Yes Virginia, business class really is that much better

So it's over. We got on the plane and came home...but like the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame taking the field on a brisk October Saturday afternoon, we 'played like champions today'.










The beauty of 'business class' you ask? 1) Your own check-in line so you don't contract lice from the 'huddled masses' in coach, 2) priority bag, so yours come out first when you get home, 3) the actual seat you have on the plane 4) 'Fastrack', so you don't have to wait in line for security, and 5) the most important one...the Red Carpet Club. Where food and drink are waiting for you when ever you feel like it. There is an open bar...and I don't mean 'open' as in 'hey go ask the bartender'...no friend, I mean 'open' as in 'anything you want is on the counter, go help yourself'.









Once while riding passed the site of the 'Battle of Waterloo' (just outside of Brussels) I asked a good friend "So Napoleon/French lost the Battle of Waterloo, who did they lose to?"..."uh, the Giants in 6. But Game 6 went 11 innings".

Sing me a song indeed Piano Man...and yes, mama does love Mango...

What are you doing?!

There were many great moments on the trip. One of the finest involved my newest brother JJ...

So the whole gang is holed up in a bar in London watching USA v. Ghana (Hey Ghana-ria..you're not Ghana win!). The folks in the bar were really cool and for the most part (except for the one guy from Ghana) were rooting with us and not against us. There was one midget...er...lady who was asking Harris who #21 was on the US team. "That's Donovan"..."who"..."Landon Donovan"..."I'm sorry, who"..."Laaan-donnnn Doooon-ovaaaaan"..."oh, Donovan. Like the rapper?" ...to which we all gave a hearty roll of the eyes, a 'who the hell is Donovan the rapper', and a 'well for f%$k sakes!'.

Anyhoo, the US team is getting kicked around like your little step-brother...then a ray of sunshine. DeMarcus Beasley steals the ball and streaks up the sideline...he has a '1 on 1' with the goalie...we're all on our feet praying...and he centers the ball!! JJ leaps into the air and shouts "What are you doing!?!"...just as Clint Dempsey fields a perfect pass and sticks a great shot passed Ghana's keeper...the crowd in the bar goes nuts...laughing/pointing at JJ and asking him if he'd ever seen a "soccer" game before...

It was freaking fantastic. And even though we went on to lose and get officially bumped from the World Cup, JJ set the tone for what turned out to be a 'brilliant' day in London.

The Queen wants some ice cream, cut her some slack

After a smooth flight from Dublin to London (smooth except for the multiple 'Hen' or bachelorette parties that made up most of the folks on the plane...good lord they're loud), we got to our hotel and promptly met up with Ryan and Megan! So good to see them and catch up. They had been having a great trip that included the US v Czech game, Hofbrau House, Euro Disney and a ton of other things. We headed out into London and found a great pub with the Argentina game on. Once we all had a few pints and fish & chips, it finally felt like we were on London time. The picture to the left is from the pub, if you look closely at the TV in the background there is a commercial on of a huge group of people playing futbol in the steet...with a naked guy scoring the winning goal...god I love the UK, not quite as up tight as here, and their politicians can actually speak cohearantly.

Kindra and JJ got in late that evening and after checking in, we all headed off to bed. But we rallied the next day and began a huge tour of London. We checked out the Tube (London subway, where you can get Toblerone on the platform...so good!). We went for visits at the Tower of London, London Bridge, the Milenium Wheel, Buckingham Palace and numerous pubs for lunch and mid-day pints. Kate took some heads in one of the local gift shops and we had to calm her down after she went 'Braveheart' on one of the store clerks. We did watch the USA v Ghana game that evening, but for more on that, check out the blog above.








The next day we did some impressive touring around London again. We started off with a quick Tube ride to Abby Road (famed home of the Beatles recording studio). We got there early, which is good, because it's a full-on busy-ass intersection...which obviously did not stop us from blocking the interstion numerous time and holding up traffic until we got the right picture. In the end it was worth it...even if Harris did exchange a few 'waves' with some of the locals...after all, its not like the recording studio is a new thing...if you're driving passed it, you know that the tourist are going to be out in force.
That same day, we also made it to the British Museum, which is freaking incredible. Basically they've 'borrowed' all of the best stuff from all of the countries that the British Empire has ever conquored...which as you can imaging is a lot! We saw the Rosetta Stone, Egyptian mummies, Greek carvings and reliefs, Asian writings and weapons...and seriously we didn't see 10% of the museum...which is even scarier if you think that the display items probably make up only a tiny portion of all their holdings. Ashker even pointed out that they have one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus)!...of coarse this is all hear-say, as he also pointed out that "they just closed the exhibit...a likely story I say! That evening Harris and Erin went to see a musical and the rest of us had one last great meal and pints before heading back to the hotel for a much deserved nights rest.



The next day, Harris, Kate and I went for a run through Hyde Park and saw Princess Diana's garden at Kensington Palace. The run was nice, even if we did get heckled by Ashker..."running, you're kidding right"..."nope, this is me, this is me avoiding a blood clot on the 11 hour plane ride home". When we got back, we saw Erin, Ryan and Megan to their cab for their ride to the airport. We met up with Kindra and JJ shortly after and saw them off too. Then the three of us cruised to Portabello Road for some last minute shopping on the "street where the riches of ages are stowed". We did find the lawn bowling ball with an "M" insignia (the only thing I truely wanted on the trip), and enjoyed the rest of the morning. After that we had a nice breakfast and headed off to London-Heathrow for our flight home...on Buisness Class...bitches!

Would it be bad if I ordered an 'Irish Car Bomb'?

After a great time in Edinburgh, we loaded onto a plane (at the only airport in Edinburgh) and took a short 1 hour flight to Dublin. I should mention that there were a few tense moments when the fog rolled onto the airfield, but after about 20 minutes, it cleared and all was well. Oh by the way, once on the plane, we were told "don't fasten your seatbelt yet, we're refueling the plane"...where am I!?

Dublin is a brilliant town (or "gilliant" as Harris would call it...you know half great, half briliant). The people are cool and there is history all over the place. We cooled our jets at one of the pubs in 'Temple Bar' one evening an watched more World Cup matches. The Guinness is great and the company is even better. The live band that night played a number of 'traditional' songs we knew, including: Whiskey in the Jar, The Irish Rover (yes I hear my name in the lyrics!), Christmas Eve (by the Pogues) and Dublin City. They also hit up some more recent songs like Ring of Fire (Johnny Cash) and The Boxer (Simon & Garfunkel).

We toured around the entire city. We checked out St. Stephens Green, Trinity College and the Phoenix Park. The hotel we're in is nice, although Erin accurately pointed out that "I think our room is over El Camino". Breakfast came with the room and worked our really well. Everything was fried in bacon grease, and was brilliant...even the tomatoes! One morning Harris, Kate and I went for a run around Dublin. Doesn't seem like it would be that difficult, except that in the morning, all of the bars are changing out their kegs...and the delivery guys are not afraid to throw the empties around...more than once I saw Harris go "Donkey Kong" and leap over moving kegs to save his own life...great way to start the day.
We all took advantage of being in Dublin and went to visit the Guinness brewery. You can smell the hops and barley from miles away, and I gotta tell you, that it smells like heaven. The 'tour' was really weak when I went six years ago, but I tell you what, it much improved since then. They now have seven stories of interactive 'Guinness' tour which you now walk around. The whole tour concludes in the 'Gravity Bar' on top of the building over Dublin. I'm told that it's the highest bar in the whole city. And with 15 foot plate glass windows...lets just call it 'gorgeous'!


Harris and I also toured the Jameson distillery. It was a complete blast. Harris even became a certified Whiskey Taster. When they mentioned that they would be asking for volunteers, I grabbed his arm and raised it, essentially throwing him in the ring...to which the guide told us "I'll be picking volunteers after the tour". But we still got Danny in there and he had a blast. The woman in front of me thought he was having too much fun and commented that "...you may have to carry your friend home". 'Partently she ain't from around here!


Erin, Kate and I also toured the Zoo (you know, 'go to the Phoenix Park and tour the Zoological Gardens'). It was actually quite impressive and modern. They did a good job on the enclosures and have a great variety of animals. I rank it on just above the Rome Zoo, but below the Portland Zoo...overall, 4 of 5 Tiger Tails.

We ended the trip with a night out at the famed 'Temple Bar'. We got in early for a good seat at the England v Sweden game (hey Sweden, get off the fence huh!?). The bartender set up the game and then turned off the TV (not uncommon before the game starts)...and then never turned it back on. We asked WTF!? and he said, 'oh, we're not putting it on that TV'. Kidding me?! So now all of the other TVs are too crowded to get seats and we end up having to leave to see the game. So where does this story get good you ask? It got great when Baly decided that we'd just go ahead and keep the pint glass they served the Guinness in. So now I have a true Irish/Guinness pint glass courtesy of the Temple Bar...and all it cost was a short walk to another pub (don't forget, we're in Ireland, there are a lot of pubs).

One last memory...a true conversation between Harris and a bartender at the Temple Bar:
Harris: So what is Guinness cold versus regular Guinness?
Bartender: It's Guinness but cold...the price is still the same as regular Guinness.
Harris: Well I should hope so, it's the same beer.

My only hope for the Irish, is that the bartender was joking...otherwise it's just gonna be another century of ridicule.

The best part of Scotland, is that it's full of Scots!

Travel has been really good...until we tried to get from Belgium to Scotland. The details of this tail are quite inconsequential...so I'll just give you the facts: 1) Hostels do lose power in the morning, 2) Brussels has 2 airports with the same name, and they're about 40 minutes apart, 3) Flights do get cancelled due to fog in Brussels, 4) I left/re-entered Begium and now have 4 passport stamps all time-stamped within about 20 minutes (which has to be a record of some kind!), and 5) It takes about 9 hours to get from Brussels to Edinburgh, Scotland by train (via the 'chunnel')...but hey, we did get here. We finally met up with Erin and everything is back on track for our tour of Edinburgh!

We've had a chance to run around the town of Edinburgh now and it's just as cool now as it was six years ago. We took a tour of Edinburgh Castle. Its full of history and old fortifications. Its definitely the kind of place that cost $20 to get in, but you can end up spending an entire afternoon there and it was defiantly worth it. We also toured the Royal Mile, which is a super-touristy stretch of road leading up to the Castle. Fortunately, it also has most of the museums, churches and shops you could ever hope for. It also had some really cool little pubs that had live bands and large 'telleys' where we could watch the World Cup games...by the way, not everyone in the UK cares about 'football'.

We took a day trip to Roslynn Chappel (of 'Da Vinci Code' fame). It was fantastic, and the carvings easily rank with some of the most impressive I've seen in all of Europe. The Chappel itself is about 25 minutes outside of Edinburgh by bus, but it only costs about a £1.00 to travel (so its a no brainer). When we showed up, there actually was a wedding in progress...which worked out well because there is also a pub just down the way. We played some cards and hung out, met some other Americans and just generally enjoyed ourselved out of the rain.

That evening we went to a pub called the 'Black Swan'. We met a ton of really cool locals and traded barbs about the USA v Italy game. The game itself was ugly. Neither team deserved to win, but atleast we came out with a tie and now potentially control our own destiney in our next match.

Like I said, we did meet a bunch of really cool locals, including the boys at left who where more than happy to talk 'international politics' with us...only problem is that they seemed to thing 'W' was the next coming of Christ...and, well...you know where I stand. In the end, we were put to work by the bartender and made some really cool friends...now keep in mind that we could only understand about 1/2 of what was being said because of the Scotish accent...and that was before the beers...but it was a freaking blast...we were actually told "the joke is a lot funnier if I can tell it to you in Scotish"!

A one legged duck...

By the way, a one-legged duck does not swim in a circle...I know for a fact, we saw one in Lucerne.

Random thoughts in honour of Chris Tarbell...

One of my best friends in the world (not Danny, but you should check out his blog at the lower right hand link on this page) Chris Tarbell sent me an email saying that everything sounded like it was fantastic and that he was insanely jealous to not be here with us...well Chris, this email is for you:


It was like 100 degrees in Brugges yesterday, which is the hottest its been here in 100+ years...and today its raining and 60 degrees...Hostels are dirty...thanks to George Bush, not everyone likes us Americans anymore...Hostels are dirty...Lake water in the Alps is really freaking cold...sunburn hurts, even if you are in Europe...the US World Cup team lost their first game 3-0 and we're ranked 5th in the world - 5th!...try checking in for a flight on Condor Air, which is run by Lufthansa, but you're plane is going to be a Swiss Air plane...just because the man works at "Information", does not mean that he may feel obligated to impart that knowledge on you...they take the Euro in Switzerland, but not the Swiss Franc in Europe...after our flight here is Business class, they actually made us sit in coach on our flight from Switzerland to Belgium!...if its time to take a picture, they you should be prepared to take 2...they're not just Americans, they're Sig Ep bro!...I'm not 22 anymore...backpacks are heavy...riding a bike around the lake is a blast, but does give you a nice case of "camp ass"...the term "hot shower", may mean that there simply is no cold water...if you don't understand someone speaking another language, them speaking louder doesn't help you feel any better about only speaking one language...Russo (the French lady from Lost) lives on the train from Brussels to Brugges and is really freaking scary...Oh, and hostels are dirty!

Fact is Chris, we're having a blast and do wish that you were here...but it ain't all roses...just mostly!
Cheers!

Have some pride!

We've moved on to Brugges in Belgium. Great town. And by the way, for all you Poway kids, I just ran into Jake Rosner! He's not coming to the class reunion. I told him I wasn't shocked, as I really hadn't figured he come when we graduated about 10 years ago!

Brugges is beautiful. The locals are great and have been very cool. We even hung out with one of the old gentlemen (Agustus) who plays Botchy ball on the square. He showed us around a little and gave some recommedations for places to check out.








The place were staying is a hostel...and not exactly the best one ever either. But it works. After a long day of travel to get here, all three of us needed a little therapy. Harris and I had our first really Belgian Ale and Kate did a little shopping. Grandpa Bill always called it "attitude adjustment hour". And he was right.







For the most part we've just been cooling our jets. There have been quite a few World Cup games. I almost hate to mention it, but the US got smoked 3-0 by the Czech team. There was a small (very small) contingent of Americans that we hung out with at a bar right next to the "we're not rooting for the Czechs, just against the US team" bar. Needless to say we had hoped for a better result. At one point things were looking bad. The score was 1-0 (5 minutes into the game) and the Czechs were dominating. At that point, Harris made the comment which has become a rallying cry for the entire trip. "Have some pride! Hey, we only need one goal! I'm mean, that's nothing! Don't forget that we walked on the moon!!! Everyone's spirits went WAY up and we were right back in it! Yeah, we did walk on the moon...one goal is nothing. The only bummer is that within another few minutes they Czech's hit another goal and the game was pretty much iced...thanks for nothing.

We've toured churches, the canals and hiked to the top of the Belfry over looking the square. We've seen works by Michelangelo, eaten Belgian waffles, and played futbol in the town square. We've eaten mussels/fries (local favorite), watched many a World Cup match and walked through the Baptistery where supposedly the "holy grail" was entrusted to the town of Brugges in 1152...I'm guessing that they didn't do such a good job watching it since...well lets just say that it's gone.



It's like Harris said...if having a good time is a crime, then I'm guilty as charged...oy.

Save the clock tower!

Kate tells me that in the movie "Anne", the little girl says "I think i'm gonna like it here"(refering to the mansion)....we'll, she must have actually been talking about Switzerland.

We spent the last few days in Lucerne, Switzerland. It's an old school Swiss town centered on...get this...Lake "Lucerne"(yeah I know, shocker). Anyhow. The Swiss are a very cool bunch and pretty down with just letting us run around and use their town.







We decided to rent bikes and cruised around the lake. Ended up at a really tiny resort town with no real main store. But we sat on the rocks overlooking the lake and 'recovered' from the long ride through the Alps. It was very romantic, but Danny was a perfect gentleman. The ride back to Lucerne went much quicker and we took advantage of the downhills. By the time we go back to town, it was time for a bite to eat and the World Cup was on. We caught some of the Germany game and had a few pints at the only English pub in town.


The next day we rented a paddleboat and cruised around the lake. Spent some time swimming in the lake but it was a little cold...remember it is the 'Alps'. The weather was fantastic, so we decided to check out one of the local beaches. Being the 'smart' college graduate that I am, I failed to put enough sunscreen on and ended up with a very nice red hugh on my back and shoulders. There were some topless sunbathers, but fortunately they were all over the age of 60.




Day three saw a trip to Pontus Kulm, which is the local giant mountain. We took a paddleboat around the lake and then a cog-wheel train at a 45 degree angle to the top. The view was incredible. After hanging out we took the gandola back to town. There were a few intense moments for Kate, but she survived. About halfway down there was a stop where we got out and rode on a bobsled. Pretty cool day over all. That evening it was more World Cup at the English pub. The crowd was a little roudy, but for some reason they held it together...might have had something to do with the gentleman from the Swiss Army there with his rifle...although maybe not, he was drinking and it looked like it didn't have any ammo.

Germany, the sunshine state...gorgeus!

We made it! Although honestlz, it wasn´t that hard. Buisness class actually is everything they say it is. Flight was great and after about 10 hours we landed in Frankfurt, Germany. A short ride to Heidleburg and we were checked into our hotel.

Heidelburg is beautiful. We walked around the town and ended up at the castle (where this picture is taken from). It overlooks the river and the "alstat" (old town). Basically most every German we`ve run into speaks great English...which seriously makes me butchering German even more painful. We had a nice lunch and beirs at a gärten...there´s a funny story about "schnitzel", but like I said butchering the language!

Sleep has been a little rough, but we´re finally getting on European time. And by "European time", I mean "world cup time". The first game is today, and even thought we´ve now moved on to Switzerland, everyone is getting into it. Every shop has something futbol related in the window. "Any extra room in that display?" "Well then put a soccer ball in there." "Yeah I know we sell sausage and cheese, but this is World Cup we´re talking about!"

Like I said, we´re in Switzerland (Lucerne) now. The weather continues to be perfect and t-shirts and shorts have been the order of the day (even if you do get made fun of for the shorts). Biking around the lake and general relaxing are the plans for today. Probably take a gondola ride tomorrow and hike to the top of the local peak (alps baby!)

All is well. Can´t wait to catch up with everyone else who makes the trip! Ash/Megan, have a blast a the US game and travel safe to France. Erin, we´ll see you in Scotland in a few days. Kins/JJ travel safe and enjoy Ireland. To everyone else (with the exception of Joe/Josh/Erin who have school)...SUCKERS!! Hope work has been fun! Oh, Marissa, you get a pass too. Thanks for looking out for Kelsea and your email about her trying to eat the tennis balls off your dads cane was the funniest damn thing I think i´ve ever read!

Cheers

Our trip starts on 06/06/06...Coincidence?

Some may say that a date with the numbers "666" might be a problem...I would tell them that I plan to ponder their concern repeatedly with each glass of champagne I'm served while I'm riding in Business Class on my non-stop flight to Europe for 2 1/2 weeks...now who's the monkey!? Besides, I once had a friend who claimed the world would end before the year 2000...we're not friends anymore.

Fact is that you can't let yourself get caught up in the lie...case in point, Nolan Ryan. Do you think he ever thought "wow, that gentlemen charging the mound seems very angry and he is very young...maybe I should go 'Paul Gascoigne' and take it'." (not sure who Paul Gascoigne is? see below). Nope! Nolan Ryan...all 43 years of him added 'injury to insult' when he proceeded to hand Robin Ventura a good ol' fashioned ass-kicking! The moral of this story? Most people don't live in reality, and it's up to the rest of us to call them on it...sometimes it just takes a half-nelson and a few punches to the dome. By the way, Robin Ventura has no class...to this day he has never apologized to Nolan Ryan for bruising Nolans hand with his face. And that's the bottom line!

It's better than a kick in the nuts...

Vinnie Jones (aka Big Chris from 'Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels') is a classic example of an English Football star. He once was kicked out of a game for punching an opponent in the face (3 seconds into the game) and here is the infamous picture of when he 'distracted' Paul Gascoigne. That's just the players...and people ask us why we're not going to be hanging out with the English hooligans in Germany.

Fact of the matter is, we're only 7 days away from our flight to Germany! If you have any requests for gifts or trinkets, now is the time to put them in. Plans (except for the car rental) are pretty much all set. Fly to Germany. Drive to Heidelberg. Drive to Lake Lucerne (Switzerland). Later travel to Brugges, Edinburgh, Dublin and London. Erin, Ryan, Megan, Kindra and JJ - we'll see you all in the UK. Travel safe and enjoy the adventure.

I asked Kate's English uncle for recommendations of things to do while in the UK. He replied with: 1) Mind the gap, 2) Never ask a Scotsman what is under his kilt - he just may show you, and 3) For god sakes stay away from the Haggis!

Not an old man yet...

Like Morris and Margeson said, "at least you're still playing ball". We played in a lacrosse tournement in San Diego over the weekend and did okay. We got smoked by the 'pro' team, and ran well against everyone else. Got this on a cross-check in the closing minutes of our last game on Saturday. To add insult, one of my teammates lit me up from the sideline, yelling "you are the worst McGurk on the field".

Only 54 more days until Europe.