I'm catching up, I am...! Here are the day's pictures.
(167) is Tuesday, 22 June 2010.
There's one thing that really bothers me, and to explain it, I'd like you to look at this piece of my map of Europe. This is the map I used to plan out this entire month-long loop. It's not too detailed (which might explain why I've visited capital cities almost exclusively), but it serves to illustrate the following point:
You see how it's basically a straight shot from Prague to Luxembourg and then from Luxembourg to Paris? Seems like a downright elegant itinerary, right? Well, not if you're taking trains through Germany. They run a great system - very efficient, friendly, and generally effective - but they just send you all over the place. When I have to change modes of transportation (usually trains) a lot, I usually refer to the entire trip as "patchwork." Anyway, here was my actual itinerary:
So, in 24 hours, I would cover (however briefly) Prague, Offenburg (the 'A'), Strasbourg, Luxembourg, and Paris. And you've heard that...
...Oh. Oh, have you not heard? It was my understanding that everyone had heard.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
B-B-B-BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG,
WELL THE BURG IS THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
OFFENBURG!
...
I actually spent less than 10 minutes in Offenburg. The real highlight of the day was actually Luxembourg. Bit of background: my dad went there on a short business trip when I was about 10 and he came back and told me how it was tiny, but it was the richest country in the world and that you could go to the north tip and stand in Germany, Luxembourg, and France all at once. It captured my imagination, so I wrote a report on it in sixth grade and have sort of always wanted to visit there.
Today was my day.
I spent much of it wandering around the (very nice) shops in Luxembourg City - the capital - which is basically a smaller, cuter, brighter version of Paris. The only big difference is the grassy valley (not really a river) running through in the middle. It reminds me of Rock Creek Park going under the bridges of DC. I found a GREAT panoramic view and a bench in the cool shade not long before my train to Paris. Simply idyllic: one of my favorite spots on Earth.
There’s not a tremendous amount to see in Luxembourg, so I was right to only plan a few hours there. But I am very glad that I went.
I finally made it back to Paris, where it took me bloody forever to find my hostel. I was staying in the Montmartre area, which was a total flip-around for the Rive-Gauche guy I've become. By the way, I don't know if I ever explained this, but you hear these terms about Paris a lot and they don't really make intuitive sense. Rive Gauche is the lower bank of Paris (where I've chronicled the vast majority of my time there) and Rive Droite is the upper half, where I was staying now.
I hit it off with the receptionist, who liked my French and told me where to find a laundromat. On my first time there, I have to say I kinda’ liked the experience. I don’t like how impersonal those places are, this one was bright and clean and I like the idea of going and sitting and having time built into your schedule to read. Nowadays it’s The Clocks, an Agatha Christie mystery (not a Coldplay song). The book employs multiple perspectives, and nonlinear storytelling and all that rather appeals to me, as I'm sure you've heard me say.
Oh, wait... you haven't heard?
"Brian, don't!"
A-WELL-A EVERYBODY'S HEARD ABOUT THE BURG
BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY'S TALKING ABOUT THE BURG!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
A-WELL-A BURG...
LUXEMBOURG!
BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB... [RETCHING NOISES]... AAAH!
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-
PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-PA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM
OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-A-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOM-OOM-OOM-OOM-OOMA-MOW-MOW
OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, OOMA-MOW-MOW
WELL DON'T YOU KNOW ABOUT THE BURG?
WELL, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT THE BURG IS THE WORD!
A-WELL-A BURG, BURG, B-BURG'S THE WORD
PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW, PAPA-OOMA-MOW-MOW...
