observations Keyword
End Times
Today over Sydney clouds have gathered, dropping the temperature and bathing the city in an grey glare. They spit light rain down on my shoulders as I walk the town I love. It is strange being back in Australia. The accents are jarring. I feel more comfortable listening to the Canadian across from me than the group of Australians behind me. I get frustrated at the jumbled and crowded sidewalks where no-one seems to know how to walk efficiently. I find it weird to pay the price on the menu, rather than expecting tax or tip.
The town is familiar, sights and sounds raising nostalgia, not just from 10 months ago when I started my Odyssey, but from years ago when I lived here. The roads I used to walk, the bars I used to drink at, the stores I used to frequent all remind me of good times, and the memories wrap me like a warm blanket.
It was just last week that I felt a horrible apprehension about coming home. I feared the large debt that awaits me and the thought of work, but today I feel excited and elated. In a few hours I should be stepping foot into Perth Airport and heading back to Glen Forrest. I am looking forward to seeing my family again, and to see my friends. I cant wait to see my dogs, my car, and my guitar. I want to rock out on my xbox, drop the burden of my backpack from my shoulders and sleep in my own bed.
Soon to bed, soon, but just one more bit of travel left.
Bixi Bikes
Need to get around Montreal? Jump on a Bixi Bike!
These public bikes are a brilliant idea. All you need to do to hire a bike is swipe your credit card. You get a little receipt with a code on it. Next you just choose any bike, enter the code and you’re off riding. The bikes are brilliant. Sturdy and well maintained. Not once in my time here have I encountered a damaged or clunky bike.
The way the model works is that you pay $5 to have access to the Bixi’s for a day (on a casual basis, cheaper for montly and yearly subscriptions) and you can ride the Bixi where ever you like, for how ever long you like with a scaling pricing structure for longer lengths of time. The best part? If you take a bike back to ANY base station within 30 minutes of grabbing one it costs you NOTHING. You can do this all day just taking a bike, riding where you want to go and leaving it. Such a brilliant idea. There are a ridiculous amount of stations and bikes, so you’re never far from a bixi station and they are carefully positioned to utilise high traffic routes but they cover the smaller streets as well.
As a rider I dig the Bixi’s. They are great for the environment, comfortable and best of all they are technically advanced. Check out their website which has stats on how far the bikes have ridden, maps for phones and account management. I freaking love Bixi!
Quebec
Prague was in my opinion the most beautiful city in Europe. It was like a fairy tale and I didn’t think I would find a city that could top it in the beauty stakes. That was until I found Quebec.
Quebec (or Quebec City), the capital of the Quebec Province is quite a small town with a population of around a million. Its’ skyline dominated by the Old Town built high on the hill in a location advantageous to defence. It is a walled city, in fact the only walled city north of Mexico on this continent. Quebec is clean, beautiful and interesting. While it lacks the nightlife of say Montreal, what little it does have is pretty rocking.
I had a great time walking all over Quebec. I spent the majority of my time in the Old Town, or down at the port. I rested my weary feet in fountains and bathed myself in the blazing sun. At night I couldn’t stop staring at the buildings and streets that glowed with lighting that seemed straight out of a movie.
At the moment the city is hosting it’s Summer Festival with Cirque de Soleil for free almost every night and the “Moulin a Image” a huge multimedia presentation across a ridonkulously big screen (actually the side of a massive silo). Thousands of people flood into the city each night to see either of these two spectacles and to eat at the hundreds of restaurants and cafes that lie scattered through the old town.
On top of all this the Hostel I stayed in, located in downtown was very cool. Totally relaxed, open and friendly with our hosts Pierre and Skippy, the little Jack Russell that would come in and sticky beak in on the rooms. It was a small hostel though, and the 2 toilets and showers sometimes struggled to cope with the demand. I am just glad that I am an early riser and beat the rush.
I only had 3 days in Quebec and there were a few things I would have liked to see that I missed out on. I could have spent a long time just soaking up the atmosphere. Oh well, just means I will have to go back.
Toronto
Toronto, not high on my list of “must sees” to begin with had quite a hard act to follow in New York. The city is the biggest in Canada with a population of around 8 million (depending on who you talk to), but it seemed empty and unsure of itself.
The tower that looms over the skyline is an example of this insecurity. It was built to show the world the power of Canadian industry and woah, was it mighty. Well… it was. It has since been surpassed in height and in the next few years there are several more buildings on their way to knock it further down the ladder. The Toronto feels a little like they are not accepting the fact that things are just moving forward, a constant progression that they are being swept along with rather than driving.
Don’t get me wrong, the people of Toronto aren’t backwards and the city is fairly modern but something just feels off. I feel I needed maybe more time and more local help to come to understand the importance and purpose of this city. Maybe it is that my impressions of Toronto were coloured slightly by the 35 day garbage strike that covered the city in a pall of rancid stink and litter. Or maybe even the unusual vibe of the hostel where a large portion of the residents were long-termers who’s attitudes formed a kind of “us and them” segregation that was hard to break the barriers of.
I did manage to get out and see a bit of the city, but it held no real wow moments, other than acting as a platform for me to launch into Niagara Falls. I went for a few beers at The Horseshoe, out clubbing with some other backpackers but was well and truly over it an hour in. I had a quiet night in watching movies and then quite the opposite drinking vodka with danes and germans till the wee hours of another night. Oh, and in what seems to be a staple of his holiday, I got completely and utterly drenched by a massive storm that swept over the city while I was out wandering. The skies opened up so much that within minutes of the torrential rain starting not a single inch of me was dry. I did provide a little entertainment to a collection of gym goers who had taken shelter in their lobby when I came in asking for a plastic bag to put all my electronic equipment in, dripping bucket loads of water on their floor and leaving bare foot prints leading out from their little refuge and into the dark beyond their doors. Some people look at me strangely when they see me walking barefoot through the city, but I believe feeling the ground beneath the hardened soles of my feet helps me to really connect with a place, to make it feel real. I don’t think there is a single city I have visited where I didn’t spend at least a day barefoot.
I said goodbye to Toronto with no real sense of dolefulness after a night of chatting with some frenchies until 5am. In fact I am sitting on my bus to Montreal right this moment wrapped in excitement in seeing somewhere new. I’ll also be meeting up with some of the nicer people I met at the hostel who will be making their way up to Montreal in the coming days. I hope to have a quiver of local knowledge to deliver when they come a-knocking.
I Heart NY
Sitting on my AMTrack train at Penn Station at 7.15 in the morning I felt an immense sense of melancholy as my mind rolled through the events of the last 8 days in New York. The city has seduced me, taken my soul while I was off guard and sliced off a piece. With each blast of the train’s horn it seemed to spread that piece over the state, echoing between the buildings, down alleys, through the subway, bars, restaurants and parks. I feel like I have left something important in New York and I need to go back and find it. A yearning, like that for a lost love boils in my chest. I can still hear that horn, signaling not only my departure from the city but my arrival.
One part of me wants to recount every beautiful and amazing waking moment that I spent in New York. Wants to share my experience and shake any one willing to listen until they open their eyes and see what I have seen. But then I think that doing so will dilute this warm elixir of NYC I have bottled in me. It is mine and I am not willing to share it. It feels selfish. I guess it is something you’ll just have to experience for yourself.
Liechtenstein
If I can say anything about my adventure it is that I have achieved some of my greatest dreams. I’ve seen snow in Tokyo, I’ve stood at the foot of Colusseum and I’ve touched the Berlin wall and, in the outskirts of Switzerland, I visited one of my “must see’s” : Liechtenstein.
When I mentioned my excitement in seeing this tiny 160km square patch of dirt most people responded with blank looks, others harrumphed and snickered at my enthusasim. I don’t pretend to think that these people will understand. See, for me, Liechtenstein has risen to some kind of shining light in my own sphere of personal “pop-culture” references. I don’t expect people to understand the giggles that boil from deep with-in me when ever I mention that I have stood on the streets of Liechtenstein. I just wish I had bought a lighter in this wonderful little tax haven.
For those who want a little more out this blog post than just some burble about in-jokes heres some facts. Liechtenstein is the Fourth Smallest democratic country in Europe, with a population of around 35,000 people. Being the crazy awesome tax haven it is, Liechtenstein has more registered companies than citizens. Formed in 1719 Liechtenstein gets it’s name from the Liechtenstein Dynasty who hailed from Liechtenstein Castle in Southern Austria. It’s topography makes it a great location for winter sports and is home to some of the worlds Top downhill skiers. One of Liechtenstein’s biggest exports is false teeth!
As Liechtenstein was just a stop over, we only stayed in this fantastic place for but moments, but I did get my passport stamped, just for good measure. It takes pride of place on page 8 of my official documentation. I’ll have to come back again to explore more of the country side and sample some of what I am sure to be crazy awesome Liechtenstein nightlife.
For Kym
One thing I really enjoy when in another country is getting a taste for the local television. Some countries TV is fairly boring: I’m looking at you Germany, while others such as Japan have an awesome absolutely crazy television experience. I love Japanese TV.
Italy however provides probably the most enjoyable viewing. For the guys at least. Every TV show is filled with gorgeous girls. Announcers, stage props, question holders, football interviewers, they are everywhere. There is some form of genius at work in the studios of Television Italia. Whom ever came up with the concept of gorgeous blondes reading out a list of words on a game show is a champion among men.
Oh, and to my buddy Kym: Happy Birthday, and enjoy the photos.
Florence
Florence is very cool. A lot of cool kids study there. It seems to be the thing to do. Most of them are studying “Mass Communication” or “Fashion”. I don’t mean to offend anyone, but it seems that pretty much all the chicks in Florence are studying “Mass Communication” or “Fashion” but none of them really seem that good at “Mass Communication” or “Communication” in general and most dress exactly the same as everyone else, so I don’t know how well that “Fashion” university degree is working out for them. That being said though, they are pretty hot.
My first day in Florence was pretty good. We scored some awesome weather, went to dinner and drinks at the Red Garter where our tour guide hooked up and left Chris, Scott and myself to wander the streets pissed, looking for a club I forget the name of that was mentioned in passing by a bouncer. We got lost on the way home from this club and when we finally made it home we awoke to find the weather had turned nasty and the rest of our time in Florence was spent trudging through the rain and slipping down stairs.
A little sadly Florence was also my last time travelling with Allen and Jen: two very cool people who I made friends with on the bus. Party on my friends. May you find some boats to ride on over that big blue watery road. Oh and I drunk a bottle of vodka on my last night at the hostel. I haven’t done that since I was 18. Good times, good times.
An Interview
[Transcript of audio recorded on 25/06/2009 in St Peters Square]
A Gamer’s Odyssey: “With us today is Simon VanderHeyden. He’s been traveling the world for nigh on Six months and has been blogging about his experience. Thanks for chatting with us today Simon”
Simon VanderHeyden: “My Pleasure! Great to be here in the Vatican today”
AGO: “Yes it is a fantastic day for a little tour. First before I fire a few questions at you, how have you been enjoying your trip? Not too tired yet?”
SV: “Oh not at all. Don’t get me wrong, I have days where I wake up knackered but I power through. I mean how often do you get to be travelling the world you know?”
AGO: “Good to hear. So yeah, as you said before we’re standing here in St Peter’s Square at Vatican City, the worlds smallest country. How are you liking it?”.
SV: “To be honest mate, it’s pretty messed up…”
AGO: “Woah, not what I was expecting. What makes you say that?”
SV: “I mean look around us. No matter where you look you see MONEY. Silly money. Ten thousand dollar-an-hour hooker money. See these columns? Some big bloke in the sky didn’t just magically make them appear here for the benefit of a bunch dudes in robes did he? Someone had to pay for them. And these paintings, these statues.”
AGO: “I suppose so…”
SV: “No supposing about it. What you’re standing on, this ‘hollowed ground’ is at once an amazing piece of human artistic expression and imagination, and a symbol of how broken religion is.”
AGO: “But you’re talking about the Vatican. The home, the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. The worlds largest Christian religion. You don’t get much more religious and holy than that do you?”
SV: “How can this place be at all holy? It flies in the face of what I believe to be the most important attributes those who follow the religion tries to teach in the bible. Humilty. Does this massive…” *at this point Simon waves his hand towards St Paul’s Cathedral* “and I mean massive basilica say humble to you?”
AGO: “I guess not…”
SV: “In fact the bible is pretty clear on how important Meekness and Humility is to the Christians. Matthew 5:5 has the quote I am sure even those who have not read the bible would know: ‘Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth’. I’m not a religious person, I’ve said this before but come on; This is just ridiculous.”
AGO: “If you’re not religious how can you pass such harsh judgement the Vatican?”
SV: “Who better to see the absurdity of what is going on in this small corner of the world than someone who’s eyes are not clouded by the blind love of an imaginary being. Or worse, blind devotion to A MAN who stands in a window proclaiming that he is our direct connection to this magical cloud person.”
AGO: “One could argue that someone who steps foot into the Vatican, and takes in these impressive structures would become humbled in the face of their magnificance. They represent the glory of God who, in some peoples eyes, we should bow to in humility as we are but humans. No human would have something so amazing, so detailed, so ornate built for them.”
SV: “Come with me…”
[Audio stopped. Recording resumes in the Sistine Chapel]
SV: “See all this before you.” *Simon waves hand towards the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel* “It was created by a man: Michelangelo. Someone of immense talent. Someone of immense insight and imagination. A man who possessed amazing skills and used them to create some of mankind’s greatest pieces of art. Do you agree?”
AGO: “Yes, but one might argue that ‘God’ gave him these skills to carry out this work for him on earth”
SV: “Why does something amazing need to be attributed to a higher power? Religious people talk to me about bull like an amazing sunrise being ‘a miracle’. No, this is nature in all it’s beautiful, explainable glory. Why can we not accept that humans are amazing in their own right, they create wonderful things, and yet we also are the cause of potentially our own end. We are destructive. Would an all knowing God have created such a flawed and terrible yet ingenious creature?”
AGO: “Some would argue that if there was a He, then He works in mysterious ways. Who are we to question his divine plan?”
SV: “You know someone else who worked ‘in mysterious ways’ and had a ‘divine plan’? Hitler. He did things without reason, giving few motives for actions. Hiding his reasoning from the people he was supposedly caring for.”
AGO: “You’re comparing the Christian god to Hitler?”
SV: “No, I am mearly highlighting just how ridiculous the old ‘mysterious ways’ argument is. The worst thing for a manager to do is take action with no reason or rhyme and expect his team to accept it. Back to my original point however…”
AGO: “Which was?”
SV: “All this was created by man, for man, not for God. Michelangelo was paid for his work on the Sistine Chapel. He didn’t do it out of the kindness of his heart. Oh, and a rumored homosexual heart at that I might add; something that would probably been frowned upon by the Church. He was commissioned by Pope Julius the Second. Pope Julius was named ‘The Terrible Pope’. Julius the Second would form “The League of Cambrai” and would fight the Venetians for control of Northern Italy and after taking it would go on to drive the French out of Italy.”
AGO: “So?”
SV: “Does that sound like something a god who supposedly sent his son to die for mankinds sins would want? Do they sound like something someone who wanted to promote humility and love and care for our fellow man would want?”
AGO: “Not really…”
SV: “No, not really at all. They sound like something a corrupt government may do, or a business. Which brings me to my point. The Church is a business. The Vatican is the board room of one of the most influential businesses of all time. It rakes in money by selling snake oil. It takes land, wages war, decides fates of entire races and nations. Why? Because ‘God’ says it’s ok. I would like to think that the God that many of my good friends believe in was a bit more tolerant, accepting and humble than that. He’s not out to make money. I would just imagine if there was a god, then it’s just some bored chick, playing the Sim’s and every now and then she gets the urge to lock people in a doorless room with an oven.”
AGO: “Alrighty then. Thanks for your time, Simon.”
SV: “No worries. Oh and by the way, what kinda fucked up religion has a statue of a guy holding up fruit with his erect penis in their chapel?”
The Wedding Cake
The Lonely Planet describes Vienna as a wedding cake and after the three days I spent there I think its’ a fairly apt description. It is a city with no soul. Don’t get me wrong; Vienna is beautiful. I loved my time there. I spent my days wandering the city and checking out the palace gardens under the warming glow of a sun I haven’t seen for nearly 4 months. The City oozes class but everything seems for show. A city built for show. It is only when you leave the city that the real fun starts.
If you’re looking for good schnitzel and don’t mind waiting a little while check out Mozarts around the corner from the Wombats hostel and for Aussies missing a taste of home just down the road is the Travel Shack, a grouse little Australiana bar with cheap drinks, bundy and vegemite.
When traveling though Austria though remember: you need to buy half a fare for your dog on the train.