Okay so i tried, i told myself id really keep up with this thing, but while traveling through Europe with limited time online and whatnot it becomes a little more difficult. but i do think about it all the time! Does that count for anything? i think about all the cool and quirky things that would be neat to tell everyone about and how i will most likely forget to actually write about them by the time i get to a computer, its kind of disappointing actually because i normally DO forget, and only remember once Ive written something completely uninteresting about whatever happened that day. Anyway i know i have much recapping to do but i only have twenty minutes, and a horrible memory so please forgive me.
First things first, i must admit that France sorta did redeem itself, the train ride between Nice and Marseilles delivered a spectacular scenic view of France, their coastline and countryside that otherwise i would have never known. Also i did end up liking Marseilles better than Nice, but in Nice we DID stay at this quirky little family owned hotel, at first i thought wasn't going to like it but to my surprise i did...it had personality.
Also...i love crepes...i REALLY love crepes
any who, i got into Spain yesterday and absolutely LOVE it here, it has been awesome since the minute we got here!!!
also i spent the day with my cousin Nestor and his two kids(5 and 7)...spending time iwht his kids was really special and he was cool and all but it was a somewhat disappointing meet...i dont have much time...but yeah, i suppose i just had this idea built up in my mind that he was as excited to meet me as I was of him...guess not, maybe that cool relationship is better left for fairtales, but i can dream right?!

NICE

Just to warn you, i'm not exactly feeling all that creative, witty, or smart, and lucky for you not in a particularly good mood either. Note, this might be really awful so if you stop reading now, i really don't blame you...
Today was our first real day in France, we arrived in Nice yesterday, and not to sound at all ungrateful, which i want you to know i'm not, the city hasn't really impressed me. I have been to france before except i was in a different part, and even then i wasn't all that charmed, at least in comparison to the rest of europe.
Anywho, i didn't really do anything spectacular today...just to be certain, we walked...yup thats about it. i totally didn't mind as it was a nice break from having to plan or go anywhere...so...walking was pretty much the days event. The first half of the day i took off with my mom to go window shopping and my brother took off on his own and so did my dad. Later we met up for lunch and my bro and i split off and did some more of the same thing..except i felt the need to search for a crepe....after finally finding one, we walked some more..relatively aimlessly, and finally ended up back at the hotel, fancy huh?! yeah...after a little bit my parent came in and we went to dinner...hence..then reason for my mood...while at dinner my family sorta hit a nerve...nnot really by any fault of their own, and completely unintentionally. Nevertheless, the nerve was hit, and to be honest with you im pretty sure they don't even know they did it. Basically they just brought up something that to me has sorta become a sensitive subject, i suppose it bothered me because its something i've tried talking to them about but its like they just don't get it. God bless my family because i love them more than all the world, i can talk to them about everything, AND they put up with me...but this...this one thing...its like they don't take me seriously, or maybe its the magnitude they don't understand...who knows but from that point on i just wouldn't let myself enjoy the dinner, or the night, and at this point i REALLY don't feel like explaining myself to them...rather, i think, ill sit here and dwell on it some more..even though i really don't need to and probably shouldn't, and wish for a hug i won't be getting....tom. we leave for marseilles.

umm

so i was gunna write a sweet new blog about how i spent my last day in italy then went to france, but have YOU ever used a french keyboard before, yeah easier said than done!! i feel so retarded, so yeah im in france now, im gunna wonder off and look for my hotel now peace!

Lucca

mom wants to go to bed...once again it's late i need to make this quick
* day started out sorta off...for whatever reason i was in a bad mood and most likely very unpleasant, god bless my family for loving me anyway
*it's sunday, just about everything was closed...and it was raining
* went to Lucca instead of our original plans in hopes more would be open
*got there okay...it looked like a ghost town
*town lit up later=awesome time
*found a SWEET coat on sail
*solid little town, really liked it, the walled part i mean thats where we were
*found a little market place picked up a few other nice gifts, can't wait to mail them
*had a great time with the fam.
*saw another accordian dude, he was good too
*going to france tom should be pretty cool
*took some night pics of the tower of pisa two, and once again i thank my family for sporting my hobbies, they rock
*about pissed myself reading a post from my split pea...aka jessiey, god i love her, it was so funny...
*my mom is probably pissed i'm still on the computer, i should go

Firenze

Spent the day in Florence today..it's late though so this will have to be quick, here are some thoughts on the days events.
*good day, definately memorable
*Met some lady from boston that was all hell bent on seeing EVERYTHING in florence..good thing we ran into her though, she told us where the Duomo was!
*Duomo=414 stairs to an amazing view of italy
*LOVE cobblestone...the more i see it the more i like it
*walkways STILL rock
* went through the UFFIZI...saw lots of famous artwork...sorta felt stupid looking at some of the paintings...like their was so much there i didnt get...like somehow i just couldn't understand or it was a language i just didn't speak, sorta like poetry. still cool.
*Took a liking to the scuptures
*Their was this ten year old kid just chillin in the road playing an accordian...did i spell that right?...i dunno but it was pretty flippin awesome.
*Somehow managed to find this REALLY good place to eat for dinner, i sorta think it was famous because their was a huge crowd of people waiting for it to open...we figured it be good so we waited and went in...it was.
*Decided although i've never been drunk i think getting drunk with my family would be HILARIOUS
*finding wine verrrryy tasty
*Had a good conversation with my big bro about the pres. election/campaign/politics...
*If i had a house i would have bought a knife set i saw today..in a heart beat, it was just that good folks.
*once again it's super late...crap...
goodnite

Checks And Balances

Today the family and i woke up a little late since we got in early this morning. My mom and I went all the way..across the street to the commissary to pick up some stuff to make breakfast...we chilled and talked about the rest of our trip before getting ready, renting a car, and going out into Pisa.
We made our first stop at the world famous leaning tower of pisa...yup and that bad boy is definately leaning all right, it was pretty impressive even though i knew exactly what i was about to see. People sorta stand around looking at the thing as if they didn't know it exsisted, or as if they didn't know what they'd be seeing...but, in their defense...i stood there stareing at that sucker for quite some time too. After all, it is pretty cool, or else we wouldn't be there right? (In some twisted way your also hoping it'll fall, or wonder what would happen if it did...dude that would totally suck huh?!)It stood right behind the Pisa cathedral and since we didn't need a ticket we went inside...just like you would expect it was gorgeous. Just about any of these sights you hear of are completely breath taking and i still can't believe i'm just chillin in front of them. It was just my luck that i left the tripod adaptor in the hotel so i couldn't really take the pictures i wanted, i got a few but i don't think it wold have mattered all that much since it started to rain. We took off shortly thereafter in hopes of finding this restaurant that i think someone had recommended to my brother. I'm so glad we knew where we were going....or not...we spent a nice chunk of our evening walking around asking the kind people of Italy where to go. We finally found the place...and i say finally because it did indeed take a while, and this place was stuck in some hole-in-the-wall corner...it felt good to find it...sorta like the feeling you get when your five years old and find yourself successful in a scavanger hunt...too bad the place was closed....
Alas, we ended up in another tucked away restaurant that proved to be quite good. Now..please note that we are in Italy which is much more known for it's wine than beer; so you can only guess what our family got to drink with dinner..hmmm...yup, we downed a liter of delicious red wine:D...That was pretty much the end of our day...
here are some other thoughts
*Admiring has become a hobby of mine, and finding that places that arn't traditionally seen as nice, really are to me, it's quite beautiful really
*The dude at the reception of this hotel has really big ears...and he's super nice..sorta like a jolly old grandpa
* I'm completely taken by the cobblestone walkways, old buildings, and buzz of random everyday life.
*Still waiting for my chance to go shopping
*Wine here is cheaper than soda...and it's good
*The Tirimisu my bro and i shared tonight rocked my socks
*Swordfish is the new other white meat
*Snuggle comes in like six different languages...cute
*It's late and i need to go to bed...crap
goodnight:D

Someone Hail Me A Cab

So we finally made it to Italy, nothing short of some miracle from God has made it so that we don’t get lost or left for long in unknown areas…which..If you ask me is pretty sweet. It’s currently like three am and we’ve made it to the Casa Toscana In camp Darby…the post here in the Tuscany region…the hotel doesn’t look that grand from the outside but the actual room/accommodations are awesome; I don’t wanna know how much this would cost otherwise. I’ve noticed my irritability today, maybe because of the whole traveling with the family…I guess i'm just not used to it, and have grown used to either doing things with a battle buddy or by myself which often makes them easier. However, I still gotta give props to the bro who pretty much single handedly orchestrated the entire movement and without whom I’d probably still be lost somewhere in Germany trying to find my way. Don’t wanna dwell on the frustration to much as I’m a pretty happy person and I know it’ll pass with time…the feeling doesn’t stick around for long, plus I’m sure the sleep will help too.When we finally got to the Pisa central train station we waited for about a half hour for a cab to come…finally this dude comes flying in out of nowhere! Dude! If I’m living life even remotely close to the way this guy drove through the little city then I’m going places, and fast!…he was pretty cool even though the trip was a short one and we didn’t talk or anything but I just sorta decided this piece on my own. So theirs my bit on the cool, fast Italian cabby. Conclusion, someone should hail me a cab quick so I rock life like the cabby!

Inside The Snowglobe

Anyway on to today…I’ve never been on a train before but like they say…(who is THEY anyway?) there is a first time for everything. Today, I hopped on a train for the very first time. So far I like it, which is good considering that we’ll be on this thing for quite some time before reaching Italy. I catch myself staring out the windows as if hypnotized by the tiny towns and villages that we ride by. It’s as if I’m traveling straight through a Christmas snow globe, complete with fluffy, crystal white snow, and little cabin style homes complete with dark wooden shutters, stacks of freshly chopped firewood, and the occasional wrap around porch. The train goes on. Now we’re in the mountains and most everything is gently covered with a layer or two of freshly fallen snow, down to the twig of every tree in sight as if sprinkled with powered sugar. We pass old stone castles, rolling hills, and deep blue lakes. The view however, isn’t the only thing I will remember from this train trip through the snow globe land. There is one more thing, a sad one, in the way that just makes your stomach drop and back of your throat heavy. We had been on the train for little while, the train stations came and went with no thought or consideration, that was I mean, until she got on the train, a cute elderly woman standing in front of the window outside our car. You know those old movies when two lovers are about to part at a train station, and one has to leave on the train while the other is left standing there alone? You know, that moment when the train is just starting to crawl away and both parties are helplessly waving goodbye? Today I saw just that, I broke my heart. I could hear her soft voice and sniffle as she talked through the window. I couldn’t understand what she was saying, I didn’t have to. The train started to move and I soon saw who was talking to, her kids I assume, and they began to wave. She stood there pressed against the window till they were no longer in sight, then grabbed her bag and walked off. I hated that she was alone, perhaps because it made me think of my mom. In any case we are now sitting at the Austrian, Italian border and waiting for the train to take off again…

The First Finally(on events uh..two days ago?)

So please allow me to rewind as I never had the chance to cover yesterday’s happenings. It was a good day and one that I will say was rather successful in my opinion. Yesterday marked our last day in Munich. I was slightly disappointed that we couldn’t have seen more, or taken one of those ridiculous tours where you ride around the city sticking out like a sore thumb. I guess they are not all that ridiculous though, since you stick out like a sore thumb anyway, and are not left with the problem of trying to figure out which way God screwed your head on before roaming a foreign city lost half the time…lucky for me, I’m headed toward much more adventure so the sorrow won’t be long lived. I also felt as though I’m barely scratching the surface when it comes to seeing what all these different places have to offer (probably because I’m not.) I say this because it makes me think of all the places I still want to go and how I already know I really want to come back someday…hopefully soon because Europe is pretty…. outstanding. Oh yeah, and I really like the fashion here, still not sure if it’s the place or the fact that I haven’t experienced normal clothes in the past eight months, either way I like it…and sorta one of those things I feel embarrassed about saying, or thinking for that matter because now that I’m enjoyed a small sense of unnecessary style I feel so vain and superficial, like I should be spending that time or energy on something else…still human, so ill deal just fine…just pinched myself, I’m sure.
Anywho…moving on…
My brother and I spent the first half of the day together, I thought it was pretty fun; we wandered the streets and checked out the sights. Since I got to Europe however I’ve had this itch to go shopping and to purchase a larger tripod for my camera (since the one I have, although good, just doesn’t cut the mustard here). I briefly considered taking this opportunity to purchase a much-needed coat and extra pair of jeans, but then reality kicked in and it became evident that photography was a little higher on my list of priorities…so alas…still no coatL BUT I did find a tripod which I put to good use later on that nightJ.
In the evening my brother and I met up with our parents and we went this awesome restaurant for dinner, a little pricey but definitely worth the money in my opinion cause I chose not only a good dinner but, awesome beer to go with it. I know this because my brother even said so, and if my brother thinks it’s really good then it must be, he drinks lots of fancy foreign beers I’ve never heard of and doesn’t lie in order to please people. Conclusion…must be a good beer. (I picked a good one!!!J)After dinner I mustered enough courage…or built up enough excitement…to freeze outside long enough to shoot pictures of some of the sights like the cathedral, opera house, and gorgeous gothic church that were nearby before running back to the tube...guess the thing stops running at midnight…I’d like to think I would have taken more time shooting or not been quite so rushed with a few of the pictures had it run all night…but maybe not since it was so flipping cold…either way I’m tickled pink to get the pictures I did.

Pour Me A Cold One

so i really don't have much time so we'll make this quick...hopefully...
° the trip is getting better each day, and now that it's not new year everything is kicking off
°the picture possiblities are endless!:D
°went to the Hofbraühaus last night with the fam...ordered my first beer...and have pictures to prove it...this excites me...big highlight:D
°going to Italy tom.
°i really like the tube...yeah it just pretty much rocks
° people here are really fashionable, and i really wanna go shopping...but finding a bigger tripod was higher on my priority list..
°I miss my friends, they would enjoy it here and i hope to come back someday with them
°Hopefully ill get the courage to stand the cold tonight in order to take some sweet pictures, last night i couldn't feel the fingers after about five minutes...but oohhh the pictures that could be taken of the beauties in Munich, this place is amazing...
°had a really good converation with my mom last night
° totally just ran out of time so this will just have to do!...

The Munich Space Needle

It seems like everyone celebrates the New Year. They gather with friends, family, or their significant other to eat, drink, and bring the next year. Their is usually much food, music, hugginga, and if you happen to be with the right person perphaps even a kiss at twelve midnight.

Not so much in my family though, we really arn't all that festive...we're just not. I love my family they are a simple one, with no need of huge gatherings or big celebrating for anything perphaps other than Thanksgiving, which if you ask me is rather good, since i love to eat, and my mom totally rocks at cooking:D...but last night wasn't thanksgiving so thats beside the point.
Out of my family i think i'm the most festive, and most inlinded to celebrate anything and everything. Now perphas last night came about because we were in a different contry and since everything was pretty much closed we felt the need to do something and that would be new years i guess... i don't know.
We did new Years last night... i thought it was rather awkward. Is that bad? It's weird when your the only one enthused about something, or at least the only one in your group, which last night was my mom and brother. (dad was sick, so he went to sleep, poor guy) we were given a recommendation to go to the olympic park, we didn't really know what the hell we were looking for, we just sorta went and followed the crowd. Now this already felt strange for a few reasons. One, because it felt forced, we don't do this sort of thing and whether or not we are, i know its not a big deal to anyone in my family...not in a bad way but it's just not...and two because i was still trying to process the idea of not being in Iraq anymore, i sorta catch myself staring off into the distance, or marvling at stupid things like all the groceries in a store.
Anyway, we ended up going up this tower they had atthe park, sorta like the space needle...from there you could see the entire city it was cool, and when twelve midnight hit you the entire skyline lit up from firworks everywhere, i've never seen anything like it. This show went on for at least a good ten to fifteen minutes...at least...
i mean what else do i say?...then we just came back and went to sleep...like i said, our family doesn't do new years...hopefully today we'll go to this famous indoor beer gerden in Munich, I'm really excited. oh yeah, an i normally don't really make new years resolutions...i think i've got a few...ie figure out what the hell God whats me to do with my life...or at least the next few years of it...and the whole sailors mouths has got to go, i'm SO not proud of it...thats just a start.
and who knows maybe ill get better at this whole blogging thing...