Espana

I last left you at plus 35 degrees in a free hotspot in a starbucks in Potsdamarplatz in Berlin. So much has happened since then. I am back in Vancouver ready to hit the ground running although I wish I was on a beach in Barcelona. Anyways I will fill you in on the story from Germany to Netherlands to Spain and finally home via UK.

No alcohol served after 1... But drugs are still Available - Amsterdam, Netherlands

How can a society close its bars at 1 am yet sell pot in coffee shops located across the city. Amsterdam is a place to see, a place to experience... a place I probably would not see again but at least I have seen it once. A society where morality is turned upside down. Where smoking up and being high is a normal state of mind. Where women parade behind glass windows for people to gawk at and arrange a quickie ranging from 50 euros up to 300. Amsterdam itself is beautiful.

Most of Amsterdam has various canals that you can go to one part of the city to another via canal, walking, biking or even by tram. As I mentioned before walking and bike riding is a norm in Europe and cars are usually second or third choices. We were only in Amsterdam a couple days but we got a taste of the city.

Heineken brewery Experience.

If you like beer then you must like Amsterdam’s finest brew. Heineken brewery tour allows you to taste the beer, and find out how it is made. We sat in a movie where is should us the life of a beer bottle from production to consumption. Beer is big business and a big part of Amsterdam.

Coffee shop

$5 euros or $8 dollars cnd. Choices are a pre rolled join with 100% hash, 100% marijuana or 50 50. Or you can have special cakes called space cakes or muffins. That should get you high for a cheap amount. Alternatively you can hit the bar

170 proof absinthe

Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear because he was intoxicated on Absinthe. Absinthe for many years was banned and now it is allowed at select locations. It taste like sambooka but with every sip, you get closer and closer to the edge. Two cubes of sugar on a silver spoon a bit of alcohol, and you get to see the flames consume the sugar to a caramelized state. Add the absinthe, add a tad of water, you have the once banned drink. Prost as they say in German. Don’t know the Dutch terminology for cheers. A start of a very interesting night.

XXX district

The famous red light district is located by Dam square. Across the bridge you see the famous red light district. We never got a chance to do “day in working girl” tour but many tourist of varied ages flock to the district. Mostly it’s an intrigue of the lifestyle of a legalized prostitution. Just like real estate the hotter girls take the good locations and the not so hot ones occupy the back or the less visited areas. I could not imagine the diseases this area is infested with. Anyways a sight to see regardless.

Sex Museum

Of course a must see is the sex museum. I was not impressed as really it is just a collection of old 1800’s porn collection. Pretty much a waste of time.

Espana

We jumped on a night flight and we were off to the highlight of the trip. Spain

Seville

We got to Seville late at night, after listening to some angry Europeans screaming at the front desk, poor Spanish girl. She had to listen to this for 20 minutes, only leaving us waiting at 1 am for our turn for a reservation. Common sense, book a room get a confirmation number. Book an extra room get another number. No number no guarantee. So frustrating… Waking up we got our rental car from Eurocar Rentals. Driving to Seville a new city a new road network no clue on where we are going. A friend of ours Shai had lived there so luckily she gave a quick ternary of things to see. The highlight of Seville was the Cathedral. The tower overlooked 30 floors up and overlooking the city once a host for an expo. The cathedral was enormous. The apparent tomb of Christopher Columbus lies there. With some Islamic influence the cathedral has some domes but mostly old European architecture. Breathtaking at the space and size. Next stop Granada.

Granada.

Located a couple hours away on a major highway where going 140 was considered slow. There was a sigh that had a snail causing a couple cars to get in an accident. Basically it was telling us not to be a snail or you will cause an accident. Arriving in Granada we experience severe road rage and frustration. Who know roads good have 4 names or that once you were on a road you would have to wait 20 minutes to turn left or do a uturn. The traffic in the city was crazy. The city itself was nice. Once we found our hotel we got a bite to eat at a taps bar where you get a pitcher of sangria and 4 taps for 7 euros. What a deal. Stocking up on some groceries from the Korean store. Well snacks for the road at least and some water. Being 35 degrees plus was causing dehydration and us appreciating the air conditioner in the car. The next morning we went to the purpose of my euro trip. Al Hambra is an important Muslim symbol of over 300 years. The only Muslim structure still standing from the fall of Muslim rule of Spain. The area is located on the mountain overlooking Granada. Once an area to protect the palace by spotting intruders. The area is the size of 4 blocks I would say. One are is the general garden a serene place where nature takes centre stage. One are was the military base where the tower protected the area.

The third area was the gated walls which featured the most important area. The royal palace. The architecture is a foundation for much modern Islamic art. The jamat khane in Lisbon is made after the Al Habra. Many artists, archictures and historic buffs see the Al hambra as a very important piece of history, culture and foundation for art. Spending the 3 hours the experience takes you back to the medieval type city and the calm of the nature and extravagance of honey combed domes, geometric shapes and domes. The gardens are impressive. Hard to explain but the experience was well worth the journey. Tick that off the list of things to see in my lifetime.

Road to Barcelona

From Granada we went through Valencia for a night. We arrived in Castelldefells located half an hour from Barcelona near the beach. The drive was beautiful located near the Mediterranean. To get to this little city we needed to drive in the hills where we were on the edge of a cliff seeing views only you can dream about. This made the whistler drive seem average. Of course this drive was also taking pace at speeds that should not be allowed...

Barcelona – Las Rambas

I love Barcelona you can stroll down Las Rambas street after getting of the train. Here the city is alive with markets, fish, fruit, clothes, everything on one street . You keep walking and you arrive at the waterfront and the large beaches. I only wish I had more time to hang out there. longer.

Gaudi

If you are an architect you would know of his work. In Barcelona there is a famous church were you Gaudi using a special type of archeture has made a temple which is ginormous, breathtaking, and an icon. This impressive piece of art symbolizes Barcelona.

Revisit needed

So much to See in Spain, I need to go to a football game, need to see a bull fight, need to enjoy the beach, need to learn the beautiful language and drink more of the wonderful café I need to go back… soon. This trip gave me just a taste and a define place to revisit soon I hope

Lessons learned in Spain

· If you going to go out in the town, leave your passport at the hotel. pickpocketers everywhere
· What speed limit, cops do not care about how fast you are going
· The emergency light is set and a symbol that a hear brake has jut been made
· Booze is super cheap in the supermarket in Spain
· Learn Spanish, ordering food is very difficult otherwise. Pollo means chicken..
· Women in Spain are breathtaking….learn the language
· Street names are difficult to find, and oh ya every block a new name of the street
· Learn the roundabout rules, yield to cars on the left, free for all sometimes
· Do not use the tolls, 14 euros for 100 km.. ouch, get a Michelin map and use the alternative roads which are not that bad and you get to see some interesting towns along the way
· Hungry, don’t bother looking for beef jerky… just go to the trucker stop for a gourmet meal, they will give you bread and charge you extra, they will charge you more to sit at a table rather then the ledge of the bar… just be careful as cost add up
· Gas is expensive…
· Rent a car, taxis are a rip off, and with a car you get freedom as long as you don’t mind learning the nuances of the road and people
· Turn up the salsa mix of Cold Play… great song
· On Las Rambas do not get the first juice you see, go around the corner and the juice is suddenly not 2.5 euros but only 1 euro, great drinks


I am sure I missed lots of great memories but again that’s what pictures are for. After Spain I stayed one night in London before heading to Canada for another wedding in Calgary. Also got a chance to catch up with friends, hike up a trail near Banff. I am kind of sad as this will probably be the last trip for a while. Until next time happy traveling and Ciao…

3 Nights in Berlin

Being in the epicentre of history. Berlin being one of the most historical sites of our age. World war II , berlin wall seperating the east from the west of germany. Berlin part of the west although not reall west. A wall is buit to ensure seperation surrounding the city. NOt until recent was the wall up , but I believe in the 90's it turned into a hippies paradice, graphity artist celebrating the unification of germany into one. NO long the poor east , but the central unified germany although the east is poorer and you can tell. Being in berlin the last 3 days, i got a different perspecitve of germany from munich. MOre modern , bigger buildings at potsdamer platz where the sony has created an entertainment plaza with big screens, a movie theathre and lots of cafes. A city where beer is served in movie theathers all the way to gas stations. Beer is cheaper then water as some range as low as .60 Euro or less than a canadian dollar.

After arriving in berlin late and having a gyro or Donaaa! 2.0 euros a bargain for any food. Next morning we topped 170 on the autoban heading to leipseg where my friend marty visited his roots. Although 37 degrees , the ac in our honda jazz , a european version of a civic hatchback We cruised as fast as we could only to be serpassed by cars north of 200 km an hour. I thought my highspeed train of 165km was fast , the highway is nuts. The night we headed to potsdammerplatz and met a couple german girls, who in exchange for a beer we got to learn some german. High Funff, or high five. We thought then the west side symbol as they gladdly accepted as their sign for west germany.

Bicycling BErlin

Day 3 was full of tourist cites. Finding out where Hitler killed himself (not enshrined but on a parking lot plaza, where his bunker used to be. In order to see all the sites we rented a couple bikes, full of european style, ie not too nice but still got us around. We biked to the various museums, jewish memorial, a statue in the middle of a huge round about with a lady in gold. We actuall walked up the narrow stairs to get a good luck at berlin from up above. The next stop incuded a bike ride to the berlin wall where there are layers of layers of graphitte paint , the walk looking liberated from its historical significance. Drums, music, singing. Overlooking a park and on the other side a soccer stadium. THe ora that oozes from this place is revolution and freedem. Hard to discribe, but definately an eery yet refreshing feelin.

in order to cool down , after biking we decided to catch die hard 4. yes it was in german but of cousre after all the german commercials.

Germany can be summed up as.. great beer... beutiful blonde girls..modern yet historic.. and of course full of history.. very instrumental on how we live out lives today... definately worth checking out if you can. Netherlands next...

Alfederzern and suishe

Lisboa to Munchen

Seems like i just left Portugal in Feb to find my self over using Abregaro to answer the locals in appreciation. After a spending 5 days in toronto for a friends wedding i headed to london via Air Canada. Of course the service was bad, blah blah blah. Whats new. Anyways many hours at the various aiports and 20 hours of sleeplessness i walk up four flights of stairs to a lovely little hostel in the heart of Portugal. Met stephanie a portugese born in toronto, out of breatch from the climb up the stairs i checked in and took a shower an nap. Washrooms here have plumbing issues and apparently the garbage shoudl be used to dispose of stuff. Yuk , multiflushing is the way to avoid this but dont tell the hostel.

Nap is up , my cuz and his gf come to the hostel and we head out on the town. We went to an area with lots of narrow streets and bars and little pubs along the way. Lots of street loitering. Portugese buns, some pasta , great food, and the walk back to Lisbonense shoe store where our hostel is above.

Kushyali in Lisboa

Lisbon has a small jamat but all of Spain and Italy were here to celebrate the golden jubilee. Full day of food and sitting , movies, dancing , line dancing (yes there were some canadians we met there who decided to show portugal how canadians do raas, was 10 of us in total). Great night of wholesome partying, raas style. Breakfast was had at Rossio enjoying fine portugese coffee and pastries.

Munchen

A couple of delayz and 8 hours of travelling i find my self in Munich. Marienplatz is where i met a friend of mine from mba dayz. we promptly went home and finished the bottle of port i imported from portugal the land of port. we checked out the university area. Todaz is friday after sleeping in we went to the market for some food, great seafood here. WE then headed to Marienplatz for a beer at a plaza, wow german beer is good, much better then the north american stuff. Checked out the fountain at Karlzplatz where the local run in to cool off, around 25 degrees here. Went up the 14 story tower of St Joseph Catedrel to get a view of the city. Tried to go the Deuth museum but it was closed. I will head back home now, but we look to get into some good fun tonite in downtown. It is Fritak afterall and we need to Feel eshpas. dont have shy kelty so need to take it easy to keep kelt for the rest of the trip. zamestak will be spent looking at the rest of the sights and meeting a local(who i met at the airport) at night to catch a german movie. she doesnt speek english and i dont speak duetch, so should be fun. On zontak i meet my buddy in berlin so until then chow chow and denke for listening. i will have a brew for you...

Summertime.....June/July 2007

Well as 3 months have passed since my last travels, i just couldnt hold back. This time I will not be travelling around the world , but I will be going to many cities. Have a couple weddings in Toronto and Calgary. doing some backpacking in Europe. celebrating Kushyali with my cousin in Lisbon. Lots to do, Busy summer. Lets hope the sun is out. And as always will keep you posted, especially on my trip through Europe.

vancouver - toronto - montreal - ottawa - toronto - vancouver - san fransisco - vancouver - toronto - london - lisbon - berlin - amsterdam -paris - barcelona - london - toronto - calgary - vancouver

The last post for ………..around the world in 62 days………

Around the world in 62 days: Honolulu..Sydney..Brisbane..Sufers Paradise..Byrons Bay..Sydney..Melbourne..Phillip Island..Geelong..Melbourne..Singapore..Kuala Lampur..Penang..Bangkok..Dehli..Amritsar..Mumbai..Dubai..London..Marrakech..Lisbon..Madrid..London..Boston..Caimbridge..New York..Vancouver


I have now been back for a couple months. I guess it takes a couple months to sit and reflect on life changing experiences and yes traveling is one of them. I last left you off at Lisbon sippin a Portugese coffee. I never told you about Madrid and the cold that happened to arrive. In Madrid I checked out a couple of the worlds most famous museums. Travel anywhere on the tube for a euro. Very easy to get around. I started to read a book called “ Winter in Madrid” Although I didn’t finish it till I got back to Vancouver it was interesting be able to see what places I actually stood above. Madrid and Spain during WW II was a very key part of history as Franco joining forces with the Nazis, well not entirely. Anyways very historic place with an abundance of extravagant palaces, museums, statues and court yards. Court yard in Europe is common. Everything is a plaza. Hostels are cheap and I was staying near port de sol. Steps away from the action, the shopping the entire city not speaking English, very interesting. After Madrid I decided to go back to London as traveling was getting to me. I spent the last 5 days in London enjoying the British comedy clubs with my cuzin and some friends, checking out leschter square, visiting family and preparing for North America.

Back to America.

Unfortunately I got harassed in Boston for two hours on suspicion that I was affiliated with some terrorist group. I am educated liberal Muslim who happened to travel. Leave it at that. Well after a couple hours at customs I was allowed entry. No country except the US asked me questions. I guess they just being cautious. Anyways, after the small glitch the next 4 nights were spent partying up in Boston and New York. I got my harvard shirt, I watched a hockey game in Boston. Actually cheered for the leafs in New Jersey. Lots of fun, some shopping, checking out central park, Rockefeller square, and WTC site. Back home. Work started 2 days later and my contract is now up… where to next

Reflection

When one goes to school they sit back and say, what did I learn. I remember this was big at MBA School. So what are the learning points of this case? I guess I can use this approach. NOT. Hmm let’s see how about I think of how I can put the following countries in a bowl, shake it up and see what land where.

Memories,

I guess I can close my eyes; there are the images that hit me.

Smell the bitter scent of Portuguese coffee, people standing around a table, sippin on their expressos, yummy - Lisbon Portugal

On the back of a rickshaw, the 40 year old paddling, looking like he is 60, aged from his pollution, wearing the same clothes for the last 5 years, gracious that I doubled his cab fare, instead of an American quarter, I gave him 2..smile on his face - Amritsar Punjab

Forgot to take out the straps to load the back pack on my back, holding it on my arm , very heavy, no French for me, confused dazed. Approached by a local guide, who for 5 dinars, helps me find my oasis, through an old gated city, filled with smoke in the air, snake charmers, drums beating, food stands in the middle, get to my room following a long journey through narrow alleys, semi scared I will be mugged, room is amazing, - Marrakech Morroco

Get off the to tour van, befriended a fellow Canadian , taking pictures, got some grains in my hands, bend down and fee a 5 foot kangaroo, scary , but satisfying, outback, well almost, Melbourne - Australia

Hookah, Sheesha in the air, bbq filled with tasty meets, Sit around a stage, the belly dancer is coming, wow she is beautiful - Dubai, UAE

Pouring rain, came out of a club , well a comedy club that turned into a club, had to find a way home, friend finds me the nightbus I have to get on, Raining, soaking wet but loving being in London - London, UK

Coyote Ugly, meeting a Londoner at the bar, very cute, first had to watch Europeans and Aussies try to do a dance off. Cute girls, terrible dancers, after the contest, Got some drinks and danced the night away with my boys from T.O. – Byrons Bay, Australia

Get on your aprons, Chili crab coming out. Lunch with my school buddy, Best seafood EVER… - Singapore

TIME square, NY, NY

Deep breathe, hymns on the mike, water reflecting the golden exterior, sunset, beautiful, peaceful, Golden Temple - Amritsar, India


Ok the journey has officially ended. Gday, Salut, Kudha Hafiz, Bye…………(for now).

Pictures Link

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=xlys941.bzgszvat&Uy=-gf46g7&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0

TuTubain from Lisboa

Small cup of extremely good coffee, bbq chicken better than nandos, cobble stone streets, nice plazas, lots of water views, beautiful is Lisbon. After leaving Morocco i wanted to go back to civilization. After three days in Lisbon i would say it is the closest to Vancouver by far. No mountains but lots of water, friendly people and lots of character. Lisbon in 1998 was awarded the expo and since then it has turned everything into gold. My cousin was there from Canada visiting his gf so all of us went and did the tourist thing. We went up a elevator to see teh view of the water. The weather was nice in the daytime although it was chilly at night. Just like Vancouver. I was staying in Estoril which was right near the water. On Sunday there were all the families and jogger on the seawall. Also Estoril has the biggest casino in europe. No money for me to spend there but still nice. Spent most of my time in lisbon, eating food at the cafes or else checking out the water where the expo used to be. Amazing building, great views and great food. Three days went fast. Also the Ismaili centre there was incredible. If you have a chance to see it go. Its gorgeous. I would say the best khane i have ever seen. As for now i have made my way to Madrid. The weather is now cold so back to Vancouver weather. I will probably head back to London for some time before heading to the US. Until then arigaro and ciao.