27 June 2006
Home Again
It sure is nice to be back in my spiffy nest! But I'm still all wonky from the time change. The night after our 18-hour air journey homeward, we went to a Hurra Torpedo show, during which I slumped in a chair and fell asleep. You will realize this is remarkable when you discover that Hurra Torpedo's percussion section consists of large appliances being bashed with pieces of metal.
Below, two members of Hurra Torpedo, one wielding a muffler:
Naturally, they're Scandinavian.
20 June 2006
Eiffel Tower Movies
My new camera makes Quicktime movies. I made a few last night at the Eiffel Tower:
- eiffel_elevator1.mov.html
Aimee, Allison, Lamont, and Brian, ascending in the Eiffel Tower elevator. - eiffel_elevator2.mov.html
A view down the elevator shaft as we ascend. - midnight_eiffel_sparkle.mov.html
At midnight, the Eiffel Tower begins to sparkle.
They're silent, because there wasn't anything interesting to hear. Just some oohing and aahing!
20 June 2006
Paris
We stopped in Brussels, but frankly there wasn't much going on there other than insane traffic. Apparently it's customary to provide little protection for pedestrians, and to drive your car within inches of them at high speed. Some of the city is beautiful, but not as beautiful as Paris!
I didn't think I'd have another chance to visit Herf and Aimee here in the City of Lights, but here I am, and so happy to be here! After breakfast, we're off to Versailles. Formidable!
18 June 2006
Amsterdam
I'm in Amsterdam! It sure is nice here, if a little sticky. Here are some things I've done here:
- dinner at the Supper Club
Trendy, comfy, and a little grotesque. Here we reclined on cushions and were served five prix-fixe courses on a low table. There was strange a disturbing performance art, but the food was exquisite.
- the Van Gogh Museum
Lots of Van Gogh's paintings reside here. Not my favorite, though; Starry Night lives in New York's MOMA.
- the Amsterdam Dungeon
This was pretty silly. We had been told to expect live performers and a ride, but didn't expect it to be this kitschy.
- the Anne Frank Huis
Well, this was pretty depressing, but educational. The hiding place is larger than I had pictured it.
- a bicycle ride in the country
A free ferry took us and our rental bikes across Het Ij, where we pedalled lazily into the farmland around Broek in Waterland. It was pretty bucolic, and the flat country made easy biking.
- a lot of walking around, admiring the city
I've started posting pictures here. You can also see pictures from my 2000 trip to Amsterdam, here. Tomorrow we take a train to Paris via Brussels.
10 June 2006
Sonic and Neck Come to SF
Sonic and Neck drove up to see a band and their pals at Grant and Green last Thursday. Pictures are here!