Lè Well Worn Map

The back left pocket of my of jeans has been reserved for one thing and one thing only this whole trip: maps. Sometimes I have more than one per city: for the city itself, museums, walking tours, etc. But that's the map pocket. I learned early on that if I try and switch up the different pocket designations I start frantically slapping different pockets looking for the familiar feel of my wallet or camera. So that's the map pocket.

Usually by the time I leave a city, the city map is getting pretty worn. Kinda breakin' apart at the folds and all. Some more than others, depending on how many times I had to open it. By the time I got on chunnel to London, my Paris map looked like a paper Chinese puzzle. If I tried to open it up, different flaps would fold this way and that, and it's now almost completely fallen apart. There's no way I could look at this in the wind- little squares of Paris would just fly away. This is just a small testament to how much I was out and around in Paris in July, in this city that I love so much. Let's go: (btw- I kinda went picture and video crazy here this time...)

So I took the subway to next the Louvre ...and stepped out of the tunnel and.....a fair!



Here's the Orsay museum. I loved so much art in here. But here's the coolest thing about the Orsay: it was originally Paris' first train station. You can totally see that here.



My host, Cedric, and I, we went to a club the first night to see one of his fav bands- Megasushi. That's his friend on bass. This lead singer- he's a doctor. Like a doctor doctor. And- he's a freakin rock star. If this guy gets a break, he'll be the next Mick Jagger, no doubt. I bought the CD.



Getcha some Megasushi!



In the Louvre! I think my favourite thing was the Venus di Milo. You could walk all the way around it, get real close, and also just enjoy watching the mob surrounding it. It really is a breathtaking work of art.



Spoiler Alert: Here's the Mona Lisa. Now you don't have to wait forever to see it!



Check out the paparazzi surrounding this thing- this is only about one third of the people crowded around it.



I know how this guy feels sometimes.



Check out that fair next to the Louvre! Paris in the summer, baby! Also, I think not a coincidence that those wooden things holding the flowers look like little Eiffel Towers...



One of many, many pictures I took of Notre Dame.



Classic french waiters.



Here's something you didn't know about Paris:



Cedric, Raquel and I went out for Chinese food in Paris. (Yeah, I know, real authentic). But I guess this restaurant is in Cedric's family. Here, I'm holding my dessert. Yeah, I don't know. Tasted ok, I think that was coconut milk- but those green slimey things, ugh, what a weird texture.



Here's a cool street musician, doin' his thang. "Merci!!"



Check out this street performer. To entertain the people (including myself) waiting over an hour to get up to the towers of Nortre Dame, this guy was just walking around scaring people on the street and then making then laugh a second later. Classic.



In action:



Bosom buddies!



The Bells of Notre Dame!



So many gargoyles on Notre Dame's towers. This one's using the Eiffel Tower as a toothpick.



More street performers! This grandpa was busting a move.



Enjoy some of "Papy Dance".



In fact, let's all Papy Dance together. Go ahead - get up out of your chair and dance with me! Do it! If you were there, you know you'd want to join in too! Dance with me!



Where Hemingway wrote a lot of "A Farewell to Arms". Picasso ate here frequently too. The wait staff inside was grabbing my arm and dragging me around to where they all sat when they dined here.



On my walk around the Left Bank, I came across Oscar Wilde's hotel - the one in which he passed away. Apparently his last words were "Either this wallpaper goes, or I do." I guess they must have taken his advice - because this place is el-e-gant.



In Luxemborg Garden. Ok- see the guy with the crazy cool mustache? This guy's a fugitive somewhere. This is the only picture I was able to get of him- cause he wasn't prepared for it. After this one, he would duck away and hide and was making it really obvious he was trying to hide from my lense.



See? I'm gonna run this guy through international terrorist databases.



Across from Notre Dame at night - the Seine river.



How beautiful is Paris at night...



I loved how this train station was so green. Like right out of The Matrix.



The Arc Di Triumph. One of many pictures.



Across the street from the Arc:



I formed a band in Paris. The CouchSurfers. This was our first gig. It was on Cedric's couch, and no one came, and we had no orginal songs, and my guitar wasn't plugged in, and neither was Cedric's blender, but we pretty much rocked the house till the cops came and then trashed the room like true rock stars.



There's a temporary (I hope) exhibition on the Eiffel Tower. These stars represent the European Union (it's on the EU flag).



Hey, if the Hulk sneezes, you help him out.



Doesn't this shrub look like a Hershey's kiss? Btw, Raqeul had never heard of Hershey's. Lunacy.



Walking to Luxemborg Garden.



In Luxenmborg garden. The band goes on tour.



Moulin Rouge. Scandalous and expensive, but such a Parisan landmark. SO many people taking pictures here.



A Big News update:



Sometimes you can find ice cream in the shape of famous Parisian landmarks!



Just imagine the music from Home Alone where they are rushing to the airport here:



Here's the Arc di Triumph being coy and hiding behind trees.



In the train station on the way home:



Jumping with Cedric at the Place St. Michel. Hemingway wrote around here. I jump.




Store windows with jumping pics!!!



I'd be jumping for joy to if I had white pants. (Not really.)



Are there anything more awesome than dogs?



I introduced Cedric and Raquel to the finest cuisine in the world. They are coming to CA in October, and I'm totally taking them there for their first In-N-Out! (btw- notice Raquel shopping for purses online, hahaha)



Cedric and Raquel ask every couchsurfer to draw or write something in their bathroom. Notice the In-N-Out sign, and the baseball flying out of San Francisco- where the Dodger's just hit a grand slam into the bay to clinch the pennet against the lowly Giants.



I made Thai food for dinner. And then we played a two-man encore for no one.



Taking off for London. Man, these backpacks are heavy now....



Ciao!

Where in the world is Paul Stewart?

Upon arriving to Stockholm, I had no place to stay. I got off the train from Oslo, put my hands on my hips, and just thought "What am I gonna do now?" (btw, just spent almost a full minute looking for the question mark on this French keyboard.) So, after some prayer and good ol common sense, I looked up some hostels online and walked to the nearest one, only a block and a half away. Here's what transpired at the door:

Jenny (girl who works at hostel): Paul Stewart?
Me (guy at the door): Ummm, no, but I'm assuming he's the one with the reservation?
Jenny: Yeah, but I've been waiting for him for over 4 hours now.
Me: Ok.....
Jenny: So you get his reservation and bed!
Me: Wow, ok, cool! I guess you didnt have any other beds?
Jenny: Yeah, we're booked solid.
Me: So, that worked out good for me. But what the heck happened to Paul Stewart?
Jenny: (Shrugs)
Me: Dang. Paul Stewart is in someone's trunk right now. And he's tired.
Jenny: (Laughs)
Me: Who can sleep at a time like this? People are missing! (then) So is there a breakfast?

So apparently the fact that Paul Stewart was missing didn't bother me that much. I found out as I had to switch rooms throughout my 4 days there, that I was simply following the path of beds that Paul Stewart would have had, had he not been abducted by aliens. Every time I saw Jenny we joked about other things that had happened to Paul Stewart. Last I heard from Jenny her theory was he met a hot Swedish blonde and was shacking up with her. Guess that's better than being tied up in a trunk somewhere. Either way, I got his bed. Score.

Before Stockholm: two pics I forgot from Oslo.

A new kind of jumping pic. This one was inspired by two Australians I was kicking it around with all day. Btw, inside that triangular building is a really cool old ship - they built the building around it.



Just wanted to document here how beautiful it was in Oslo. This is from Museum island looking toward the city centre.



Stockholm! On the way here, on the train, this really cool, funny thing was happening right next to me, and I had to get this on video:



This is a really cool, big fountain that I spent some time at in the middle of the night. It doesnt really get that dark here - only like dusk around midnight. Some Dutch friends I met, we just hung out here and watched drunken Swedish teenagers with too much money and even more time on their hands frolick in the fountain and drink vodka from a box (like boxed wine). Eventually they came over and practiced their English with us and it was enteraining and memorable.



Museum of Modern Art. By the way, can anybody point me to the entrance? Kinda hard to find.



My locker number was 44!



A jumping pic with my two new Dutch friends - Esther and Hannah. They were soft-spoken and kind. We spent the whole day looking at bold modern art, making food together, and being entertained by the aformentioned Swedish teenagers.



Stockholm has many canals and rivers running through it. Here I paused with my rented bike and just reflected on my whole trip. Its hard to believe sometimes that sitting here on this dock, watching the boat gently nudge the dock, is the same trip as, say, traveling the Highlands in Scotland or paragliding in Switzerland.



I made a new friend with a horse. He came immediately when I did the "come here horse" clicking sound with my mouth. I actually did pet him, but didn't get that moment here. Horses are so content to just eat grass. Simple pleasures.



Another Jazz Festival! This one was more of a buy an admission ticket type, like with a wristband. A bit pricey, but then again, so is everything in Scandanavia. But so worth it.



What is it with kids and bubbles? They love them - can't get enough. Here, a girl chased a bubble, randomly dressed as Spiderman, complete with muscles. Kids just love fun. That is so great. Look at that look on her face - she's in nirvana.



I glanced over here and had to do a double take - this dog blended into the crowd just like a person. I almost didn't seem him at first.



This base player was my favourite performer of the whole festival. He twisted, contorted, and scrunched his face with every note. I love that. I love when musicans just can't help but perform with their whole body. And this guy could play that thing.



Play it, baby!



Because Stockholm is so northern, the sunsets are looong. This went on for over an hour. Great for taking pictures. I watched this for so long.



Look at the cloud patterns in the sky. Wow.



This is what jazz music looks like.



Tower of Power! The coolest, funkiest jazz band.



The most random, awesome headliner to a jazz festival ever: Mary J. Blige! This woman was amazing. Worth the price of admission just to see her perform.



This is what feels like at the end of every concert. Just a mass exodus.



This is after midnight in the harbour.



I'm kind of 12 years old sometimes. But come on - that's a full fart!



Massman attacks! When I paid for my hot dog, no one in line. By the time she handed it me, six people in line. Ah- thank you.



It's amazing what gets captured on a grocery store survelliance camera:



Skansen! This open-air museum was part zoo, part theme park, and part Colonial Williamsburg. Just a lot of animals, old authentic schoolhouse and farms, and people dressed in farm and colonial-type garb.

Here, and otter scratched his face on this log for at least ten minutes.



This mama brown bear had the itch to end all itches. This was only about a fifth of how long this went on:



The laziest elk in the world. Later, this one lying down raised his head and chewed the fat about a foot from my face.



There were two sudden thunder showers during the day in Skansen. During this one, many of us took shelter in this cabin while this woman stirred a potato soup and described many things in Swedish. I just nodded and sampled the cheese like I understood every word.



Somebody tell me what's going on here: a well with candy cane stems, and hundreds of baby pacifiers hanging from them and piled below.



In this schoolhouse, I didn't need to understand Swedish to understand that this switch of twigs would have found a place on my hands as a child if I had grown up over a hundred years ago in Sweden.



Just a nice bridge over a green bog.



By the bog:



The second thunderstorm. This vendor under the umbrella was wise to my picture-taking activies. He kept turning away as soon as I would raise my camera. I think he could be wanted somewhere.



Waiting out the storm:



This silver orb in the botanical gardens is the coolest thing I've ever seen that's out of place amoung flowers.



Canoeing in the river! This was possibly my favourite thing I did in Stockholm. So calm, beautiful, and fun. Behind me is what is supposed to be the greatest preserved war ship in the world. Recently discovered sunken nearby, it got it's own building built around it too.



On the water:



My canoe point of view.



This is Foster. We met in the hostel and I saw him everyday. He's from LA. He was really chill and always on this computer. Unfortunately for him, his bags were delayed six days in the States - he would never fly Delta again. But it didn't seem to phase him. He finally got his bags here. I always liked just sitting down and shooting the bull with Foster. Take notice of the patched hole in my jeans in the "swimsuit area", btw. That's backpacking!



Off to Paris again! Whoo hoo!