Chapter 14 "La Piatta"

They pretty much only have two dishes in Italy. Yep, you guessed it, pizza and pasta. Way to go Mario. However just a quick note on how they have perfected the pizza. As you might have thought, yes it is the best you can get. It is beyond any pizza I have ever tasted before. Of course what you can get on it is the same, yet things like olives they put on whole, not sliced. One thing I found very interesting and amazing at the same time is how they sell it. Pizza is not sold by the slice, but by the weight of it. An average cost for a pizza from what I've found is 10-15 euroes a kg. Its absolutely amazing. Just like everywhere else in the world, the more toppings you get, the more it costs. This just seems fair though because you are literally paying for what you get, not paying some pre-determined price based on how popular the item is. So that's it, I love it. Buying pizza by weight. We should all learn a lesson from this.

Chapter 13 "Belgium"

Ah, the Belgium blondes. Nothing tastes sweeter in your mouth then a blonde after a long day. Just goes down real smooth and completely relaxes ya. Mmmm, probably the best beers out of Belgium. Belgium is a quaint, homely place. I visited Brussels to try some mussels and to find out info on the brussel sprout and why kids hate it so much. I don't think the locals took too kindly to my jokes as they replied harshly in what might have been Flemish (though it could have been giberish for all I know.)

Brussels underachieved in my eyes. I thought it would have been awesome, but it had too many "corporate" buildings which withdrew from the older, historical European ones. Construction was EVERYWHERE. I wondered why so many projects had been started without the other ones not even being finished. Maybe I was unlucky in my time of visit. It also didn't have enough pubs for a place known for it's beers. Pretty much Brussels is a square with nice old buildings and a statue of a boy peeing. So if you ever make it there, take a train quickly to Bruggé.

Bruggé is wicked. A lot smaller then Brussels, but more pubs and awesome sights and people. I stumbled upon a church in one of the main areas and upon entering was invited to a ceremony with which you re-inacted something to do with Jesus Christs blood. What an awkward moment that was in my life. I'd rather be caught with my pants down then have this happen again. I mean, how do you say no to a couple of Flemish nuns? I had to hold my laughter in as they did the show with tourists playing parts and some preist walking around collecting "donations" for the church. I think I screwed them over though by just taking off in the middle of it.
Anyways, Bruggé is lovely. Once again has a river that runs through it on which you can do boat tours. Check out the oldest pub in Belgium, 1515. Pretty neat to still sit there 500 years later. There's micro breweries to check out also and awesome historical architecture. My recommendation would be to stuff your face with chocolate and drink a lot of beer.

Chapter 12 "Zurich"

Zurich is a pretty chilling place to be. For all those footie fans out there, it's the home to FIFA (yep, the place where Italy bought the 2006 world cup.) Not a huge city, but it has a lot of really nice places. I spent most of my days lying in a park admiring the swiss alps in the background. A huge university overlooks the city a top a hill (hefty walk to the top also.) Once again, like most cities, there is a river that runs through it. If you go down to the harbourfront, you can join the locals on a hot summers day and bridge jump into the water. Definately recommend that! Zurich is also the best place to buy a swiss army knife. Very cheap ($20) and they are always usefull.
Overall, Zurich is definately worth a stop. A train through the swiss alps is worth a trip in itself(tip to tip $80). Definately one of the most beautiful countries in Europe, no matter how expensive.

Chapter 11 "Bern baby Bern! Bern!"

Well, whats there to say about Bern. Most people I met in Bern were there simply on their way to Interlaken. Very nice athestically, but not a whole lot to do. A river runs through Bern and you may swim in it. If you head up river, you jump in, follow the current through the town and further down there are about 12 ladders where you grab on to pull yourself up. The fun comes from repeating this several times. Just dont miss the ladders as you are probably likely to die.
A main street divides Bern on which the house where Einstein lived while developing his theory of relativity. $4 gets ya a tour, worth it I think. In the middle of this road are statues, each one different and very interesting to look at. Ranging from animals to humans in various scenarios. At the end of the street there lies a clock where every hour, crowds of tourists gather around to watch the show it puts on. Little men ringing bells cuckoo clock style. But other then that, Berns a pretty simple, quiet city.

Chapter 10 "Geneve"

Geneve is gorgeous. I've said that about a lot of cities now, but it always rings true. Extremely close to the French border, parts of the city actually sit in both France and Switzerland.
Home to the United Nations and many other international organizations, it seems about 50%, or even more, of the cities population (178 000) are from abroad. The city is split, much like Luxembourg, between old and new. It's characteristically divided by the beautiful "Rade de Geneve" and defined by the "Jet D'eau." One of the most beautiful cities I have seen thus far, but don't be fooled, it is also one of the most expensive. I bought a burger and a pint, and it cost me $30! Foreign and private banks litter the streets so don't expect to spend less then $60 a day to live here and enjoy the place. With that said, it's a small enough place that you'll only need a couple of days to see the city, and it is certainly worth it.

On another note, I was here to watch the Switzerland V. Korea game that would decide who went to the next round winners of their group above France. Of course now, we all know what has transpired with France being in the finals and like a bad fairytale, playing against Italy. But at the time, the city went manic! They had a giant screen in the "plaine de plainpalais" and literally every swiss fan must have been there. All 50 of them. Actually it was more like in the thousands. Media coverage, $3 beers, and one hell of a huge party was in order. Philip Senderos (fellow Goona) headed in a nice "bloody" goal and it was insane. You think they might have won the tourney but it was just qualifying for the next round. I guess with a small team like the swiss, you take the opportunity to celebrate when you can.

Overall, Geneve is a wiced place to be. Just taking the train across Switzerland is worth it in itself, but that's another story . . . .

Chapter 9 "Gay Paris"

Ok. First off before I get into anything about this city, what's with all the HUGE dog shit and such tiny bloody dogs! Seriously, it's everywhere. It completely blew my mind the lack of a pooper-scooper program. You'd think in the city of love, it might be a little more pleasent to sit in a park with some crackers, wine and cheese, but nope, don't sit down too quickly. Anyways, on to the real part.

Paris is an absolutely grogeous city. (well apart from the dog shit and traces of urine.) I would spend at least 4 days in Paris. Yet an avid art lover could spend that easily in the Louvre. There is so much culture, history and simply interesting things to do. From the gigantic falic symbol "Le Tour Eiffel" (which of course, isn't as big as the Canadian one. Never is, is it?) to the small cafes filled with crepes and baguettes. This city is phenomenal. It has the party, the love, the culture, the art and the atmosphere. I personally read the Da Vinci Code while I was there, so I made my own movie as I attended all the sites mentioned in the book. Quite an addicting way to read actually. Can't wait to go to Vatican City and check that out.
There are endless things to do in Paris. Despite its reputation, it is not a very expensive city to function in either. The double spires of the Notre Dame, symbolic art that graces the many cathedrals, Napoleans victory trophy the Arc de Triomphe and many more. There are just so many thing to see and do, that it is hard to try to name them all.

However, after saying all that, I found it very hard to function as an English speaking person. Now "J'aime les francais" but the people I met there were so unkind, quite bluntly, they were assholes. You think they might be a little more hospitable as France is the most touristed European city. They would complain that you don't know French, but at the same time when you attempted it and screwed up, they laughed. Not too much motivation to learn a dying language, hahaha just kidding. But seriously, I understand now more then ever, how fortunate an English speaking person is. Because of our own ignorance to other languages, we have forced people to learn ours, in order to further themselves in the world and at no cost to us. I wish I learnt more languages, but basically French class in school was an extra spare. If I had known the importance of learning 2,3 or even 4 languages, I would have started even earlier. Now I speak very little French, basics to get ya by, but whatever happened to "give it your best shot!" or "at least you tried!" What a load of bollocks that is! Fluff me up the bum a little more. I was even on of the ones who wanted Quebec to stay!

All in all, Paris is amazing. No hard feelings :)

Chapter 8 "Hidden Gems"

Luxembourg. The country where it's so small on a map, the name of the country can't even fit within it. Right about now your probably wondering, what the hell is in Luxembourg? Well, that's basically what drove me to visit it. I had no clue about anything in Luxembourg. For the longest time, I though maybe it was just a part of another country. Man, was I surprised. I spent a whopping 24 hours there, but that doesn't take away from what I saw. It has the most beautiful foliage around a city that I have seen. An avid hiker or outdoorsman would love this place.
There's two parts to Luxembourg city, a new part and an old part. The new part is very lively and modern, it houses 180 banks for a population of about 1 million. To shop is extremely rich, and most things you don't need unless owning 40 designer handbags turns you on. I guess when your intelligence lands you 40 handbags, you say things like "I like them to have one handbag for each week of the year." Well that's all fine and dandy if we only had 9 months in a year!
Then there is the old part. Clearly the old part is what attracts tourists, or at least it should. (Without mention to the rich bankers and their wives with one-a-week handbags.) It dates back to 963 AD when it was built. They even have a map in stone around the city where Canada isn't even on it! Oh, I forgot to mention, the old part, is ONE BIG CASTLE! Its so amazing. Surrounded by a lovely moat with about 2 or 3 bridges connecting it. Around every corner is a National Geographic photo opportunity. I would definately classify it as one of Europes hidden gems. The economy flourishes and keeps the city alive with its numerous bankers, which in turn, allows for the maintenance and upkeep of the old part. It won't take long to see the sites, but if your in the area it is definately worth checking out. Such an amazing city, and nothing bad to note.