- USA
- Ireland
- France
- Belgium
- Back in France
- May 30, 2005Mexican Princesses
- May 31, 2005Versaille
- June 1, 2005Last Day in Paris
- June 2, 2005Coast of Marseille
- May 3, 2005Callanques of Marseille
- June 4, 2005Leaving Marseille
- June 5, 2005Busted Ankle
- June 6, 2005Healing in St. Raphael
- June 7, 2005Bongos on the Beach
- June 8, 2005Goodbye, St. Raphael - Hello Cannes
- June 9, 2005Antibes Daytrip
- June 10, 2005Chilling in Cannes
- June 11, 2005To Nice with the Finns
- Monaco
- Switzerland
- Germany
- Austria
- Hungary
- Poland Fun
- June 29, 2005Zakopane
- June 30, 2005Hiking in the Tatry Mountains
- July 1, 2005Trail of Wooden Architecture
- July 2, 2005Krakow Jazz Festival
- July 3, 2005Kazimierz
- July 4, 2005Goral Burger
- July 5, 2005Ciupagi
- July 6, 2005Czestochowa
- July 7, 2005Trainhopping
- July 8, 2005Happy Birthday Mom!!!
- July 9, 2005Happy Birthday Jack
- July 10, 2005Banana Riding
- July 11, 2005First Russian Embassy Visit
- Poland Family
- July 12, 2005Family, at Last
- July 13, 2005Mom's Schoolfriends
- July 14, 2005Muddy Ponds
- July 15, 2005Partying in Poznan
- July 16, 2005A Relaxing Day
- July 17, 2005Sheeshah Bar
- July 18, 2005Five Souvereign Lands
- July 19, 2005The Good News
- July 20, 2005Another Family Function
- July 21, 2005Just Chilling
- July 22, 2005The Best Bike Ever
- July 23, 2005Looking for a Home by the Baltic Sea
- July 24, 2005Copernicus and the Boyscouts
- July 25, 2005Visas are Set to Go
- July 26, 2005Luxury
- July 27, 2005A Day at Work
- Russia
- July 28, 2005Back in St. P Looking for 1UP
- July 29, 2005Peter's Pimpin' Palace and the Neverending Nights
- July 30, 2005Big Bad Moscow
- July 31, 2005Beating Birches
- August 1, 2005Off to Siberia
- August 2, 2005Drinking with the Guards
- August 3, 2005Big, Rolling Trans-Siberian Party
- August 4, 2005Pack up, Only Six Hours Left
- August 5, 2005Irkutsk
- August 6, 2005Swimming in Lake Baikal
- August 7, 2005Drenched
- August 8, 2005Partying with Uzbeks
- August 9, 2005I Love You Omul, I Heart Baikal
- August 10, 2005Pushed out of Russia
- Mongolia
- China
- August 26, 2005Chasing Buses
- August 27, 2005Looking for the Opera
- August 28, 2005Sleeping on a Wall
- August 29, 2005Trying to Find the Opera Once Again
- August 30, 2005Forbidden City and Searching for the Opera
- August 31, 2005The Opera Sucks
- September 1, 2005Hutongs and Strange Food
- September 2, 2005The Peking Ducks Incident
- September 3, 2005Beijing Shopping
- September 4, 2005The Dirt Market and Tiger Penis Vodka
- September 5, 2005Temples, Temples, and More Temples
- September 6, 2005The Amazing Summer Palace
- September 7, 2005Goodbye Asia
- Back in the USA
World Trip
Happy Birthday Jack
The three of us woke up after a refreshing three hours of sleep to the beaming Baltic sun. We were not able to fall back asleep because the sleeping bags got hot. So we hung around on the beach for a little while. Eventually we headed off to Asia's sister's place in the town of Jastarnia in Hel to take a shower.
We spent the whole day bumming around on the beach. The weather was perfect. The sun was coming down hard and there was absolutely no wind. The sand on the Baltic coast is very fine, and it was a nice change from the last time my feet were ground up on the rocky beaches of Nice. The beach also slopes down very gently into the water so one can walk out quite far and still only be up to the navel in the sea. Finally, the Baltic water is not as salty as the Atlantic or Mediterranean, so it was easy on the eyes. It really is hard to imagine a better day on the beach.
In the evening we grabbed a nice dinner of freshly caught fried fish, piled into a car, and drove back to Gdynia for the second day of festivities at the Heineken Open'er Festival. We got there just in time to hear Lauren Hill. This time we were lucky with the cameras, as Asia's sister Ewa had a friend who worked at the festival and he was able to smuggle in our photographic equipment. Additionally, this sly fellow was able to retrieve free beers from the VIP tent.
Lauren Hill played well, and the next act was some band from Britain called "the Music." We opted to leave for a bit and get some food and drink instead, and came back just in time for the White Stripes to come on. They put on an amazing show. Right before the start of the show, the big TV showed a "Happy Birthday Jack" message. Luck had it that Jack from the White Stripes also had a birthday so the whole crowd sang "sto lat." Since it was my birthday as well, they were unwillingly singing for me too.
The final show of the night was Underworld, and they drowned the crowd of people in their energetic yet smooth music. Once again we danced until four in the morning, and drove back to Hel for a few more hours of sleep.
