Lisbon, Portugal: the architecture in European cathedrals is awe-some. Walk through the heavy doors, the altar ahead of you, shining golden by the surrounding stained glass; turn around and piercing light blinds for a second, dramatically enveloping the cross.
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Lisbon, Portugal: Art, politically correct or not.
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Bilbao, Spain: The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is amazing, a voluptuous edifice of curved titanium stuck in the middle of an industrial port city. A huge flower-covered cat guards its entrance. I am convinced this is the modern day equivalent to the cathedral: its sheer unbelievability draws tourist pilgrims from around the world.
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Paris, France: This suspicious looking character is in fact the most affable Mina Girgis, TA extra-ordinaire at UCSB. In yet another gleeful twist of fate, I arrived unplanned during Mina's 3 day sojourn in Paris, as he followed a North Indian band around tour in Europe. Random indeed.
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Lyon, France.
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Lake Chiemsee, Germany: I worked dishwashing at a nearby hotel. On my day off, I rode a bike around the 40 mile lake, enjoying the blissfully calm, sunny weather. The wind suddenly came up, dark clouds poured out of the Alps, and I made it back to shelter as the first thick drops of rain fell.
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Lake Chiemsee, Germany: My friend Lauren from UCSB came out of the blue for a visit, just as my restlessness began to climax from working long stuffy hours in a kitchen. She suggested I come to Vienna, where she practiced modern dance; so off I went.
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Lake Chiemsee, Germany.
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Vienna, Austria: Empirial monuments blackened from time. An impressive testament to "past glories" - or was it past oppressions? We complain at the loss of civil liberties today, but how else did past empires amass wealth but through coercive power? It is a hypocrisy to take pictures of grandiose monuments, then complain about the empire-building tendencies of our own government.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia: This town is surreal, a historical gem. The stone streets were smooth as marble, centuries of shuffling feet polish the floor. Tiny alleyways, no trees... lots of Italian tourists.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia: On the Mediterranean Sea, this town thrived on maritime exploits, and survived on diplomacy. The powerful Venetian Republic sought to control it, so adept diplomatic maneuvering was needed to establish a buffer zone for protection; this historical quirk denied Croatia the claim to a 30 mile stretch coastline, which Bosnia-Herzegovina now controls.
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Dubrovnik, Croatia: I stumbled onto the "Miss Croatia 2003" competition one night, much to my delight. Girls in bikinis, skimpy dresses, the audience is ready, and then... technical problems. No light, everything is dark. An improvised light beam is used for this impromptu performance: a local guitarist summoned to entertain the crowd, while the girls dance awkwardly behind him. My original delight is now even greater, as I am witness to 3rd world ingenuity in the face of technological breakdown.
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Vis, Croatia: My campsite on a little island, where I spent several days slothing between the warm water and the shade. I arrived late one afternoon, and when I awoke the next morning, to my great surprise, I was directly in front of a nudist beach. You know what they say: "In Rome, do as the Romans."
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Split, Croatia.
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Pula and Split, Croatia: We forget that the Balkans, rife with their own inter-ethnic problems, are next door to Italy. The remains of the Roman empire scattered around Croatia give their shared history a tangible feel. We all gawk at these two thousand year old monuments, irrespective of what nation they now lie in.
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Sant'Anna Morosina, Italy: Martino gave me a ride while I was hitchhiking in northern Croatia. He mentioned being a cook at his family's restaurant near Venice; I offered to work for free, in exchange for fresh homemade pasta and a bed. After 3 weeks of frugal camping, I jumped on the opportunity like a wounded beast. I couldn't have guessed that besides peeling potatos, I would be invited to a bachelor party in the mountains, a music festival, and the offer of lifelong friendship.
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Ferrara, Italy: A week-long festival of street artists in a medieval town. Crowds filling the cobblestone roads, every corner a new performance: flamenco, African drums, spray paint art, fire juggling, or rock&roll.
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Venice, Italy.
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Nice, France.
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Biarritz, France: The snack bar overlooking the beach; everyone hangs out here between surfs, feasting on an incredible range of salads, fresh cakes, and homemade pastries. There is no rush to go anywhere!
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Biarritz, France: The owner of the snack bar. A hyper cheerful lady, she'd let me help organize the tables and chairs at the end of the day, in exchange for chocolate croissants. We struck a publicity deal, where she gave me a t-shirt of her snack bar, so long as I'd take pictures with it in front of famous sights during my travels.
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Biarritz, France: The family with whom I stayed for almost a month. "French people are just angry Italians" claimed Francois, the father. It is true, they continually yelled at each other, at their dog, at the radio; but their hospitality was unwavering, an honest generosity I found difficult to repay.
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Bayonne, France: I wandered by chance into a rare event - the christening of a massive new bell for this cathedral. TV crews captured the whole ritual, interrupted by catholic songs reverberating the hall, my contribution coming in an awkard mix of bad voice and broken French.
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San Sebastian, Spain: ethnic conflict does not limit itself to politically unstable regimes. It is here, the minority Basque folk asserting their right to autonomy; it is everywhere, to a certain extent.
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London, England: A childhood friend of mine was in London, studying economics, when I discovered you could fly there from France for a mere $25. The catch: I arrived at 1:00 AM, all subways were closed, so I had to walk 2 hours along the Thames River to get to his apartment.
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London, England: The symbol of this great capital, the Big Ben, captured with the Debololo t-shirt, from Biarritz. Fulfilling my end of the publicity deal, an unexpected service towards French-English diplomacy.
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Amsterdam, Netherlands: The contradictions in this city live in suprising harmony. Hash Marijuana Museum down the street from Van Gogh; sex shops and psychedelic drugs in 17th century buildings, surrounded by picturesque canals. An enviable mix of hedonism and restraint.
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New York City, USA: information overload, pretty pictures flashing, back in the US!
