Funny and Random Collections

First off, if you're reading this, and you missed the Germany and Switzerland post, scroll down.

Second, I realized that there are many pictures that I wanted to upload but either didn't have time or didn't feel they were essential to the place I was visiting. And, since today in Zurich is rainy, rainy, and rainy, I decided to search around a bit. Enjoy.

Part of a Greek menu. Don't forget those open-colored clothes in case of extreme hot. And remember to hat your umbrella, unless you carry it. Oh, and when it's good weather, feel free to approach the electricity pillars.
From the graffiti artist in Granada. My Spanish isn't perfect, but the gist is: We make things that break in order to fix them, and so that they break again. And I pass my time.
That's me taking a photo in the background, through a mirror. Friends from Granada.
Some more detail of the Alhambra in Granada.
I hate pictures with me in them, but, oh well. I had to. Me and the Parthenon.
Just a great picture that I forgot to include. From - where else? - Cinque Terre.
The sweet ambulance in Venice.
Some ancient hieroglyphs! This was in Cinque Terre as well.
Come on, Tim. Why did I take a picture of this sign? Old-school baseball fans oughtta know. Actually, Fones might be the best authority on this, as he's an NL fan. First one to post a comment explaining this picture wins a prize.
The police...Ford Tauruses? - in Barcelona.
Chickens for sale on the street in Barcelona.
The Greek menu again. But isn't rioting considered moving with a purpose?
Oh yeah, how could I forget this one? Me on a rooftop in Oia, most-northwesterly town of Santorini, about two hours before sunset.
Edwin, the local Polish guy, has his own sign. Ok, no, it was really a restaurant. But it would have been REALLY funny otherwise.
A ubiquitous company in Greece, but it's still fun to go to the market and say "Papadopoulos!" Season Ticket Baseball, anyone?

That's that. I may find some more or I may not. Hey! The weather finally changed and the sun is out! Of course, that's been happening all day, but I think it's time for a walk. Ciao!

Germany and Switzerland

I've spent the last week in southwestern Germany and then the past two days in Zurich, Switzerland, which is where I am now. After about a month of perfect and too-hot weather, I was in for a surprise. I mean, it's the middle of July, right? The middle of summer. I don't think it's too unrealistic to expect pretty good weather. Well, Germany was about 55 and rainy, and Zurich is the same. I don't know why global warming isn't reaching these places, but it's possible that the Swiss and Germans have designed some really efficient device, like they're wont to do, that controls the weather and keeps people working rather than enjoying nature. Anyway, here are some pictures.

A picture of a clocktower and a church spire over the river in Zurich.
A huge building, and I'm not even really sure what it is. Probably bank offices.
Oh yeah, Credit Suisse. The Swiss Credit Union: the biggest bank in Switzerland. You'd think there would be a bit more fanfare about this building, but it's really just a normal building near a train stop.
This is a square in Tubingen, in southern Germany. I went here four years ago with my family, and this time I was visiting an old friend who is studying here.
A tiny cobblestone lane (gasse) in Tubingen, with typical outdoor cafes and bicycles.
Me and Tara! We met in a hostel in New Zealand during my Easter vacation of my study abroad in Australia. She's from Sydney, and speaks excellent German. A friend (Earthy Tracy, for those who know her) and I stayed with Tara and her family less than a month later because we got cheap tickets online. And, four years later, I met up with her again. Amazing how the world works, no? Tara, if you're reading this, I owe you some hospitality.

So that's that. We had a great time together in Tubingen. We spent four days eating good food, taking walks, and hanging out with her exam-laden friends. I taught her how to throw a frisbee, and she's really good at that, and she took me to see some theatresports in German. Now, that was an experience. It was all exchange students, so German was their second language or further. And, despite the fact that I couldn't understand anything, it was STILL funny because of their facial expressions, speech patterns, and body language. Now that is a story for my improv comedy classes next year. (For those of you who don't know, I'm teaching improv comedy to my middle-schoolers.)

Next, it's off to Rome, Florence, and Siena.

Greece

So my travels took me to Greece, where I'd dreamed of going. Turns out, it was everything I expected it to be. From the sprawling metropolis of Athens (which was kind of dirty), to the old historic sites of the Ancient Greeks, to the whitewashed marble houses of the islands, to the unbearably oppressive heat, to the unbelievably tasty food, Greece turned out to be probably my best experience so far.

Although, I just have to add one thing that really threw me off about Greece. You couldn't throw toilet paper in the toilets. People told me the pipes were too old and too narrow to accept toilet paper, so each stall had a little garbage can next to the toilets, where you'd... you know... throw the used paper. It was revolting, and a poor example of primitive designs from the most ancient and advanced culture in the world. In any case, I know that from some of your stories, I was lucky to even HAVE toilet paper, or a toilet, or even a bathroom, so I shouldn't complain. But you try to sit there and bear it.

So, to start off, I just wanted to say that after my picture of "Fruit's" from Barcelona, with its needless apostrophe (unless the guy's name was Dan Fruit), to the "To Crash in Case of Fire" from Venice, I bring you the best version of mistranslated English thus far. It comes from a menu on Santorini. Has anyone read Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"?




This was the sunset from Oia, the northwesterly-most (is that a word?) town on Santorini. Oh, right, it's most northwesterly.


The white and blue against the cliffs and sea.



Again, the views from the village.

Some of the Greeks and Americans I stayed with while in Greece.

That's Manolis, on the left. He hosted me for six whole days while in Athens. Truly a great ambassador of goodwill. I met him through Couchsurfing, which I love, and which will revolutionize travel. He's reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I gave him. I got him obsessed with Harry Potter, which he said was more than enough of an even trade for hosting. Also, it's in English. The Greeks (especially Manolis) speak English incredibly well.

Hercules (or Herakles) wrestling a snake. This is from the 6th century, BC, which makes it over 2500 years old. You can even still see the color on the snake.

The Temple of Zeus. Not much of it is left, but it's huge and impressive.

The Temple of Hephaestus, god of Fire. Remarkably well-preserved.

Ah, the Parthenon, which tops the Acropolis. So much renovation to be done there. It's a shame there was so much work being done and so many exhibits were closed, but they're currently renovating the old renovation, which was apparently poor and faulty. So this time, they're getting it right forever. Just means I'll have to go back.

The Theatre of Dionysus, obviously renovated. Still used for performances.

So that, in short, was my Greek trip. I had plenty of feta: baked, fried, grilled, fresh, soaked in olive oil, etc. Other food highlights were Kataifi, which is better than Baklava but gets less than half the recognition (kind of like Edgardo Alfonzo in his prime), 2 Euro pitas filled with lamb, chicken, etc. Unbelievable bargain. Giant plates of Tzatziki which you could dip anything in, and on the island, banana pancakes with chocolate for breakfast every morning. That's not very Greek, but it sure was delicious.

Also, the Greeks, when you dine with them, eat everything Tapas-style, like in Spain. So don't even think of ordering a dish for yourself. I love it, and I think I've said this before, but I hope to bring that style of eating back to the USA. It's more communal, encourages people to talk, and lets you try half the menu, which you want to do in the US, but can't, because there's so much to choose from.

Athens, by the way, was 46 degrees with 80% humidity while I was there. For you Fahrenheiters, 46 is a shade under 115. It was dreadful. I never felt clean once for a week, and it was also impossible to sleep.

Now I'm in Germany, and I got sick my first day because it was cold and rainy and I was short on sleep, but now I'm feeling better, and am going to go drink some beer and eat cheese and bratwurst. The Calw festival is on again this weekend, and I'm either going to that or going to visit my Sydney friend Tara in Tubingen, or both.

Oh right, Happy Fourth of July! This is my third out of the last five I've spent outside the US. There's pride for ya. See you guys around again soon.