A Bug...

I swallowed a bug today and not just a nat or a fly, this monster was a voting member of the neo-conservative party. What makes it worse is that I even saw it coming. I was sitting outside a cafe in Amsterdam reading this book about about the Green Zone and just embracing all the pot smoking that was going on aroundme but I was ready to go. You know how you get; you ready to go so you start fussing with stuff and drinking a bit faster.....

Well, I safely placed the book back into my backpack and lifted the beer for one last gulp....at the last second I looked at the contents coming my way and sure enough there was a moth doing the backstroke...anyway, its over now.

The Hookup That Wasn't...

During my brief stay in Budapest last week I met this nice American boy that piqued my interest. Both being from Indiana; both being current and/or former government employees; both DC residents; both living in foreign lands; and both "recovering" from the dissolution of long-term relationship had enough in common to hold a conversation. Not only that, he is pretty intelligent, disciplined, determined and confident - all characteristics I admire. After a fun night of drinking, laughing, and chatting with others in the group we decided to meet up a couple days later for some sight-seeing which was a lot of fun as well and it was a good feeling and after a bit of persuading I convinced him to let me visit him in Frankfurt on my way to Amsterdam.

No seedy details to report but in short, it was a fantastic trip. I keep telling myself that it didn't turn out the way I wanted it too, but actually it did. I wasn't looking for love or a hook-up, I was seeking that sort of connection you get from someone you are comfortable with someone you can sit in a room in complete silence and you just get it. We weren't prefect matches by any stretch of the term but we clicked and that was cool.

As I sit in the airport now waiting for my next flight and all the excitement of the visit is beginning to subside, I am replaying the entire experience in my head to try to figure out what I learned about myself from the experience:

1. I am a lot smarter than I give myself credit. The world is full of intellectual people that don't shit. However, I'll sit quietly while they pontificate but be warned morons - I know your secret.
2. I pick friends very well though I am less successful when it comes to partners. When I make friends I have a take me or leave me attitude but when I meet potential partners I find that I try to become what I think they want and I end up a mess.
3. I'm far more interesting that most people. This sounds arrogant, but in my head I have always seen myself as a small-town simpleton but as I travel the world I realize that I have far more depth to personality and character that others.
4. I LOVE people. Whether it be new friends, old friends, family, or even strangers on the metro, I thrive in a world where I have constant interaction.

Ok, plane is boarding I got to go.

Thank you E!

Prague...

This is the museum near the center of the city. I didn't actually tour the building I used it more as a guide when I became lost. If your standing on the steps in the front looking down you are looking at the town center and tourist grand central.

Here is the clock tower which is pretty cool. On the hour all those gadgets start to move and grind. Myself I was more impressed with the center dials.

You know you are a metropolitan European city when you have a Sex Machine Museum right next to one of the oldest churches in Europe. Oh, those Czechs do it right!

And for fun, here are bunch of other pictures that I took. I didn't have time to do any editing or cropping, but at this pace I won't have that much time until I'm back in the states sometime next year.

Germany...

I remember when I was planning this Euro trip a good friend mentioned that if I stayed in Germany more than one day then it was too long - well I disagree. So far I have been to Chemnitz, Dresden, Germany, Munich and tomorrow I'll headed to Frankfurt for a few days and I have been nothing short of amazed by this country. It is beautiful!

Berlin...

After a bit of arm twisting Sophie and Anne convinced me to put off Prague for a few days and make a trip up to Berlin before heading to the Czech Republic. I am so glad that she did, it was one of the most amazing cities that I have been too. What was most impressive was that they did not hide from their past; Nazi or Cold War. Instead they put it right out there for everyone to see, discuss, and learn from. I took several pictures, about 200 total, but the ones below are my favorite. I hope you enjoy.

Nothing to this picture really, I just like how it turned out.

What's your sign? As you can see I'm in the bottom right hand corner; can you figure out where your hate symbol is?

I'm guessing this is some sort of German house alarm system. I'm not sure if the cat has something going on with the dog, but the thing looks suspect.

This is "Checkpoint Charlie" where allied forces and diplomatic personnel were allowed to move freely between East and West Berlin. The link is pretty interesting if your into cold war history.

Budapest Destiny (Besheret)...

I met a pretty cool guy here in Budapest over this past weekend and even though I'm old enough and wise enough to know that it was just a vacation boy crush I did enjoy the "what if?" feelings such as: what if we lived closer; what if we met sooner; what if we both wanted kids (that's for you E). And even though I know the answer to all the questions it was fun have those feelings and the nervousness and jitters that come along with hoping that someone thinks your as cool as you think they are.

Putting the school kid crush aside, it was a affirmation that I am growing through a pretty difficult time in my life. When asked rather bluntly whether I seriously thought that M and I would get back together when I return from Iraq I could honestly say no. I'd like to say it was a sobering reality, but it wasn't; it was something I knew back in December but just hid from.

So, here is to E who I am pretty sure is sitting in Frankfurt reading this thinking "what the fuck did I step into?".

Gay Pride, Hungarian Style...

By complete coincidence I stumbled across Budapest's gay pride parade this past weekend. I have been to several city-wide marches in my day as well as the national events in Washington DC, but nothing prepared me for this one.

The night before I met a group of fellow Americans at a local drinking hole and we discussed meeting up and enjoying the celebration the next day. There was some talk about it not being all that welcome here in Budapest but being from the States we were no stranger to a few protesters - we were in for a big surprise.

As you are leafing through the slide show pay close attention the the number of police officers protecting the marchers as well as the number of protesters - for quick reference; all the people you see dressed in non-police attire are protesters.

Whats your sign???

Berlin was far more interesting that I could have imagined. In my mind I assumed that most Germans, especially the government, would want to put the its communistic history, the war and the Berlin wall behind them but that wasn't the case.

Ok, tired for an hour now to upload some pics, but the internet here is extremely slow. I will try to upload an album at a cafe later today.

Peace on Earth...

Yes folks, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a beer vending machine - enough said!