If travel is searching, and home has been found...

I'm stopping. This is the last entry of my "travel blog." My trip is over. Even today, the beginning of routine has started to creep in.

Compare this picture of me with how I looked when I started. Except for the hair, pretty similiar, no?


The last day of the trip was mostly uneventful. Because of jet lag, I woke up early. C and I got on the road by 8, stopped for Dunkin' Donuts (my 5th trip to DD in the last 2.5 months: first at JFK, then twice in Berlin (where internet access is very conveniently offered) and then once in Manhattan) and got on the Merrrit. All the way to JFK. C pointed out to me some of the scenic bridges, as well as a poorly disguised cell phone pole. Said goodbye!

Got to the airport early.

Waited a couple of hours and read Devil in the White City (which gets more and more gruesome as it progresses) and got on the plane.

Plane ride involved reading, listening to my iPod and not talking to the guy next to me, who was annotating sheet music of religious hymns.

Rudy picked me up, not only on time, but early. Drove to my Dad's office. Drove to my parent's house to pick up my stuff. Drove home and first encountered my very ugly pile of mail, which includes such wonderful treats as a jury summons (which I long ago missed) and some shameful bank and credit card statements.

I was too irritated by my mail to call anybody or make Saturday night plans, but after a dinner of Bristol Farms sushi (just like how I used to before I left), I spent some relaxing time on the internet, read some letters (a nice surprise, especially having written so many while I was gone) and went to sleep early.

And that's my vacation to Europe!

And shouldn't I wrap the whole thing up?

Important Musical Influences

1. Phil Collins - Showed up everywhere. Always let me know that the positive sides of bland reality still existed and always made me feel comforted.

2. ABBA - Singing along to Waterloo with strangers on the beach in Cinqueterre made me friends. Singing Money Money in a restaurant in Strasbourg gave me fame. Heard Take a Chance on Me and Mama Mia somewhere else or another.

3. Robbie Williams - only in Krakow, but watching his videos non stop for a weekend couldn't help but leave an impression.

4. Silversun Pickups - The last show I saw in L.A. before I left, and whenever I didn't know what to put on my iPod, I'd always come back to their song "Kissing Families." I may want to look into the whole album later.

Nationalities of people I met on the trip

This may not be interesting to you, but it was interesting to ME. These are people that I met in countries outside of the one they lived. "Meeting" means having a conversation that got as far as "Where are you from?":
1. Albania
2. Argentina
3. Armenia (sort of)
4. Australia
5. Austria
6. Bosnia
7. Canada
8. China (born in China, but lived in Canada...does this count?)
9. Denmark
10. Finland
11. France
12. Germany
13. Hungary
14. Iceland
15. India
16. Iran
17. Ireland
18. Israel
19. Italy
20. Japan
21. South Korea
22. Luxembourg
23. Mexico
24. Netherlands
25. New Zealand
26. Norway
27. Peru
28. Portugal
29. Romania
30. South Africa
31. Spain
32. Sweden
33. Switzerland
34. UK
35. U.S.
36. Scotland

Special Thanks to These Guys for Providing Relevant Titles!:
The Fiery Furnaces, Bjork, The Smiths, The Who, Morrissey, The Talking Heads, The Decemberists, The Beach Boys, R.E.M., Weird Al, The Magnetic Fields, Jonathan Richman, The Go-Gos, Bob Dylan, B-52s, Pulp, Pixies, The Police, Camera Obscura, Eddie Money, Belle and Sebastian, Sugarhill Gang, The Jefferson Airplane, Arlo Guthrie, They Might Be Giants, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, U2, The Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Joe Dassin, Leonard Cohen and finally, Billy Bragg.

And I apologize for the extremely lame "stretch" titles I had to give some because I couldn't think of a relevant song.

Also, thanks to:

1. The extremely friendly people working at Il Chiostro Bed and Breakfast in Naples who were amazingly kind in a country full of not so kind people

2. the woman at the post office in Naples who translated for me with the clerk who was screaming at me

3. the guy working at the post office in Naples who despite being no actual help (not his fault) did the best he could and was friendly and polite

4. the owners of the Domus Guesthouse in Reykjavik who were friendly, helpful and gave me some discounts they did not have to give

5. The Canadians I met in Reykjavik running the marathon for Team Diabetes who invited me to eat with them on my first day in Iceland

6. The guy at the gas station in the middle of nowhere in iceland who gave me an extremely good and overpriced map for free because he could see I was lost

7. The couple from Geneva who gave me and Tara a bowl of soup in the hostel in Hvol.

8. The guy who gave me a discount on pasta in Nice.

9. The internet cafe guy who let me use the phone and internet for free to cancel my credit cards after being robbed in that same cafe.

10. The woman from the Roman catacombs that let me ride in her cab back to town when I had almost no money.

11. Mark from the hostel in Budapest who gave me a great music magazine to read on the train and was super friendly, unlike the other staff.

12. The hostel in Krakow that accepted credit cards, even though the price per night was very low.

13. Alice's family for taking such good care of me. Really.

14. Sarah and her friends in Germany for taking equally good care of me. There's nothing like accomodating a 4th in an apartment barely squeezing in 3. And for directing me around town, showing me the cool stuff and helping me to navigate the U-bahn.

15. Jannes' and his friend in Berlin who invited me over for pasta and wine. Delicious.

16. The girl working at the hostel in Heidelberg for being possibly the first person working anywhere in Europe to laugh at any one of my jokes, or make her own jokes (with the exception of the owner, Peter, of the Domus Guesthouse in Reykjavik, who made tons of jokes.) Gave me and Angela good suggestions for food and what to do in town.

17. The bicycle salesman in Colmar who appreciated the Beach Boys.

18. Eva and her boyfriend in Reykjavik for showing me an amazing time.

19. Julien and his mom for providing me with a terrific place to stay, food, places to go and the best time ever in Paris.

20. My brother (and his roommate) for putting up with me and my irregular hours in NYC.

21. Colleen and Mk for providing, movie, lodging and entertainment for a night in New Haven. Thanks for capping it all off, guys! (And enjoy the rest of that anchovy pizza...)

22. My roommate Adam for mailing my ATM card to Paris, emailing me my Credit card PIN and telling me the balance and account number on my stupid Banana Republic credit card account. I've already thanked hiim in person though. Wow.

23. Julien again, for attempting to get me my ATM card in Naples, and failing that making sure that it was in Paris by the time I arrived. Probably saved me well over 100 dollars doing that.

24. Every bank that gave cash advances on credit cards, especially the one in Budapest that was both friendly AND helpful (this was after hours of going from bank to bank without luck).

25. Everybody who invited me to join them when I sat alone somewhere, notably pubs in Strasbourg, Dubrovnik, Cinqueterre, Nice...

25. My parents, for providing a lot of emergency money and not emergency support when I was in trouble and not in trouble.

27. God, for inspiring centuries of slaving Europeans to build all those cathedrals and synagogues.

28. Anybody I forgot.

But have I changed?

And what does it all mean?

I probably lost some weight. Definitely got into much better shape, especially after 2 months of studying for the bar. I know a lot more about Europe, and have a much better idea of where I would want to go if I were to go again. I learned about what sorts of people are "out there" and what kinds really aren't. I learned that on foot even the smallest city can seem fairly large. I learned that I can handle more physical abuse than I had imagined (more like exhaustion, not being beat with sticks -- although I DID win both a wrestle and an arm wrestle in Budapest, with scars to prove it). Having had such a concentrated period of rich experiences, I find ordinary life much easier to accept. I don't feel so much that I'm missing anything, because I have already seen so much. I confirmed my fears over the past year that I can handle quite a bit of time alone.

Maybe I'll update again if something comes up relevant to my trip that I believe warrants remembering forever.

And if not, goodbye!

I don't want to change the world, I'm not looking for a New England

I'm actually home now, sitting in my apartment. it's all over.

But I write about yesterday, not today, right? If all goes as planned, tomorrow's entry about my journey home will be the last. I've had all sorts of grand plans about "wrapping it all up" but who knows if I will have the patience or the energy to do so.

Yesterday ended my short but very socially productive visit to NY. In 2 and a half days I managed to see 7 friends, not counting spending time also with my brother (who I stayed with) and parents (who were visiting). I pat myself on the back, even if that meant cutting most interactions shorter than I would have liked.

Yesterday's was the last of NY. I met up for breakfast in Chelsea with Alex, a girl I met in Dubrovnik. I most elegantly brought along my large backpack as I would be leaving soon for Grand Central Station (to take me to New Haven.) We had a nice conversation over eggs and coffee, but I never repeat the content of actual conversations here, do I? Fortunately, as I had already returned my brother's roommate's very useful map fo Manhattan, Alex walked me to the train station and I was able on my own (with Colleen's very specific and helpful instructions) catch the proper train to Westport.

C had warned me that I would be disappointed by this year's autumn leaf colors in New England. But how wrong she was! While I spent most of the train ride concentrating on Devil in the White City (which keeps on getting better), the view of orange and red trees and the window was a nice contrast to the not so colorful autumn I observed in Europe and would observe in LaLa.

But all worked out well. She was at the train station not only on time but early and drove me (dodging past slow drivers in the left hand lane) along the Merritt Parkway. Which was even more stunning than the train ride (which had included some not so pretty scenery too). I got a quick tour of Westport and then New Haven, where I had not been in 9 years.

Being that I was quite hungry, and that New Haven is famous for its pizza, I made an exception to my general "no pizza" rule (unless it's free) and ate about half of a medium pizza at Modern Pizza. It was GOOOD especially as it had spicy peppers and anchovies, both toppings almost impossible to find on either 1) single slice servings of pizza or 2) free pizza, which is about all I ever eat. And a beer pint for just over 3 dollars! I haven't seen that since I left home, that's for sure!

Pizza was followed by movietime back at C and Mk's apartment. We watched Batman Begins, which was perfect, as it was a movie I had specifically wanted to see. With the exception of Amorres Perros on Alice's computer screen in Warsaw, I hadn't seen a movie since Red Eye, the night before I left. Which was terrible. Batman Begins was great, even if it shared an actor in common with Red Eye (Cillian Murphy).

C, Mk, another friend of theirs and I then went to Karaoke. I didn't sing, BUT Phil Collins reminded me that he is still watching over my trip! 2 dudes did a fabulous version of Phil Collins and Philip Bailey's "Easy Lover", one of my favorite songs when I was 6 years old or so. I had been half intending on doing karaoke at SOME point during the trip, but the opportunity never came up. Besides, with the exception of one exceptional night walking around in Cinqueterre, I haven't heard my own singing voice in long enough to trust it in front of strangers. Also, sadly for me, I didn't really get to enjoy the 1 dollar bud lights the bar was serving, because I was too tired from jet lag to have any. Boo.

The night was finished off with Rudy's, a New Haven bar I have heard so much about. I broke another of my dietary rules: no French Fries. They just smelled and looked so good. I couldn't resist enjoying more than my fair share of Rudy's Frites. Now remember, I don't not eat these things because they are unhealthy -- we've already seen me eat my weight in wurst, eisbein, candy, pain au chocolat and hot dogs. French Fries and Pizza just consistently make my stomach hurt later. Which they did. But i don't mind, because they were both unusually good yesterday.

And that was New Haven. Lunch, a movie, a few drinks, karaoke and another bar. I did see Yale and a notable cemetery from the outside. But how much can you do in fewer than 24 hours?

The streets are paved with diamonds and there's just so much to see, but the best thing about New York City is you and me

I feel some regret for not scheduling at least a few more days in New York City. Unlike during my last visit here less than a year ago where I had the sad realization that I had very few remaining friends in NYC, this trip's lesson was that in fact, I have more than enough. Strange how a few key migrations and added acquaintances can completely change the nature of a city as it relates to me, but so be it.

Ironically (is this the correct word?) I spent the morning with my parents (who are visiting NYC this week), eating at Dean and Deluca's and delivering my brother his cell phone.

Mom and Dad walked me to Washington Square Park, near NYU law school where I met up with Alex. Her slight lateness allowed me to begin Devil in the White City, which promises to be very good. I just haven't had the chance yet to really dig into it. Hopefully I won't be too tired on the air flight home tomorrow (!!!)

She showed me around Greenwich Village a bit, including an amazing rooftop view and we had sandwiches and salad somewhere around town. Followed by an ice cream, a walk to one of the piers (unusually pretty day, amazing how cold it got by the evening), and then another cafe for coffee.

Took a somewhat confusing walk to around Union Square where I met up with Mona at 119 Bar, which in the true spirit of my trip's other coincidences was the same bar my brother took me Tuesday night. We then caught a subway to Williamsburg, to another bar, where we drew on coasters, were misidentified by the bartender as guests of last week, and met up with her sister. This was followed by me consuming the largest pumpernickel bagel I've ever had, which made me feel slightly sick, and then walking to a nearby music venue (North Six) to see the Mae Shi play. We hung out at the bar there for a bit, talked briefly with Jeff and Tim and then Mona left and her sister and I went to see the show. The last time I had seen them, I thought they were only okay, but this time I was quite impressed. I don't know if it is because of the mood I was in, or the nature of the venue (probably not, as Spaceland is just as hipstery as North Six was), the sound (most likely -- last time it was so loud I could barely hear what was going on, and this time the sound was perfect) or because the band just got better. Regardless, I enjoyed it.

Took the subway home (early still, only around midnight) and fell asleep quickly, as I have not yet adjusted to Eastern Time. Adjusting to Pacific Time starting tomorrow will be no great pleasure.

New York is cold, but I like where I'm living

Actually, it isn't cold at all until night. During the day, I have found it too warm for even my light jacket.

For several years, I thought I was in love with New York or at least I loved it very much. And perhaps, I love it still. Yet, something about my experience today made me feel less excited, less enchanted by the U.S.A.'s greatest city. All the great sights and food and oh so very interesting people are still here, yet I feel just a tiny, bit less excited about it.

But why?

1. The subway system just isn't THAT great. Compared to Paris' Metro where there is an appropriate stop for every desirable location, NY's stops are few and far between. The stops are poorly marked (compared to stops in Europe,) the stations are dirty. Inside the cars are typically two maps of the subway system, with no overhead map noting the upcoming stops on the line.

2. The streets are much dirtier than I remember. Sure, I love grit and all, but there is no need for SO much gum to be stuck to everything.

3. I didn't find it as easy to find cheap egg sandwiches as I recalled it to be.

4. People have way more attitude than they ought to have.

I guess that's it. I suppose there is no reason to be disappointed. The other big problem is that because of the jet lag I am waking up way too early and hitting the streets when they are full of people commuting to work (boring!) and getting tired early and missing much of the nightlife.

Yesterday I accomplished much more than I had planned, and for this I am glad.

I was unable to make any plans for the morning (understandable considering everybody works!) so got myself a Dunkin Donuts coffee and donut (hooray! Back in America! (although I must admit, I DID have a few of those in Berlin too)), bought Devil in the White City from a nearby Barnes and Noble (as it had been recommended to me at a Silversun Pickups show right before I left L.A.) and had breakfast at Katz's Deli in the Lower East Side. Hooray for Reuben sandwiches!

From the Lower East Side I walked all the way up to Columbia to meet Cal for lunch. This walk took about 2 and a half hours. In honor of my 100 block walk on Thanksgiving with Sean in NY 7 years ago, I thought it would be fun to do something similar. 7-8 miles later, I was surprisingly sore.

Lunch was good. Haven't seen Cal since December and we had plenty to talk about. I visited his office at Columbia and met some of his fellow grad students.

I spent a few hours on the Columbia campus just walking around and relaxing, mostly talking on the phone. It was a much more pleasant than I had remembered it being 8 years ago, the last time I was there.

Took a subway down to the East Village to meet up with Matt, told him about my trip, caught up on our lives, retold stories of our cross country road trips and had dinner at a Venezuelan place in the neighborhood. This was followed by a sake bar called Decibel where we met up with Patrick, who is now a lawyer.

Fortunately, they couldn't stay out super late (because of work and school) because I was extremely tired by midnight and fell asleep soon afterwards.

The endless streets I walk along, you made them seem pretty, but now I dream in country songs and wake in New York City

Back to the States! Julien kindly drove me to the (not so) wonderful Charles de Gaulle airport, we said our goodbyes, I waited in some lines, I used my last euro coins to purchase a sandwich and off I was!

For approximately 7 hours in the sky with nothing to do but listen to my iPod, nap, finish Persuasion (I liked Northanger Abbey better) and talk to the woman at my left about the joys of travelling and her experiences sailing across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

This was my first time on an aeroplane since flying to London from Iceland and I recalled why I hate them so much. Not so much the fear of crashing but the confinement and the constant regulation. Metal detectors, safety instructions, parking, arriving at the gate early, customs, expense, long passages between the ticket counter and the gate. Even the most complicated train stations were usually more conveniently located than airports and permitted one to literally "hop on" just as the doors were closing. Usually, trains don't have assigned seating, so I don't get stuck in the back as I ALWAYS do on trains. Yuck.

At least the view out the window of Newfoundland was pretty.

Arriving safely in NYC at 3:45 in the afternoon, I discovered the joy of using the subway to get from JFK to Manhattan. I have always been a light packer yet have also always blown way more money than I should on cabs. For only 7 dollars, I took the Airtrain and the subway to my brother's apartment in not much over an hour.

And wasn't it good to reunite with family? Rob and I had a delicious dinner at some place where he used to work (I ate grasshopper tacos, simultaneously satisfying my urge for Mexican food and something extremely exotic) and then a beer and then some cupcakes before meeting up with my parents who are conveniently visiting NYC at the same time as me!

au soleil, sous la pluie, a midi ou a minuit

For my last full day in Paris! Yet by no means the end of the trip. Remember, friends, (and myself someday in the future) there are 5 more days of the trip, spent mostly in New York City. Halloween day and night were my last chance to enjoy Paris for what will likely be a long, long time. And I repeat: I am again surprised by how much I love Paris. If only I spoke French! But actually, I probably learned about 10-15 words of French while I was there, which is much more than I can say for everywhere else in Europe I visited. Perhaps the explanation for this is Julien, who would readily answer any questions I had about the city.

I may have mentioned that for this trip, I had no definite plans to go to any museums in Paris. I visited the Louvre and the Musee d'Orsee when I visited 5 years ago, and felt this time that it would be better to enjoy more of the city itself, strolling down the boulevards, etc.

But on Halloween I decided to go to the Georges Pompidou center, considered by some to be the finest collection of modern art in Europe!!! It was fortunate that the museum I had chosen was the only open one in town. Why do I keep forgetting that everything is closed on Monday. I'm not exactly sure what I was looking for in this museum, but I waited through three fairly long lines (listening to my iPod and reading Persuasion) until I entered the special exhibit on the Dada art movement. Lest anyone forget (and I welcome you to forget that I just used the word "lest") I was slightly obsessed with the Dada artist Man Ray while attending University. So, yes, I very much enjoyed seeing so much of his works (including the short film Return to Reason), as well as some by Picabia, Duchamp and Arp. The exhibit was organized into a large grid, where one could walk from one room to any adjacent. This allowed a free flow of people throughout the exhibit without creating that "lost in the museum" feeling I often get when there is no clear top down organization. One of my favorite rooms was that called "Dada Sounds", where bizarre music and voice compositions played, while museum guests entered, responded and exited.

I had PLANNED on eating lunch at the museum cafe on the 6th floor as it looked SUPER cool, but despite this being my last day, 30 euro plates and 15 euro drinks were enough reason for me to lose interest. I walked down through the Marais neighborhood (again...I liked it!) and found a cafe restaurant where I could enjoy a pate sandwich, a salad (the people next to me liked the looks of it so much they asked what it was) and a small pitcher of wine.

This left me enough time to wander over to the Île de la Cité for a final visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. I sat down in the second to front row where I could contemplate the rose windows to my left and right and maybe, just maybe reflect on the end of my trip. Before long, I somehow caught the attention of a priest who was slowly passing by. He asked me if I spoke English, a question which (naturally) led to a conversation about nice things like God, Jesus, Mary, Salvation and Baptism. I was inspired enough to stay until first vespers, beginning All Saint's Day. I enjoyed the incense and the prayers in both French and Latin, especially in as awesome a cathedral.

I made it back to Julien's place in time for a shower, some internet checking and dinner with him and his mom. I should note that everytime I ate at Julien's house his mom presented a selection of cheeses to eat after dinner. This made me happy.

A few nights before, Blanca and I had decided that it would be nice to meet up before I left for NY, so Julien and I went to her neighborhood and hung out with her, her boyfriend and a Quebecois who had once taken a bike across Canada. Blanca and I caught up on our lives between age 18 and 25 (much has happened to both of us) and she and Julien played "the name game." Also, her cat scratched my neck while jumping from the floor to the top of a door. I was more impressed by this feat of leaping than hurt by the scratch. As expected, it was good to see Blanca after so many years and to reconnect.

Julien and I stopped at one more bar to chat and wrap up the trip. More than occasional Halloweeners passed us in the streets, often with face makeup and witch hats.

Is that it? A beer? A cabride home? Goodbye Europe?