injvstice

anyone interested in going (with me)?

This place is amazing! And I went in a “dry” season too. There are no “challenging” hikes per se, but it’s an experience you owe yourself.

for more pictures, see http://valmont.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02&page=1

Not a challenging hike by any means, but nice to see. Enjoy the springs. :)

http://valmont.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02&page=1 for more pictures.

Just got back, and instead of singing its praises, I’m going to share a few scenery photographs I’ve taken. But all I can say is, this place is amazing! Don’t miss the Hoh Rain Forest especially.

http://valmont.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album02&page=1

I am attaching one picture looking out from Hurricane Ridge.

This is one of those places which can appeal to everyone. I am not going to go into details; buy a book!

The city has everything you may want. The people are mostly nice, although I have found some who refuse to speak english even if they can. Try not to rely on finding people who speak english, you will need a few phrases.

Paris has some of the most beautiful girls I have seen anywhere. You will need to master an understanding of the french style of flirting if you want to strike a conversation; they will expect you to chase and be unthreatengly aggressive. In the US, you would label such a girl as a hard to get snob, but in France, this is a way for the girls to signal that they are worthy of your chase. Don’t expect the bubbly, sporty girl you have seen idealized in american pop culture, think high class, thin, hard to impress. These can also be some of the most loving girls in the world, once they let you in. However, they have to make sure you are worth letting in.

Transportation is good, just be careful—read the front of the subway carefully then look on the map… same line may or may not go exactly where you expect it to go, as they may take different directions where tracks fork.

This city (along with Rome) should be at the top of your list to visit.

Nice place, but I felt like a rat in a maze after a while.

I guess it doesn’t really do much for me, but it’s worth visiting because it’s Venice and you have to see Venice.

And, as my travel partner found out, it’s freakin hard to find a bathroom after ~ 6pm. No wonder the water is getting an interesting color.

The city is beautiful. I liked it.

I even spent a few hours wandering through the red light district; interesting area, but I don’t quite get what the big deal is about. Heck, most of the girls “on display” were not even that attractive.

I got a little tired of people offering me ecstasy and other drugs at every corner, since I’m not intro drugs to begin with; and as a result I have no idea what the marijuana situation is, either. So, don’t ask. ;)

This is one of my favorite cities, although every time I go there it’s just too damn hot to walk around comfortably. Just bad luck, I guess.

it’s one of those amazing cities were you find something unexpected at every turn. The ruins are breathtaking and as a girl once told me, it’s one of those few cities where if you take a girl there, it’s an automatic panty remover. Yes, it’s a romantic town, but so much more.

(that is not me in the picture, just an apropriate stock photo I have found.)

I won’t even begin to make recommendations; buy a book, there are so many things to see! You can also take day trips to venice, pompeii, etc. Trains run very often, although as usual in the south, they are not the fastest nor the most comfortable. You may have trouble finding sleeping compartments at times, especially if you have a pass and are willing to spend the extra $20-or-so upgrade fee for a first class compartment

The food is… well, indescribable. If you enjoy italian, you will be in heaven. The one thing I would caution is, if you are an american, stay away from Pizza. The pizza in Rome is a joke compared to the one in the US. It reminds me of mexican pizza, almost like a tortilla with some toppings.

And of course, try the gelato. This is a denser type of icecream, and so flavorful everything you find in your grocery’s freezer will taste like cheap flavored milk. Our routine always included starting off with a couple of scoops when leaving the hotel for the morning, and a couple of scoops when heading back to the hotel.

Also in a couple of hours you could be on the beach. If you are from the states, you will be pleasantly surprised; the water is clean and clear, and the beach is pleasant. Some beaches charge a small admission fee, for which you usually get some additional benefits such as changing rooms and showers. If you are a guy, you will be additional pleasantly surprised by the fact that most local girls on the beach are topless.

This is a beautiful city which words fail to describe. My only advice is, try to go there when the weather is cool, unless you can tolerate walking in the heat. And stay away around August or when europeans tend to go on vacation.

This is without a doubt one of my favorite cities in europe. It’s close enough to the style we are used in the US, and it’s also very clean and very thought out. Throw on top the history and architecture, and it’s a dream city.

Many people speak english, so getting around is not a problem.

Food is good, though I am not quite comfortable with the approach they do sometimes, where they put certain appetizers in front of you, and at the end they charge you based on how many you actually ate. We stayed at a small hotel, nothing fancy, but it was clean and we had our own bathroom. Personally I didn’t care much since we were gone between 10a, and 11pm most days.

The city is an absolute pleasure to walk around. Marienplatz
is the heart of the city and you can spend hours there just sitting around watching the people and taking in the atmosphere. There are also sidewalk shows, many in english.

The museums, if you are so inclined, can be spectacular and can easily eat a couple of full days of your trip. Also head out to the Newschwenstein castle, which is the inspiration of the Disneyland castle. This is a gorgeous little fairytale castle, perched up on a mountain face.

Plan for a full day, and enjoy dinner in the rustic town at the bottom of the castle. Add the right type of weather to your daytrip, and it may be an experience you’ll never forget. We had a rather stormy day, and found ourselves in the castle with thunder and lightning surrounding us at dusk. I could not have scripted it better.

Getting around the town is a piece of cake; the subway system is state of the art, and extremly clean. For heading out to the ourcropping castles, you may need to switch to a bus, but it should be no problem. Things are well marked, and easy to understand.

I’d have liked to comment on Octoberfest, but we headed out of Munich right when it was about to begin. Apparently it’s impossible to find any accomodations for octoberfest if you just show up there. Keep that in mind.

Okay, i admit, it’s a really really beautiful city… if you like walking around, admiring the houses, and feeding birds in the park.

Other than that, head somewhere else.

Okay, I’m also pissed at this city a little because of the travel experience; the guy who sold me the train ticket out of innsbruck told me the train would leave at 8:30 pm. I was in the train station at 8:30 pm, only to find out that the idiot did not bother to mention to me that yes, it left at 8:30 pm from a different city. However I was still supposed to somehow, magically, get to that city by 8:30 to make my connection. You’d think he’d have mentioned and offered to sell me a connecting ticket to that city?

Read your ticket well! Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to hit them over the head with the heaviest bag you are carrying, they enjoy it.

Oh, and forget about doing anything in this town after around 5pm! Everything is closed.