A brief recap of where I've been the past 2 weeks: flew from Madrid to Copenhagen, train to Hamburg, train to Berlin, train to Prague, train to Budapest, train to Zagreb, train to Split where I am currently writing this. It is not tourist season in Split and it is Sunday so everything is pretty tame and closed. It is kind of nice to have some downtime, even though this is not very exciting it sure is relaxing and I am catching up on sleep without having to worry about train stops.
I plan to post something about each city I've been too with pics and make it look all tidy, but part of this is to communicate with you guys while it is all happening and that defeats the whole purpose. With that said here is a brief recap of the best and worst of the trip so far!
Things I have lost/gotten stolen: Shure earbuds left on plane in Madrid, Microfiber quick drying towel my aunt gave me for xmas - left on Train in Prague, small bottle of very strong Absinthe - left somewhere in Prague hostel after drinking one, Tamrak camera case with SD card reader - left outside the Kafka museum in Prague while busy filming movable penis statues. Also on the worst of list is the fact that about 50 or so pictures from Budapest that I took due to a computer/user error have been deleted forever :( I really loved Budapest and this just gives me another reason to go back however and luckily it was the touristy pics that were lost of the castle, the parliament, St. Mattius church, Chain Bridge, and Danube river. It makes me feel better to get all that shit off my chest, next the outstanding moments of the trip.
Copenhagen - Christiania is a free town that used to be military barracks squatted by hippies about 38 years ago. The Danish government/police do not go in here, Christiania has it's own rules. Beautiful graffiti everywhere and the only things banned are hard drugs, violence, stealing, and picture taking. You can't even find pictures of its main street on the internet -Pusher street. My host let me borrow a bike and I rode all over the city in the snow seeing all the majestic sites of Copenhagen and hanging out with hip hop heads. It has also been a record low temp winter in Europe and the lakes were frozen, allowing us to walk and skate on them all paranoid and high.
Hamburg - Incredible music town! Hamburg really is sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The Germans here were really friendly and keen on leaving me with a positive impression of Hamburg. I hit up one of the most amazing underground hip hop clubs I have ever been to in the world, as well as a great reggae dancehall spot as well. Met some incredible people who keep hip hop more real than a fisherman and was just enthused by the great young music lover/subculture vibe that Hamburg has. Definitely regret not staying one more night to see this J Dilla tribute night with 4 DJs but if you want to see great live music in the world Hamburg should be somewhere near the top given the quality and love of the audience no matter the genre. Also, arguably the best graffiti town in Europe yall! I want to write a lot more about Hamburg, but I will just leave you with this funny story...I get in a cab and give the cabby the address to this underground hip hop club one of my hosts in Copenhagen recommended. He has no idea where it is given it's off the beaten path and has to plug it in the GPS. We drive for a while down some cutty streets and I start seeing ridiculously tight graffiti on both sides of the street - just covered with superhero shit and fantastical scenery! The cabbie is like yeah I don't think we are going to find this place and I smile and say oh it's right by here I can feel it. I'll just get out here. He says I don't think this is a good idea I'm not sure where we are etc. I say fuck off grandpa let me out so I can get some ill pictures of this shit. Sure enough the club was around the corner. <3>
Berlin - Hella snowy and cold while I was there just like the rest of these spots. Went to some crazy underground hip hop venues on the East side in what used to be industrial warehouses that are now all tagged up and filling with underground clubs. Really tight just to see dem youfs take ova a run down mill nah mean? I also went to a crazy restaurant here called Nocti Vagus - by the blind, with the blind, for everyone. This place is crazy! You eat in the absolute darkness, you can't even see your hand in front of your eyes! Your waiter is blind and leads you to your table and shows you where everything is. You order upstairs and then the shit is brought to you. I ordered the chefs surprise menu so I didn't know what I was eating until afterwards which was hella fun. The waiters all walk around making noises, clacking their tongues or singing so they don't run into each other. I was feeling around for the food on my plate with my hand just to make sure I didn't leave any delicious bits behind. The dark really heightened my other senses very noticeably and after getting used to the dark it was quite relaxing, you just have to yell your waiter's name louder than everyone else when you want service! As I realized what I was getting into I told the hostess I needed to smoke a "cigarette" before going in. I rolled it in the toilet real quick and I'm telling you being high in this DARK dining hall waiting for mysterious gourmet plates was like being in an isolation chamber with german ghosts who cook excellent food. I topped off Berlin with a trip to the zoo to visit it's famous "used to be a baby" polar bear, Knut, who although large remains very adorable.
Prague - Fckn Prague is that REALLY REALLY hot girl in high school who has been fucked over by so many dudes (Nazis, Soviets, etc) that she is super tentative to open her heart to anyone again. This is perhaps the most beautiful city in the world and given that it is literally the center of Europe, it has seen some really tough days. The Czechs didn't have their own country until 1989! They were rewarded for kicking out the Nazis finally and having a massive party/orgy, to wake up with a hangover 3 days later to be "liberated" by the USSR. There is still a fear of secret police and invasions that is very pervasive and makes Czech people a bit tentative and cold. Lots of backstabbing and spying going on here even as early as 20 years ago. Once they invite you in their house however, they are very friendly and world class. Czech cuisine is simply outstanding and the best food I had never really tasted before! I went to some crazy clubs here as well, bars inside underground mazes, and a crazy industrial, mechanized, seizure inducing club that I have some great footage of. Also met some great people, picked up a Czech hip hop album and have mouth watering pictures of a city that is masturbatorily worthy. Largest medieval castle in the world yall. The castle district is the size of downtown Portland. Will have to update with pics soon I promise.
Budapest - Man if Budapest is not the best kept secret in the world I can't wait to discover what is! Similar history to Prague but Hungarians are a much warmer people who are not so jaded, granted they may not have gone through as much. I had my first sunny day of this trip in Budapest and was comforted to see no snow on the ground. The Danube used to separate the cities of Buda and Pest until they were finally united. Buda is statuesque with hills and castles and monuments (pictures we won't get to see unfortunately), and Pest is a bustling metropolitan hub now. Hungarians are a very proud people and love to boast, with good reason I guess. They invented the ball point pen, the robot, MS Word, have the oldest subway in continental Europe, etc. Budapest is cheap as hell and has great nightlife. Crazy underground clubs, rooftop bars, lots of dancing and partying, lots of young kids, great live music. Budapest probably had the best nightlife since I've left Madrid or Hamburg...it's really close, but Budapest is way cheaper and Hungarians are much better looking than Germans over all. In fact I learned that Hungarian women have a reputation as the most beautiful on the continent, especially in Hungary. After a very long day and night I woke up super late with the worst hangover I've had so far and headed to the Turkish baths. You see the natural blessing of Budapest is that there are 192 thermal streams right there! Even the ducks have thermal water in their ponds! I went to a ridiculously nice bath with about 10 pools, 3 of them outdoor and huge! I have great pictures of them which I again will post, but it felt so good to be in the thermal water that I spent pretty much all day there healing. I left my sneakers by the pool and I swear they were healed too - all clean and comfy and shit again! They had pools that swirled in circles, pools that bubbled under your butt for massage, pools with high water pressure falls to massage your head, neck, and back. I could go there everyday and enjoy my life. They also play chess while in the pool and I was stoked to meet a couchsurfer there. Balazs was a goofy ass Hungarian who seemed really good natured but quirky. His CS profile confirms that with positive and negative reviews. I beat him at chess which pretty much left me elated to enjoy the baths. Oh I also smoked a stupendous joint in the baths, there's hella steam rising up so I just kept it moving in the middle yall! Really loved Budapest and will keep an eye for cheap flights here for a long time I presume.
Split - I had to leave Budapest at 6 am to catch a train to Zagreb, Croatia. Therefore I partied all night in Budapest and was hurting/sleeping on the train. This was not really a problem anywhere else in Europe, but entering Croatia, there were a line of cops knocking on my sleep cabin in the train. I woke up frazzled and first showed my ticket, then they asked for my passport (a first this trip I must add), then they asked me if I had anything to declare for customs - I was like are you serious? When did we leave Europe? The weed and hash was burning a hole in my pocket but I just told the bitch I had bought some t shirts in Germany and she was free to go through my bags if she wanted. They left me alone and once in Zagreb I caught another train to the coastal city of Split where I am now. Split is a very small town without much culture. It is famous for its azure coasts and dirt cheapness as well as the Roman Emperor Dicolecian who built a palace here to retire to essentially. That is in the center of town, "old town" and is surrounded by little markets and pubs. It is kind of cool to see the Roman ruins and the narrow streets where people still live. I got here really late Saturday night so I passed out and needed sleep. Today Sunday I just walked around, checked out the beach and the palace. It is low season so things are cheap but it is kind of cold and there are not too many people out. Also everything is closed because it is Sunday so I am taking the time to write this to say what up to you guys, my fckn N19945! I'm going to go hit up a pub and go put one in the air on the beach to see if there are any late night shananigans. It is not a very exciting place this time of year, but the relaxation and catching up on sleep has been crucial after being overstimulated all over Central Europe.
Tomorrow I rent a car and drive up to see one of the natural wonders of Croatia the Pilvitzche lakes which are gorgeous, then drive back down through Split and along the coast on a windy road towards Dubrovnik in the south. I have to drive through Bosnia Herzegovina where I will most likely have to flash my passport/anus but it should be all good and well worth it if it is really supposed to be sunny and warm tomorrow. From Dubrovnik I will catch a ferry to Italy, then a train to Rome where I will stay with my cousin, who supposedly lives in a castle, Po!
I miss you all very much and hope you are off to a good start in the New Year. Wish you all were here to tug on my weener a little bit, haven't had sex in sOOO long yall! I'm looking forward to seeing all you guys and having a pat farty when I get back!
PS - tell Dan Fowdy to stop tweeting me everyday!
