Day 20 - Hamburg

Arrived just after midnight so I suppose I can start there. Elli met me at the station and we went to eat falafel. Met a man who sings dressed as a tulip. Went to Elli's to drop my stuff off and we had a beer at a bar. It was nice but smokey. We were there until 4 and then slept in a little. We went on a walk to find shoes since I've left 3 pairs in Haarlem. I found some for only 5 euro. She took me to see some nice cafes etc to get ideas from. We went to Park Fiction and met 2 friends there. We drank and ate chocolate. We were a little hungry and so we ate little pizzas. Only 2 Euro! You pick the toppings and he puts the pizza into the fire oven. Mmmm! Then the 4 of us to a bar Felix (remember?) used to work at. We had chats. Elli and I went to Boutique Bizarre which is a large and really classy sex shop. They had everything! Then home to sleeeeep.

Day 19 - Pukkelpop / Train

Up and atom, I used to think that's what the saying was. It's Sunday, festival is over. Packed up and went to Alexandra's. Took another wonderful shower. Headed over to the rail station. Proceeded to get on the wrong train, but it worked out really well. I did arrive to Hamburg an hour later than anticipated but the trains I rode were beautiful and I got to stop in Köln long enough to peek outside and see this crazy church. Interesting history! I was on the train all day but I quite liked it. I think I could live on a train! In Köln I also ate Nutella Wunder.

Day 18 - Pukkelpop

Headed over earlier today to see Telepathe. They were decent but nothing amazing. Worked out well since they played in the tent with the bleachers around it so I could relax. Micachu & The Shapes were also decent. The guitarist at one point said 'that was my first and last attempt at crowd participation' and everyone cheered. Not because they were happy about it, because they are either deaf or dumb. Deerhunter was amazzzzinggggg. Love them! Really good. Wow. Yo! Majesty was really fun. The one lady gets all wild and takes off her clothes. Then more crazy sexy cool with Peaches. She was awesome! Really great performance. Really great outfits. I love the costume changes. Her and her band know what's up. Klaxons were next and I had a good spot (I did for every show except Kraftwerk sadly) since it was easy to arrive early although most people didn't think to do that. Compared to the last performances I had witnessed they were pretty boring. I had become spoiled and I left to relax. Moderat was the last performace and I had to relax during it because I was so tired. They did really good though. Set up was looking like Kraftwerk minus 1. Video projections were kind of... not good. The music was amazing though!

Day 17 - Pukkelpop

Since I was so muddy and there was plenty of time before anything good began, I decided to go take a real shower at Alexandra's house. Really nice! Decided not to drink today since I did that enough the day before and missed performances. Based on the suggestion of the people I was staying with I saw Buraka Som Sistema. Pretty fun but got tired of it after awhile. Then Alter Ego, nice! Kap Bambino, really exciting! Everyone went wild. Great! Birdy Nam Nam was good and made the crowd happy. Health was enjoyable, scared a lot of the kids away which was fun to watch. Fever Ray had a magical performace, like a ceremony. Vitalic did awesome and everyone loved him. He was so happy smiled a lot and gave the heart with his hands, you know. I was front and center and so were a lot of sweaty shirtless dudes. They were ruining my experience so I stepped back a little and it was good. Wasn't able to dance but didn't really want to anyway. Then... Kraftwerk! I should have left Vitalic early to get a better spot, but I didn't. There were so many people at the main stage but I managed to find a place that was on a little hill so I could see their figures in a row and the projections. Great to see them! Cried a little during 'Computer World.' Best way to end a festival night. Not sure the kids could understand but oh well. I became addicted to fries with ketchup & mayo. Looks sloppy, but SO GOOD.

Day 16 - Pukkelpop

Woke up really warm in the tent. This day was SO HOT. Saw The Juan Maclean. John was not happy to play early but they did well. Highlight was Nancy Whang singing 'Launch me into space' it was amazing. Next I met up with the group I was staying with and we saw Shantel & Bucovina Club Orkestar based on their suggestion. They were really fun party Balkan music. Good singing, performers and crowd all having a great time. I went back to the camping. The campgrounds are across the street from the fest, I had to wait to cross and when we cross it's a huge amount of people. I did not make it back in time because there was such a hold up at the entrance. So I miss Passion Pit, but really it's not a big deal. I went back to the tent for a couple more beers since there's nothing too good happening until a few hours. I get back in time for a good spot for Andrew Bird. That was a beautiful show, of course. Then Simian Mobile Disco. Fun! A storm apparently was happening outside at this time, making everything really wet. After SMD I was feeling kind of drunk since I drank a water bottle of wine on top of the beers from earlier. I decided to stop by the tent to have water and food but I couldn't find it anywhere. Since there was a storm, the tarp and the flag were taken down. There are so many tents here and they are all so close together. I looked for two hours (not exaggerating) in the sloppy mud. Eventually I found it but I had began to miss Ladyhawke (not a big deal) and Beirut (big deal.) So I fell asleep in fear that if I left again I would become lost.

Day 15 - Rotterdam / Hasselt

I rode my rental bike with my huge backpack and 2 bags. Yikes! Had to wait for a draw bridge to open and close, not fun when there's a train to catch. I made it in time. I made it to Hasselt and my phone wasn't working to reach Alexandra so I could let her know I'm in town. She was letting me leave my stuff at her place while I go to Pukkelpop, the music festival. Also to borrow a tent. Luckily I found an internet cafe. I reached her on the phone and stopped by her father's place which was so near the station. The house was really cool, as her father is an architect. I arrived at the festival. Crazy kids everywhere. Found out the guestlist is only good for the day a band is playing, so being on guestlist was really of no use for me in the end. I may not have gone to the festival if I'd known I was going to pay so much for it but it's okay because I saw so many great performances. This was the day before the actual festival starts but most people arrive to set up the tent in a good location. I was meeting Alexandra's friends there so we could be in a group together. Took awhile but I found them and they reserved a location for my tent. They were very nice people and we got along. The flag to mark our camping area so we can find it easily is the American flag.

Day 14 - Rotterdam

Went for a swim at the lake! Ate sub-par falafel. Hung out at a cafe by some water and drank a nice beer, La Chouffe. It came in it's own glass and even with it's own coaster! Fancy! Went back to Kevin's and had a great snack from nearby, cheese souffle or something. We played records and I tried to also but it was difficult as I've not used vinyl to DJ in many many years and I was unfamiliar with most of the records although they were good. We recorded a 1 hour mix. I don't have it yet, sorry. Then home to sleep so I can wake up for the morning train.

Day 13 - Rotterdam

Woke up slowly after so many late nights here. Went on a ride around town with Bitsy. Into some nice stores. One was a store just for dental care. I bought the best toothbrush in the world, 5680 bristles on it! Found Pustefix bubbles, which are the best bubbles in the world. What a great day. Back home to relax for a minute. Chatting with Susanna. Then Ghislain and I went to his friend Kevin's house for dinner. Kevin has excellent taste in music and is a DJ so we listened to vinyl the whole time. He made pesto pasta which was lovely. It was another good night.

Day 12 - Rotterdam

Attempted to go to a fake lake with Bitsy and Susanna. There was a crazy car race that blocked off many streets and it was so difficult. Ghislain called and we decided instead to meet with him and relax at Hotel New York, which is where the pilgrims left on a boat to arrive into NYC. Hence, the name. We took it easy, because that's what you're supposed to do on Sunday. Saw a crazy huge bridge lift up for a little sailboat. Cute. Then back to the apartment. Ghislain made a nice dinner. There was a birthday party so we went to it, kind of late. Stayed there until oh gee, I'm not sure. It was quiet nice! A camp fire and people around chatting. Some strange and great conversations. Then to sleeeep.

Day 11 - Rotterdam

Wow! This day was the perfect day. I rented a bike! We went to the market to pick up some food. The prices were amazing. We got 6 beautiful red bell peppers for 1.5 euro if I remember correctly. Had a small visit to the school where most people I've met attend. It's cool, and old elementary school. We did a little more biking etc. Then we had beautiful sandwiches. We met with Ghislain and had espresso at the fake beach. Bitsy and I went on a bike ride to this amazing park with a huge slide! On the way we found a carnival, we went on the 'ghost train' together and I went on a more intense ride as well. Well, the ghosts were intense too of course. Then to Ghislain's place. We ate some dinner on the terrace and had a photo shoot. VHS Fest is video shorts with an after party of dancing. Great combo! We had a lot of fun and the music was good. Wow! Wow!

Day 10 - Amsterdam / Haarlem / Rotterdam

Breakfast with Katrin in Haarlem, then she went to explore Haarlem. Ate falafel for lunch. Saw street art. Walked down random streets again. Bookstores. Tried to rent a bike, unsuccessfully. They were out of bikes :( Didn't feel like trying too hard to rent a bike since it looked pretty stressful to ride around there anyhow. Walked around the water, had a seat. Checked out the red light district, pretty awkward. It wasn't night, so nothing too exciting. I arrived back to Haarlem in time for a BBQ with Marlise, Katrin, and Marlise's parents! They were really nice. The food was so good. Satay sauce with the chicken! Lovely. Drank some wine and tea, packed my bags. Therefore, I forgot 3 pairs of shoes. Took the train to Rotterdam and had to pee-pee for real for real. Arrived to Bitsy's house in Rotterdam and there was a small party with nice people. Drank more wine and had a good time chatting. There was almost a fire, pretty exciting. Slept quite well.

Day 9 - Amsterdam

Amsterdam was quite nice. I walked around a lot, by myself. Took some pictures, some video. Found some really nice shops with clothes I wanted but could not have. I did purchase a pair of earrings. It was a few days ago, so this post is not quite informative. Oh well! It was great! Nice weather! Many tourists :( Went on a (docked) cat boat. Had a nice dinner, bought a plant. Walked by Anne Frank's old haunt. Then back to Haarlem and hung out with Marlise and another couchsurfer, Katrin, from Germany. We went to the sea at dusk, my first sea experience! Arrived home, chatted for a little while (ate stroopwafels) and then slept.

Day 8 - Haarlem

The shower here is luxurious! I had a lovely dutch breakfast, soft bread with red currant jam (made by marlies, and from the berries grown by her mom) as well as a piece with delicious cheese. Yum! I set off for my day in Haarlem, starting at the VVV which is the tourist info spot. I received a map and some direction on where the second hand stores are located. I went to one and wanted to buy a lot, but left with only one tank top! I walked up and down so many streets and walked along the river. Saw many cute shops! There is a main square here with a huge beautiful church which rings the bells so nicely. I'm sure people get sick of it here but I'm a fan. This is a really nice city, comfortable yet busy. Arrived home and had another great dinner cooked by Marlise. Amazing fish and potatoes with cauliflower. We decided to relax tonight and after a chat we watched Sideways and ate stroopwafle (new fav) with green tea. Yum! Yum! Tomorrow I'll go to Amsterdam for the day.

Day 7 - Paris / Haarlem

Woke up in Paris again. Was on the 6th floor, so I didn't leave until it was time to catch the train. Somewhere that afternoon my watch quit working! I still managed to catch the train. I realized my watch stopped when I though the train was pulling away early, so I checked my phone and voila the train was on time but my watch not so much. It worked out! Julie, who I stayed with, was so nice and picked up 2 croissants for me to eat which was amazing because I was more hungry than I thought. Train ride was really nice to Brussels but from there to Amsterdam it was really hot and sweaty. Luckily I had a window seat both times so I was comfortable. From Amsterdam I took another train to Haarlem which is really close! Marlise, who I am staying with, was at the station to pick me up. Very nice! She cooked a great dinner. Then we went on a bike ride and to have a drink outside and she suggested some places I should check out in Europe. We chatted and I met her boyfriend, Arjan, who is a commercial pilot. Her and her boyfriend are really nice people and their house is beautiful. I am their first couchsurfer.

Day 6 - Paris

Woke up, took a stroll down Rue de la Roquette to Bastille. Took the subway down near a pretty touristy area. I was on a mission to check out Colette which was a pretty nice store. They had a 9000 Euro phone for sale, that's $12,758.40 in USD. Yeah! It was enjoyable to browse the store, I saw a neat neck adornment, not quite a necklace, not quite a scarf. Great books, music, clothes, dvds, cameras, phones, so many great things. Then I walked back and checked out a large garden/park with a small carnival. Then I walked around many streets on the way back to the apartment. Found some other stores with charm. Saw a Pylones, which I quite like. Many places were closed to, since it was a Monday. I met up with JC at the apartment to tidy it up and to pack my bags since I was staying at a new place. We went out for Lebanese food and ordered a selection of 7 items which came out in bowls. It was fun to mix certain items together. We took the subway to the new place and it is so close to the station I leave from! Really, it's a 1 minute walk! The new people (I stayed at their place this night,) JC, and myself went for a drink nearby. On they way we spotted a creepy face on a building! We had another PC vs Mac debate, which boils down to they are both good for different people depending on what you like. Then I slept!