it's late and i'm tired, wah wah wah. but one of my fellow travelers just made the most profound observation i've heard in a long while. and to quote jason nevins: it goes a lil something like this: as far as we have noticed, there are no souvenir shops in stockholm. if i had a nickel (or five kronor) for everytime i saw an "i love london" shirt, i'd be drunk off 10 dollar beers right now. and as much as i loved dublin, as soon as you pass temple bar, you are met with a massive temple bar store filled with everything temple bar, from temple bar mugs to temple bar tampons. but so far, in three days in the center of stockholm, i haven't seen a single propaganda souvenir that one would wear as if to say "hey, look at me, i've been to sweden. it's the bestest country evar! long live stockholm!" and that exemplifies the swedish term which travel guru anthony bourdain introduced me to: lagom. which apparently means not the best, not the worst, just average. which is the way the swedish people live. the porridge is not too hot, or too cold, it's just right. as far as i'm concerned.
tak
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
everything is better in sweden
well maybe that's a big call, but it certainly seems that way, coming from london. the beer-bellyed, ugg boot wearing, chav sounding girls have turned into skinny, tall, models. mcdonalds and pizza hut (yes we've already been to both. c'mon, it's the cheapest by far.) is the fanciest i've seen. it seems it's customary to eat one's pizza with a fork and knife, and don't you dare eat the crust. oh and i don't know what makes the "miami melt" burger at mcdonalds so miami-inspired (it's just beef, cheese, lettuce and bread), but it's a work of culinary art. still, i did just spend around 12 dollars on a guinness.
speaking of which, we have been to dublin since i last posted on this blog (which has probably lost all [if any] of it's readers since then). it was loverly. big enough of a city to be a legitimate city, and small enough to be quaint. and i know stereotypes are usually just that, totally generalised stereotypes, but as soon as we arrived, we saw a man getting his faced kicked in by some dudes. and after dinner, we walked straight into a massive brawl, with all the blood, bouncers and 'garda' (celtic police) you could ask for. damn irish, with their fighting juice. and don't believe the hype, the guinness tour was the most overrated part of our time there. albeit, it was the best guinness i've ever had. dublin is offensively expensive at times though. hence why we could be found at gourmet burger kitchen more often than not.
and speaking of burgers, let me go on a tangent for a while, because i can. it seems the quarter pounder is not copywrited by ronald mcdonald. for we've noticed it (or a bastardised version at least) being sold at just about every dirty independent burger or kebab joint in london and dublin. be it tennessee chicken, cottage chicken, supermac's, happy harry's or the variety of king's cross hell holes, they'll have a nasty ass quarter pounder. get your shit together ronald and start suing! where's your american spirit! live the american dream and sue the shit out of your 'competitors' who don't stand a chance in the first place, and run them out of business. and you call yourself a monopoly. tsk tsk.
another american thing i've noticed is that they are EVERYWHERE. as i type, i'm sitting next to two yanks trying to book a bus ride to oslo because they missed they're flight. probably because they forgot they were travelling because they thought they were in the usa because of all the yanks everywhere. i mean tonight, we went to an irish pub (ONLY because we wanted to watch the premier league matches i swear) and were stuck next to some american girl. i walked out of the pub and the first thing i heard was some chick blabbering something in american. dublin, london, stockholm, oklahoma. we should all be voting for the election, it seems everywhere is america now. case in point, the offensive amount of chain restaurants, pubs, fast food joints in london. i could believe that australia was the apparently the fattest country in the world per capita over the states. but now, seeing how popular maccas, kfc, burger king, etc etc etc is in london, i am absolutely gobsmacked that the UK doesn't beat australia as well! take baker street station in london, for instance. i was on the bus from stansted back to london, half asleep. i didnt know where we were, and as soon as i opened my eyes, i was met with a line of mcdonalds, starbucks, kfc, pret a manger (a god awful chain of 'fresh food' stores that are EVERYWHERE in london) and costa coffee (seriously) right next to each other across the station. and as i sighed, i knew i was back in london.
so no, i have seen no signs of starbucks in stockholm (besides 'wayne's coffee') who i swear have stolen starbucks' font. the mcdonalds supply is the most limited i've seen thus far, and i think a burger king is the only other 'evil' (i say that with love because i'm a mad hypocrit) corporation that i've noticed. not that i'm going to let that stop me from slowly killing myself with terrible food, i do intend to guzzle down a local delicacy which apparently consists of a hot dog stuffed in a tortilla thing, filled with potatoes and other killer foods. now that's good eatin!
if you've gotten this far without getting hungry, or losing all respect for me, 'tak!' (thanks, just about the only swedish word i know).
speaking of which, we have been to dublin since i last posted on this blog (which has probably lost all [if any] of it's readers since then). it was loverly. big enough of a city to be a legitimate city, and small enough to be quaint. and i know stereotypes are usually just that, totally generalised stereotypes, but as soon as we arrived, we saw a man getting his faced kicked in by some dudes. and after dinner, we walked straight into a massive brawl, with all the blood, bouncers and 'garda' (celtic police) you could ask for. damn irish, with their fighting juice. and don't believe the hype, the guinness tour was the most overrated part of our time there. albeit, it was the best guinness i've ever had. dublin is offensively expensive at times though. hence why we could be found at gourmet burger kitchen more often than not.
and speaking of burgers, let me go on a tangent for a while, because i can. it seems the quarter pounder is not copywrited by ronald mcdonald. for we've noticed it (or a bastardised version at least) being sold at just about every dirty independent burger or kebab joint in london and dublin. be it tennessee chicken, cottage chicken, supermac's, happy harry's or the variety of king's cross hell holes, they'll have a nasty ass quarter pounder. get your shit together ronald and start suing! where's your american spirit! live the american dream and sue the shit out of your 'competitors' who don't stand a chance in the first place, and run them out of business. and you call yourself a monopoly. tsk tsk.
another american thing i've noticed is that they are EVERYWHERE. as i type, i'm sitting next to two yanks trying to book a bus ride to oslo because they missed they're flight. probably because they forgot they were travelling because they thought they were in the usa because of all the yanks everywhere. i mean tonight, we went to an irish pub (ONLY because we wanted to watch the premier league matches i swear) and were stuck next to some american girl. i walked out of the pub and the first thing i heard was some chick blabbering something in american. dublin, london, stockholm, oklahoma. we should all be voting for the election, it seems everywhere is america now. case in point, the offensive amount of chain restaurants, pubs, fast food joints in london. i could believe that australia was the apparently the fattest country in the world per capita over the states. but now, seeing how popular maccas, kfc, burger king, etc etc etc is in london, i am absolutely gobsmacked that the UK doesn't beat australia as well! take baker street station in london, for instance. i was on the bus from stansted back to london, half asleep. i didnt know where we were, and as soon as i opened my eyes, i was met with a line of mcdonalds, starbucks, kfc, pret a manger (a god awful chain of 'fresh food' stores that are EVERYWHERE in london) and costa coffee (seriously) right next to each other across the station. and as i sighed, i knew i was back in london.
so no, i have seen no signs of starbucks in stockholm (besides 'wayne's coffee') who i swear have stolen starbucks' font. the mcdonalds supply is the most limited i've seen thus far, and i think a burger king is the only other 'evil' (i say that with love because i'm a mad hypocrit) corporation that i've noticed. not that i'm going to let that stop me from slowly killing myself with terrible food, i do intend to guzzle down a local delicacy which apparently consists of a hot dog stuffed in a tortilla thing, filled with potatoes and other killer foods. now that's good eatin!
if you've gotten this far without getting hungry, or losing all respect for me, 'tak!' (thanks, just about the only swedish word i know).
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
ah-ooooooo werewolves of londonnn.
"YOU'RE SHIIIIT! ... YOU'RE SHIIIT!!!"
ah a night out in london town. that was what some crazy lady was screaming while walking in slow motion down a street in covent garden. covent garden, not even a sketchy part of town. for you see, there are crazies EVERYWHERE in london. i mean i was expecting crazies in places like new york and stuff. and there were hardly any in new york. the ones you did get in new york were 'haha' funny. but the crazies here are just plain scary and annoying. walking around in london sometimes feels like some orwellian dystopia. robot-like people shoving others down, trying to make the train in the tube (which runs like every 2 minutes! wtf is the rush?!), crazy people screaming about how fucked up the world is (like this old lady who interrupted my mcflurry session in maccas by blabbering on about how "no democrat has eva won da US election!"), and depressing housing commission-looking buildings under a gray, rainy sky. i feel after i turn the corner, i'll see the ministry of truth and i'll get kidnapped and brainwashed for thinking anti big brother thoughts. it's kinda fun though, because i don't have to live here. and my bafflement (not a real word) concerning aussies who bail on australia only to come to it's gloomy cousin england has just been further established after seeing what they're in for. don't get me wrong, it's a quirky and vibrant place at times. but it just seems to me that if you are looking to get away from australia and try something new, england is the LAST place to go.
but for a few travelling faux aussies, just dropping by on our way to friendlier places, it's an interesting pit stop. and continuing our ironic tendency to see australian/kiwi (chuss) bands abroad (xavier rudd in new york, mercy arms last week), we were lucky enough to catch old favorite cut off your hands at a tiny pub around the corner from our hostel. they were awesome, so much fun energy. actually, i shall post proof of it on facebook now.
ta ta!
ah a night out in london town. that was what some crazy lady was screaming while walking in slow motion down a street in covent garden. covent garden, not even a sketchy part of town. for you see, there are crazies EVERYWHERE in london. i mean i was expecting crazies in places like new york and stuff. and there were hardly any in new york. the ones you did get in new york were 'haha' funny. but the crazies here are just plain scary and annoying. walking around in london sometimes feels like some orwellian dystopia. robot-like people shoving others down, trying to make the train in the tube (which runs like every 2 minutes! wtf is the rush?!), crazy people screaming about how fucked up the world is (like this old lady who interrupted my mcflurry session in maccas by blabbering on about how "no democrat has eva won da US election!"), and depressing housing commission-looking buildings under a gray, rainy sky. i feel after i turn the corner, i'll see the ministry of truth and i'll get kidnapped and brainwashed for thinking anti big brother thoughts. it's kinda fun though, because i don't have to live here. and my bafflement (not a real word) concerning aussies who bail on australia only to come to it's gloomy cousin england has just been further established after seeing what they're in for. don't get me wrong, it's a quirky and vibrant place at times. but it just seems to me that if you are looking to get away from australia and try something new, england is the LAST place to go.
but for a few travelling faux aussies, just dropping by on our way to friendlier places, it's an interesting pit stop. and continuing our ironic tendency to see australian/kiwi (chuss) bands abroad (xavier rudd in new york, mercy arms last week), we were lucky enough to catch old favorite cut off your hands at a tiny pub around the corner from our hostel. they were awesome, so much fun energy. actually, i shall post proof of it on facebook now.
ta ta!
Friday, October 10, 2008
young folks
i write this from the depths of a foot jungle. to my left: the feet of a frenchman who has obviously been running in dirt or the like. and to my right: the tiny feet of some girl who's stuffed her tiny chucks in her cubby hole above her head. i hate feet. but i digress, again...
tonight we were treated to a fabulous dinner at the home of my old friend dmitri's girlfriend marjan. roasted chicken, potatoes, salad and wine: perfect. it felt like one of the more grown up things i've ever partaken in. a very civilised night of quiet drinking, reminiscing and discussion. and after having a reflective conversation regarding life, careers and future plans with an international congregation of peers, i feel a lot less restless and more at peace with my own respective concerns. and i don't care how many museums, bridges or monumental feats of mankind i see on my international trip, it will probably be nights like this, filled with nothing significant except a pleasant meal and discussion, that resonate at the end of it all...
but we did also go to tate modern today, which was rather interesting. they had a surprising collection of roy lichtenstein pieces which were pretty amazing. not to mention the collection of videos showing naked dudes hitting themselves and other disturbing acts of self-degredation. so yeah, the whole spectrum of awesome to not so awesome. and it was all free. win!
i don't understand london though. it seems like a massive town to me, rather than a bustling urban metropolis with millions of inhabitants. after coming from massive cities like new york, it's weird seeing no skyscrapers and not really knowing where the city starts and ends. there are little enclaves everywhere with pubs, clubs, offices, shops and sites to see. i'm used to it being country --> suburbs --> city. but all i've seen here is (seemingly) a town. granted, i've only been here for a few days and i'm sure i have no idea what's going on. but there's no question that london is not built like sydney, or new york. not that there's anything wrong with that.
oh and the pies are great.
tonight we were treated to a fabulous dinner at the home of my old friend dmitri's girlfriend marjan. roasted chicken, potatoes, salad and wine: perfect. it felt like one of the more grown up things i've ever partaken in. a very civilised night of quiet drinking, reminiscing and discussion. and after having a reflective conversation regarding life, careers and future plans with an international congregation of peers, i feel a lot less restless and more at peace with my own respective concerns. and i don't care how many museums, bridges or monumental feats of mankind i see on my international trip, it will probably be nights like this, filled with nothing significant except a pleasant meal and discussion, that resonate at the end of it all...
but we did also go to tate modern today, which was rather interesting. they had a surprising collection of roy lichtenstein pieces which were pretty amazing. not to mention the collection of videos showing naked dudes hitting themselves and other disturbing acts of self-degredation. so yeah, the whole spectrum of awesome to not so awesome. and it was all free. win!
i don't understand london though. it seems like a massive town to me, rather than a bustling urban metropolis with millions of inhabitants. after coming from massive cities like new york, it's weird seeing no skyscrapers and not really knowing where the city starts and ends. there are little enclaves everywhere with pubs, clubs, offices, shops and sites to see. i'm used to it being country --> suburbs --> city. but all i've seen here is (seemingly) a town. granted, i've only been here for a few days and i'm sure i have no idea what's going on. but there's no question that london is not built like sydney, or new york. not that there's anything wrong with that.
oh and the pies are great.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
freshen your drink, guv'na?
first up, a correction: ladyhawke is a kiwi. thanks chuss, you pedantic bastard.
so the exchange rate is currently 1 AUD to .38 GBP. and 1 AUD to .66 USD. 66 cents. jesus. had i heeded my boss' advice when he told me in may or june to buy travellers cheques when it was 1 AUD to .98 USD, and probably way better GBP exchange rates, i would be running around my hostel in a homemade US dollar robe lighting cigars with $100 bills, laughing like a mad man. but i'm an idiot, and wall st's a bitch (or whatever the british equivalent of that is. let's call it moneypudding road). so now i'm off to spend a good $20 on black heart guts pudding pie or whatever it is i'm supposed to eat here.
cheerio then.
so the exchange rate is currently 1 AUD to .38 GBP. and 1 AUD to .66 USD. 66 cents. jesus. had i heeded my boss' advice when he told me in may or june to buy travellers cheques when it was 1 AUD to .98 USD, and probably way better GBP exchange rates, i would be running around my hostel in a homemade US dollar robe lighting cigars with $100 bills, laughing like a mad man. but i'm an idiot, and wall st's a bitch (or whatever the british equivalent of that is. let's call it moneypudding road). so now i'm off to spend a good $20 on black heart guts pudding pie or whatever it is i'm supposed to eat here.
cheerio then.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
london calling...
i am currently sitting in a converted london courtroom that now houses backpackers. it's pretty rad. i am in desperate need of a shower and a toothbrush. but first things first...
i find london depressing. i realize it's the same gloomy weather in antwerp and paris, but i realized why it's different here. it's because everything is in english and similar to australia, somewhat. thus it feels like a dirty, cloudy version of oz. which is still pretty rad, but weird. at least in belgium and france everything is foreign and it feels like you're in a different land. here, it's just confusingly familiar. and it doesn't help that we're going to watch two australian bands at a gig tonight. again, not that there's anything wrong with that.
anyway, the communal unisex showers are calling. *shudder*
i find london depressing. i realize it's the same gloomy weather in antwerp and paris, but i realized why it's different here. it's because everything is in english and similar to australia, somewhat. thus it feels like a dirty, cloudy version of oz. which is still pretty rad, but weird. at least in belgium and france everything is foreign and it feels like you're in a different land. here, it's just confusingly familiar. and it doesn't help that we're going to watch two australian bands at a gig tonight. again, not that there's anything wrong with that.
anyway, the communal unisex showers are calling. *shudder*
Saturday, October 4, 2008
"i'll have a coffee" "beer?" "C... O..." "B... E..."
beer
chocolate
waffles
rain
...and that pretty much does it for belgium.
but to be honest i could stay here for months. in our deluxe 5 bedroom house with free wifi. not to mention having my second family as hosts. rad.
however, the damn euro is killing me. i sound like an old man when i mumble "1 euro 60 for a waffle?!?! iiii remember when we used francs and it was 50 francs! kids these days with they're euros..." oh and, a 15 minute cab for over 30 euros? that's offensive.
anywho, i'm too relaxed to think of anything else right now. and it's actually sunny outside, so we should probably head out and do tourist-ish stuff, by which i mean go outside.
godverdomme!
chocolate
waffles
rain
...and that pretty much does it for belgium.
but to be honest i could stay here for months. in our deluxe 5 bedroom house with free wifi. not to mention having my second family as hosts. rad.
however, the damn euro is killing me. i sound like an old man when i mumble "1 euro 60 for a waffle?!?! iiii remember when we used francs and it was 50 francs! kids these days with they're euros..." oh and, a 15 minute cab for over 30 euros? that's offensive.
anywho, i'm too relaxed to think of anything else right now. and it's actually sunny outside, so we should probably head out and do tourist-ish stuff, by which i mean go outside.
godverdomme!
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