i have to admit, planning my life's rations to fit into one backpack requires some work. who would have thought? it's not quite as simple as just stuffing everything into a bag. kinda like a rubic's cube. well, it's actually not my life's rations, but more those that will last me for three weeks.
i have a feeling when i go to take something out of the bottom of the bag, everything else will tumble out as well. :oP i read my "europe through the backdoor" guide, and it's given me lots of ideas for things i might want to bring, or might not. according to it, i should have something like one sweater, three shirts, two pairs of pants, five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, a first-aid kit, an umbrella, a daypack, a sewing kit, a tie and suit, waterproof shoes, sandwich baggies (?), string to hang laundry on, soap to wash with, a towel, etc, etc. my list is as follows: two sweaters, four shirts, three pairs of pants, five pairs of socks, five pairs of underwear, a first-aid kit, and umbrella, a daypack, non-waterproof shoes, vitamins, glasses, a book, a diary, my camera's electronic stuff, a disposable camera, etc., etc. i haven't actually tried to pick up my bag. that could be the challenge i'm afraid!
but maybe i'm not doing too poorly. the top third of the largest part of my bag is free of goods, so i can pack souveniers there. the side pockets are full, but hopefully they'll all end up ok. i've realised that i'll have to pay money to store my pack during the day, it's too big to carry around to museums and every place. but a few bucks isn't much to alleviate the stress.
still can't believe i'm going to ride the eurostar quite soon! it looks so nice...pricey, but nice! who would've guessed that they make trains that are--no joke--18 cars long? i thought that that would be impossible! but the train is supposed to be lovely, and even passing through the chunnel is ok, your ears aren't supposed to pop! well, that puts it ahead of the tube and the japanese shinkansen!
i know a lot of my friends back home are slightly concerned or worried, and i know that they're curious as to how i'm doing this. simple, because it's the only way for me to see the world. backpacking through europe, it's gotta be every college kid's dream. :) and i'm living it. i think it helps that i don't party or do anything stupid, knowing me, i'll be in the hostel every night by 7, particularly when i'm by myself and in a funky place (ahem, amsterdam, ahem). but it should be cool, and i'm looking forward to travelling. one of my flatmates said that it's quite good that i have lived in london for three months, to which i responded "well, i lived in new york for two and a half years before that!" let's hope my street smarts come in handy!!
quick summary of my journeys: loved amsterdam. hated bruxelles. maastricht and aachen were boring. and cold. paris is nice and warm. the french are nice. so are the dutch. don't like the belgians. holland is cheap. belgium is overpriced. so is germany. don'tmiss the british too much! will write more, prolly from another country!
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