I've never been one to think things all the way through before I go off. Some of you out there might know what I'm talking about if you've ever been talked into one of my half-brained adventures... last weekend I decided to fly solo and go exploring, Norway sounded like a country worth conquering...

I flew into Torp, Norway early Saturday morning (I still can't find it on a map , all I know is it's near Oslo). On a suggestion from Rhino I decide to cross the country and head for a town called Bergen. A few months in Europe and you start to realise that most of the counties aren't very big and would be quite easy to cross. Well, Norway's a different story- it's big and it sure isn't easy.

I'm not sure when I realised I wasn't going to make it to Bergen- maybe it was after 4 hours on the road and the rivers were still running to the east; maybe it was when Elton John's CD looped around and Sacrifice played for the third time; maybe it's when I realised that Norwegian highways are glorified country roads without a center line (see below); or maybe it was when the sun set.
Either way 485 kilometers and 7 hours later I conceded victory for day one and bunked down in a small fishing town that started with an 'H' and was pronounced like a cough. And for those of you who are curious- despite my big talk, I didn't sleep in the car. Instead I opted for a ridiculously overpriced hotel (more on that in a minute).

Sunday morning I was up early like a good catholic and on the road- Bergen or bust! The rain started on early in the morning but I've got to be honest, it didn't dampen things to much, the west coast of Norway is incredible scenic- perfectly fitting with a little rain.

Part of the reason it takes so long to get around Norway is because there's so much water. The west coast is like a jagged saw blade- nothing but fjords, rivers, and mountains. It was only 120 km for the H-town to Bergen but it took all morning to reach because around every corner was another ferry crossing...

...after one ferry crossing it was looking more like 'bust' than Bergen. I had a little spin-out on the road because of not one, two, or three but four nealy flat tires (no idea, but probably terrorists, right George?). Disaster averted and crappy gas mileage explained- I rolled into Bergen triumphantly! Boo-yah.

Bergen was awesome- great town, great hiking, great beer! Interesting side note- when I landed in Torp I was surprised to see that Norway wasn't on the Euro. I hadnt done my homework and just assumed it was. I decided to play a little game. I spent the weekend without knowing the exchange rate from British pounds to Norwegian krones. I wanted to see if after a weekend I could guess what it was from the stuff I purchased. Long story short, I was WAY off. Norway's freekin' expensive. You're looking at a 6 pound (or $11) beer below my friends.Monday morning I woke up and headed back across Norway. The drive was unreal... I'll let some of the pictures speak for themselves.

That's a long way down... no guard rail!

That's a 3 story building there on the cliff's edge!1030 kilometers in a grand total of 52 hours in Norway. Not bad.

Look out Tony Meola...

Two weeks ago I got recruited to play in a football tournament with some of my work friends. Co-ed, 5-a-side sounds great- plus I love tackling girls. I told our skipper that I'd prefer defense and he said perfect, how about goalie. What just a damn minute- sure it's been a while since I've seen a game, but I'm pretty sure the only goals I've ever heard of played either hockey or soccer.

Perhaps we might have done a little bit better in the first game if somebody had told the goalie where to stand...















After a 5-1 loss, a pulled hamstring, and a broken thumb it was time to rethink our strategy and focus on the second game.
















After we regrouped things began to flow a little bit better- I think we scored here!

Long story short- we lost a four games we played and didn't make it out of the group stage- our goalie was bloody awful! Although the last game showed signs of improvement- a 3-3 tie (the other team got the advantage in the end because they played with more girls- cheaters).

With the long day of football over, it was time to find out if Nottingham had any redeeming qualities (besides Maid Marian and a really mean sheriff of course). The short answer is no. But after a nice dinner and a few drinks all that exercise nonsense was forgotten and the team really started to play well together...

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.Good times, but I think I had it right when I left the game and retired from U-10 soccer in 1989...

Hello Friends,

Not a whole lot going on, just getting into a bit of a routine. I've been meaning to put some pics up of a football tournament I played in last weekend with the work folks (let you put some faces with names) but I need to get the pics from my buddy.

Today I did something that I think Alex would be very proud of... I've been getting a little sick of having a bike and never ridding it (London is a scary place to bike- I swear I think the drivers aim for cyclists. I say a dude get hit once and the car didn't even stop) so today I took a train out of the city and went for a ride in the country- realising two things: (1) I'm out of shape, badly out of shape; (2) England is not as flat as it looks like from a plane. I did get to see some cool stuff though...

Stonehedge baby!

Because I felt like my legs were going to fall off and was ready to pass-out from exhaustion, I took a break in a very cool little town along my route, Salisbury. I'd never heard of it. But wow! It was very picturesque!
And at the very end, guess who was waiting at home...

Just kidding that was about a month ago, but I wanted to give a shout-out to Gugi and say, 'man that was an awesome night!'

My new home...

About a week ago I packed up at the Hope Villa and moved about 2 miles south into a new flat... anybody want a tour?

View for the street... The reception lobby...
Inside the flat...

The view from my bedroom (its been a hot summer look at the grass!)

Looking back from the garden (my room the forth from the left on the 2nd floor).

The new set-up is pretty sweet, the building itself is a converted water treatment facility and office building with a lot of history (click here). Down in the basement you can go inside the old water tanks (not sure if you're 'supposed to' but there wasn't a lock).

The Best of the Baltics

After a week along the coast of the Baltic Sea and I'm in love with this post-Soviet paradise. Estonia is the most sparsely populated country in Europe- yah but, sparsely populated with really, really beautiful women. Hot Damn! We were in Tallinn for about an hour until we were walking down a cobblestone street and confronted with- Boo yah- a team of 8 blond haired, blue eyed goddesses. The next morning, with my jaw back in place, Chris and I had a set off to explore the medieval city.

Two days in Tallinn was perfect, then it was time to hit the road and catch the ferry to an island I can't pronounce and a town spelled Kusarree (I think, but we never really figured out how to pronounce it).

I think it was safe to say that Chris and I were the only Americans (or non-Estonians for that matter) in town. But it was pretty awesome because in Kursarree you don't get the feeling it's built for tourism- even the castle felt like there might still be a king living in it.

After Kussarree we drove to Parnu- a beach town where it rained. So we watched Walker Texas Ranger on TV. I dont have any pictures, but close your eyes and picture Ranger Walker kicking the crap out of 20 dudes with uzzies. It was sweet!

After that we went to Sigulda and Cesis. I bet you didn't know that Latvia has a rugged mountain terrain... well it's doesn't. But there is one place that kind of reminded me of the mountain loop highway back home without the mountains. Chris and I were able to stretch our legs a bit, hike around the valley, cross a cable car, and wander through medieval castles. Then we had beers at the top of the saddest ski resort I've ever seen.

Then came Jurmala, Latvia. Oh boy, the foggy memories I have of this place will stay with me forever. First off, the town was cool and the beach was great. That said, in the evening we went to a bar and sat down to watch one of the most outstanding spectacles of my entire life- A parade of such beautiful girls it was mind boggling- I felt like I was in a rap video. Polished the night off with a 2am swim in the Baltic Sea... I think a few folks might have gotten phone calls...

After Jurmala we spent the last two nights in Riga. A nice enough city, but after the week we'd just had I think it was pretty hard for us to get too impressed. The highlight of Riga was their Occupation Museum- an overview of the 70+ year saga of being occupied by first the Soviets, then the Nazis, and then the Soviets agian. In all seriousness, anybody who's lived through it all has had a really tough life.

Great trip- a place I probably wouldn't get to visit if I wasn't living in London. Two countries so close together, yet so different. The Estonians are perhaps the most friendly Europeans I've met while the Latvians, well, kind of remind me of the French. I wasn't accosted in a bathroom like Paris, but I was twice refused the sale of ice cream- once by a really old lady and once by a kid who looked like Harry Potter.

Like the pics? There's plenty more where they come from HERE

Got a couple other updates on the way soon, so check back in a few days...

The Bob and Marcia European Tour
Bavarian Invasion

Well the saga continues... after loosing touch for a week while mom and dad made their way though France, over the Swiss alps (and I mean over- they even made it- via gondola- to the summit of a 10,000 foot peak!) and into the beauty of Austria. Like clock work we met up in the tiny town of Reutte, Austria on Friday night.

After a nice dinner and a few drinks, we bunked down and in the morning we were off- mom and dad to explore Bavaria on their way to Italy and Chris, Monica and I off to explore the land of the Bier Garten is search of the Hofbrauhaus... Good luck to mom and dad- one more week of madness before the Roman finale!

So, I love Munich. I mean I really love Munich!

And the reason for do...

The Hofbrauhaus!

AKA- The happiest place on Earth!!!! (except in the 30s and early 40s)

And what do I love most about the Hofbrauhaus?

This guy!!!! I've probably been to the Hofbrauhaus 5 or 6 times on three trips and he's always been there! Three years ago he was Fung and I's waiter, and while he'll never know it, the truth is... I love him!

The football was amazing, didn't go to a game, but got to watch them is some really great places. This picture is in happier times... on Saturday before the games. After the game...
Man, I love Germany, but not as much as I love these guys-

A note about the World Cup in England-
It's been world cup madness overhere- a massive spectacle... I've been in the pubs watching the games every night and I have to say, over the past two weeks I completely got behind the England squad- I found myself much more attached and passionate about their matches than those boys from back home... and after the star spangled boy's less than inspiring performance I officially jumped ship and joined the home team- "Come on England." Unfortunately, I bought my jersey only in time to jinx the team. The English describe their team like New Englanders describe the Red Soxs- I feel their pain.

The Bob and Marcia European Tour
"Look out Rick, here comes the carlbergs..."

And they're off!

That's right, the Bob and Marcia European Tour has left England and moved to France... can you believe it, my folks are walking around Paris... how cool.

Before they left London we had a great week, I worked during the day while they got lost and in the evening we laughed at Dad... what a great week! Before they left we did some great stuff, Friday night we went Greenwich for dinner and Wapping for drinks at The Captain Kidd with Chris and Monica.



And on Sunday we took a short trip to Cambridge. Dad bought a 'Cambridge University' hat so he could fit in with other tourists... it was sweet.
Oh man is Rick Steves in trouble... I can't wait to hear the stories.

The Bob and Marcia European Tour
England

You've heard the rumours;

felt the hype;

now witness the madness of...

The Bob and Marcia European Tour… (bump, bump bump bump, bump bum bummmm.....) So far so good. The folks and I had a nice little trip to Bath over the weekend- without incident. Very relaxed. The perfect place to settle in and recover from the long flight- just chilling canal-side and easy walking through the laid back town.

Jet-leg can be tough though... look how cute they are all tuckered out at 430 in the afternoon.

I will say things got a little crazy when we got to London. Dad nearly broke one of the tube gates at Paddington station when he put his Oyster card into the slot that only accepts paper tickets… other than a few missed tubes, a run-in with the city hall security guards and one potential pickpocketing the last week has been very smooth as Mom and Dad have spent the days exploring the city.

Over the weekend we'll take a day trip to Cambridge and then they're off to Paris to meet my favorite people in the world- the French...