Where the heck is Chico?

For those unfamiliar with where Chico is (I admit, I was unsure until I looked at a map), here's a link to, well, a map. It's about 3 1/2 hours north of San Fran and not too far from Sacramento. It's home to Chico State, apparently has an awesome music scene and there's lots to do for the outdoorsy. A new adventure awaits!
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=chico,+ca&ll=38.530979,-121.124268&spn=3.729681,9.327393&om=1

On the move again and other randomness

On the road: The rumors are true, everyone. I'm moving back to Cali. In a week! Gonna check out the north this time, though ... Chico, to be exact. I'll be associate editor of the Chico News & Review, an alternative weekly paper up there. And I'll be working with one of my former colleagues in Riverside as my boss, so that's cool.

Other news: I've got more pics up. Not all of them by any means, but more ...

And randomness: Last week, when I got home from my travels (and a week after rewatching "Amelie," for those familiar with the film), I was rummaging through some old bags in my closet when I saw a shiny object. Ooooooh. Shiny. It was a ring. But not an ordinary ring. And not MY ring -- hence the randomness of this story. It was a high school class ring (at least it was MY high school), but from the year ahead of me. It had initials engraved inside. I had a puzzle to solve! So I fished out an old yearbook, looked up the class of '97 and found the only person with those initials. Random guy I probably talked to once or twice. WTF! How did Ihave this ring? How long had I had it? (Probably almost a decade .... much longer than he ever had it.)

Here the quest got more difficult. Web searches yielded nothing. An alumni search gave me an outdated phone number ... I was beginning to think I'd be keeping the ring for another decade! But then I thought I might try going over to the alumni office at my high school to see if they had more up-to-date info on the guy. Bingo! I talked to him this afternoon. He did indeed lose his class ring. A million years ago. And he is super excited to be getting it back. Now all I have to do is go back to school and drop it off for him to pick up (he lives too far for me to drop it at his house). Yay! Mystery solved!

Home, sweet home

I'm back in the States, folks. What an adventure. It's hard for me to process that a month ago I was visiting Dracula's castle in the middle of Romania and a month before that I was at the Pyramids in Egypt and a month before that at the Taj Majal and before that on top of the Great Wall of China. And a whole lot of other cool stuff was packed in the middle. Awesome. I'll never forget it for the rest of my life. To follow up on the theft .... there were no suspects. But aside from the pictures that I lost and some of the contacts, my insurance covered everything. So I picked up an iPod today and I'm in the market for a new camera. All is well :) I'm also working on getting the rest of my pics up. Going through them all is a job in itself! So, stay tuned!

The end, my friends

Dublin has been a blast. I had a great last Saturday night last night. I went out to the Temple Bar (named after the district the bar is in), got a beer, and found a little table to stand around. the song "Born in the USA" came on and a Latvian girl standing across the table from me laughs and says, "I reckon nobody wants to be born in the USA these days." I said, "Well I was!" She was so embarassed ... but we ended up hanging out all night with her Irish boyfriend and his friend. Too much fun. Guinness is definitely better here than in the States, by the way.

Well, it's my final evening and I'm having mixed emotions. I've had so much fun and seen so many amazing things and met so many awesome people in the past 4 1/2 months. Tomorrow I go home. The worst part is that I know that as soon as I get there I will feel as though I never left. But it will be nice to not live out of a backpack, have my own room, and have more than three or four outfits to choose from.

Ahhhhhhhhh ...... what an amazing, amazing time.

I'll be back someday.

Shit happens

After 4 1/2 months of traveling and staying in hostels and having nothing bad happen, it has to come just days before heading home.

I was napping at around 4:30 yesterday afternoon, with my purse stuffed under my bed. When I woke up about an hour later, my purse was not where I had left it. It was on another bed in the room, all the good stuff gone. My camera (!), my phone (!) and my wallet ... all gone. At least he/she left me the rest of my memory cards ...

So once again I've lost all of my contact info. I'm most devistated about all of the people I've met on the road whose numbers and addresses are in that phone. So, if you're reading this and want to help me replenish my address book, e-mail your info to mercoop@hotmail.com

Cheers!

I believe

Scotland rocks. It is so beautiful here. Edinburgh is such a great city - it's small enough to walk around, the architecture is fabulous and there are tons of parks to relax in. I napped in one yesterday (it's becoming a habit!). Awesome city.

Today I'm on a 12-hour bus tour through the Highlands. So beautiful! We're leaving Loch Ness now. And I'll tell you now, after being there, I think the monster or monsters do exist. I'm a believer!
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All you need is love

Yesterday I took a nap on the lawn in front of the Eiffel Tower. It's the greatest place - a huge expanse of green covered with people playing football and music, studying, eating, or just enjoying the view. Fabulous.

Today I crossed the street using the crosswalk. Wow, you're thinking! But it wasn't just any street - it was THE street - Abbey Road. So cool.

Tonight I'm heading to Swansea, Wales, where I'm going to stay with a friend I made in Spain. I just hope the rain doesn't follow me - it was pretty nasty today in London, where I had a nice tour guide in Eric, an Aussie I met in Berlin. And on Monday I plan to see Stonehenge - if time permits - with a girl I hung out with in Prague and Krakow. Isn't it great to have friends?

So as my trip slowly approaches its end, I'm feeling a bit sad, but I'm also feeling the love :)

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Too much fun

I just had the best birthday trip ever! My hostel was unbelievable. It never ceases to amaze me how in three nights a hostel can become a home. Complete with family. If it hadn't been sunny out yesterday, I probably wouldn't have seen the city!

Amsterdam is everything it promises to be. And then some. The infamous coffee shops? They're there. The Red Light district with its ladies in the windows? Yup. Oh yeah, and there are cool buildings and windmills and stuff, too.

I think the thing that struck me as being the strangest is that, despite its reputation, Amsterdam is a tourist destination for families and large groups of senior citizens. Ut's just weird to see middle-class, middle-aged couples with the munchies or a couple of 70-year-olds checking out the sex shops.
Not that there's anything wrong with it ... The kids, though - I don't understand that. Amsterdam is not very children-friendly. I mean, on the surface, it's a really beautiful city, full of canals and cafes and museums. But walk down the wrong little street and you're in front of an adult cinema whose ads leave nothing to the imagination. And walk into a souvenir shop and you'll have to explain the drug paraphernalia and XXX-rated playing cards and pens. It's just not right.

But despite being a bit disturbed by the smut, I had an absolutely fabulous time in Europe's sin city - too much fun. I admit, I didn't actually patronize any of the coffee shops. Or the Red Light district (big surprise there). But thanks to the big, comfy bar, friendly people and live DJs at my hostel, I didn't really have to. :D
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