Kept it pretty low-key today. Got up in time for breakfast by putting off my shower until afterward. Saw off Cam & Matt as they headed off to their next destination. Got a late start and rode the Metro to La Tour near Rue Cler. Rick Steves recommended Rue Cler as an example of a Parisian's natural environment, so I went and assembled a picnic ( Read more... )

1:45pm
Paris, in case I wasn't clear before, is fucking enormousLeft my hostel around 10:30, walking on foot, have yet to see a major sight. Did have an inexpensive lunch on the way, though ( Read more... )

8:45pm ( Read more... )

Had a good night's sleep in the hostel bed. Since I had found a nearby laundromat while scoutingthe area yesterday, I reserved a portionn of today for doing laundry. Matt & Cam got up at abput the same time I did with a mission of sights, chocolae, and beer, and went off to execute on their plans. Meanwhile, Ken and I returned to Le Drink for ( Read more... )

11:45am ( Read more... )

Had set my alarm for 7:30 and rolled out of bed just before 8. After a failed attempt to book a hostel in Brussels due to my computer locking up, I determined that I could not wait any longer, and went down to the ground floor for breakfast. Jean-Pierre, the proprietor of Het Wit Beertje B&B, is a kindly old man and soft spoken. The bottom floor ( Read more... )

Ended last night talking to a Portuguese Web developer. Got back to my room to discover that I had five new roommates. The two who were there were Italian, but we didn't converse much more; their English wasn't good. Changed the dressing on my finger and got a shower, then hit the hay and actually got some sleep ( Read more... )

Last night I headed out to Leidseplein and found the biggest party I will ever see. the large open air part of it is a sea of tables under umbrellas with heat lamps in them. Walked the circumference of the area and ended up having a pint of Murphy's (stout; they also have Murphy's Red on tap) at Dan Murphy's Irish Pub, essentially the first bar ( Read more... )

12:45pm ( Read more... )

8:00pm ( Read more... )