My Monster Euro-Trip.

[James Arryn]

Hey, have had v. Limited wifi and time since last, but should be good to go in a day or 2. Survived hotel from hell with zero bedbug issues, so all good.

Amazing time in Italy, on ferry to Corfu, and in Corfu proper. Only a couple of interesting travel stories, though, will recap later...generally just sun and relaxation and friends and family last while. Boring to write/read about, but after Milan hotel experience, just what the medico ordered.

[James Arryn]

update from Venice.

So, Corfu is awesome. Except for the way-station for spring-break nostalgia that is Kavos. Met 2 Toronto girls in ferry on their way to Pink Palace, grabbed drinks but never actually went there after Kavos sucked out my soul. Never go there. Ever. It looks like a zombie movie combined with Girls Gone Wild, and smells worse. But rest of Corfu is amazing, including Corfu town, of which I had no expectations. Generally It was days on the beach, swimming, drinking, eating...but pitifully few adventures worthy of recount, excepting the time when my fear of sharks had me misinterpreting a local van announcing melons for sale, causing rush out of water, causing less than cool James telling friends 'they're evacuating the beach! Must be sharks!'

I will NEVER hear the end of thus. already a catch-phrase.

AnywAys, Med time saved my ass when Med mechanics failed me, and 25 hour ferry to Venice accomplished, though not cheap. Met a cool chick from Athens on her way to a 2 week festival in Slovenia, got an invite, don't think I'll go, but I am jealous of people who answer the 'where are you from' chat with stuff like Athens, Rome, Istanbul, Kathmandu, and although I love the bones of ye, Toronto, we just don't have the same pizzazz, though people do a convincing emulation of excitement; " Oh, Toronto!"

More as it comes. I am enjoying myself a ton, but insulation if gf, friends, family etc. has proven proof to entertaining adventures to recount...so a week from today the Wackyness should resume. I did accidentally send the Consulate in Rome the 'list of things I need you to bring me' email meant for my gf, complete with embarrassing pet names and such, but she has been telling too many people that story, so surely none of you'd want to hear the particulars.

[James Arryn]

quick update: St. Petersburg and Moscow may be very much back in the picture...friend knows how to arrange quick visa.

Also, gf reminded me of quirk: I have twice been asked, seriously, if I am C.I.A.

Most recent, older British guy of couple we met at beach restaurant:

:B ) Are you a CIA agent?

a) Well, yes, but now I have to kill you, ha ha.

B )no, seriously, it's ok if you are. I have known a couple.

A) no, really, not at all. Why would you think that? (Turned to gf with what-the-hell look)

Can't remember answer. In part involved ability to travel solo for long periods, but there was more. Gf took it as real compliment. 'You seem very good at too many things/James Bond type.'

Being as anti-imperial/CIA as I am, I very much did not. 'You seem like someone who kills people for political gain/Thug with gun type.'

Am actually wondering what the fuck I am doing to give off a CIA vibe, let alone a CIA who will openly admit to being one vibe. Like, do I need to worry about it? Will others be less likely to ask, more likely to act if they get that vibe?

[Myrddin]

You should just start introducing yourself as "Arryn. James Arryn." And then order a vodka martini just to throw them off the scent.

Now, get to Moscow and meet up with Felix Leiter. Your backpacking cover does you no good if you can't get up there to save the world! :)

Keep the stories coming when you have time. I'm loving them. Your stories of travel woes bring back memories. Luckily, they aren't the prominent ones I think of when I reminiscence about my backpacking days. They do add spice and will give you street cred back home though. "Then there was a time when I almost saved a woman from choking in Milan. Boy, that almost ended differently. Not the happy ending I was envisioning for my world tour."

[James Arryn]

You should just start introducing yourself as "Arryn. James Arryn." And then order a vodka martini just to throw them off the scent.

Now, get to Moscow and meet up with Felix Leiter. Your backpacking cover does you no good if you can't get up there to save the world! :)

Keep the stories coming when you have time. I'm loving them. Your stories of travel woes bring back memories. Luckily, they aren't the prominent ones I think of when I reminiscence about my backpacking days. They do add spice and will give you street cred back home though. "Then there was a time when I almost saved a woman from choking in Milan. Boy, that almost ended differently. Not the happy ending I was envisioning for my world tour."

lol! Yeah, not a 007 moment, that.

Like many, I have some elements of Bond...could probably look the part, so long as nothing that required sustained effort was involved. But where his type is relentless, I'd be more...is relentfull a word?

Evil geniuses just want it more.

Honestly...I am impressed that I just constructed tomatoe, buffalo cheese and basil sandwiches which didn't fall entirely apart. Mad schemes to take over the world would be just way too much work to thwart. Unless the sandwiches could get it done...they were good sandwiches. It's all about the olive oil and fresh bread.

Which goes some way to explaining my befuddlement at being twice mistaken for an American secret agent. Beyond the overwhelming presence of ruth, I don't get how someone looks at me and sees any ambitions, global or even civic. I could maybe take over a car park, on a slow day, if everyone else looked the other way and I had a crack team of car park attendants at my beck and starched collar.

But I appreciate the kind words about my misadventures. More are in store, no doubt, especially if my shoe phone stays on the fritz.

[James Arryn]

I'm glad you're safe now. Jeeez. Also, yeah - I am surprised nobody warned you about Paris - they'll steal the shirt off your back if you don't watch it.

Have fun!!

My first times around they were lovely...as indeed they were after my worldly goods were safely tucked near the family jewels. But what a horrible 15 minutes that was...itchy sweat, if that means what I want it to mean.

But I would still live there...what a city.

[williamjm]

You should just start introducing yourself as "Arryn. James Arryn." And then order a vodka martini just to throw them off the scent.

It might also explain his fear of sharks, I seem to remember Bond having a few nasty encounters with sharks over the years.

Now, get to Moscow and meet up with Felix Leiter. Your backpacking cover does you no good if you can't get up there to save the world! :)

If Edward Snowden suddenly disappears mysteriously from Moscow Airport in a couple of days I think we'll know who was responsible...

Which goes some way to explaining my befuddlement at being twice mistaken for an American secret agent. Beyond the overwhelming presence of ruth, I don't get how someone looks at me and sees any ambitions, global or even civic.

Surely the best secret agents don't actually look like secret agents?

[James Arryn]

Yeah, good point, though it's not so much how I look as how I am. Lazy as paint, really. But I get you...appearing to be lazy as paint might make for a good cover. Like being Canadian.

If I get shot for being a secret agent, it will be upsetting.

My gf has already noted an usual combination of skills I picked up over the years, like throwing knives ( group boredom at private school) picking locks ( mom always locked keys inside as a kid) and judo-CHOP! ( defeating evil genii in teens) and theorized exotic histories for me, so she is enjoying this too much.

[Isis]

Surely the best secret agents don't actually look like secret agents?

And they can't tell people they are secret agents. That's kind of the point of it being a secret and all. :)

[Dracarys!]

JA, glad you are enjoying your trip, your stories are awesome! Some of the incidents are probably not fun during the moment, but if nothing happened I bet it would feel boring to retell.

I'm glad you're safe now. Jeeez. Also, yeah - I am surprised nobody warned you about Paris - they'll steal the shirt off your back if you don't watch it.

This is strange, because nobody warned me about Paris and I survived there when I went from the airport to the city center alone to meet my friends. I didn't feel like my belongings were in danger at any point :dunno:

[James Arryn]

And they can't tell people they are secret agents. That's kind of the point of it being a secret and all. :)

This is what I'm saying. Being mistaken for a secret agent is bad enough...but apparently I'm an idiotic secret agent type.

[James Arryn]

JA, glad you are enjoying your trip, your stories are awesome! Some of the incidents are probably not fun during the moment, but if nothing happened I bet it would feel boring to retell.

This is strange, because nobody warned me about Paris and I survived there when I went from the airport to the city center alone to meet my friends. I didn't feel like my belongings were in danger at any point :dunno:

Yes, my Paris has been 15 days, 23 hours, 45 minutes of bliss and 15 minutes of WTF?

As for the down times, Karl Pilkington says to try and not be happy too often, as you'll get bored with it, and when a genius speaks, we must all listen. (Also remember to keep an eye on your pinkie finger...they are suspicious, as per KP) so I can only assume the bad times keep me from taking the wonderful times for granted.

[James Arryn]

Today's update comes via my Mom, who earlier today on Skype told me some of her travel stories from before I was born. As nothing too exciting has happened in the past few days, I will share the chilling tale she told me when I said Minsk had been somewhere I'd considered. It's sort of Kafka meets Solzhenitsyn.

Back in mid to late 70's, she had travelled much of Europe and was in Minsk with a friend, at an intersection, when they saw a man get 'taken', to use her words.

There were no traffic lights, but an officer directing traffic, and when a van stopped, a man jumped out and started running, followed by police men from the van. As he ran he kept screaming a name, which my Mom only later realized must have been his own. Over and over, he was screaming "I am _______! ", even after the cops caught up with him and beat him to the ground, and only stopped when they dragged him back into the van and drove off.

Of course he might not have been a doomed man letting the world know he was taken, he might not have been desperately trying to get word of his fate to his family or crying out for help...he could have been a deranged burglar or w/e, but My Mom certainly didn't have much doubt about what she was seeing.

But as frightening as that was, what chilled her and her friend to the bone was that no one...not one single person, so much as turned their head. The traffic cop just held traffic until the situation was resolved, and then restarted. No one looked, no one asked what was happening, no one apparently reacted at all. My mom and her friend were stunned, but everyone around them seemed to consciously demonstrate that they had not even noticed anything happening.

Just an interesting story...my Mom generally loved her experiences in soviet regions, and this was the first I had ever heard about this experience, but it was scary to hear. Hopefully soon I will have more adventures rather than gorgeous pacific days under the sun in Mediterranean climes. But in the meanwhile wanted to share this.

[baxus]

what's your schedule in weeks to come?

[James Arryn]

Still frustringly tbd. am with gf/family and have had soooo little me time for planning, but obviously need to get on that. Your birthday is the 27th, I remember, but is it July?

[baxus]

Still frustringly tbd. am with gf/family and have had soooo little me time for planning, but obviously need to get on that. Your birthday is the 27th, I remember, but is it July?

yeah, it's july.

don't worry, if you miss it we'll find some other reason to go out ;)

if you decide to come to belgrade (or have you already decided and i missed it? :blink:), let me know so i can make arrangements to take some days off work to show you around town and all that.

[Buckwheat]

Again, thanks for sharing those stories, they are amazing!

I did accidentally send the Consulate in Rome the 'list of things I need you to bring me' email meant for my gf, complete with embarrassing pet names and such, but she has been telling too many people that story, so surely none of you'd want to hear the particulars.

This part is the funniest. :lol: I do wonder what the random secretary must have thought about it ...

[James Arryn]

I have a pretty good idea. She called my gf to inquire.

But, I am seriously tempted to show up in Rome scting annoyed that none of my list was filled. Gf knows me, knows I would do such a thing, alternates between laughing encouragement and 'you'll never get past security'.

[James Arryn]

yeah, it's july.

don't worry, if you miss it we'll find some other reason to go out ;)

if you decide to come to belgrade (or have you already decided and i missed it? :blink:), let me know so i can make arrangements to take some days off work to show you around town and all that.

Not kidding, am SERIOUSLY going to try to make b-day. In Vicenza on the 20th, might try Austrai/Budapest down to you.

On the off chance, could an Australian girl come to the party too?

[RhaenysBee]

Prague, Vienna, Paris, Rome, London, Salzburg, Milan, Kiev all awesome places. Right now Paris is my favorite, but only because I haven't been to Prague for like three years now... I must revisit.

Anyways, no plans to see Budapest? Only four hours from Vienna by train and one and a half by plane. It's really pretty with lots of amazing sights. The food is good and the cake places even better. And you can buy alcohol for cheap after 10 o'clock too :"D And citylife is quite cheap for tourists as well.