2007 - The Year

2007 started off like most years do. Another semester of school was about to start and of course, I was working New Year's Day. My how things have changed. I still have another class to take, and I am working New Year's Day, but this time, it's in England. So no, 2008 doesn't look to be your normal year. I've got some pretty wild things planned, and hopefully it will be even more successful than 2007. I can decide that a year from now.

As everybody is always making New Year's resolutions, I do 10. For the last few years, I've made a Top 10 list of things I want to do. It always includes reading a certain amount of books, learning something new and doing something crazy like sky-diving. Last year I wanted to read 12 books, a book a month. I did that, so in 2007, I wanted to read 16 books, just to up the number. I didn't get that number, I think I got to 10, so now I'll most likely go back to 12 for 2008. I wanted to master 5 meals this year. I got 2, so maybe that was a little far fetched. I wanted to skydive, bullride or go bungee jumping. I didn't do that. That's still on the list. But the big one that I can successfully write off is this one: "Go on a vacation somewhere OUT OF HERE! (3 weeks to 3 months)"

My original plan was to spend a month by myself in a cabin in Montana, just unwinding from half of my life spent working AND going to school, both full time. I've always been going full-force, as most of you know, so I really wanted to relax. Well, I'm certainly relaxed now! I'm half way through my working here in England, then I get to start my actual traveling time and get to really see the world. But as for 2007, getting out of Indiana, and the USA has truly been an awesome opportunity. I've seen a few great places, met some nice people and learned a lot about the world, but most importantly, I'm gaining confidence in myself. I usually am a pretty confident person, but to be able to say that I up and moved halfway across the world simply because I could, and was able to live and live well at the same time, well, that gives me an extra boost.

I'm thankful for 2007, and I'm looking to make 2008 the best year yet. So here's to the year past, to the year ahead and for the auld lang syne. Cheers!

A Great Christmas

That certainly was a full Christmas! For those of you who don't know, I came home for Christmas to surprise the family and the girl, and were they surprised! I'll give a little background first, then the surprises and the outcome of the few days back in the States.

It all started back in March when I decided once and for all that I was going to actually do this whole moving-over-here thing. I bought my ticket in May-ish, right before Phil told me that he and Suzi were thinking about a May 2008 wedding. I wanted to spend more time over here than four months, so I went ahead and moved my trip up to early October. That allows me to work for the full six months that I'm allowed and still have a month or so for travel afterwards. So now, I had two tickets going to England, one in October, one December 27th. I was planning on just getting my December ticket refunded, but I would have only gotten $75 out of it after the $225 cancellation fee. The hotel had no rooms booked from the 23rd to the 27th, so I wouldn't have worked like I had planned either, so by mid-month, I was going to be sitting by myself for four days during Christmas. I wanted to go home.

Joel and I talked about surprising the family. I asked the boss for the days off and after much deliberation and negotiating, she reluctantly let me off from the 23rd to the 28th. I bought a $487 ticket to Chicago for Sunday the 23rd, only Joel, Luke, and JWey knowing. As the sun rose on the 23rd, so did my spirits as I rolled into the airport on the bus from Oxford. A few minutes later after a quick check-in and security sweep, I grabbed a bagel and some water and waited for my plane. A 7 1/2 hour flight back, I got into Chicago around 3:30, Chicago time. The Blue Line to the Union Station brought me to a delayed train headed to Crawfordsville and finally around 6:15 we left. We stopped for an hour 10 minutes later because of a signal somewhere near 80th Street and we were on 59th, so I got to sit for longer. FINALLY, I got into Crawfordsville at 11:30 and walked to the gas station across from the library and called Sam:

"Sam, don't act surprised or get excited or anything, just come and get me from the gas station across from the library."
"What? What library?"
"The Crawfordsville Libary! I'm home and I'm waiting at the gas station that's across the street from the library. Don't get surprised or anything, just come get me!"

Sam pulled up and I hopped in. We went to Taco Bell because I haven't had any for 3 months and I was DYING for some good ol' fake Mexican food. Arriving home, Gabe ran, Micah looked like he was dreaming and commented several times that he felt that way, and Mom couldn't decide whether to cry or laugh, but a calm prevailed. Nice job, Mom! It was nice because nobody knew that I was coming home so it was truly a surprise for all. What good night that was! After 15 hours of sitting, it was good to be home and with my family. The next day and Christmas went by quickly with visits to a friend in Indy and getting some shoes, seeing some of the extended family, church, then obviously the Christmas dinner with the family. Halo 3, ping pong, Apples to Apples and good conversation and dance was the platform for Christmas night and again, not enough sleep followed. I woke up the next day with the next surprise ready to go. Sam, Nicole and I drove to Cincinnati where I was going to surprise a certain girl I've been wanting to see for the duration that I've been abroad.

We got to Cincy later than I wanted and later than I had warned, so at 11:45 I finally got to see Natalie. Finally. A day with her family entailed a walk to a waterfall, personal concerts by Nat and her brother and sister, some games, some videos, a game of backgammon and some of the best chili I've ever had. My Christmas was now complete, and although I was the one surprising everybody, it turned out to be one of the best Christmases I can remember. It would have been nice to be home for at least a couple more days, but I couldn't change that. I am now rejuvenated and ready for more travel. I didn't think I got enough of home to really want to not be there, but I'm certainly ready now to get back out and see the world. I'll do a list sometime within the next couple of weeks with a few different possible itineraries for my March/April travels and maybe my readers will be able to make suggestions and give me some good input, yeah? Hey? As for now, I'm gonna make some soup and get ready to head to bed. Happy New Year and Cheers!

Part 3 of 3 - Days 2 and 3 in Vienna

Day 3 in Vienna is a short one. Simply wanting some sleep added to the fact that it's raining outside keeps me in the hostel until just before 1:00pm. I walk out to the bus stop as the rains cease, and I know I want to actually do or see something today. I am a little angry because I wanted to see the Lipizzaner horses do their morning workout before I take a tour of the stables and performing grounds. I was afraid I wasn't going to get to see the horses at all and just see where they practice, eat and sleep. I get to the Spanish Stables which are housed in the Hofburg Palace around 2:00pm and I buy a ticket for the 3:00 tour. I walk around the Michaelerplatz for a bit doing some window shopping, finding by luck an Orthodox icon store with about a hundred or so extremely old icons, all hand-written. The average cost of one is around €15,000, which is approximately $20,000. Yeah. Pretty amazing stuff. From this store, in which I'm scared I'm going to break something, I walk down Kohlmarkt street which hold all the highest end stores in Vienna. Here is where Armani, Gucci, Prada and all their friends decided to set up shop and with them came some expensive restaurants. But before all of these most importantly, a little bakery/chocolatier called Demel . Demel is known for it's amazing selection of chocolate goodness in every shape and size as well as it's pride and joy: Sacher Torte. After walking among the most scrumptulescent array of chocolate, cookies, cakes, apfel-everything-you-can-imagine, and of course sacher torte, I decide to come back later and try one of these tasty treats. I head back to the stables where my tour begins.

We walk through the practice square and are told about the history of the Lipizzaners . From there we go to the stables where we actually see the horses, although of course are not allowed to touch. I make friends with one called Siglavy Priam, his name taken from his father (Siglavy) and his mother (Priam). I relish in the fact that he doesn't take his eyes off me the whole time I stand there and stare into his dark brown eyes. His white body and mane make me think of Shadowfax from the Lord of the Rings and immediately I want to jump the stable gate, jump on a ride through the streets of Vienna until we reach the mountains, then just head west to the English Channel, turn south, and ride from Bordeaux to South Africa. Now THAT would be an adventure. But I stay where I am and listen to the English feminist ask why there aren't any female riders in the school. I go back to dreaming with Priam.

After the stables we are taken to the performance hall which is quite impressive. Sand and dust and small pieces of wood cover the ground in a 8-inch thick mixture to soften the landings for the horses when they jump or run or trot or whatever trick they are doing. People take pictures although they are forbidden and they know it. The tour guide asks them to stop. Five minutes later you see a few more flashes and they innocently cry out "We couldn't hear you!" Yeah. Right. We are taken to one of the balconies from which show-goers would witness the performances put on by these horses. It's nice to feel like royalty from up here.

Tonight, since it's my last night in Vienna, I want to see an opera at the Staatsoper. So I set out with my map to find it. I was told that you could buy standing room tickets at the Volkstheater, which I thought odd because the Volkstheater is a completely different opera house. After being turned down by the guy in the lobby of the Volkstheater, I made my way to the Staatsoper to see if I could buy a ticket there. You can't walk in the front doors, and it doesn't look like there is a ticket office anywhere. So, defeated, I walk back towards the main center of town to figure something else out for the night. As I'm about the cross the road, I look back at the Staatsoper and on the side of the building there are a few people and it looks like a queue. I walk over and see the sign "Stehplatz," which means "Standing Room," and get in line. I'm scared that I'm getting in line to get into the actual opera, which doesn't start for another hour and a half, but also because I haven't bought a ticket! After a while, we curl around the corner and there is the box office. Whew! A couple minutes and €3.50 later, I've got a ticket for the opera "Norma" and I've got an hour to kill. I walk across the street to a little cafe called Aida and sit down. I have a coffee and a slice of sacher torte, and although I don't feel very Viennese, I know I'm doing what they do, so it feels to go be "in the culture." After my little snack I walk back across the road, check my coat and bag, and stand for an hour and a half listening to a concert performance of the opera, quite impressed at certain points, and a little bored at others.

With the night coming to a close, I walk out into the crisp night and the stars are barely showing past all the city lights. I make the trek up to the hostel for my last night of sleep in Austria and hit the hay. The next day, although I had plenty of time, I wanted to make sure that I was SURE to go home. I walk around a few different Christmas markets again, walk through the Hofburg and Michaelerplatz's a couple times, through the Stephansplatz a couple times, all just killing time before heading back to Bratislava. I go in Stephansdom hoping I can climb the tower to see over all of central Vienna, but a High Mass is being celebrated so we can't go in. I take a few pictures and keep walking. The last day, looking back now, I had plenty of time to see and do things, but really, I had seen and done all I had planned. I had eaten the foods I wanted to, I had a few mugs as souvenirs and was ready to get back to an English-speaking country. I get on the train for Bratislava, fall asleep and wake up just in time to get off the train, catch a bus to the airport (yeah I got a bus this time) and wait for my flight to take off. I get a hot chocolate at the airport and it was the BEST hot chocolate I've ever had. I don't know what was different about it, but it was AMAZING.

After a bumpy ride on the plane and some nice conversation with a Welsh couple, I finally come back to England in once piece and have to sleep the night in the airport. "Platoon" is showing on the TV next to the Subway that I park next to, and as my energy is draining, so is my American pride. Have you ever seen that movie? I don't like to comment much on Vietnam at all because I have NO CLUE what went on, but this movie really seemed like propaganda from any country but America giving cause to hate Americans. I wasn't too happy and was shrinking in my seat next to all these British people watching the movie. A couple hours later, though I'm on a bus to the train station. I get to the Bristol Temple Meads train station a half hour before it opens, go figure, so I wait and pace in the cold waiting for the doors to open. 40 minutes later I am waiting on the train, talking to a fellow who is going to Swindon to sell some die-cast collectible stock cars or tractors or something at a show he and his friends go to every weekend. We wish each other well as he gets off the train and I head back to Oxford. An hour later, I'm finally home, and although I have to wait another half hour before I can leave because of the rain and I don't have an umbrella, I can safely say I know where I'm going and how to get from point A to point B, which leaves me with the most comforting feeling ever, especially after living off a map and seven German words for three days. It was indeed a good trip.

Cheers!

Part 2 of 3 - Day One of Vienna

After staring at the city for about 10 minutes, I decide to go to bed so I can have a full day the next day (Thursday). After about nine hours or so of sleep, I get up, shower and head to the bus stop, which is just outside the entrance to the giant hotel next to my hostel. A ride on the bus to Ottakring, I decide to walk to the Schönbrunn palace where, supposedly, one of the three best Wienachstmarkt's (that's Christmas Market for the non-Deutsch speakers) in Vienna is going on. I have a nice stroll on a lovely day next to the Westbahnof train station for about a mile or so, until I reach the Schloss Schönbrunn and the Wienachstmarkt. I take a few pictures and have a walk around the courtyard looking at the building itself, then enter the market and buy an apfel-zimt (apple cinnamon) crepe and a Baileyspunsch. The punsch comes in a commemorative mug that each different market produces each year and the first one you buy, you also pay a deposit of €2, so if you keep the cup, you've paid for it. Anyhow, I buy the food and walk around the circle of booths, munching and enjoying my taste of Ireland with a Viennese touch. I tire of the booths quickly, not finding anything too interesting besides some rather spot on Nutcracker dolls. I decide to head to a different Christmas market, but remember that there was something behind the palace that I wanted to see.

So I walk around the palace to the back gardens and I am utterly amazed to find a veritable Mount Olympus on a hill overlooking the back garden and the palace. Extensive vineyards and the world's first zoo (the Tiergardens) surround the vast courtyard and gardens. I pass a large fountain and sculpture of men and horses as I make my way up the hill to what is called the Gloriette. From the Gloriette, you can see all of Vienna, like from my hostel, and with the sun shining through the pillars of the Gloriette I felt like I was in a great epic, just having finished a long battle that has now been won. A spectacular view.

After some sitting on the Gloriette debating whether or not to go into the cafe they have there, I decide against the expensive cake and coffee and head back to the streets. I hop on the tube and head for Rathausplatz where the next great market is supposed to be, and I am not disappointed this time. In Vienna there is about a square mile that is packed full of buildings that take Oxford's to the mat. The Rathaus is huge, with it's giant clock watching over Vienna by day and night. It tells the time to the Museumquartier and the Parliament building down the street, and shows off it's garb of the Advent calendar to the Burgtheatre across the park. The Museumsquartier relays the time to it's friends, the National History Museum and the Leopold Museum, who all cradle the Maria Theresienplatz. A five minute walk from the Rathaus across the park and past the Burgtheatre you will find the Hofburg, which houses everything from the Hapsberg Dynasty, and through the Hofburg you find Michalplatz, which past that is Stephansplatz and Stephansdom. So really, a half an hour's walk will take you past some of the most beautiful, articulate and downright fabulous architecture you are ever liable to see. Anyway, back to my day.

I walked through the Rathausplatz Christmas Market admiring the absolute perfection to which everything was run. These aren't tents with dodgy middle-aged men selling toys and trinkets and ornaments that they obviously bought at the local store. "These are primo gifts!" (Bonus points to somebody who tells me what movie that's from) Seriously. The booths are handfashioned to house exactly what they are selling. For example: A lady was selling crystal. Her booth had a mural painted on the back wall and the tables were lined with blue felt. On the blue felt were mirrors that tabled the crystal dishes, vases, cups, saucers, shot glasses, and pretty much anything you can make with crystal. The booth itself shone like crystal from afar as the halogen lights came down through the crystal, off the mirrors and bounced back through the crystal at you, beckoning you to come and admire the goods. It was visual onomatopoeia. The thing was, every booth was like this, housing whatever goods they sold: stuffed animals, ornaments, tons and tons of schokolade (chocolate) goods and gingerbread cookies, wienachtspunsch stands galore, and so much more than I can describe to you. We don't have anything like it in America, I'll just say that.

I decide to come back later for some apfelpunsch and truffels (yeah that's how they spell it there), so I go find Stadtpark, which is where the statues of the great composers are. The first one I find is Strauss: the great golden composer is now forever holding a note on his golden violin with his golden bow and you can almost hear the note itself being played into the now pinking sky. Or maybe it's just some Vivaldi playing on my iPod. A walk around the park brings statues of Breckner, Makart, Schindler into view, and I realize that Mozart and Beethoven have their own parks for their statues. I love the statue of Strauss though, so I sit and we have a little chat. A man just a few steps away sits at a small table selling tickets to the konzertes of Mozart and Strauss selections that will be played in a nearby house that night. I want to make the Staatsoper, so I don't buy a ticket.

Instead, I'm thinking I want some actual food, because by now I haven't had more than the crepe and some kasernockrl (cheesey noodles, fantastic) at the palace, and it is starting to get dark, so I head to find the Bier Tesle. This is a restaurant now housed in the same house where Beethoven finished his 9th symphony, so I definitely wanted to get there. I find my way from Stadtpark there, which isn't too far, and sit down for a look at the menu. Beef goulash and spetzle are the decision and I pick a nice dunkel to enjoy with it. I don't know what spetzle is, so I look it up in my phrasebook and it's "homemade noodles." Doesn't look like any noodle I've had, but it has the same texture, and tastes awesome, so I'm not complaining. The dunkel isn't up to the par that I thought it would be, but it's still good, so I'm happy. I finish the dinner and head back to the Rathausplatz for some truffels and another walk around.

An apfelpunsch (which was the best drink I had the whole time there) in my hand, I walk around the market again trying to pick out the best truffels for my date with the Viennese skyline. I find the perfect ones, and yeah, they were the perfect ones. Simply dark chocolate truffels and I also indulge on a stick of Bailey's cream covered in chocolate and head for the hostel. Once I get back up, I buy a coffee from the machine and head to the back of the hostel for my date. I sit with my back against the wall as Frank, Sammy and Deano play me some Christmas music. And the truffels and coffee and the Viennese skyline - lights twinkling, the Gloriette shining, all the platz's Christmas lights shining brightly - and I have moments of joy that I won't forget. Sammy is roasting his chestnuts, Deano is trying to get his girl to stay because "It's Cold Outside," Frank believes in Santa Claus, and with a view like this, I am reaffirmed in my belief in God. Sure, humans made the lights and the chocolate and the hostel at my back, but God made the hill where the hostel is, He made the cocoa beans for my chocolate and of course, He made those that made this fantastic city so beautiful. So with the day at and end, I go to sleep, trying to think of what I'm going to do tomorrow. Yeah, and this is only Day One.

Cheers!

Part 1 of 3 - Arrive Bratislava

I’m late. I knew I somehow would be, even though I was supposed to have 20 minutes to get to the train station from work, which is only a 10-minute walk. The boss is taking over the shift, so of course, I end up leaving five minutes later than I’m supposed to, and food before the train is definitely out of the question now. I walk/jog to the station where I board the train with a couple minutes to spare, however, I’ve now sweat through the shirt that I had planned to wear to an opera in Vienna, hopefully, but it seems a little gross now. I keep checking my tickets to make sure that I’m going to the right place, and that I know when to switch, and what train to switch onto to get to the airport. I arrive at Bristol Temple Meads Coach Station around 4:50pm, with my flight leaving at 5:55. There’s no possible way the bus could get me there in time for boarding, especially since I wanted to check my boarding pass that I just printed off because I’m a little wary of it’s authenticity. I open up a door to a black cab and ask the guy how much.

“20 quid,” he states.

I have no other choice but to agree, since it will only take about 15 minutes to get to the airport in cab, while the £5 bus would probably take around 40 at this time of day. He drives me through Bristol, pointing out small things of interest, like the suspension bridge and the view from the hills. Ben Harper’s new album is playing in his CD player and I kind of want to get it now. He drops me off at the airport and I hop a few flowerbeds to the front door where I find the departure times. “Bratislava – Letisko, Boarding: 30 mins.” Great. I just overpaid by about £18 with the cab, including the tip. Oh well, I won’t make that mistake again. I go upstairs, get past security and find something to eat. I settle for what I thought was a tuna and swiss panini, but it turned out to be a turkey and swiss panini, which ended up being a little burnt. I hadn’t eaten anything that day, so this is fine with me. Halfway through the sandwich I get called to board, so off to Bratislava I go.

I board and sit at the window and start looking through some Slovakian phrases and places I wanted to visit in Bratislava. A lady with a baby sits next to me and her mother next to her. The baby’s name is Thomas and his mother’s Alexandra, and they’re from Bratislava. In between some uncomfortable breast-feedings (yeah, girls, EVERY guy is uncomfortable with it, even though you aren’t, just for the record) Alexandra gives me tips on things to eat and places to go. Thomas is happy the whole ride back to his country.

We arrive around 10:00pm Slovakian time, gaining an hour, and I get my next new country stamp in my passport. Smiling and looking for the number 61 bus, I exit the airport ready for an adventure. I got one immediately. I found the cash machine and pulled out 2000 skk’s (Koruna’s), which is about $100. I can’t for the life of me find the bus, so I walk around and realize that all the buses are turned off and are unoccupied. Crap. I ask a security guy what’s with the buses, and he speaks minimal English. The cab driver he was talking to wasn’t helpful either, so I just asked him how much to the city centre. He said “tisit” and I thought he was asking “city?” Tisit is 1000 in Slovakian. I say “Spitalska” and he nods and off we go. I knew I was in for it halfway through the ride when I looked into the review mirror to have him staring at me as he sped quickly down the highway. We arrive at my hostel and he says in English,

“One thousand fifty.”

Awesome. Dirty, rotten, no-good, okay okay okay. Here’s your money you thief, and he leaves. I check into my hostel and decide not to go out because, even though it’s safe apparently, I’m not too sure about the surroundings. It looks like it’s from a bad drama film where the Russian’s come and get the American kid. It ended up being a very safe place, with the police roaming, and I had a good day the next day. Instead, I spend the night talking with the English-turned-Irish guy in my room who lives off of gambling and collecting welfare from Ireland. He left England because of how many Eastern Europeans (Polish, Czechs, Russians, etc.) were coming to England and taking the jobs at lower pay, yet he decided that he liked Bratislava so much that he spends weeks there at a time. Strange trade-off, I thought.

The next day, I get up around 9:00am and check out. The first thing I decide to do is see the castle. I make my way up through the Old Town and make the trek up the hill to the castle. From the castle walls, I can see the whole of Bratislava, and I have a great view of the old Communist apartments across the Danube. Just knowing what sort of things happened among those streets made the place very depressing. Because I see Slovakia as a small offshoot of Russia (in my small American mind), I was depressed from the start. Only until a grandfather and two of his young grandsons walk through the garden I’m sitting in do I realize that happiness can be found anywhere. The smiles on the kid’s faces certainly didn’t show their country’s sad history. It showed the new life of Slovakia, and what the future can hold for them.

The rest of the day, I walk through the Old Town, up and down the main shopping street about five times trying to decide what to eat. I settle on McDonald’s simply because I want to be full and I KNOW McDonald’s will do that. Just my luck, however, as soon as I finish my Big Mac, I stumble upon the Old Square and the Christmas Market where sausages by the hundreds walk past in the hands of merry-makers. The smell of mulled wine and sausage and onions fills the air. One of the things Alexandra told me to try was “Slovakian food,” or basically just bread with lard and onion. It looks nice, so I grab a piece at a stand and get it down. It tastes like bread with lard and onion, though, and the onion stayed in my mouth for the remainder of the day.

After walking through the market a few times, I decide to head back to the castle, after buying a train ticket to Vienna for the night. I can’t understand anything anybody says, so when I come upon the American Embassy, I head in to speak to an American (they work there right?) about the best medium to Vienna. Dead wrong. Slovakian’s that speak English work there and after a long wait and explanation, I just decide to go to the castle to watch the sunset. Even though it went down over the hill next to the Communist blocks, forcing me to be ever mindful of them, it was a nice sunset. It turns colder, and I walk to the train station. I get a ticket to Vienna and ride on down the way. Once in Vienna, I decide that God will have to guide me, so I leave the station, turn right, and walk. God did guide me, and I came upon the city centre at Karlsplatz, where a Christmas Market was going on, and further down was Stephanplatz. An Asian lady played some songs on the piano in the middle of the cold square, while onlookers gazed at her QUICK fingers. I was highly impressed. Not as impressed, however, as I am until I finally make my way to my hostel, which is situated on a hill above Vienna, next to a 5-star hotel. I check in, then walk to the back of the hostel outside, and sit. And watch. And listen to the silence as I gaze at the city lights and monuments and history and wonder that is Vienna. Beautiful. Absolutely amazing.

A Preview of Stories to Come

Hallo! I am in the GREATEST HOSTEL IN THE HISTORY OF HOSTELS, the Palace Hostel, in my last night in Vienna (Wien) typing on a German keyboard. I keep typing "z" instead of "y" because they are switched, and the backspace button is short so I keep pushing the "home" key, taking me to the top of the page. Anyway, I don't have a lot of time to write, so I'm going to let you all have a small preview of the joys to come.

1. Meeting a nice cab driver in Bratislava who decided it would be best if I paid 1050 Korunas ($50) for a 10 minute ride that should have cost about 150 Korunas

2. Christmas markets galore

3. Sacher torte and coffee before an opera in Vienna

4. Staring into the eyes of one of the finest trained horses in the world

5. Seeing every light in every building in Vienna from a hill above the city, and enjoying truffels and coffee while Christmas music played in the background

These are just a few, very few, things that I have enjoyed during my time in Central Europe. I'll do a couple of posts, so you can read them at your own pace. Until then, which is probably Sunday night, Prost!! (that's cheers in German...)

Poor British Transport

Well I'll go ahead and let you all a little deeper in my world. People say that British public transport is some of the best in the world. When it comes to the tube in London, I'll agree. When it comes to the Chunnel from London to Paris, I haven't done it, but because they have it, I'll agree with them there. And here in Oxford, I'll usually agree for the most part, especially if you are a user of the #5 bus to Cowley Road. Those buses come ever three minutes I swear. But if you are waiting for the #15 to the City Centre from Wood Farm Road or visa versa, the whole "Great British Transport" bit is pure bollucks. I've had times where I get there and a bus is there just pulling up and my day starts well. I've had days where I'm late and the bus just makes me later by not coming until 20 minutes after the last bus came, even though they're supposed to be around every 10-15 minutes. If I'm already late, I don't mind being later. But today took the cake.

To preface the story, it's raining. It does that from time to time in England as the WHOLE WORLD knows. Well, sometimes that will make the buses run a little more scattered or a little late, but doesn't mess them up too bad. I think they shouldn't be affected by the rain AT ALL because the British people have had to deal with the maritime climate and precipitation for THOUSANDS of years, so how can a little rain affect the system SO MUCH?! Well here's how it affected it today:

I get out of the house and it's just barely sprinkling; I'm fine. I get to the end of the road and the bus is just getting ready to leave, but the driver is checking some things on the bus, so he's just waiting there. I get to the door and hold up my pass so he'll open up the door and let me in. Well, because I wasn't there the first time he opened the door (even though he stopped for a couple minutes after opening the door) he won't do it again and leaves. This happened last week too: I got to the bus and he was just getting ready to leave so I run up and he shuts the door and takes of, so I sprint down the road after it to the next stop. I understand that they are on a schedule and they can't stop and open the doors every two seconds, but they can't hold the door open for another 3 seconds??? Don't they want my money? Geeez...

Anyway, I wasn't going to run after this bus because I saw on the clock that there would be another one in roughly 7 minutes. Well, I wait and the 7 minutes turns into 10 and the bus that was supposed to be 20 minutes away is now 7 minutes away while the bus that was 7 minutes away is now 6 minutes away. The 20 minute bus becomes Due and the 7 minute bus is still at 3 minutes. The 7 minute bus then becomes Due and both pull up right next to each other. The next bus that was 30 minutes away is now Due also, so within 2 minutes three buses pull up to the same stop, while I've waited for 25 minutes for a bus that was supposedly 7 minutes away. Now it's 2:00 and I told the guy I would be there early at 2:00 and now I look like a food again. Thanks Oxford Bus Company.

I don't like to complain and I understand that these buses aren't always going to be perfect. But really, I haven't seen the #5 Cowley Road bus stop go without a bus at least every 10 minutes, whereas I wait for an average of 15-20 minutes for my buses every time, save the rare 2 minute waits. Why can't I live on Cowley Road?

Welp, there. That's all the complaining I'm going to do this week. I am in Oxford, for goodness sake, living a dream. Oh bans, quit crying Caleb! But as for the busman, he and I will be at odds for good...... just you wait busman... I'm going to win the next round. I will!

Cheers!