Smoke 'Em While You Got 'Em

A few blog posts back, I wrote about my thoughts on smoking while I was in Amsterdam. I expressed my apathy regarding if I smoked or didn't smoke while visiting.

Well, of course...I smoked. Some kind of hash joint mixed with weed. It was nice. I had just finished having about 4 or 5 Heinekens on top of two shots of fruit infused Jenever - a traditional Dutch liquor that is similar to gin, but tastes more like vodka to me. I was feeling pretty, pretty good. Truth be told, I'm glad I did it. As I walked around the Red Light District with my happy buzz, I felt like I had really completed the whole Amsterdam experience.

Now, I am very glad I did it, as it seems that there will be a ban on tourists being able to smoke starting January 2013. Or at least there will try to be...there is still a final appeal to be made to the supreme court, so I have read.

Netherlands Bans Pot For Foreigners

A quick Google search turns up many, many articles discussing the enforcement of a new law banning everyone but Dutch residents from access to coffee shops. The locals would be issued a "pass" that lets them into the shops, and everyone else would be turned away. This ban has already started in areas south of Amsterdam, where apparently there has been a lot of drug related crime. The rest of the country has until January before the law would take full effect.

This was a topic of discussion on my trip. The locals we talked to didn't seem too worried. They told us that this has been attempted before - and it never works out. They seem to think it would be something that would not really be enforced, if passed - at least not in Amsterdam.

It seems ridiculous to me. I can only imagine how much revenue Amsterdam makes from tourists visiting just coffee shops alone. To take that revenue away seems like a foolish idea, seeing as their economy is not doing too well as it is. Also, I really don't see this ban stopping anyone who really wants to smoke from smoking. It simply makes the Dutch resident a middle man. I don't think it is going to drastically reduce any crime, either.

I guess all there is to do is wait and see how this all pans out...but I am definitely glad I chose to smoke while I was there.

Keukenhof - Most Beautiful Spring Gardens in the World

 I was in the right place at the right time for a couple of pretty rare things on my trip to Europe. Being able to experience the breath-taking Keukenhof Gardens in Holland was one of those rare things. It is only open from March 22 - May 20.

Keukenhof, located just south west of Amsterdam in a town named Lisse, is considered the world's largest flower garden. These meticulously maintained beautiful, sweeping gardens are situated on 15th century hunting grounds. The actual grounds of Castle Keukenhof are open all year round. 

The drive from Amsterdam to Keukenhof alone was already gorgeous enough to boast about. Field after field of tulips on both sides of the road. All perfectly lined up rows in all different colors - like giant rectangular rainbows. Perfectly stunning views at every turn. This was what I had hoped for. This was what I had dreamed it would be. Upon arriving and passing through the entrance to the grounds was a small pool of water, in the middle of the pool stood a tall and very interesting fountain - it looked like a dandelion that is ready to be wished upon. A bit away from that, I could hear what I can only describe as the "old-timey" sounds of a strange mechanical...music machine.

As you can see in the video I took, the little figures all move in time, tapping their batons to their bells. Kinda creepy. Definitely cool. I stood under it's strange spell for probably longer than I should have before I finally snapped out of it and began  to explore this floral fantasy land sprawling out before me in every direction.

I have never seen so many flowers in my life, and I have never seen more artistically arranged and unique displays of flowers in my life. I felt like Dorothy entering the land of Oz - the colors were so vibrant. Everything was so lush. I was lost in a gorgeous labyrinth of blooming pathways. Every different path leading to more and more beauty, meandering endlessly, introducing me to every flower known to man...or at least it seemed that way. At one point, I reached a pond filled with swans. The view from where I stood was just lovely. Overlooking rows of hot pink and pale pink tulips, emerald green grass that I'm sure rivals the greenest grasses of Ireland, perfect path ways winding along, scattered with trees standing guard here and there..and swans swimming gracefully by...such a vision.

After hours exploring Keukenhof, I was beyond tired. After all, I had been up well over 24 hours by this point. After checking in at the hotel at 6am, naturally the room wasn't going to be ready until afternoon...so the morning had been spent wandering the streets of Amsterdam, and then taking the train, followed by the Kekenhof shuttle to the gardens. I still can not believe how lucky I was to have been in Holland at the perfect time. I had not even heard of this place until right before my trip. And though I knew I wanted to see tulip fields, I certainly did not not know I would be fortunate enough to be around during the relatively small window of time the world famous Keukenhof  gardens would be open! I'm a pretty lucky gal....

Like So Many Before Me...

I may be a little late to the party here, but I just saw the J'Adore commercial with Charlize Theron - the one that was shot at Versailles. It got me thinking about a few things...

1. I love getting that "I've been there!!" feeling you get when you watch things like this - commercials or movies or TV shows that highlight a famous place you have been. It makes you feel like you are in some special exclusive club, and in a way, you are. There is also that feeling of awe you get when reflecting about how many others have been there before you; famous/rich/historical/influential and otherwise. Wandering the very same halls and rooms, feeling the grandeur, the wonder, the extravagance of it all. Exploring the very same grounds you have tread. And so many people after you will experience the very same thing. It's an inspiring feeling. If those walls could talk - the stories they could tell!

2. How expensive must it have been to rent out Versailles for that commercial? I can not even fathom it.

3. Upon first watching the video I noticed the model that played Marilyn Monroe was spot on. I mean, really, really spot on. I have never seen a Marilyn look-a-like that was closer to looking like her. It was almost alarming. I had to back up a few times just out of sheer amazement. Everything right down to her body language was just uncanny. This of course, was because it was not a model playing Marilyn Monroe. It WAS in fact Marilyn Monroe, flawlessly added into the commercial à la CGI, along with Marlene Dietrich and Grace Kelly! You gotta love technology. Amazing.

4. I have decided I am ready to go back to France again! ;)

Naturally I have to add a picture of myself in the very place the J'Adore commercial was filmed.

Versailles. There I am. Standing there in the Hall of Mirrors - like so many before me. Not quite ready to strut down the runway for Dior...but, I am there. An experience I will not soon forget, that's for sure.

Back From Europe - Quick Update

It comes and goes so fast. One minute you are thinking how your trip seems so very far away, and the next minute, you are back from all your travels, and back into the swing of  your every day life - it is crazy.

This is just a quick update about my musical choices on this trip. Boy did I pick some good ones, and I love that I will forever link them to this past trip.

Bass Communion - "Atmospherics" This album is a compilation of short pieces from other Bass Communion albums. It was perfect to listen to while gazing out of the window at the clouds on the long flights to and from Europe.

Kate Bush - "Aerial" What a work of art. This album was released in 2005, and is one of the newest albums from KB. It is gorgeous. So many different elements, styles, incorporation. The first disc (or fist half) is named "A Sea of Honey"  and has some truly beautiful songs. I also found it fitting that there is a song about Joan of Arc - "Joanni" - as she played a big part in the history of France. One of my favorite KB songs is also on this half of the album - "How to be Invisible".
The second half is named "A Sky of Honey" and is supposed to take place on a single summer day. There is the use of birds singing throughout this half, and KB at one point mimics the bird song, and it is very interesting. I  really enjoyed it. It is so fun to get acquainted with new albums of artists that you already love - especially when the albums are as amazing as this.

TOOL "Salival" - This one is not new to me. But I need TOOL to be in my soundtrack anywhere I am. And really, their "No Quarter" cover is just superb. I could and have listened to that song over and over.

The Beach Boys - "Pet Sounds" - Another album that I have always loved. It is like bringing an old friend with you. It is familiar and comfortable, yet never loses it's touch. Never gets old. "Caroline, No" will always bring a tear to my eyes, no matter how many times I hear it. "Wouldn't it be Nice" will always make me smile. I will always relate to "I Just Wasn't Made For These Times" - the whole album is just timeless. Genius.

Porcupine Tree - "The Sky Moves Sideways" - I just love Porcupine Tree. They have so many albums that span so many different styles of music that it is hard to choose which album to give attention to. I had listened to The Sky Moves Sideways before, I knew I loved it - but I had time to really introduce myself to it and get to know it on this trip. On nights where I was still adjusting to the time change, I lay in my bed just immersed in this album. "Stars Die" of course, is just amazing, and I couldn't help but play it a few times in a row. I had a mix of all the different versions of this album which included different versions of "Moonloop" etc. Also, the "Moonloop" improv - very good stuff to listen to when you have nothing but time and can really dedicate yourself to the listening experience.

So, those were my main albums on the trip. Sprinkled here and there with some  Beatles "Let it Be", "Dark Side of the Moon" and some solo Steven Wilson (Both "Insurgentes" and "Grace for Drowning") I made some great musical memories, and also discovered some really amazing new albums. These things are just as important to me on a trip as the actual places I visit - so it really made it that much better.

SW Knows A Thing Or Two About Music.

Interview With Steven Wilson by PopMatters

Just came across this interview with Steven Wilson on the web. This man seriously knows what he is talking about in all areas of music. Below is a small portion of the interview.
I had a hard time picking what I wanted to paste into this blog - but this particular response really resonated with me...


"You’ve declared your love for pop music such as Donna Summer or ABBA. What do you make of the contemporary pop music landscape dominated by Lady Gaga and Katy Perry?
Pretty depressing, because it’s all generic. You can buy boxes that can make you sound like you sing in tune, even if you can’t. You can buy boxes that, at the push of a button, can give you the drum sound from a record that you like or a particular keyboard. It’s too easy, now, to sound like other people.

The epitome of that is American Idol where everyone appears to want to sound like Mariah Carey or Kelly Clarkson. That kind of style of singing has become a blueprint and so many people try to emulate that. You ask yourself how well someone like Tom Waits or Neil Young or Nick Drake would do if they went on American Idol. They would be laughed out of the audition. So we have a generation of artists coming through now believing that they should aspire to being generic. What I loved about pop music of the past—particularly artists like ABBA or The Carpenters—was that they were so unbelievably distinctive. I’m thinking back to an era where Marvin Gaye sounded nothing like Stevie Wonder, nothing like Aretha Franklin, nothing like Otis Redding. Now, even the white singers want to sound like that generic black R&B Soul voice. It’s boring."

AMEN.

Fighting the Dreaded Airplane/Travel Cold

As my trip draws ever closer, I have begun to arm myself against an old foe - the airplane germ. It is almost a given that if I am going to be on a plane, I am going to catch a cold. Well, at least it used to be a given. The past few years have been cold-free...::knocks on wood:: However, the past few years have not included a plane trip that was longer than 3 or 4 hours. This trip, I am determined to kick both airplane and travel germs asses like a ninja with my super immune system tactics.

Getting sick while traveling has got to be the WORST. I have told my sad story before, with the world's tiniest violin player sitting on my shoulder, playing as I typed out my woes...the story of how sick I was on my last full day in Rome back in 2002. How I forced myself to tour most of Rome in the morning, but just could not continue any longer by mid day. How I spent the rest of the day miserable and uncomfortable under the covers in my hotel room. No relief. No medicine. No Tylenol. No Tussin'. Not even a cough drop to soothe my fiery, swollen, sore throat from hell. I was shit out of luck because it was Easter Monday, and apparently on Easter Monday there are approximately zero stores open in Rome and the surrounding areas. (My Dad says that there should have been at least one pharmacy open...but such was my luck that day...)

But the story gets even more upsetting- The next day, even more sick than the previous day, I had to get onto a plane back to America.
FML.
It was the worst experience I have ever endured. The pressure from my sinus combined with the pressure in the airplane all but convinced me that my eyeballs were going to explode out of my head. At some point I swallowed a sip of water or something to that effect and went deaf in one ear. (which, hours and hours later whatever fluid that clogged up my ear unclogged and BURST like a gun shot going off in my eardrum...no THAT wasn't painful AT ALL) I sat in silent torture for hours on that plane. I continued to be sick and miserable for the following week before I finally got better. So the moral of this sad story - don't get sick while traveling.

The funny thing is, I have an extremely good immune system. Under normal circumstances I pretty much never get sick. I have been at my current job for about 3 years- never called out. Same with the job before that. If I do feel a little under the weather, my body usually fights it off within hours. My Dad is the same way, just  Never. Gets Sick.
It's just that the thought of how ill and miserable I was on that last day in Rome, and my not so great track record of airplane colds has, I guess, traumatized me into taking extreme precautions before any trip - especially a trip to Europe that requires long hours on planes/trains/busses and what have you.

So, starting a few days ago I began loading up on as much vitamin C as humanly possible. I am trying to consume lots of any vitamins, really. The more the better, right? I want to make my body an extremely hostile environment for any potential virus. I have also been taking allergy medicine- just in case. Lastly, I purchased a personal air purifier that does not emit ozone. Unfortunately I can not use the air purifier on the plane - which would really come in handy. But I can use it on the bus rides from country to country, and I am CONVINCED that is what caused me to get so sick all those years ago in Italy.

I am determined to conquer the wily and formidable enemy that is the airplane/travel cold. You will not get the better of me this time! ::shakes fist at sky::

The Soundtrack to a Trip

It is said that of the five senses, smell is the sense that triggers a person's memory the most. I do not believe that is true for me. For me, it is sound - music. I can tell you what year and exactly what I was doing/feeling simply from hearing a song. I can get a mental image, a clear and concise flash of the moment I was in.  As far back as my memory takes me - there is music there to trigger it.

When I am in the car, pretty much anytime I turn Sirius to "90's on 9" I have a blast. Every song that comes on evokes a different memory for me - school dances, jr high, summertime, crushes, high school, friends...it's like hopping into a time machine, I love the nostalgia.

By far the most vivid music based  memories I have are related to major trips that I have taken. My first trip to Italy and Sicily when I was 12 was dominated by Guns n' Roses. "The Spaghetti Incident" had just come out and I remember going to a record store just outside of the Trevi Fountain to purchase it. There was also Nirvana, who was in Rome promoting their last studio album "In Utero."

My next trip to Italy and Sicily when I was 14 was mostly a soundtrack of The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's to be exact. With a little Sam Black Church and Tree mixed in here and there (random, I know). There was also an Italian club mix that reminds me of hanging out with my cousins down by the beach - "The Summer is Crazy"  and the hilarious Italian rap song "Tranqi Funky."

My last trip to Italy was mostly a Tori Amos soundtrack - " To Venus and Back". Listening to any song off  that album immediately reminds me of rolling Italian country side as seen from my window on the tour bus.

Las Vegas reminds me of TOOL. Mexico reminds me of a different Tori Amos album - "From the Choirgirl Hotel." And my very first trip to Key West reminds me of Pink Floyd, especially "Us and Them."

So, as you can see, the soundtrack to a trip is very important (for me, anyway). With that in mind, I have been planning what music I want to listen to on this upcoming voyage. I know there will be various Steven Wilson and Porcupine Tree, since I have been infatuated with Steven Wilson and his music for a while now. I know there will be Pink Floyd, Beatles and TOOL.
I have been thinking of what other music will make the cut for this trip, but haven't completely decided on any other artists, yet.

I can't wait to add some musical memories on my fourth trip to Europe!