Markus and Brian's Excellent European Adventure

E-see ah Paari

I'll rush to get this entry out before Markus finishes his, but it might be hard; he's drinking like crazy and types much faster with some nice 1-Euro Jupiter beers in him. (Well, he could be slowed down by the two women on his legs; Mikey, you're right, he's a terrible influence.)

I'm starting to realize just how long 3 months is. Whenever we talk about our trip to fellow travellers, they always balk. "Three months! Wow! We're only here for a few weeks. What a long time! How can you afford it?" (Supermarket meals and black-market kidney sales.) "Where are you going?" (Everywhere and anywhere.) "Won't you miss people back home?" (...Yes.)

I never really considered just what my reasons and goals for backpacking Europe were before I left. I just always figured it'd be an amazing experience, and I had to do it for personal self-growth, but now that I'm here I really need to sit down and figure out just what I'm hoping to get out of it. And part of that realization, and the homesickness, is thinking that what I'm getting out of this trip will be outweighed, at some point down the road, by an overwhelming desire to experience my time at home. I know that time won't come anytime too soon, but it may come sooner than I'm expecting. I'm sure I'll get over this initial homesickness, too.

Well, one very interesting thing we did last night was stop in a little bar on our way to the Fuse nightclub. This place was amazing. First we're travelling down a dark, narrow street surrounded by tall buildings hundreds of years old, dodging the occasional car as it bounces down the cobblestone road glistened by rain. Then we turn into this odd-looking bar on a whim. The bar was amazing; very dark, some coloured lighting, filled with tons of knick-knacks collected over the years (and none of that catalog-ordered 'ambiance' you find so much of in Canada, I'm guessing). [Ed note: He's becoming a European snob already!] We ordered some drinks and explored. Very low ceilings, very small place, but packed with young locals. We ventured upstairs a narrow, wooden spiral staircase to several couch-filled areas. The walls were covered with all sorts of portraits and Impressionist-style paintings. One couch area in the back had a young couple just lounging together in the dark red light on a curved couch. We headed up another half-level (there was so little rhyme or reason to the layout in this dark place) and just had a drink in the most relaxed area we could find. Granted, lots of smoke (everyone in Europe smokes), but the haze only added to the mystique. It struck me as the perfect, most genuine place for a romantic date.

Anyway, Markus will cover the rest in his inimitable crazy German style. Enjoy.