Forwarding Web Address

All further adventures will be posted here:

http://theholesofmysoles.blogspot.com/

I Need A Facelift

Man, I really have not done anything with this site in so long. However, I think that needs to change. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last year travelling to many different places, so I’ve got no excuse to not have some material on here. I just need to figure out what exactly is my goal here with this space. At first, it was just to share some short blurbs about places and some photos of those places. But now, I feel like I should offer a bit more information from all my experiences. So, I’d like to make this into more of an ‘official’ source of travel information with useful tips and also recommendations on places to stay and see for the budget traveller. Something else I’d love to see happen is interviews of other travellers and affiliates, plus some contributing articles.

I’ll be expatriating myself next month to Germany. And I am planning many many more trips during that time, so there should be a zug full of things to share here.

Stay tuned!

-Jason

Oui Paris

From London to Paris we reserved seats on the Eurostar. It was a very fast and comfortable ride. Around 2 1/2 hours later we arrived in Paris. I have to say, it was a very beautiful city, for as much as we saw. We really only walked around and visited more everyday life on the streets than we went to anywhere touristy, except for the Louvre. Again, only one day in night in Paris, so not too much time. We did attempt to take the train to the Eiffel Tower, but weren’t aware that the train basically didn’t run as late as we thought it would, so we went back to the hotel and chilled out.

London Calling

An excellent and cost effective way to start out any Euro trip would be to fly into Heathrow Airport, just outside of London, England.

Airfares out of the US tend to be cheaper if flying directly to London as opposed to Paris or Berlin.You can then hit the English ground running with a quick and easy ride on The Tube straight into London.

St. Pancras station is a gorgeous new station conveniently located close to many sites of interest, either by a quick hop back on The Tube or a leisurely stroll. You can also catch The Eurostar to destinations on mainland Europe, including Brussels and Paris.

There are several budget stays right near the St. Pancras station, which comes in handy if you need to catch that early train. Try St. Pancras Youth Hostel or Journey’s Kings Cross.

Word of advice if you do make London your first stop, DON’T OVERSPEND! Given the exchange rate between the British Pound and the US Dollar, it can happen very quickly. To save some precious coinage, skip The Tube and walk. And do you really need that Kate and Will china plate?

(Also, don’t forget your umbrella!)

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It’s Been Awhile

I’ve been travelling. And well, haven’t exactly been keeping this blog up to date. So, I’m going to make more of an effort to do that now. (Being unemployed at the moment helps.) I spent a month travelling through the U.S. on the Amtrak, so I’ll post about that. Also, just got back from a 2 month Euro trip, so I got to get up some stuff on that as well. Maybe some practical tips, but definitely some pics.

Snoqualmie – On the line- Snoqualmie Any, Any, Anytime -Snoqualmie!

Please forgive me for the Blondie inspired headline, I couldn’t resist. I haven’t posted in awhile. I’ve been meaning to put up some picks from Snoqualmie Falls. So, here they are.

Fire Walk With Me

Spent a few days hanging out in western Washington state. We happened  to be in the area of North Bend, where the Twin Peaks television show was filmed. And we even ate at Norma’s place.

Damn good cup of coffee.

Ye, Tho I Walk Through the Valley of Death

Walking With A Ghost – town.

Our next stop on the way to Death Valley was the Rhyolite ghost town located in Nye County, Nevada. (I know you have the Bill Nye the Science Guy theme song in your head.) Shake it out. Good.

This place had to be happening during it’s heyday. Gambling! Whores! Booze! Just like grandma’s!

Dreaming of Vegas

Before we left the Grand Canyon for Las Vegas, I told Scott that I had a dream that we actually drove to Italy where I was winning money on a slot machine. So, I told him when we get to Vegas I have to find either an Italian themed slot machine or we have to play in one of the Italian themed casinos. Turns out it was an Italian themed slot machine, on Fremont  Street, called Mt. Vesuvius that was my golden ticket. Even though it was only a penny slot, I still walked away with at least $60. Plus, I won a few extra dollars on roulette and video black jack, so Mistress Luck was definitely putting out for me this day.

I’ve been to Vegas before. I don’t hate it. I don’t love it either. It always seems to have a really stank smell outside. Maneuvering through the throngs of drunks and immigrants in girls, girls, girls t-shirts, gets annoying after awhile. But it will be nice when they finish construction on the new complexes and build more walkway bridges over Las Vegas Blvd.

The housing market downturn was very noticeable here. Several blocks of the blvd. were packed with people living a tent city. And I don’t think these people are just the normal wanderers and vagabonds. I think many of these people may have had jobs and homes up until a few months ago. It is always very sad to see this. We have it here around LA too, but it seems to be kept further out of sight. I keep these people in my thoughts and hope that they can get back onto their feet soon.