TheMetetron's European Trip Report

[TheMetetron]

So I leave tomorrow for Paris and the start of my month-long trip to Europe. Instead of actually packing and getting things in order, I have decided instead to screw around and create threads like this on 2+2. Clearly the correct choice.

I'm going to outline the basic plan for the month today and I doubt things will stray too much from it. I promise pictures and updates at least once per city. If not, there is unfortunately not much you can do about it, but you can at least hate me more or something. Onward...

<u>Cast of Characters</u>

TheMetetron - 23-year-old professional poker player living in Argentina who despite being reasonably well traveled and having lived in 3 different countries (with 3 more planned in the next 18 months) has never spent any considerable time in any of the places to be visited. I do plan to live in Spain next summer, so I will have a in-the-near-future chance to go back to places I want to revisit rather easily. Money not so much of an object, but I'm a cheap-ass at heart so you're bound to see me do some really illogical things to save $5.

TheMetetron's brother - 25-year-old grant writer and general registrar of voter's badass from the San Francisco Bay Area. Makes approximately $40-60k per year and has never left the country before; in fact, he just recently got his passport which is over-flowing with American patriotism (seriously, have you seen the new passports?). Despite not making a comparative ton of money, he has managed to secure a month of paid vacation from his job. This is in addition to taking two weeks off paid earlier in the year and taking two weeks off paid later in the year to come visit Argentina. Not a bad gig, I must say. Has gotten a bit maniacal about the whole trip with spreadsheets and other such ridiculous things. Understandable since I know he doesn't know when he will get the chance to return and wants to see all he can. Keep this in mind as it is important. Incredibly brilliant person who is incredibly well studied and well cultured. I'd kill for his mind in a heart beat. He will probably be explaining all sort of things to me during the month which I'm really looking forward to.

<u>The Plan</u>

This is the rough plan. It's actually pretty solid and not very rough at all, but changes will be allowed where they make sense. We've also left a bit of leeway, but not much as you'll see. We will be visiting:

Paris, France; London, United Kingdom; Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Barcelona, Spain; Madrid, Spain; Rome, Italy; and Berlin, Germany

Wed 7/18 - TheMetetron leaves Buenos Aires after hopefully securing his articles at a friend's house for the duration of the trip. Really hoping Iberia isn't as bad as I hear. Flight is overnight.

Thu 7/19 - Stopover in Madrid during the morning hours and then continuing on to Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport for a 6pm arrival. Subway/RER to a friend's house in the Paris suburb of Bolougne. Hoping that the French aren't as rude as I hear. Also, desperately hoping English is going to get me there without dying. Crashing early.

Fri 7/20 - With my brother not arriving for 2 more days, I am taking this day (and the next) as my personal side trip to Disneyland Paris. Yes, you all think that is gay and a horrible waste of time. I still don't care... Disneyland has some special place for me growing up there and I've always wanted to see the parks outside of the USA. Therefore, I will be doing so. Taking the RER out there and back each day.

Sat 7/21 - A repeat of the day before. More relaxing at Disneyland Paris while watching some fireworks and riding some rides.

Sun 7/22 My brother arrives at 6pm at CDG after a stopover in Munich (sucker). Since he is bringing me a laptop and 20" monitor from the United States I have to go pick him up and carry this [censored]. Seems pretty retarded since I am paying him $100 to do this for me anyway. I'll spend the morning strolling around Paris doing nothing really in particular. Maybe I'll check out a museum or the big cemetary over there. Once we get back to Bolougne it is going to be another early night as tomorrow is packed.

Mon 7/23 - We are planning to be out the door by 6:30 which on second thought seems like some sort of suicide mission, but whatever. Not my idea. Morning stroll through Place de la Concorde and Jardin des Tuileries before finally arriving at the Musée du Louvre in time for it's 9am opening. We are staying there from 9am to 5pm and will probably be eating lunch in the museum itself to save time. Not going to try to see everything but instead will be trying to hit the big things then focus on what interests us most. Still bound to miss a ton which is a shame. After that, we are taking a short Metro trip to the start of Avenue des Champs-Élysées and going to walk down it grabbing dinner at some cafe along the way. At the end, check out the Arc de Triomphe and then take another Metro trip to Le Tour Eiffel and take the elevator to the top. This is going to be an incredibly long day and we won't get back to Bolougne until nearly midnight.

Tue 7/24 - Since we are having such a long day on Monday, the idea with Tuesday is to do it all over again. Brilliant! Out of the door by 8:30 to grab the metro to Jardin du Luxembourg for another morning stroll (see a pattern?) and then off to the Panthéon for its 10am opening. Around noon head over to Quarter Latin and grab lunch before taking in the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle, and La Conciergerie all by 6pm. Afterwards we are walking to Saint-Germain-des-Prés to look around and grab dinner at Café de Flore. Depending on tiredness, we are either returning home or heading back to the Quarter Latin for drinks for a bit.

Wed 7/25 - The last full day in Paris. No morning stroll today but instead a 9:30am visit to Musée d'Orsay until lunch time. By 1:30pm we want to be at the Centre Georges Pompidou and then at the Musée national Picasso by 4:30pm depending on amount of things we want to see at each place. We are going to stay in Le Marais for dinner and a visit to the Place des Vosges to look at the outside of Victor Hugo's house and some other random [censored] which is supposedly cool. Finally a trip to Place de la Bastille afterwards for some drinking/clubbing then returning to Bolougne on what will likely be the night bus.

Thu 7/26 - Today should be a good one to sleep in. We don't have to get to the Metro station until almost 11am for our 2pm flight. We get to London Luton a short time later and are taking EasyBus to Victoria Station then the tube to our hostel, The Generator, near Russell Square. We have no plans for that night except to get settled. We are also planning to take advantage of the one day earlier release date of the Simpson's Movie in the UK and catch it at a theater somewhere nearby.

Fri 7/27 - Today we are walking over to the British Museum in time for its 10am opening. Around lunch time we are taking the tube to Leicester Square for lunch and then taking in The National Gallery. After it closes, we are going to go to The Comedy Store for dinner and pre-show drinks. We have tickets for the 8pm show which will last a few hours and then it is back to our hostel.

Sat 7/28 - Early morning stroll (it's back!) by Buckingham Palace and through St. James Park before arriving at Westminster Abbey in time for its 9:30am opening. Afterwards, walk by the Palace of Westminster while snapping some photographs and hearing Big Ben. Then it is on the tube for a trip to Whitechapel and my brother's home brewed Jack the Ripper how-screwed-up-do-you-have-to-be-to-want-to-go-on-this tour. Should be an interesting experience to say the least. Then it is back on the tube to St. Paul's Cathedral to look at the cathedral, crypt, and towers. Then we are going back to the hostel to refuel, grab some dinner, take a shower, and get ready for the evening. Then it is a ride on the London Eye and a trip to a nearby pub for some pre-party drinks. We are heading to The Ministry of Sound that night and it is a dry club so it is either drink beforehand or find other drugs there. Probably going to be a long night.

Sun 7/29 - The Tower of London opens at 10am and then it is off to the Tate Modern. Then a walk over to the Globe Theatre for Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost at 6:30pm where we can hopefully nab some tickets (we took too long to order them before so we have to wait to get there). Light day and after that it is back to the hostel because Monday we have an early flight.


I have some other things I need to do after wasting an hour on this. I'll be sure to finish it up later when I get extremely bored and don't want to actually get ready for the trip.