Living relatively insulated from other countries and other languages, foreign accents have always been kinda neat. A cheery British accent livens up a routine tech support call and an unplacable lilt makes the woman on the bus seem instantly more interesting to talk to. Though I don't want to be called out as the tourist that I am, I am looking forward to having the accent for a change. Even though the "value" of an accent is really just supply and demand (with a dash of stereotype, prejudice, and cultural taste thrown in) it's hard to deny the instant impact of an accent in the way you perceive someone.

Being the linguistic voyeur that I am, I'm always cocking an ear for the sounds of a foreign language. Some of my friends have seen me double back on a crowded street to stalk passers-by until I can discern what they're speaking. God help them if they're French; I've ambushed people many a time with a "Pardonne-moi mais est-ce que j'ai entendu du francais?" I do it partly to practice my French, but in large part it's for the novelty, mine and theirs. I've hardly ever gotten anything but a delighted reaction and they've usually conversed at length. I have no shame, here, in the US. Strangely, though, I sense that it would be somewhat less appropriate in France to do the same. The novelty, perhaps, is removed. "So you speak French. You're bloody well IN FRANCE! Get away from me and let me finish buying my baguettes." Coming full circle, however, I would be delighted if some kid came up to me and asked if he heard me speaking English. Well, probably the first few times. I wonder how often Madame Unetelle and her daughter get stopped in Raley's. Somehow I don't think conversing in French carries quite the public magnetism as being a rock star. I figure it's somewhere between wearing a Ren Faire shirt and teaching at the local high school.

Since we're using this as a wiki but also want comments, we're going to start putting "Comments" links at the bottom of our posts. If you have the password, click that link, click "Edit this Page" and drop us a line. (If you need the password, just email us)

Comments

After some anxiety we've finally made the last big single purchase for the trip, Eurail passes. If you're interested in planning your own trip, I recommend checking out Rick's website for a nice overview, then going ahead and ordering from him or from Rail Europe, which we did. Because we're hitting many different countries over the course of six weeks we found that a full 2-month Global Eurail Pass was the no-worries option. As youth (under 26) we're entitled to purchase second-class fares for a reduced rate of $1000. Though the pass doesn't cover us for all the countries we'll be traveling through (Czech Republic and Poland will be bought on a train-by-train basis) it's the easiest way to know that we're covered.

In other news, I still haven't heard back from Sister Dominique, so I might have to call. That oughta be interesting. (French 4 lab practical, ready go!) Also, as this front page was getting rather long, PST has shortened it by removing old entries to a separate page. If you missed the beginning of the saga, you can start there to see where this whole thing came from.

This is partly a practical matter and partly an exercise. Knowing that I'm going to be spending some time in Francophone countries (France, Monaco, Switzerland, and Luxembourg) I'm going out of my way to rap on the sluggish ketchup bottle that is my knowledge of the French language. The below is a letter to Sister Dominique, the head Sister of the Dominican dormitory that I stayed at last time I was in France, asking if PST and I might be able to stay there. If this works it's gonna be a coup. Practically speaking it's a GREAT location, right in the 6th arrondissment, near the Luxembourg Gardens and the Latin Quarter. More on the experiential side, I would be delighted to be able to return to the same place and develop some continuity in a foreign country. Though part of the goal of this trip is to see and experience a great deal, the subtler and more important part for me is to get out of the tourist rut and *experience* Europe rather than just seeing it.

Anyway, the letter. I post this for the same reason that a cat brings you a decapitated mouse. Because I'm proud of it (dirty and disheveled though it may be) and because I like you. Bon appetit!

Cher Soeur Domininique,

(Je suis sur que vous etes toujours en charge; je ne peux pas imagine la centre sans vous!)

Je vous souhaite un bon matin! Je suis ravi d'avoir vous trouver encocore, grace a l'internet et mon memoire faible. Il y a presque trois annees que je suis passe une julliet chez vous en assistant des courses a l'Institut Catholique. J'etais avec une groupe de etudiants des Etats Unis avec Tom Blair et Shelley Vincent et j'ai aime bien la centre et la compagne des soeurs. Merci, encore pour une accueil chaleurex a France et une introduction magnifique a Paris!

Je suis heureux de vous dire que j'ai l'opportunite de retourne en Paris cet ete. Mon frere vien de obtenir son licence universitaire et nous allons faire un sejour en Europe pour fete son succes. (C'est genial, n'est pas? Si vous avez un frere, et vous deux avez acheve vos etudes, qu'est-ce que vous devrez absolumment faire? Oui, voyager en Europe!)

Je voudrais savoir s'il est possible de retourne entre vous (avec mon frere, cette fois) pour deux ou trois soirs au fin de juillet. Je crois que nous allons arriver en Paris vers le 30eme.

Je vous remercie de l'attention que vous avez accordée à ma demande. Dans l'espoir de recevoir bientôt une réponse de votre part, je vous prie d'agréer Ma Soeur, mes meilleures salutations.

Chaleureusement,

PNT

I recently watched a lecture on the dismal failure that is community design in America. James Howard Kunstler gives a powerful and insightful look at "places not worth caring about", and how we come to have so many of them. I heartily agree with many of his concerns and conclusions, and I hope to spend time in Europe grokking what makes spaces alive and worth caring about.

PNT: What I found interesting about Kunstler's indictment of failed [sub]urbanism in the US is that many of the proposed remedies have a very pronounced European feel to them. It seems to me that one of the things that makes Americans abroad so delighted by the architecture and layout of the cities is that we simply don't get it around here. Quaint streets, narrow pedestrian alleys, bustling squares, and quiet courtyards are not attractive because they're merely novel; I think they provide us with something that we're just not GETTING in much of American. Un certain "je ne sais quoi", if you will. No wonder all these new strip malls and housing developments are trying to channel Tuscany or provincial France.

is not

                                                                                                                    (Images courtesy of Valley Commercial Contractors and Nick Hodge.)

During my Washington, DC trip of a few weeks ago (to check out, and eventually accept a place at, Catholic University of America School of Law) I ended up chatting with some folks from the Air Force OSI. OSI's mission is most succinctly described as the Air Force's in-house FBI/CIA/Spooks. They have a much broader mission profile than the larger agencies, and, being small, they operate with a greater degree of independence. Sounds pretty interesting, and only reinforces my interest in some of the spookier careers out there. One of them had a bit of advice for me when I told him that I would be traveling Europe this summer: Take a Standard Form 86 with me and fill it out along the way.

Apparently the US Government is mighty particular about where you've traveled and how you account for your time while abroad if you are interested in working intelligence. SF 86 is the federal standard for reporting this information. So little as a single day or country not disclosed can be grounds for immediate and irrevocable termination of candidacy.

Considering my and my brother's perennial interest with this sort of work, I think it's probably prudent to do exactly as the man says. Plus, once its filled out for this trip and for our previous trips (including Canada, Vatican, British Virgin Islands, and Berkeley) we'll have a complete list of everywhere we've been for ourselves, as well.

Apparently there's a tradition/running joke in Prague that came out of a novel by a famous (though inexplicably lost to history) Czech novelist who once mused that people can be divided into 3 categories:

1) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and think nothing of it

2) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and consider throwing them at passers-by

3) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and actually throw them at passers-by

In honor of this all-encompassing personality test, the Imperial Cafe, an upscale Prague eatery, offers an additional menu item: a plate of rock-hard stale creampuffs and the tacit permission to pelt your fellow patrons. Just remember that in doing so you've not only united the populace against you, you've also armed them.

Also, if you'd like to contact us, you can always email me at pnthomas(at)gmail(dot)com. (Donut story first heard on "Czech Republic: Prague with Samantha Brown" on the Travel Channel.)

Since we are both unabashed geeks, we've decided that a particular obscure village in France must be on our itinerary. It turns out that the eventual birthplace of a certain French captain is in fact a real city and is not too far off our route. La Barre is a tiny village in the Loire Valley between Le Mans and Orleans. Is there actually anything vaguely related there? Probably not, but it's really about the journey, a sentiment I'm sure our good captain would agree with.

Reverend Teri had a magnificent idea for yet another place to stay in Europe: monasteries and convents! It may at first seem like staying with the monks and nuns would cramp your style if you were a twenty-something romping across Europe, but remember: The monks INVENTED beer! Plus, I hear that the monks are known for eating well (The cliche isn't "skinny friar," after all) and they're apt to have a great deal more to tell and share about the area. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Plus, it promises to add a new and interesting dimension to the "Your place or mine?" discussion. (<--- If you are a parent person, I'm only kidding.)

*PS: Apparently the Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre (oh, THAT one) has a retreat house/pilgrims house. Could be interesting!

Living relatively insulated from other countries and other languages, foreign accents have always been kinda neat. A cheery British accent livens up a routine tech support call and an unplacable lilt makes the woman on the bus seem instantly more interesting to talk to. Though I don't want to be called out as the tourist that I am, I am looking forward to having the accent for a change. Even though the "value" of an accent is really just supply and demand (with a dash of stereotype, prejudice, and cultural taste thrown in) it's hard to deny the instant impact of an accent in the way you perceive someone. My particular way of speaking, beneath notice here, is transmogrified by mere distance into something simultaneously an identification, a distinction, an asset, and (unfortunately at times) a liability.

Since we're using this as a wiki but also want comments, we're going to start putting "Comments" links at the bottom of our posts. If you have the password, click that link, click "Edit this Page" and drop us a line. (If you need the password, just email us)

Comments

After some anxiety we've finally made the last big single purchase for the trip, Eurail passes. If you're interested in planning your own trip, I recommend checking out Rick's website for a nice overview, then going ahead and ordering from him or from Rail Europe, which we did. Because we're hitting many different countries over the course of six weeks we found that a full 2-month Global Eurail Pass was the no-worries option. As youth (under 26) we're entitled to purchase second-class fares for a reduced rate of $1000. Though the pass doesn't cover us for all the countries we'll be traveling through (Czech Republic and Poland will be bought on a train-by-train basis) it's the easiest way to know that we're covered.

In other news, I still haven't heard back from Sister Dominique, so I might have to call. That oughta be interesting. (French 4 lab practical, ready go!) Also, as this front page was getting rather long, PST has shortened it by removing old entries to a separate page. If you missed the beginning of the saga, you can start there to see where this whole thing came from.

This is partly a practical matter and partly an exercise. Knowing that I'm going to be spending some time in Francophone countries (France, Monaco, Switzerland, and Luxembourg) I'm going out of my way to rap on the sluggish ketchup bottle that is my knowledge of the French language. The below is a letter to Sister Dominique, the head Sister of the Dominican dormitory that I stayed at last time I was in France, asking if PST and I might be able to stay there. If this works it's gonna be a coup. Practically speaking it's a GREAT location, right in the 6th arrondissment, near the Luxembourg Gardens and the Latin Quarter. More on the experiential side, I would be delighted to be able to return to the same place and develop some continuity in a foreign country. Though part of the goal of this trip is to see and experience a great deal, the subtler and more important part for me is to get out of the tourist rut and *experience* Europe rather than just seeing it.

Anyway, the letter. I post this for the same reason that a cat brings you a decapitated mouse. Because I'm proud of it (dirty and disheveled though it may be) and because I like you. Bon appetit!

Cher Soeur Domininique,

(Je suis sur que vous etes toujours en charge; je ne peux pas imagine la centre sans vous!)

Je vous souhaite un bon matin! Je suis ravi d'avoir vous trouver encocore, grace a l'internet et mon memoire faible. Il y a presque trois annees que je suis passe une julliet chez vous en assistant des courses a l'Institut Catholique. J'etais avec une groupe de etudiants des Etats Unis avec Tom Blair et Shelley Vincent et j'ai aime bien la centre et la compagne des soeurs. Merci, encore pour une accueil chaleurex a France et une introduction magnifique a Paris!

Je suis heureux de vous dire que j'ai l'opportunite de retourne en Paris cet ete. Mon frere vien de obtenir son licence universitaire et nous allons faire un sejour en Europe pour fete son succes. (C'est genial, n'est pas? Si vous avez un frere, et vous deux avez acheve vos etudes, qu'est-ce que vous devrez absolumment faire? Oui, voyager en Europe!)

Je voudrais savoir s'il est possible de retourne entre vous (avec mon frere, cette fois) pour deux ou trois soirs au fin de juillet. Je crois que nous allons arriver en Paris vers le 30eme.

Je vous remercie de l'attention que vous avez accordée à ma demande. Dans l'espoir de recevoir bientôt une réponse de votre part, je vous prie d'agréer Ma Soeur, mes meilleures salutations.

Chaleureusement,

PNT

I recently watched a lecture on the dismal failure that is community design in America. James Howard Kunstler gives a powerful and insightful look at "places not worth caring about", and how we come to have so many of them. I heartily agree with many of his concerns and conclusions, and I hope to spend time in Europe grokking what makes spaces alive and worth caring about.

PNT: What I found interesting about Kunstler's indictment of failed [sub]urbanism in the US is that many of the proposed remedies have a very pronounced European feel to them. It seems to me that one of the things that makes Americans abroad so delighted by the architecture and layout of the cities is that we simply don't get it around here. Quaint streets, narrow pedestrian alleys, bustling squares, and quiet courtyards are not attractive because they're merely novel; I think they provide us with something that we're just not GETTING in much of American. Un certain "je ne sais quoi", if you will. No wonder all these new strip malls and housing developments are trying to channel Tuscany or provincial France.

is not

(Images courtesy of Valley Commercial Contractors and Nick Hodge.)

During my Washington, DC trip of a few weeks ago (to check out, and eventually accept a place at, Catholic University of America School of Law) I ended up chatting with some folks from the Air Force OSI. OSI's mission is most succinctly described as the Air Force's in-house FBI/CIA/Spooks. They have a much broader mission profile than the larger agencies, and, being small, they operate with a greater degree of independence. Sounds pretty interesting, and only reinforces my interest in some of the spookier careers out there. One of them had a bit of advice for me when I told him that I would be traveling Europe this summer: Take a Standard Form 86 with me and fill it out along the way.

Apparently the US Government is mighty particular about where you've traveled and how you account for your time while abroad if you are interested in working intelligence. SF 86 is the federal standard for reporting this information. So little as a single day or country not disclosed can be grounds for immediate and irrevocable termination of candidacy.

Considering my and my brother's perennial interest with this sort of work, I think it's probably prudent to do exactly as the man says. Plus, once its filled out for this trip and for our previous trips (including Canada, Vatican, British Virgin Islands, and Berkeley) we'll have a complete list of everywhere we've been for ourselves, as well.

Apparently there's a tradition/running joke in Prague that came out of a novel by a famous (though inexplicably lost to history) Czech novelist who once mused that people can be divided into 3 categories:

1) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and think nothing of it

2) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and consider throwing them at passers-by

3) Those who would pass by a plate of stale donuts and actually throw them at passers-by

In honor of this all-encompassing personality test, the Imperial Cafe, an upscale Prague eatery, offers an additional menu item: a plate of rock-hard stale creampuffs and the tacit permission to pelt your fellow patrons. Just remember that in doing so you've not only united the populace against you, you've also armed them.

Also, if you'd like to contact us, you can always email me at pnthomas(at)gmail(dot)com. (Donut story first heard on "Czech Republic: Prague with Samantha Brown" on the Travel Channel.)

Since we are both unabashed geeks, we've decided that a particular obscure village in France must be on our itinerary. It turns out that the eventual birthplace of a certain French captain is in fact a real city and is not too far off our route. La Barre is a tiny village in the Loire Valley between Le Mans and Orleans. Is there actually anything vaguely related there? Probably not, but it's really about the journey, a sentiment I'm sure our good captain would agree with.

Reverend Teri had a magnificent idea for yet another place to stay in Europe: monasteries and convents! It may at first seem like staying with the monks and nuns would cramp your style if you were a twenty-something romping across Europe, but remember: The monks INVENTED beer! Plus, I hear that the monks are known for eating well (The cliche isn't "skinny friar," after all) and they're apt to have a great deal more to tell and share about the area. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea. Plus, it promises to add a new and interesting dimension to the "Your place or mine?" discussion. (<--- If you are a parent person, I'm only kidding.)

*PS: Apparently the Basilica of Sacre Coeur de Montmartre (oh, THAT one) has a retreat house/pilgrims house. Could be interesting!

An essential part of going local is knowing how to raise a glass in the proper fashion. Cheers has the local toasts for each of the countries that we're visiting. The title of this post comes from the translation of the rather charming Danish toast, "Bunden i vejret eller resten i håret."

In other news, Patrick and I have hammered out a couple more changes in the schedule. We're stealing a day from Berlin and adding it to Prague (I think we'll have more of interest to us in Prague) and we're also liberating a day from St. Malo and trying to find out where to stick in an R&R day. After all, quaint and historic as St. Malo is, it's 300 square yards of beautiful old city, then 2 miles of Oakland shoreline.

If you want postcards from Europe, send us your address and, if you care, what city you want it from. No promises, but we'll do our best.

First night of the trip has been taken care of! We'll be staying at the Villa Saint Exupery Hostel in Nice. Decided that it was well worth it to know where we were gonna crash at 11:00pm on our first night in Europe. Patrick has been doing a lot of the day-to-day city workups, but has pushed it back to me so that he can concentrate on graduating. I've updated the Nice, Genova, and Vernazza pages, and I'll plow further through over the next few days. Suggestions from all you globetrotters out there on things to do in each of the cities are MORE than welcome! Hit us up on aim, or just log-in if you can get the password from the hint at the bottom of the page.

We've been agonizing over tweaks to the itinerary, such as adding in Kandersteg International Scout Centre and trying to figure out what that bounced out. I'm STILL fiddling with what to do from Paris on into Bretagne and Normandie. I'll be talking to our mutual friend Kat who just returned from her month-long Gallic sojourn. I'm hoping she can jog my memory and add ideas of her own. I feel like a kid in a Very Big Candystore.

Thanks to Patrick's Wiki Fu, we now have an editable Itinerary, accessible via the side bar.

Also, Patrick thinks this map needs more airtime, so he's posting it on the front page.

Trying to make sure we can do Giverny, I ran across a great train->bike route for getting there. Looks like it beats the heck out of a bus, so I created a Paris page and slapped it in there, the first of our Cities pages. I'll create some sort of cities/day-by-day schedule later, but this is a start.

Also, the WikiStyle page is a good quick reference to make the wiki do most common tricks.

As expected, both of our birthday gifts this year had this trip as a focal point. Wicking REI pants and shirt for Patrick, and a travel book, bottle of wine, and Stewart shirt for me. We're not only gonna do this, we're gonna make this *look* good.

Added a To Do page and a Flight Info page.

Currently trying to find a good solution for handling photo dumps, perhaps as large as 100MB at a time, in an orderly and reliable fashion. Of course, gotta buy the camera before then, too.

Patrick is currently hosting the planning materials while we're setting the dates, but you can view the current proposed itinerary and route from his site.

As plans solidify I would ideally like to take advantage of the wiki format of this site by including pages for each city with proposed places to stay, eat, and see, as well as things to do. Then, once we've passed through the city we can update it with what we actually DID do, and add more details.

Other pages that I'd like to include are things like "Restaurants" and "People We've Met." This may or may not work in practice, but the wiki format is so rich in possibilities that it's a shame not to think big. (Contact us if you want the password; we love comments and contributions.)