Surprise in the red light district

So I don't know how many of my readers have been to the red light district. For those that haven't, a quick overview: women in skimpy/sexy clothing standing in windows smiling, waving, and tapping on the glass to get your attention. Right... so...

I'm walking down a street along a cannal along the edge of the RLD that is very quiet and has only one or two of these places. I see a woman (fully clothed, I don't know if she was "working" or what) mopping the entrance. I look over and give a polite nod/smile. In turn, she mimes a blowjob with a smile and a questioning look. I found that particularly amusing because the fallafel vendors don't simulate shovelling food into their mouths as I walk by, and they're not even wearing a bikini.

Link caught

I actually caught it in Berlin, but I didn't have time to post it:

XKCD says, "FUCK. THAT. SHIT."

It smells quite nice here in Amsterdam ;)

Terribe Train Trouble

So I was taking the train a couple of days ago from Krakow to Berlin. I had gotten a first class ticket for that particular trip because it was cheap. I went to the conductor and he said that I wasn't on his car because it was the sleeping train. Fine. I go to the conductor he points me to, and that conductor says that I'm in the sleeping car (apparently triggered by the 1st class). So I go back to the first conductor and he still says no. He points me to a third conductor who speaks better English, so I go and talk to him. He says I'm in the sleeping car. At this point, I don't care so much about the sleeping car, I just want to know what the difference is between first and second class and if I should ask the company I bought the tickets from for a refund (apparently there were only two cars going directly to Berlin and one was the sleeping car). I go back and talk with the conductor of the first car and he's being very stubborn. He says I can be on the sleeping car if I pay more money. At some point, he says I can take the train to Poznań and get a sleeping car there. I ask if I can just get on the non-sleeping direct Berlin and he says to just get on the train to Poznań. So I do.

Right, so I'm on the train and it goes for 4-5 hours or so. Eventually somebody gets on who says they have a reservation for that seat, so I have to get up and look for another compartment. I try finding another compartment, but all I find are Polish speaking people who seem to indicate that their free seats are reseved. So I end up standing at the end of one of the cars with my luggage. This doesn't turn out so bad as I hang out with two Polish guys who share their beer with me (Zubr). We don't really speak each other's languages, but we have a resonable good time. Eventually, a couple of hours later, I end up in Poznań, where I find that the car that the conductor was talking about is an all-sleeping car and they still want me to pay more money. A bit frustrated, I find a very helpful person at one of the ticket booths who tells me that there is a train leaving for Frankfort in 2 and one half hours, and after there there is a train leaving for Berlin. Strangely, at 4 AM I'm able to keep myself awake (for an hour at least) with the Joel on Software book DJ lent me (thanks DJ!). I eventually catch the train and arrive in Berlin exhausted. The train never stops at the station I was expecting, so I end up on the wrong side of the city. After 30-60 mins training around Berlin, I finally make it to my destination and go to sleep.

I want to note that in Krakow and Berlin, they seem to never check for proof that you bought a ticket, but you need to pay to use the bathroom in a train station. There are some messed up priorities there.

Sorry, but I don't have time to proofread this. I'm keeping myself quite busy, but I am making notes of what is going on while I'm on the train in between cities, so I'll probably be doing a lot of post-trip posting (which will allow me to post pictures easier, too). I'm having a blast though. See you all soon.

I logged into Google Reader today and was checking all of the various things I normally read (blogs, comics, news) and as I was scrolling through all the stuff I missed, I realized I was thinking "Jesus, just get this over already". It's funny because Google Reader has been a constant part of my life and I would check it probably >50 times per day. I'll consider this a good thing for now.

Don't worry, I'm keeping a written (yes, paper...) journal of the stuff I'm doing. I hope to post some more substantial stories from Kraków when I get to Berlin. For now, here are some internet links I'm identifing with right now:

• Today's XKCD (read just the first four panels)


• Ze Frank's The Show - 2.21.2007 This is part of the impetus for the trip

I thought I had a third link, but it escaped me. Maybe if it's headed toward Berlin I'll be able to catch it again.

On monies

I'm in an internet cafe that charges 1 złotys for 15 minutes and 2 złotyz for 30. A basic glass of beer from the tap (Żywiec or Heineken are two examples of standard beer, both quite good) is usually about 5 złotys (or maybe a bit less). The meals I've had range from about 7-10 złotys for lunch to 25 złotys for a sit down dinner. As I write this, the conversion rate is 1 USD to 2.80802 złotys. I'll leave you to do the math.

My plans for the rest of my stay in fair Kraków include:

• tonight: Either go-karting or hanging out in a ruined castle


• tomorrow morning: Getting up at 7 AM and taking a bus to a monastery

Crack House, Poland

Hey, this is just a quick note to let folks know that I landed safely in Krakow after 19 hours of flying and waiting to fly, spanning 5 different airports. But as you can see from the picture, the adventure started before it even began. Behold! An automatic sink with (here's the amazing part) an automated soap dispenser! Right at the Port Columbus International Airport!

I thought I would share my excitement with getting my passport. It means I didn't waste money buying plane tickets ;)

Leaving soon!

I'll be leaving for Europe soon. If I get the chance, I'll be posting here re: there.