Hello everyone!

Well I know you are all eagerly waiting to hear what exciting adventures I've been up to since I last wrote and I'm going to tell you.  Well...most of it at least.  Come on, if I told you EVERY single detail this email would go on forever, you'd be completely bored, and I'd be left without any little stories to tell people face to face!!  So deal. :)

Well I have finally ventured onto the main continent of Europe.  Foreign languages, bizarre customs, and weird food were all left behind me in Scotland and Ireland...at least so I thought.  Who would have thought that there was anywhere where people were harder to understand then Glasgow?? LOL  Just teasing.

Anyway, after a nice long train ride I reached my first destination...Bruges.  Bruges is a small city in Belgium that was just great.  There are two things that Belgium is known for:  Chocolates, and BEER!!  And in Bruge, there was a bar that served over 350 different ones...each with their own glass.  Not just a basic glass with the beers name on it, but bizarre and specific glasses designed to aid in the enjoyment of the beer.  Apart from the beer, Bruges was a very warm city to be in and everyone was very friendly and helpful.  I did need to ask for help a few times when I had rented a bike and decided to tour some of the surrounding countryside.  Unfortunately, outside of Brussels, English is not as commonly known.  However this gave me a great chance to practice my little used French.  Unfortunately when you ask someone if they can speak french the assumption is that the person asking can understand it perfectly well.  My french extends little beyond asking where something is, and if the speaker can please slow down as they answer me.  Still, I was able to find the Castles I was looking for AND my way back to Bruge safe and sound.

Next stop:  Brussels.  More chocolate.  More beer.  But not nearly as nice as Bruges.  They do however have a small metal statue of a boy peeing that people flock to come and see.  How's THAT for culture!  The status is called Manneken Pis.  Just pronounce it the way it sounds.  Nobody really knows why he's there.  But the locals love to dress him up in various costumes and make as many kinds of souvenirs as possible with his likeness.  Statues, key chains, corkscrews, liquor dispensers, and of course, T-shirts.  To my credit, all I bought was a deck of cards, depicting him in 54 different costumes. Only because i wanted proof.  I didn't think anyone would believe me otherwise!  REALLY!  Apart from
that, there wasn't much in the city that really impressed me.  Maybe I was still adjusting to the language difference.  Maybe it was just because I was feeling a bit ill at the time.   Whatever it was, I was ready to move on to Holland when the time came.

I was starting to crave a really good cup of coffee and everyone keeps talking about the coffee houses of Amsterdam.  While I can't say much about their coffee, the coffee cake was really quite tasty.  My trip to Amsterdam started with me wandering around the streets in a vain attempt to find a nice Hostel.  This isn't because I didn't make a reservation, this was because none of the hostels TAKE reservations.  And most are full by about 9am.  My train got in at noon.  Now...with that explanation giving, I want it understood that the Hostel I picked was because it was the only affordable one I could find.  It had nothing to do with the fact that it was only one street away from the red light district.   Though I doubt anyone one will believe me.  Anyway once you are beyond the sex and the drugs of Amsterdam you discover that the society is really dependent on tourists coming for the sex and the drugs.

Actually there is quite a bit more to see.  On one of my days there, I actually stood in the rooms where Anne Frank and her family hid from the German army during the war.  It was a strange experience, trying to imagine what it would be like to live hidden away and never going outside.  Amsterdam is also a city very interested in art, especially from the famous Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh.  I took the tour through the museum and must admit that I was not very impressed at all.  It seemed that the collection mostly consisted of all the works of Van Gogh that no one was interested in seeing on tour.  While you did get to see the development and history of the artist, to me it appeared to be little more then a collection of paintings of bowls of fruit.  I never said I was an art lover!  Although I did like the picture of the skeleton smoking a cigarette.  Don't know why.  What's the old saying?

Anyway after a few days in hot and sunny Amsterdam I was ready for a beach.  So off I went to a little place called Noordjik.  All I really saw of the town was whatever was between the beach hostel and the beach!!  The hostel I stayed at I must saw was just completely amazing!  It's called the Flying Pig Beach Hostel.  The staff and everyone there just made the place an awesome couple of days.  It didn't hurt that most of them were Canadians.  During my short stay I actually got to try body boarding.  Another Canuck and myself decided we'd try to find some boards and have some fun.  The experience taught me why you always see surfers wearing wet suits.  I don't think it has anything to do with the
temperature of the water, but more to do with having a layer of clothing between you and the SAND!  After an hour or so you start to notice that a little bit of sand always gets between you and the board...not a pleasant feeling.  It also taught me that it's not a good idea to play in the waves while the tide is going out...unless your a really strong swimmer!  The rest of my time at the beach hostel was just relaxing and partying with the very cool staff and other travelers.  It was a fantastic break from the busy and often crowded Amsterdam.  And I finally got to a beach!!!

All good things come to an end and shortly I was on my way back to Amsterdam to catch my 13 hour train ride to Copenhagen, Denmark.  This was my first experience sleeping on a train and I was quite surprised as to how comfortable it was.  It was bizarre though to go to the bar car before going to sleep and wake up to find it missing.  Apparently during the night the train had lost some cars and gained a few others.  So make sure you stay in your own car on long trips like that else you may never end up where you expected!

At the end of my trip I arrived in the morning into beautiful Copenhagen to be greeted by my cousin Carsten.  A little side note there:  We had arranged to meet under a clock to help us find one another in the large station but unfortunately we both discovered that the clock was not where it used to be, and now there were about 4 scattered throughout the station.  Well luck was with us both and we managed to find each other.  My cousin was nice enough to let me stay with him during my visit and his family made me feel welcome immediately.  He also helped me a great deal arranging visits with my numerous family scattered around the city.  I don't really know how I would have managed it without him (Carsten:  I'm not writing this just because I know your reading it either!! LOL).

As I said Copenhagen is a beautiful city, and though I was told to expect differently I found that the people there were very warm and friendly.  During one of my tours around the city I seemed to have misplaced myself (not lost..never lost!).  When I asked for directions the person was actually nice enough to LEAD me to where I had wanted to be.  How's that for service!  Anyway I think I have rattled on enough for the moment.  I will have more about Copenhagen in my next email since I'm currently still here.  But soon I will be off to Karlstad in Sweden to visit some friends.  I know what your thinking: Why am I spending so much time in all these northern European countries?  Because I want to!

Anyway until the next message, be safe and have fun.  To those traveling, may the road take you to where you need to be!  For those who have been reading my emails in silence I just want to let you know that I do email people directly as well!  Not just this mass mail.  So if you want to, send me a note and I will reply I promise!  It won't always be a PROMPT reply, but I do get back to everyone!  So tell me some of your stories.  I'd love to hear them.

POSTCARDS:  I find that I like to buy postcards but don't have many addresses to send them too.  As a result, I think my sister has received about 5 already.  So if you'd like to get a postcard, send me your address!  I can't promise I'll get to everyone of course, but I'll certainly do my best!

Before I forget, I have put up a new video on the web site.  Just a little fun I was having in Amsterdam.  The address is at the bottom and while your there, SIGN MY GUEST BOOK!  Come on, make me feel loved!!

OK, the nice librarian is telling me I have to give the other children a turn on the computer so it's time to go.  Time to make some more stories.

Cheers,
David