Field Trip City

Happy New Year. Some notes on Europe (pictures and videos are on my Facebook profile):

I love Andrea. A lot. I missed her immeasurably. Being with her again felt so terrific and so comfortable, like the hand and arm I was holding though the streets of foreign cities were appendages I'd had reattached.

The trip was stressful, which is to be expected if you're traveling pretty constantly with a group of people set on doing different things. And aside for a couple of days spent with Nick before he and his girlfriend went their own way, I traveled with 5-6 women over the course of the trip. Now, I love women and have endless respect for them. But such a long period of time without a little testosterone to draw from externally can drive a guy nuts. There were a few moments when I wished that Andrea and I were completely alone. But hey, I'm sure most of the others felt the same way. These things have to be put into perspective.

I will never look at Canadian streets and drivers the same way again. Streets are completely chaotic over there, especially in Amsterdam - if you aren't dodging cars, you're throwing yourself out of the way of trams and the thousands of bicycles and scooters as they fight for spaces much narrower than what we're used to. I can't figure out why anyone would subject themselves to motorized traveling there.

You can still feel the war in Berlin. I only spent a few days there, so I can't relate to Andrea's ability to overcome the culture shock, but there's still a violence hanging in the air. Graffiti graces many available surfaces and every square inch of public transit windows. The entire city smells like meat. Firecrackers periodically explode in the street bringing to mind the ghosts of old gunshots. Buildings still sit unrestored after bombing and firearm attacks, and memorials for victims of fascism sprawl for blocks. That said, there is a lot of beauty in the city's architecture and sculpture. We climbed to the top of the Berliner Dom, saw fish (and octopi) at the Aqua Dom, toured Checkpoint Charlie and of course went nuts in the streets on New Year's Eve. The Filmmuseum was incredible and featured an amazing exhibit on Dietrich that I'd been looking forward to seeing for months - her costumes, letter, home movies, pictures, props, film clips... unbelievable stuff. I was unable to comprehend the mechanics of drinking cheap liquor as freely and out in the open as Berlin citizens do. You can drink beer on the subway after buying it at a McDonald's in the station. The streets looked like an apocalypse had occurred after dawn approached on New Year's Day.

I've never enjoyed an overnight stay more than I did at A Taste of Belgium, a bed and breakfast operated by a family in the north of Brussels, brief though it was. Comfort all the way and run by really nice people. We didn't have a whole lot of time to explore, but our night was interesting nonetheless as we searched out the statues of pissing mannequins, ate Thai food, drank beer and ate chocolate before attempting to find our way home after boarding the last tram of the night.

Amsterdam is everything they say it is. Lots of sex, lots of drugs, lots of stories. After checking in at the Bulldog hostel, we went on a walking tour that gave a history of the city's different ages. It fascinates me how closely intertwined religion and sexuality are in the city. Houses of women of faith are a few steps from a coffeeshop where you can get fucked up. Mostly nude women seduce people from windows a block away from a church erected to ease the consciences of sailors. It was getting cold, so we went back to the hostel to settle in before seeking out cannabis sold in the form of food. We found it at Coffeeshop de Tweede Kamer. Space Cakes for five euros. We scarfed them down, ate dinner at a pancake house, and went back to the Bulldog to trip off our asses. It was like watching a kaleidoscope of a bunch of Smurfs cartoons playing simultaneously. Animations bleeding into one another at an incredible rate. I'd never experience anything like it. We slept for half a day before we could get it together enough to check out. On our last day, we shopped a bit and went to the Andy Warhol multimedia exhibit at the Stedelijk museum. We didn't have much time, but I didn't want to pass up the opportunity of seeing his work firsthand. It was worth it.

Lots of seat-hopping on the Eurail over the course of the trip as we'd often sit in reserved seats by accident. I watched the sun set and rise again over the Belgian countryside.

I'd forgotten what flying was like. Being above the clouds on a grey day and realizing that it's actually sunny if you head high enough. Seeing the lights on the British Isles for the first time blew me away. They looked like orange spiderwebs separated by great gulfs of shadow, the moon casting momentary reflections off the silken material of the water. The nervousness of being airborne had utterly disappeared by the time I touched back down in Toronto.

I had a strange feeling getting back to the city. It felt more like home than it ever has. I felt as if I recognized the streets and no longer felt like an outsider. I don't feel as intimidated by things as I did before I left.

I also feel as if the entirety of last semester has been a dream. I'm sure the essay I have yet to finish will snap me back to reality very soon.