Andrea has such an awesome family. Her parents are so nice, her sister is really cool, and her brother-in-law is such a hoot. It’s always so nice, so special, when I get to spend times like these with people’s loving families. My first dinner at her house when I arrived, her dad proudly showing me his office, her mom sharing delicious cookies with us and always asking about how our day was, talking about film with her sister and brother-in-law, everything. It’s so... warming. Frankly, I don’t want to leave. But Amsterdam will also be awesome. So I guess, on to that.

And besides... I’ll see Andrea and Fiona again. Next year. And several times after that. I know it.