July trip
3/7 - Antwerp-Eindhoven-Rome

*This post was supposed to have some photos in it, but thanks to the incompetence/stupidity/laziness of a French Internet Cafe staff member in Nimes, they have been lost for eternity*

The previous night, I was talking to an American who had transferred to the University of Amsterdam to do International Economics. He said his professors were crap, and it was a waste of time to go to lecture. But then to defray the €6900 course fees there was a €5000 grant if you passed 50/60 credits a year (apparently not that hard). He said there's money floating around - you just have to know where to look for it; this is something some of those who've sold their souls and now have to pay back their pound of flesh have also lamented to me.

He also said that with regard to trying to learn/speak Dutch, there're 2 attitudes the Dutch adopt: if you try to learn it they think it's the most difficult language in the world, so you shouldn't try (he commented that only the pronunciation is tricky, and it's like English combined with German, with all the bad bits gotten rid of [he spoke German also]). If you don't learn it, they get upset you're not integrating into their culture. So he gave up on learning. Maybe Amsterdam is more unfriendly, since I didn't get any vibes of this variety at all in Utrecht. It was more of: "It's nice that you're learning" and, as a German guy commented, when he tried to speak in Dutch people said it was nice, but wondered why he simply didn't use English.

I also mentiond the evangelists to him and he remembered them because he was working that day. He said there were 20, from Indiana, and that they were crazy, coming to the most liberal city on earth to try to shackle people.

Breakfast was included but I had no appetite. This was not helped by the fact that it included the vilest vile juice I'd ever had (up to that point, at least). Perhaps vile juice is deliberately made vile so the taste will wake you up.

Belgium is so screwed up, you have 2 bus companies - "De Lijn" for Flanders and "Transport En Commun" for Wallonie.

*Pelikaanstraat*
Diamond street

As it got hotter and probably more humid, my hair tangled less.

Belgian rail works by zones instead of destinations. It probably helps in making pricing decisions.

When I reached Eindhoven, I saw 2 girls cycling and sharing one pair of earphones.

When I boarded the bus I found that my strippenkart had disappeared. I know I didn't misplace it, because I used it to get to Utrecht Centraal Station and had put it back in my wallet, so it must've fallen out. Wth. So I had to buy a new one.

The signs at Eindhoven airport say that you're being recorded by CCTVs and that you can 'seek rectification' (whatever that means).

"Eat local, fly global" - Sign at the airport cafe. Unfortunately the only local food they had were fries. Hah! Belvedair SML must be ashamed.

Sometimes, Dutch signs with requests or warnings use the acronym SVP instead of AUB (Alstublief). I wonder if people complain about cultural imperialism. It's the bloody French influence, I tell you.

One reason why my backpack was so darn heavy (about 10kg, sans a secondary bag with my camera, passport etc) - I had 300g of digestives, 400g of chocolates and 400g of chocolate chip cookies. When I returned to Utrecht I still had the chocolates.

In the airport they sold sticks of carrot and dip. It was quite sad, and the price was probably exorbitant too.

Hilarious €10 shirt in the airport shop, after what would've been immigration if there were any non-EU flights: "Not everything in Holland is flat". Behind the words were 2 concentric crescents - like a small bowl floating in a bigger one.

Interesting looking book in the shop: "I always get my sin - het bizarre Engels van Nederlanders". See? I'm not the only one who notices issues with European English.

T-mobile offered internet access in the airport. If you subscribed to T-mobile NL you got a tariff of 20 cents per minute. If you were on T-mobile US you paid only 18 cents per minute. Tsk.

I saw a Rode Kruis donation box and there was a €500 ote inside. I was amazed that someone would donate so much. Then I looked closer and saw that the word "specimen" was printed on it. What a cunning way of boosting donations.

Exiting the male toilet, I saw in the reflection of a mirror in the female toilet that there was a dispenser on the wall with 10 buttons. I was curious why the dispenser so many things whereas the male toilet didn't even have a condom dispenser, so I stared very hard but could only make out 1 red label, 3 light blue and 3 green labels. I doubted very much that the dispenser sold 6 brands of pads and 4 of tampons, so I asked a woman coming out of it to look for me. Amazingly she agreed but gave me the vague answer: "Personal care for ladies". Perhaps there were duplicates. Someone suggested that there were condoms: "these enlightened times... ­its as much the girl's responsibility. ­i saw this on match.com: a list of 10 things every single guy must carry, and a corresponding one for girls. and on the girls list was a condom. ­simply because, if you dont want it to break, you bring it. nuff said. :D well as that article said­. the guys condoms will usually have be lying crumpled in their wallet for god knows how long. theres a good chance itll break" Others opine that in other countries, unlike Singapore, they offer various varieties, corresponding not only to different flows but different sizes [of the wearer].

A sign: "Ryanair, the on-time airline" (emphasis original). In the end the flight was delayed by an hour.

"The weather in Rome is excellent. It's 34 degrees, there's not a cloud in the sky" - the pilot. Thanks ah. I hope he was joking.

When the plane landed, people clapped. Their previous experiences with Ryanair must've been really bad. When the aircraft stopped, everyone sprang to their feet and opened the baggage compartments despite multiple announcements not to do so. The stewardess had to walk down the aisle closing the overhead compartments.

The overhead compartments had mirrors inside them. Weird.

Smoking gets you a fine at Rome Ciampino. This fine is doubled if you smoke around pregnant women or children under the age of 12.

In Italy, you need a photo ID to use the Internet at Internet cafes. This is due to some anti-terrorism law passed in September 2005. At the cafe I used in Rome (15 minutes' free Internet for those staying at my hostel), the guy didn't take down anything, but just kept the ID for the duration of usage for show.

A lot of Doner places had posters and banners taken from Germany, with German words and websites printed on them. Gah. Of course, the same moustached guy was present on all the posters.

Why do places have tourist menus? I'm sure people other than tourists go for them, and surely set menus must exist for locals.


Travel tips:

- Bunk with friends. My Dutch friend befriended people in youth hostels (he knows a lot of Israelis, who travel after their Slavery) and can crash with them, so if you're extroverted enough you can try that
- Ask for student/youth (<26) reductions if applicable
- Bring your own sheets. You can save a few euros at some places
- On continental Europe they drive on the right. So look right or you may be run down
- When you travel you have to expect giving up some of the comforts of home, especially when on a budget. The first time I went outfield in Obedience School our sergeant knocked us down to each us that when you go outfield you have to get dirty. So if you're like a fussy (female) friend of mine who wants her own toilet ("im picky lar i dont like communal toiles"), either inflate your budget, decrease the length of your trip or stay at home
- Be prepared. Print out directions to hostels, note train times etc. Internet cafes make planning on the road easier