On our second day in Santorini I took it easy and mostly read by the pool and on the beach. Derek rented an ATV and went all over the island. The lady was stunned at the mileage he put on it in one day. It was great to recharge my battery. That night we ate at a restaurant on the beach and had an Ouzo (Greek almost liquorice type liquor) experience. I misunderstood a story my father told me about him and my mother splitting a small bottle with two nice old ladies when they were in Greece last. Evidently the story was my parents had a sip and gave the single glass they bought to the ladies... Derek and I ordered a very very small bottle and poured it over ice (You are supposed to pour over ice and add water...whoops). We split the small bottle and of course after that felt up to go to a club. I use the word club very loosely. It was more like a cafe with a dancefloor where no one ever dances. We made friends with two very sweet Swedish girls and shortly thereafter, or so it felt, we were told it was 4 am and the club was closing. 4 am reminded me that we had to get up in, well, 5 hours. We hurried back to the room to get some shut eye.

Next day we took a super fast ferry from Santorini to Mykonos. The ferry did indeed go super fast. I think that was the fastest I've ever gone on water. After we got settled, I went back to sleep. I'm pretty sure the guy next to me hated me. I kept sort of dozing over to his side for some reason. Very embarrassing each of the 4 or so times I jolted awake.

We settled into our bungalow at Mykonos very quickly. Our hotel sort of had internet. Basically it would go in and out without notice. By the time we got settled in it was dinner time. We took a bus to the city center and had a great meal in the heart of the city on the harbor. We got to see another incredible Greek Island sunset.

Unfortunately, Derek had to leave fairly early the next morning to make a flight to Vienna. After dinner we walked around a bit, but retired to the room fairly early. The next morning Derek and I said goodbye. We had a great time together, but it makes sense that he should see all the things he wants to with the little time he has left. We both have a Eurail, but getting outside of Greece on the Eurail either takes a day or costs a bit.

Since I'm doing a marathon and not a sprint, I took the long way out of Athens, but not until I spent another night in Mykonos. Great friend and hopefully I'll get to meet up with him in Rome or Barcelona when he is there.

A friend of our family named Chris grew up on the island and built multiple houses overlooking the water. Check out the view.

I hadn't seen Chris since I was 7 years old, but he still let me stay in his house. His house has a sort of guest house on the side. It is equipped with everything from a full kitchen, laundry, 2 beds and a full bathroom. The place was perfect. Chris was nice enough to drive me all over the island. He showed me all of the beaches, where to go, where not to go, and what has changed over the past 20 years. It was impressive how many times we stopped for him to say hi to basically everyone at each place on the island. He knows just about every non-tourist. I felt lucky to have a local show me around or else I would probably just go to the beach and have no idea about the island. Chris dropped me off at a beach and instructed me to take a boat to one of the best beaches "for young people" called Paradise Beach. The place is quiet and peaceful until about 6 pm when everyone wakes up from the night before and start partying again. There are clubs there that don't open until 2 am and close at 10 am...the place is crazy. I went to the beach at noon which was perfect because it was mostly quiet. I got off the small fishing boat to what my brother and friends would call a jackpot in terms of beach points. The beach game is usually 2 points for topless, 4 points for totally nude, and negative points for pointing out anything unsightly. I know immature, but come on, you've played the game in your head before at the beach. Basically I stepped onto the beach to about 12 points. Just about every nationality was present on the beach. I paid for a beach chair and relaxed with a book for the entire afternoon. Every hour or so I would go into the water to cool off. It was a great day. I left just as the craziness was about to start.

I met back up with Chris and got cleaned up for dinner. Chris and I split a beer on his porch overlooking an incredible sunset. He showed me his garden and the view from the roof. He has the perfect place in Mykonos. We went to dinner around 9:30, which is early for dinner in Greece. The place we went to was small with a big wait. We luckily got a table in short time. In Greece a lot of restaurants bring out a tray with all of the appetizers/sides they offer and you just take which ones you want. The main dish comes later. We had delicious eggplant, okra, and chicken salad side dishes. The main course was the tastiest pork I've ever had. Excellent dinner. We walked around the town a bit and he warned me that we could only walk certain places because if his friends knew we ate at a different restaurant they would be mad at him. We got back home around 11ish. Chris usually goes to sleep around 10 pm and wakes up at 5 am. Chris is older than me with kids in their mid-thirties. We had a great time talking about life. I thought we were in for the night at 11 when we got home, but he knocked on the door separating the guest house. He cut up fresh watermelons for us to have. It was such a fantastic day.

The next morning I woke up at 10 am. Finally caught up after days of little sleep. Chris made us a bowl of peaches, yogurt, and honey all mixed up. It was delicious. I got packed up and an hour later he told me I couldn't leave until I let him make me a Greek Salad from his garden. He picked about 5 fresh tomatoes and put some tasty oil on top and served them all to me on a big plate. I ate about half not wanting to eat so many, but he came back in and told me to finish the plate before my ferry. Really great stuff. Chris is so kind to let me stay at his house and to go out of his way to make sure I enjoyed the island. I will without a doubt be back.

(We took like 10 and this was the least goofy...)

I took the ferry from Mykonos to Piraeus (the closest port to Athens). I e-mailed and facebook messaged a good friend, Tom, from Athens I met at a summer camp in the Netherlands 12 years ago. We had some contact, but I hadn't seen him since that camp. Right after I booked a hotel in Patras (the launching port for Italy), Tom got back with me and insisted I stay with him in Athens. It was my fault because I only got in touch with him a day before. Tom picked me up from the Athens subway and showed me around his neighborhood. He lives in central Athens. Tom was a lifesaver right off the bat. I started to call around to book a bus to get to Patras and then an overnight ferry from Patras, Greece to Brindisi, Italy. None of the numbers were working. Tom took control and spoke with all of the agents and made everything right. I might not be in Italy right now if not for him. After successfully booking everything, I got cleaned up after a hot ferry ride and we went to get coffee with his friends (time: 8 pm). Sidenote: Coffee in Greece is stronger than other places. I was wired. Tom's friends were nice and we talked about politics, the markets, and what's been going on the past 12 years. It was great to see Tom is the same hilarious, fun guy he was 12 years ago. We then went to his friends apartment and drank some homemade wine from Corfu. It was delicious with ice cubes. Air conditioning is not as prevalent as it is in Dallas. Everyone is much wiser about saving energy and the A/C doesn't go on unless it is completely unbearable. It wasn't bad, but sweating is normal. We had Gyros delivered to the apartment and they were delicious (Time: 11 pm). We then walked back to Tom's place. We relaxed and watched the USA basketball game. Tom finally gets up and says "Well I guess we should go to the club now." (Time: 1:45 am). I laugh, but when in Rome. We go to a club on the bay with a giant pool in the middle. Tom and his friends have a table with bottle service. The DJ plays crazy techno remixes of old and really old songs with some Greek and newer songs included. Lights are flashing everywhere and it is crazy. Farzin would have loved it. Another sidenote about Greece: Most people I came into contact with smoked a lot. About 95% of the people there were smoking. That was interesting to see. Tom told me they are going to change the smoking law September 1st (or thereabout) so there won't be smoking inside. He smokes, but thinks it is badly needed. We got home and I went right to sleep (Time: 5:30 am). During the car ride home we had a good talk about Greek sentiments towards the US. They seem to be the same everywhere I've been. Europeans don't like American arrogance and our last president. They see good things in Obama and hope for the best. I hate thinking of Europeans and millions all over the world thinking of Americans as overly arrogant. Hope that can start changing soon.

The next morning, and by that I mean like 4 hours later, Tom took me to the bus station and I was off for Patras and a 31 hour trip to Naples. It was cheap, but I pay for it with time and exhaustion. From Athens to Patras is a 2:45 bus ride. Due to bag rules I held my backpack in my lap the whole way which was annoying.

The Patras Port was interesting. The gates around the port looked like jail barbwire fences. Grungy looking people were jumping over while Greek police and military men chased them back and forth. This is a place where there is a significant amount of illegal immigration. It was sad to see. I paid 60 Euro for my overnight ferry ticket to Brindisi, Italy. The trip was about 13 hours with a stop in Corfu. I paid an extra 10 euro for a chair that leaned back in a dark room. There was an option to buy a bed for 110 euros, but that is pretty expensive. I remind myself with each Euro I spend that I'm on the marathon track. The boat has 2 cafes, a dining hall, a nice restaurant, a dark room where my seat was, a tiny puddle of a pool, a casino, stores, and a good amount of deck space. No one on the ship speaks English. I enjoy the breeze and read outside for about 3 hours until sunset. For dinner I had a ham and cheese sandwich and water. Basically it was pretty boring and quiet, but I enjoyed finishing up The Hunger Games Trilogy. All over the deck and halls of the ship people are putting down air matresses and sleeping bags to call dibs on their spot. It is so strange and hectic.

Imagine a cruise ship with sleeping bags down every hallway. I'm glad I paid the extra 10 euros for the seat because I would have to sleep on the ground without a sleeping bag otherwise. Finally the lights go out in the room with seats around 11 pm. I do my best to sleep through the night, but idiots turned on the lights and started yelling in Italian at 1:30 am. Then everyone in the room started yelling Italian at them and I got to enjoy an Italian yelling match. Finally the lights went back off and I got back to sleep...off and on. I woke up at 7 am the next morning and decided I should get up to wash my face and freshen up. I looked in the mirror and saw a zombie. The constant traveling has taken its toll. I told myself I'm going to bunk up tonight where I can get some real sleep.

We docked at Brindisi at 9 am and I was beyond happy to get off that ship. The train station is a short cab ride away. I split the fare with some Italians. I used the Eurail pass and reserved a first class seat to Naples. I'm currently sitting comfortably with my legs stretched out en route to Naples. To give you an idea, Brindisi, Italy is just about at the top of the heel on the boot of Italy. I am crossing over from the Adriatic side to the Mediterranean side. I'm hoping to stay here for two nights and take day trips to the Amalfi coast. I found a good deal at the, yes my Dad will groan at hearing this, the Holiday Inn. In my defense it was $60 US dollars for tonight and I really need to recharge after the past two nights. I am writing this in Word, but will probably post from the "promised" on the website free wireless internet at the hotel. Authentic hostels and hotels to come in the future, but recharging tonight. I started traveling at 10 am yesterday and should get the hotel by 7 pm tonight. For the good of anyone still reading I won't post a picture of me right now, but my hair is sticking up everywhere and when I look in the mirror Steve Buscemi is staring back at me. Yes, they have checked my first class ticket way more than is proper to make sure I'm not lost.

Sorry if this post was too detailed, but I feel bad when I don't post for a long time. Videos from Mykonos and Athens will be put up later. They aren't cooperating right now. Current plan for the next few days: Amalfi Coast, maybe a night in Rome, Monte Carlo/Nice, Barcelona. Please send me thoughts and suggestions on what to do in those cities or where to stop on the way. Hope everyone is well! 27 days in, 46 days to go.

My Athens Brother

New post coming soon... It'll be good!

Sunset on Mykonos Bay

London, Paris, Amsterdam-Lasers, and Santorini

You would think Paris and Amsterdam would have internet for less than $25 a day, but no.

We went to the Ice Bar our last night in London. It was a lot of fun. We got a lecture when we rightfully believed the ice glasses were shot glasses and hit them on the ice table. Well the glasses actually break into a million pieces. We cleaned up the pieces and everything was fine. It was totally worth it, though I wouldn't suggest you make the Ice Bar people come and talk with you.

After the Ice Bar we went to see Avenue Q. We went through Leicester Square on the way to Avenue Q and got to see Angelina Jolie. She was there for the British premiere of Salt.  Avenue Q was funny as always. After Avenue Q, Nam and I met up with a friend of mine from UT who just graduated with her two travel friends from SMU Law. We had a fun time catching up.

The next day we took the Eurostar Chunnel train from London to Paris. I stayed awake for most of the journey. It was fun, but the pressure kept changing so we had to continually pop our ears. We got to Paris in about 2.5 hours.

We found a great hotel deal in the middle of Paris. Since we had 4 people traveling at that point we got a suite. It took some getting used to for the other guys. Hotels are very small in Europe. The elevator could only fit 2 people and went incredibly slow. We were on the top floor of the hotel and had a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

We got settled in and then went to Sargeant Recruiters for Dinner. Sargeant Recruiters is a very old restaurant that serves all you can eat appetizers, a main dish, dessert, and all you can responsibly drink wine. The place used to be where young men were recruited into the military. They would eat and drink a great deal, in their drunken states sign up for military service and the next morning they were shipped off.

Esma, a good friend from my summer in London met us at the end of the meal and showed us around Paris. She was a very patient tour guide.

The next morning Farzin finally made it to Paris. We all walked up the Champs Elysees to the Arc de Triomphe. We had lunch in the area and took the short trip to the Louvre. We put in a solid 2.5 hours at the Louvre. We saw the Mona Lisa and numerous other famous works. You could spend months in there. After the Louvre we got a drink in the park and shared a nutella crepe. There are few things better than nutella crepes. Nam was inspired when we walked past a fountain and took this picture:

Yes it looks like the lady had too much water before her nap. I think Nam has a future as a photographer.

We went back to the hotel room, took quick naps and then Esma met up with us and showed us a really good duck restaurant. It was delicious. We then went to meet up with a UT friend, but missed them due to miscommunication.

The next morning we got up and took the train to Amsterdam. The best part of the trip was when we were about to get on the train Derek sees his reflection in the train glass and moves in to fluff his mane. This process takes a solid two minutes. It suddenly occurs to Derek that it is a train window and not a mirror and therefore there is a girl right behind the glass laughing very, very hard at him.

We got to Amsterdam and walked to our "apartment." We had a kitchen, living room, and 2 bed rooms right on the canal. That night we went on a pub crawl and had a good time meeting people from all over. As I was walking home a drunk man decided to push me to the ground from behind. I hit the pavement pretty hard, ripped my jeans, cut my knee, and left forearm. I'm fine and was so stunned I didn't really say anything. A lot of people came to help me up and make sure I was okay. I'm fine now, but it is annoying to have all of these cuts when I want to be as active as possible. The next day we walked around the city, by the Dam, and the shopping district. There are some very dirty parts of Amsterdam and at the same time many more very beautiful parts. The next day we went to the Heineken Brewery. It was pretty neat. One of the tour guides said "Drinking beer doesn't make you fat, all of the food you eat after drinking the beer makes you fat." We thought that was funny.

Farzin really wanted to see lasers at a discotec in Europe. We went to a place called Escape and he got his fill on lasers and loud techno music. We did the Jersey Shore fist pump and all was well. I told him I would name this post Lasers for him.

I had a great time with Farzin, Nam, and Derek. It was sad to see Nam and Farzin head back to the States. Derek and I flew to Santorini through Athens 2 days ago. We landed at sunset and it was a beautiful sight. We dropped our stuff off at the hotel and ventured out to the boardwalk type beach street. There are about 50 cafe restaurants on the beach with a great view of the moon. The Greek Isles are a bit awkward with both us here because most people here are couples and many are on their honeymoon. We ate a delicious traditional Greek meal.

Okay, so yes I couldn't help eating half before thinking to take the picture. We booked the "full" Santorini tour for the next day and went to bed.

Yesterday we got up early. Our clothes needed to either be washed or burned at this point so I found a laundry place that did our laundry and folded it for a very good price. I hope there are more of these places all over Europe. We caught the bus for our tour. It took us down mountains in very much the same way San Francisco has side to side steep streets. It was...well...interesting to see the driver talk on the phone while taking perilous turns down to the ferry port. At port we took a ship to Nea Kameni- Volcano Island. It is basically just volcanic rocks. We walked 2 km over the pebbles to the top. The wind was intense at the top, but gave us amazing views of the other islands.

Many parts of the Volcano Island are still very, very hot. You could smell something burning on the path in many places. Our tour guide said that geologists are closely watching the island and say they will know 1 month before it will explode so we shouldn't worry too much. On that topic, earthquakes occur fairly regularly here. Lord of the Rings type castles were built on the side of the cliffs and disappeared in minutes due to earthquakes. I hope nothing happens while we're here.

Next our boat took us to swim near the Volcano Island. We jumped off the boat into the very cold Mediterranean water and swam to a beach where the water was a yellowish brown color. As we swam closer the temperature of the water got increasingly hotter. Finally when we could touch the water was warm. The mud from this beach is supposed to be very good for your skin so all of us looked like we survived the Lord of the Flies with mud from head to toe. We washed up and got back on the ship.

Next the ship took us to Thirassia an island with a population of 250. The people live at the top of a huge mountain. Observe:

It was a serious hike. Derek stayed by the boat, but I took the journey up. They have donkeys you can ride, but I wanted to walk it. The stairs are huge and after the donkeys go up and down them all day they are basically a donkey toilet. I dodged "bullets" all the way up and it was so worth it. The view was breathtaking.

That little thing is our ship. I think you can see Derek chillin' on the beach if you look real close.

We got back on the ship and I ate my first meal of the day...a bag of chips and a water. The boat took off for Ia, which is the most picturesque part of all of the Greek Isles, according to many. If you've seen Mamma Mia it looks just like that. We were both exhausted from the day and Derek decided to get back and not go to the sunset part of the tour. I got off the boat in Ia and had the enjoyment of walking to the top. It was even higher than the last island. The city at the top is incredible. I walked around the town for 2 hours and then took in the sunset. I put together short video of the day on my phone on the bus ride back.



I'm running out of battery, but the ferry we wanted to take to Mykonos tomorrow is sold out so we are staying in Santorini another night before heading to Mykonos tomorrow. In the end this is a good thing because we have a day to relax. Mykonos tomorrow and then Derek and I part ways until Barcelona.

Mamma Mia New Post Coming Soon

After touring the cathedral in York, we walked through the streets of the town. York looks like Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. Medieval streets with buildings very close to each other. We had yet another meal of fish and chips and headed to the York Ghost Tour. The tour was a lot of fun. The guide reminded us of Gene Wilder from Willy Wonka. He told the stories in a playful yet dramatic fashion.

After the tour we stopped by for a pint at the birthplace of Guy Fawkes. We talked to a very animated but more inebriated York Gentleman. He was funny, but out of control. 

The next morning I woke up at 6:30 am, went for a drizzly run and did laundry. We got to the train station early and took an earlier train for London. The entire train had reserved seats so we had to stand for most of the 2 hour journey, but we got to London an hour early.

Derek used credit card points to book The Trafalgar Hotel facing Trafalgar Square. It was amazing. See video below:

We had lunch on the roof. I should say, we were halfway through lunch on the roof when it started pouring down rain. We had to relocate to the lobby. Thomas Trinh met up with us and we caught up and walked around the area. It sounded like he had a great time at Oxford. 

After a quick nap I met up with my good friend and former co-worker at Parliament Ian. It was great to catch up with him. Great guy.

Derek saw The Phantom of the Opera while I met with Ian. We met up at The Sports Cafe where a lot of exchange students hang out in Central London. I met a girl from OU and immediately asked her what time it was and she looked at her watch and told me. I couldn't help myself and went with the overplayed joke..."and OU still sucks." I have to tell you a 1 on 1 conversation is not the best place for the joke, but she gave me a downward hook 'em horns and a bit of yelling happened, but all in good fun. Don't worry, I didn't go Vince Young on her. Derek met another OU girl and I am not allowed to elaborate. 

Nam got into London early the next morning and I met him at the London School of Economics dorm we are staying at. We checked in and went to Leicester Square to get Les Miserables tickets for that night. This is Nam's first time outside of the US or Mexico so we took a bus and boat tour of the city. 

The building to the right of Big Ben is where I used to work. We enjoyed the tour and then met up with Derek for lunch. Derek and Nam had fish and chips and I had Indian food. On the way back to the hostel we stopped into a pub for a Pimms Cup and then took a nap before Les Miserables. On the way to the musical Derek and Nam decided they were hungry and they quickly stopped by McDonalds for dinner. They enjoying testing my patience everyday. They annoy me as much as they can to see if they can make me angry. It hasn't quite happened yet, but it won't be long before they break me. Les Miserables was great. Nick Jonas had the night off, but Derek fell in love with one of the actresses. As soon as the main (no pun intended) character came out Nam leans over and says "Look, Derek has a Jean Valjean haircut." We have referred to him as Jean Valjean or Goldi-locks since. The guys wanted to experience a night out in London so we went to a club called "The Zoo." Nam and I were hanging out while Derek took a trip to Brazil...her name was Camille, but with Derek's memory it could have been a Carl. They got very friendly right in front of us. I have been allowed to put up this picture for some reason. Nam and I thought it important to document the moment. It was a little uncomfortable after having to watch this for 30 minutes straight:

We tried to make it look like I was just posing for a random picture so we wouldn't stop the..."magic?" We had a caption contest today at lunch and Nam won with "Brazilian Steakhouse." Derek wanted "Brazilian Exchange." Any other caption entries are more than welcome. 

The next morning we journeyed out to the countryside to have lunch with a Tejas Alumnus named Angus. We were blown away by his estate.

Parts of the house were built in the 15th and 16th centuries. We walked a long way around the estate before having lunch with his wife and three children. The family was more then hospitable and we had the best time. One of the girls has a friend that is about to start SMU and so she came over and we told her about how the sorority system works in the States. After lunch we got a tour of the house. They have beautiful artwork, mostly of important ancestors. Angus then took us on a driving tour of the area. He lives near Andrew Lloyd Webber and the birthplace of Jane Austen. It was all incredible. We really can't thank the family enough.

We got back to London and walked around a bit and ate dinner. Nam went to the casino and I went in to see what it is like. I gambled no money and Nam walked away up 100 pounds. He won another 150 pounds today in 20 minutes while we waited for a restaurant to open. I should point out Nam hasn't spent more that 45 minutes in a casino this whole trip and did that well. After the casino we called it a night and rested up.

This morning we got Avenue Q tickets for tonight and had lunch. Nam treated us with his winnings. Derek tried to order the nicest bottle of wine at Pizza Hut, but Nam and I said no. By the way there are 3 wine options at Pizza Hut, white, red, and rose. We walked around a bit more and I rested up while Nam and Derek saw Buckingham Palace. Now I need to go and wake those guys up. We have Ice Bar reservations, Avenue Q, and are meeting up with friends from UT tonight. 

Thanks for reading and let me know your caption entries! Paris tomorrow!

You Sound Like You're From LONDON!

Well I certainly won't be able to completely catch up on the past few days with this post, but no worries, I'll carve out some time. A city a night was exhausting. We are so happy to be in London where we can chill out a little bit and not rush from museum to cathedral to train (Although I'm sure I will).

Anyway, going back to Edinburgh. Derek and I met up and went to The World's End Restaurant. We had a real meal and a lively political conversation...imagine that. We went back to our hostel which was a "free" site for the Fringe Festival. We watched a hilarious sketch comedy troop. I'd tell you about the skits, but my mother reads this and they were way inappropriate. We had no idea how naughty it would be until it started. After the show we were pretty beat and went to bed. We finally got a full 7 hours of sleep. The next morning we woke up and took the train to York. As you can see from our pictures we were still very tired.

We pulled into York and walked to our hotel/hostel. The Ace Hostel/Hotel is a Georgian House with a great deal of history. You know you picked the right place to stay when there are plaques outside each bedroom telling you what and who haunts your particular room. See ours below. It was a baby named "Titus."

This is Derek's normal face. Every time I said anything about ghosts or haunted places he reminded me there is no such thing as ghosts. I don't really either, but I find it all fascinating. He found it illogical, but he has been reading Star Trek books here, so I take everything he says with a grain of salt. I love that he stubbornly doesn't read this. I can say anything.

In York we got tickets for the hop on hop off bus and took it to the York Museum. It was a great little museum with videos and information on the incredible history of York. From vikings to Romans to Normans to English. The discovery of the past cultures is fairly new. To the right you can see skulls they have found. The next picture is a Roman woman's hair they found kept in perfect condition by clay and mud over thousands of years.

Add caption

After the museum we walked to the York Minster. York Minster is a HUGE cathedral. I mean it was massive in the middle of the small town. At first we weren't going to pay 8 pounds (~$13), but once we walked in we did. I don't find all cathedrals very interesting, but this one was very cool. Some sort of worship center has been on that spot for 2000 years. Intense stuff.

I will have to leave it there for now. We have tickets for Les Miserables tonight. A JONAS BROTHER IS IN IT. Nam has been giggling all day in nervous anticipation. Okay, not at all, but it should be good. More stories about ghost tours, meeting up with a Tejas friend, a co-worker and good friend from when I worked at Parliament, and about what I'm sure will be an awesome day visiting the only British Tejas Alumnus tomorrow at his country house. Hope all is well in the States. Sorry I'm not very good at this. And again, no time to spell or grammar check...ugh. Apologies.

Edinburgh

Again, very sorry about grammar and spelling mistakes. I have very little time to write. Writing on an iphone for more than 3 sentences is difficult.

We got up this morning and took the train to Edinburgh. It was a short 45 minute journey and the scenery was fantastic. I read Steven King's article in Entertainment Weekly and a sentence stuck out to me, "We're all in this little boat of life together, and none of us are going to get out of it alive."

Derek went to play golf and I walked around for a while. The Fringe Festival is going on now so this place is absolutely crazy. For those that went to UT, walking the streets here is like walking the west mall with 10 times the number of people handing out fliers. There is singing, clowns, goths...absolutely everything. I attempted to put some of the videos I took so far today below. Notice the guy towards the end in the black shirt and pants. I felt terrible recording him, but I stood there and he sand Les Miserables from beginning to end. It was plain awkward. Also, I'm sorry for the jerky camera. I didn't want to make people feel weird holding a camera in their face.

I'm currently sitting in The Elephant House where JK Rowling wrote Harry Potter. I'm looking over the graveyard and the castle. I'm not sure Harry Potter World has anything on this place. Well that is all i can type and I need to keep moving. We go to York tomorrow and then London the next day.

Horse Show, Belfast, and Glasgow

(Terrible)

We met up with Derek's boss's wife on Sunday in Dublin. Her and her daughter were on their way to the Dublin Horse Show. I've never been to a horse show and know very little about them.

Anyway, in sharp contrast to the hostel Derek and I were staying in we met the hospitable friend at The Four Seasons. The place was amazing. We got tickets for the horse show and I was amazed at how many people were there. It wasn't really a show, but a festival. There were numerous events, from horse jumping to kids racing with pony's. 

 We had a great time. They were jumping clear over 7 feet high obstacles. It was very impressive. In the end, an American won the whole thing. The American flag was raised and they played the US National Anthem. There were very, very, very few Americans there. Derek and I put our hands over our hearts and I sang quietly while you can hear Deas. (I'll put this up later- internet here is having trouble putting up the videos).

After the main event we watched what is called the Hunt Chase. Fox hunting clubs in Ireland compete over various obstacles in a relay race type event. There are 5 to a team. The competition was fierce and a number of riders were thrown from their horses. The best part of the race was the hilarious announcer. I recorded a bit you can see below. (coming soon)

After a fun day at the horse shoe we returned to the Four Seasons and Deas classed it up in his boxers while I just put my feet in (his boxers looked somewhat like a swimsuit while mine def. did not). After some hot tubbing we met up with some other family and friends and had an amazing steak dinner at The Four Seasons. A bit different than what we ate the day before. Dinner was a lot of fun and then some of the friends took us to hear as they call it "Hey diddle diddle music." We went to the Auld Dubliner and listened to American classics along with a few Irish songs. They laughed when we said "y'all" and we laughed when they didn't pronounce the "h" in "th." We met people from all over that night and finally got to bed.

The next morning we took the train from Dublin to Belfast. It was a quick 2 hours, but Deas slept a bit.

I booked our Belfast hotel during the youth riot about a month ago and found an amazing rate at the Hilton. It was great to have a nice bed and bathroom. The TV even had my name on it. Okay, okay no big deal, but I had been sleeping in hostels for the past 4 nights.

After pausing a bit to do some work we headed out on a Black Cab "Troubles" Tour. Basically a cab driver takes you around to all of the historical sites involved in the struggle for Irish Independence. It was particularly interesting since the cab driver told us up-front that he is a Nationalist. The entire conflict seemed very foreign, but we were brought face to face with places where men, women, and children were killed many times viciously. So many of the stories seemed impossible for such civilized people. We drove past corners where the violence was incredibly recent. History is kept in Belfast on the sides of buildings in the form of murals. Each side paints massive murals in memory or in dedication to people or events. Keep in mind this violence happened in small neighborhoods. 

Giant walls have been built to help with the peace. 

The tour was without a doubt one of the most interesting I've ever taken. After the tour we walked around the city and had a cheap dinner. We then ducked into the Crown Liquor Saloon for a pint. The pub was incredibly well kept with private booths to sit in. 

Door bells in each booth were used a hundred years ago to order drinks without having to get up. I read this in a book and of course said "I wonder what that does" while pointing at it. Without a seconds hesitation Derek pushed it and a loud bell rang in the entire pub. It was funny, but without told everyone we were tourists. 

We got back to the hotel and planned the next few days. More on that in a bit. Derek woke me up last night talking in his sleep. He looked over at me and asked "Why are you eating a 7 layer sandwich Chuck?" Then moments later said "Why didn't you wake me up?" Then broke out in creepy fake laughter. So, yeah, it took me a while to get back to sleep.

This morning we got up early to make our flight to Belfast. To say Derek and I are not big fans of Ryan Air is an understatement. Ryan Air=hidden fees. 80 pounds worth to be exact...the flight cost $30 US dollars before the hidden fees. Derek played the bad cop and i played the penniless student, my role was way easier to play because it is true. They simply didn't care and didn't feel bad. We arrived, got off the plane, and decided we shouldn't talk about it anymore and just enjoy Glasgow.

Glasgow is beautiful. We walked through a large outdoor shopping center and over to the square where they are a having a Piping Festival. We watched some great bands play with bagpipers. The event was an awesome welcome to Glasgow. 

Then we walked to Glasgow Cathedral. Dad, you'll  be happy to know we didn't skip it. The place was amazing. 

From Glasgow we looked up on the next hill and could see an old graveyard. It looked eerie to say the least.

The walk up to the top took about 20 minutes and Derek was doing business for about 10 of those minutes. We got to the top and he looked around and innocently said, "So is this a cemetery or what is it?" Derek had walked past at least 500 tombstones when he asked me. 

We walked around a bit more before finally getting checked in at our hostel (Euro Hostel). We have a private two bed room with bathroom for $25 each. Why can't all hostels be like this? We are going to rest up a bit before making friends tonight. 

The rest of our journey before meeting up with Nam and Farzin includes Edinburgh tomorrow, York the next day and then back to London the night before the group doubles.