Europe and a bunch of misadventures.
Disclaimer: This is not a Guide To Europe article. Or Guide to Travelling either.
I want to go the this year's World Youth Day to be held in Germany from August 16-21 (I know, it's like World Youth Week). I'm sure I can go. I'm planning to go there early, tour around Europe, then come back to Germany to meet my teacher (who was inviting us, not a school-related event, she just wants to go and is looking for companions) for the WYD. I can go there with another person perhaps. But I don't think anybody at the moment is willing, or will be allowed, to come with me. Heck, nobody can even come to Japan with me; I can no longer proceed with my Operation: Conquer Kyoto. (Will be explaining about this later on.)
That's the only possible way I can maximize the Php60,000 air fare, that is if I visit the other countries as well. But I personally don't want to go there until I'm 18. You see, I think I can suck more fun out of a euro tour if I'm already of legal age (well, by Philippine standards anyway.) With respect to the legal drinking age though, it's definitely lower for a couple of countries like Germany. (I heard, er, read, from some online friends 11 year olds are freely given beer upon request.)
And besides, the older I am the better I can take care of myself. I think. I mean, who wants to be nabbed by gypsies in an Italian train station!?!? Some places in Europe, like the streets of Rome, are not friendly to strolling while lugging around high-end paper bags. Ye have to be rough and tough. The possibility of being drugged by psychos is always there, you know. hahaha My aunt lost her passport on her trip there last year with my grandma. Her credit card was there too. So they went to the bank (or some tourist help center... whatever) and there were all these American women asking to be reissued their credit cards and stuff. (My aunt just had to go "Look, issue me a credit card, my credit card number is 02394numbernumber####. Check it, it's under my name. ANd my passport number is 0294s82rr04e3823blah." when they refused to do so. It pays to memorize those numbers.) And when they were inside shops, some female tourists were taking out their credit cards from inside their bras. Funny sight. Heh. They should invest on traveler bags and sew them onto their skins for extra safe-guarding.
I've been planning this for forever. I'm an adventurous soul. Really. Heh. I long to experience every culture, country, that I can. Ever since I was 12 years old and my cousin went to Europe on tour with my aunt, I wanted to go there too. They had some hilarious misadventures. My aunt is the best tour guide ever. You get to explore the place together. ANd make hilarious mistakes. Hilarious. Okay, someone give me a replacement word for hilarious.
I wasn't able to get a visa, thus I wasn't able to come with them. :( I'll enumerate some of the misadventures and freebies they got there. As my aunt always says, all it takes is charm ;)
+ They got into a fashion show (the private ones, not the one for free during the afternoon) in Gallerie La Fayette (Paris) for FREE. How?
My aunt (to the elderly lady at the counter): Excuse me, is there going to be a fashion show here tonight? I'm Angie Cortez, I used to be a model in New York and I'm interested if ever there's a show. (She really did model in New York, when she was there as an executive for Chase Manhattan.)
French Lady: Oh, wait here. Just wait.
The lady comes back with two tickers for my aunt and my cousin. She simply told my cousin to wear something semi-formal since they might visit some fashion shows.
+ They were hiking somewhere in the mountains, looking for the birthplace of Michael Angelo in a hill (or whatever it is) called Gianicolo (forgive the wrong spelling; named after an army general, I THINK.) They don't even know how they got there but they went off the usual trail and was already walking in knee-length grasses.
My aunt spots a couple of soldiers below them, laughing quietly to each other.
My aunt (to my cousin): Tingnan mo Sugar o, tinitingnan tayo. Gwapo pa naman. (She says jokingly.)
They soldiers were speaking in Italian and laughing. My aunt and cousin later comes down to find out a few locals gathered. The soldiers were opening a "trap door" and was pulling out a cannon. They didn't have any idea what was going on. This whole thing was actually caught on video. And then after some salutations, formations and exchanges from the soldiers, the camera shakes in time with a loud bang. It was some sort of cannon firing. haha So that was why the soldiers were laughing at how clueless they were.
+ They went to witness a vatican mass during the first day of Holy Week and got in to the areas strictly for approved delegates, etc. They got in without a pass, a security clearance, etc. They got pat the famed Swiss bodyguards of the Pope. Y'know, black suit wearing dudes with ear pieces and secret agent vibes. They got mixed up with the Mexican delegates, by the way. And my cousin got a photo of her hand outstretched towards the passing bulletproof "golf cart" of Pope John Paul II, about 3 feet away from the said golf cart.
It might not be that special, but these things that happened to them are just plain amusing for two plain tourists. That's why I shun tour groups. You don't really get a lot from tagging along with one. ANd it's all about inexpensive local food. Another funny incident was that they went to this local Italian place suggested by the son of the owners of the hotel they're staying in in Rome. I think it's the Renaissance Hotel? My aunt is still in touch with the family. The local resto's owner enjoyed having my aunt and cousin in his food joint so much he gave them complimentary lemoncellos (sp?). Everybody in the place were cheering them on to drink the non-toxic-seeming yellow substance from the shot glasses. It couldn't be that bad, eh? Turned out to be hard liquor with seemingly-high alcohol content. Well, they still had to finish them drinks for courtesy's sake.
Well, in keeping up with the Cortez spirit of adventure, I'm planning little day trips again. The Intramuros day trip and photohunting went well. I wonder if we'll continute with the Corregidor plan. WHatever happens though we're pushing through with the Sagada-Baler adventure this summer. Originally, I wanted to go on an east to west trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, something I named "Ock": Operation - Conquer Kyoto. I was asking Remika to come with me. It'd be safe since Japan is perfectly safe for kids like us. Train perverts can easily be dismissed with a kick in their groin. I mean, that's all they ever do, flash themselves. And if they start touching you, you just fight back. They just think they can get away because most Japanese girls are afraid to fight back, as witnessed. And besides, we can go and cross over to where the World Expo is being held, which is somewhere southeast in Japan.
If I get into any of the US schools I applied to, I'm definitely going to Japan in June. Europe would have to wait when I'm older. heh Or maybe, I can rearrange my plans so I can go to Europe instead. :D But it'd be no fun without a companion.
---
I've already semi-planned Kla's and my Asian Sojourn. I think I posted about it before, only I'm not sure. And 11-country, 3 months of adventure from Singapore to India. Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, etc, etc, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, etc, etc, then south of India (the beautiful beaches!). That's not until after college. I guess Kla can be my travel buddy. heh If she's not too lazy. And we definitely have to go to Turkey. And I want to go to Greece too. ANd there's the South American Adventure as well.
My aunt is more for the leisurely kind of travelling. Y'know, nice 3 to 5 star hotels (we get discounts, ever heard of IATA-member travelling agency ID? :D My grandma manages one and my aunt uses all the benefits, hehe), leisurely pace, and well saved up for. She intends at least a year to prepare for each travel. If you allot a certain amount of money then you don't have to worry calculating dollars to pesos or euros to pesos or whatever. I think that's the secret to achieve something near a worry-free vacation. Save up and plan. And when you're there, follow your itinerary but with each place or isolated case, go with the flow.
I'm kinda leaning towards the leisurely kind of travel but I guess I'm much more inclined to the backpacking style. But hey, who says backpackers can't sleep in fluffy beds and airconditioned rooms?
Good god. I need to find a high-paying job.
And friends who live in other countries to get the real deals. Hey. That's another purpose of deviant art! haha
I want to go the this year's World Youth Day to be held in Germany from August 16-21 (I know, it's like World Youth Week). I'm sure I can go. I'm planning to go there early, tour around Europe, then come back to Germany to meet my teacher (who was inviting us, not a school-related event, she just wants to go and is looking for companions) for the WYD. I can go there with another person perhaps. But I don't think anybody at the moment is willing, or will be allowed, to come with me. Heck, nobody can even come to Japan with me; I can no longer proceed with my Operation: Conquer Kyoto. (Will be explaining about this later on.)
That's the only possible way I can maximize the Php60,000 air fare, that is if I visit the other countries as well. But I personally don't want to go there until I'm 18. You see, I think I can suck more fun out of a euro tour if I'm already of legal age (well, by Philippine standards anyway.) With respect to the legal drinking age though, it's definitely lower for a couple of countries like Germany. (I heard, er, read, from some online friends 11 year olds are freely given beer upon request.)
And besides, the older I am the better I can take care of myself. I think. I mean, who wants to be nabbed by gypsies in an Italian train station!?!? Some places in Europe, like the streets of Rome, are not friendly to strolling while lugging around high-end paper bags. Ye have to be rough and tough. The possibility of being drugged by psychos is always there, you know. hahaha My aunt lost her passport on her trip there last year with my grandma. Her credit card was there too. So they went to the bank (or some tourist help center... whatever) and there were all these American women asking to be reissued their credit cards and stuff. (My aunt just had to go "Look, issue me a credit card, my credit card number is 02394numbernumber####. Check it, it's under my name. ANd my passport number is 0294s82rr04e3823blah." when they refused to do so. It pays to memorize those numbers.) And when they were inside shops, some female tourists were taking out their credit cards from inside their bras. Funny sight. Heh. They should invest on traveler bags and sew them onto their skins for extra safe-guarding.
I've been planning this for forever. I'm an adventurous soul. Really. Heh. I long to experience every culture, country, that I can. Ever since I was 12 years old and my cousin went to Europe on tour with my aunt, I wanted to go there too. They had some hilarious misadventures. My aunt is the best tour guide ever. You get to explore the place together. ANd make hilarious mistakes. Hilarious. Okay, someone give me a replacement word for hilarious.
I wasn't able to get a visa, thus I wasn't able to come with them. :( I'll enumerate some of the misadventures and freebies they got there. As my aunt always says, all it takes is charm ;)
+ They got into a fashion show (the private ones, not the one for free during the afternoon) in Gallerie La Fayette (Paris) for FREE. How?
My aunt (to the elderly lady at the counter): Excuse me, is there going to be a fashion show here tonight? I'm Angie Cortez, I used to be a model in New York and I'm interested if ever there's a show. (She really did model in New York, when she was there as an executive for Chase Manhattan.)
French Lady: Oh, wait here. Just wait.
The lady comes back with two tickers for my aunt and my cousin. She simply told my cousin to wear something semi-formal since they might visit some fashion shows.
+ They were hiking somewhere in the mountains, looking for the birthplace of Michael Angelo in a hill (or whatever it is) called Gianicolo (forgive the wrong spelling; named after an army general, I THINK.) They don't even know how they got there but they went off the usual trail and was already walking in knee-length grasses.
My aunt spots a couple of soldiers below them, laughing quietly to each other.
My aunt (to my cousin): Tingnan mo Sugar o, tinitingnan tayo. Gwapo pa naman. (She says jokingly.)
They soldiers were speaking in Italian and laughing. My aunt and cousin later comes down to find out a few locals gathered. The soldiers were opening a "trap door" and was pulling out a cannon. They didn't have any idea what was going on. This whole thing was actually caught on video. And then after some salutations, formations and exchanges from the soldiers, the camera shakes in time with a loud bang. It was some sort of cannon firing. haha So that was why the soldiers were laughing at how clueless they were.
+ They went to witness a vatican mass during the first day of Holy Week and got in to the areas strictly for approved delegates, etc. They got in without a pass, a security clearance, etc. They got pat the famed Swiss bodyguards of the Pope. Y'know, black suit wearing dudes with ear pieces and secret agent vibes. They got mixed up with the Mexican delegates, by the way. And my cousin got a photo of her hand outstretched towards the passing bulletproof "golf cart" of Pope John Paul II, about 3 feet away from the said golf cart.
It might not be that special, but these things that happened to them are just plain amusing for two plain tourists. That's why I shun tour groups. You don't really get a lot from tagging along with one. ANd it's all about inexpensive local food. Another funny incident was that they went to this local Italian place suggested by the son of the owners of the hotel they're staying in in Rome. I think it's the Renaissance Hotel? My aunt is still in touch with the family. The local resto's owner enjoyed having my aunt and cousin in his food joint so much he gave them complimentary lemoncellos (sp?). Everybody in the place were cheering them on to drink the non-toxic-seeming yellow substance from the shot glasses. It couldn't be that bad, eh? Turned out to be hard liquor with seemingly-high alcohol content. Well, they still had to finish them drinks for courtesy's sake.
Well, in keeping up with the Cortez spirit of adventure, I'm planning little day trips again. The Intramuros day trip and photohunting went well. I wonder if we'll continute with the Corregidor plan. WHatever happens though we're pushing through with the Sagada-Baler adventure this summer. Originally, I wanted to go on an east to west trip from Tokyo to Kyoto, something I named "Ock": Operation - Conquer Kyoto. I was asking Remika to come with me. It'd be safe since Japan is perfectly safe for kids like us. Train perverts can easily be dismissed with a kick in their groin. I mean, that's all they ever do, flash themselves. And if they start touching you, you just fight back. They just think they can get away because most Japanese girls are afraid to fight back, as witnessed. And besides, we can go and cross over to where the World Expo is being held, which is somewhere southeast in Japan.
If I get into any of the US schools I applied to, I'm definitely going to Japan in June. Europe would have to wait when I'm older. heh Or maybe, I can rearrange my plans so I can go to Europe instead. :D But it'd be no fun without a companion.
---
I've already semi-planned Kla's and my Asian Sojourn. I think I posted about it before, only I'm not sure. And 11-country, 3 months of adventure from Singapore to India. Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, etc, etc, Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet, etc, etc, then south of India (the beautiful beaches!). That's not until after college. I guess Kla can be my travel buddy. heh If she's not too lazy. And we definitely have to go to Turkey. And I want to go to Greece too. ANd there's the South American Adventure as well.
My aunt is more for the leisurely kind of travelling. Y'know, nice 3 to 5 star hotels (we get discounts, ever heard of IATA-member travelling agency ID? :D My grandma manages one and my aunt uses all the benefits, hehe), leisurely pace, and well saved up for. She intends at least a year to prepare for each travel. If you allot a certain amount of money then you don't have to worry calculating dollars to pesos or euros to pesos or whatever. I think that's the secret to achieve something near a worry-free vacation. Save up and plan. And when you're there, follow your itinerary but with each place or isolated case, go with the flow.
I'm kinda leaning towards the leisurely kind of travel but I guess I'm much more inclined to the backpacking style. But hey, who says backpackers can't sleep in fluffy beds and airconditioned rooms?
Good god. I need to find a high-paying job.
And friends who live in other countries to get the real deals. Hey. That's another purpose of deviant art! haha
posted by Byeong | 9:18:00 PM
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