Frazier Blog

Woke up to sun and was excited for a day at Versailles. Navigated my way though the metro and was quickly on the RER train to Versailles. Public transpiration here blows my mind. How can they do it so well and the us so poorly. I have never heard anyone say o you need a taxi to get there they always just say which train to take.

I worked on day 5’s blog on the train ride and watched as the train whisked us away from the Paris city center. Surprisingly, the entire train got off at Versailles.

Made the walk to the palace and was in awe as the gold gates came into view. The bright sun made all the gold glisten. Spectacular.

The palace loomed ahead as an equally intimidating ticket line double and triple backed on itself. However, with the museum pass i could head right to the security checkpoint. While annoying these almost pointless checkpoints are angels compared to TSA shoes and belts can stay as you pass through.

The crowd inside the palace was large and I hit the bathroom before getting trapped in the sea of tourists. I’m learning my lesson. Again I did not have to wait in line, not the museum pass this time but my gender.

There was a huge line at the information desk for maps where I watched her circle things and talk with each person. I went for the kill. Went to the side of the counter and pointed at a map, she glared and reluctantly handed me one after glaring at me and pointing at the line. Why they don’t just have them on a stand is beyond me. And I was off on my Rick steves audio tour. Free downloads by the way on iTunes.

I flew though the palace as it was packed, beautiful outside and I was still on museum overload. I did learn some interesting history from rick and got to stand in the rooms where it took place.

Then it was time for the gardens, they truly do look like they go on forever! I can’t even try and describe them. It was a Tuesday so they had the fountains turned on. While it was amazing even without the water on, seeing the gardens and fountains with the water running was spectacular. Before the water turned on at 230, I strolled through part of the gardens and then took a nap while listening to classical music by the grand canel. Life is rough.

I think I could write a sort novel about today and perhaps an indie screenplay.

*sorry if their are errors or holes, i know its long but it was amazing, now back outside in the alps*

First stop was Norte Dame. With one change on the Metro I was there in 10 minutes, they really have a good system here. The church is already an impressive sight from the outside. I was following the free audio tour from Rick Steves of the historic Paris walk (do I get a check for product placement yet Rick?). The line for the top was long but I could just walk inside. Within 3 steps I realized gigantic size of this church. Inside is dimly lit with the majority of the lighting coming from the beautiful stain glass. I made a donation and lit a candle. The audio tour provided very interesting background, at one point the French people seized the church and made it a monument to the knowledge of man. I finished touring around and then sat down to pray for a moment.

Back outside i was directed to the deportation memorial, which was closed today. The commentary still provided a moment to reflect on the loss of life French Jews suffered.

After being shown the oldest Living thing in Paris, a tree from 1300ish I paused for “un cafe.” moments like these make me think I am in a dream I was sitting outside in sunlight sipping on coffee, people watching, while
Sitting 100 yards from the Notre Dame. Unreal.

As my walk continued I entered the narrow streets of Paris from the medieval period. The charm only grew as the streets became smaller. St.Severin is cool as the church almost hangs out into the street. All of the shops, cafes and restaurants give the area a great feel.

I toured the Latin quarter and Rick is right about a large contingent of Greek restaurants. They offer cheap food and I could not resist as I watched them shave meat off. I bought a pita 4.50 and continued my tour.

My next stop was Sainte-chapelle. There was a very long line, after I got to the back I noticed a ruckus upfront. An employee was cutting off the line with a rope. I approached and saw a “ferme” sign which would last for the next hour. I was not going to stand in line for an hour to wait in line. Before I left I flashed my museum pass and he opened the rope. Others were doing the same thing while people behind the rope became increasing angry and confused. After hand gestures and a few common words I understood from the worker that ticket office was closed but security open. So on accident I picked the perfect time, again get the pass. While in line I met a nice old
couple from Cali, it was fun talking to them despite him being a USC alum, cheaters. After ending up infront of the place of justice on accident I made my way back to the church. What a cool building, while the down stairs was impressive it was small compared to Notre Dame. I was beginning to wonder why it was such a popular spot and then I saw the stairs. I emerged from a dimly lit stair case and was greeted by the warm glowing light coming from a wall of magnificent stained glass. Now I understood. The inside is virtually empty drawing your attention to the walls of glass. Each frame depicts a story from the bible. Sadly I could not see glass over the alter as they are doing a huge restoration project. I sat and enjoyed the glass, admired the details and tried to make out some of the biblical stories.

I had not see a band all day and thought that the girls had led me astray. O well I was having a great day even without the music.

Next I toured the prison where the French revolutionaries kept their prisoners before chopping off their heads. I saw the cell of Marie Antoinette . A interesting piece of history.

My tour continued and soon I was in this tiny little pocket park in the middle of Paris, surrounded by little cafes. I realized I was beginning to fall in love. As my tour wrapped up I was left infront of the bridge. Two police cars approached as I arrived, they began running down stairs toward the river. I could not resist. They led me to yet another hidden park. It extends out from the bridge punt buff. The police were at the end where a boat had run aground. There were 4 boats a diver and 6 more looking on from land. A very entertaining scene. I asked a couple what was going on, they had an accent but spoke English. We kept talking and I found out they were from the Netherlands. Soon the police freed the boat, it looked ok besides the slight list to one side. I found out I was talking with John and Nicole, it was a great convo and I learned some cultural things, such as tipping from true Europeans. Soon a band began to play in the park near us. Sitting by the river listening to music and talking was awesome.

Nicole brought up her trip to America, her story was very funny. She talked about how everything is so big in America. After 5 days in Europe I can see where she is coming from. “the parking spaces are so big, the cars are big, the stores have 50 different kinds of premade kids lunches! Why do they need so many? And then you go to a restaurant and they give you a huge soda, and I was half way done and they came back a refilled it. I had worked hard to get it lower and then I had to start over.” she went on for awhile in a very entertaining way. I noticed people having a picnic with wine, bread and cheese and decided I would go try and rent a bike, ride around the Paris core and the have my picnic. I said goodbye and headed towards where I saw the bike rental.

I checked my guidebook and decided to visit the Cluny museum. I’m glad I did while I blew though most of it the stain glass displays were very impressive. It was neat to stand 1 foot away and see all the detail in the glass. I can’t believe how much detail they are able to capture. There was even toenails present on some.

Next I tried to rent a bike, and failed. Even with the help of a local I could not get the machine to work. My conclusion is that it would not take my card because US cards don’t have the smart chip that euro cards do. O well.

As I was walking to the market the bands began to play. They seemed to pop out of nowhere and were very good. The girls were right after all. I stood and watched a band as many watched and some danced. I started to take a video and noticed a small dessert store as I did. I got a awesome little chocolate pastry.

I found a market. Picked up some cheap wine, cheese. a baguette and an apple for later. I almost forgot the bottle opener. As I walked towards the bridge I got to listen to more bands. I knew if my picnic went as well as I imagined I would be in love with Paris.

I got back to the spot and began to pull out my food when I noticed a group of people my age and that they were speaking English. I began to wonder if I should try and join them, i figured why not. I asked if they minded and the circle opened for me. What happened next while it may sound cliche, was amazing. I added my cheese to the center and we drank wine, ate cheese and bread and talked. I found out there were two groups of people, one of French students and the other a group of Australian international students. I have met more Aussies than any other group this trip. We even talked about that and they joked that since they are far away they feel like they need to get out.

The conversation was far-reaching. Everything from school, travel, debate ( one of the guys is the world collegiate debate champion) even the floating of the yuan. As we kept talking the evening only got prettier as the sun was setting I would not have wanted to be anywhere else in Paris than besides the river. The bridges and buildings began to have a subtle glow to them. The big tourist boats began to increase and while waving at a passing boat I noticed some were even snapping photos of this perfect picnic spot. We were not alone thou, more and more locals and tourists kept coming with their own picnic. I had a great conversation with Michael. He was born in Madagascar, lived in Hong Kong and now resides in Paris and speaks English. :). We talked about the different ways to say hi and bye in Parisian culture a very informative and funny conversation. I tried to learn a little French, at least I can correctly pronounce where I am staying now. Sadly I checked my phone at it was 20:20 I knew I had to leave soon as I had my ticket for the Eiffel tower at 21:00. I reluctanly said goodbye to Matt,Antone, Nicole, Emily, Isabel, Fabien and others. They wished me a good trip and I left. This is one of the highlights of my trip. While awkward at first, that quickly drifted away like the river. As others had just met too, I blended in as one more person looking to meet new people and learn more about others. A truly great time. As I walked away I knew the city had got me, I was in love. But it was not done yet.

I almost left out this out. But is a key part to the night. The metro was packed, I sat down to wait for my train and a group of Spanish speaking guys my age were in the area. One pulled out shot glasses, tequila, limes and salt and began to pour. I was very impressed. I remarked “que loco”. This started a conversation that carried onto the metro. Mateo and I talked for 15 minutes in Spanish. I got to use my foreign language even without going to Spain! The Paris locals did not seem to keen on our loud and my broken Spanish, but we carried on anyways. At one point we drifted into English and then back to Spanish. Muy diverido. And then the stop for the tower came.

It took me a while to leave so I did not get to the metro by the tower until 21:00. I was late and shockingly had to pee. And in another unexpected twist the toilet in the station was closed. I did not want to lose my spot and I knew there were toilets on the tower so I started to do a slight jog. As I rounded the corner I was greeted with a perfect view of the Eiffel tower, framed against the dusk sky and puffy clouds. To my right was a massive gathering of people watching the Brazil soccer game. Music again was playing everywhere, I’ll post some videos soon. Everything from Djs to what looked like Indians. A very fun atmosphere.

I reached the base of the tower and found the entrance for prepaid time slot tickets. There was a line forming, I looked at saw 21:30. I saw an employee and called “madam” she came over,. saw 21:00 and let me in. After getting my brand new corkscrew taken away, he said I could pick it up after, I was in line for the elevator. A very cool ride up. From base to the 2nd level 6 minutes. Buy your pass in advance and show up 10 minutes early or 15 minutes late. I saw the huge lines for walk up sales, yuck. I had choosen this time to go up as I knew the sun would be setting. The weather coperated as the weather cleared up throughout the day and I had an amazing view of the Paris skyline. It was fun walking around and seeing where I had been thoughout the city. The arc was a tad disapointing as it blended in to the buildings around it. Once again the downtown area was the focal point as the sun was setting. Direclty in line was the soccer viewing area. Agrentina scored and the crowd went wild, the roar was loud even on the tower. I asked two guys with Irish accents to confirm who was playing as we were talking a women named Laura joined the conversation. I found out she was from alaksa, once she said that out of reflex she stated. ” yes I have seen Palin and yes I have shook her hand, no I did not vote for her.” I think she might get that question every once in awhile. While i found the info funny I was not planning on asking as I’m sure alaskans are sick of all the hype.

Yet again as the daylight faded the city grew in it’s charm. Now it was time to go up. I told Laura I was heading up and she asked if she could join, of course I said yes. We were having a very good convo and today seemed to be the meet new people day. As we got in line for the top i heard “Paul!” by now I should not be shocked that in a city of three million i can still manage to run into Cory and Taylor by accident( same guys that flew into London the same day and picked the same hostel as me without us talking) but for me at least I found the odds low and the encounter cool. There next stop is Spain and mine Switzerland so if I see them again I may spend the rest of my cash on lotto tickets.

When we got to the top the lights of the city were coming on. Now the arc looked magnificent with the lights and higher angle you can see the streets running towards it’s famous round about. Flashes from people on top of it taking photos were vi sable. I got a photo with Cory and Taylor and then they disappeared, maybe i’ll see them while I’m getting gellato in Italy.

Another roar from another score. I was impressed the crowd was loud enough to reach the top of the tower. Even louder was the concert from the law in front of the tower at the fsr end their was a concert yet it was audible on the tower. Sitting front row must have been deafing.

The search lights from the top of the tower were icing on a already spectacular view. My hunch about going up at night was right, amazing. Laura and I continued around the tower, learned about her MBA program and she heard my my 3 week adventure. The riverboats and bridges with the lights reflecting off the water created a(I’m running out of adjectives for this epic day) dazzling scene. I had worried I was building up this night too much. But my expectations clearly were exceeded. I took some more photos of the arc, which makes me want a mini tripod even more I’m trying to find
one, with a long shutter. I can’t wait to be able to post them. I was on the tower for the 11 o clock light show so wanted to make the 12. I headed down the tower with Laura.

It is quite ironic that after all the effort of getting we had to wait in a longer line to go down. Lots of people trying to cut I often had to make myself big to stop it. Laura had taken the stairs up and wanted to take them down. You can climb to the second level, but mist take a lift to the top. The line was longer on the second level then the one from the top. So walking down not only seemed fun but faster. As we flew down the steps, I did not regret taking the lift. Maybe someday I’ll climb but after St.Pauls, the arc and walking everywhere I did not mind passing on the way up.

We got to the bottom with 6 minutes until the show. I tried to retrieve my opener but the entrance had since closed. The crowd at the base has only grown. I wanted to be as far from the tower as I could get before the show started so a weaving through the crowd began. It was hard to discern who was drunk and bumping into you and who was trying to sell something. As we passed though one large group a young man stepped into my way and starred me down. His friend pulled him away and we continued walking. After crossing some streets I looked up to see the view, we were far enough away, and the show started.

Magnificent.

A giant steel sparkler that doesn’t go out. As the show concluded and my neck began to hurt the lights flashing got even faster. If you have not seen the show before go find a video on YouTube and you’ll have one more reason to go to Paris.

As it was getting late we headed towards the metro stop. The way there gives a great view of the tower. I snapped some more photos. The amount of people present was crazy and music was coming from every direction. As we got to the top, the cafes surrounding the circle were packed and there were bands of people everywhere. Chaos.

We continued talking about Paris and the sights and even how great the museum pass is, while people watching
and listening to drums and a random horn. We looked up our routes home and saw we could take the same station me on one line her on another.

We walked into the station only to find an imposing metal gate. I started to check the bus lines while she suggested we try another metro. After crossing the street, there were people pouring out of a metro station. It is still running, yes! However there was also a group of loud, some singing people trying to down. After maneuvering around them their obstacle appeared, 7 French policeman only letting people exit. I asked if we could enter but they said thou. I think they had a issue with too much craziness at the closest stops. They pointed down the street more and said that stop was open. Walking away i spotted an officer holding what looked like a fire extinguishers, I’m pretty sure it was tear gas. I doubt they had to use it, but still interesting that they had it ready. The next metro stop was open, the energy did not stop as we went down the stairs. There were two cops on the street side of the turnstiles and 4-6 on the train side. What there mission was is unclear to me as I watched six people use one ticket and a stream of people hopping over the turnstile. Laura and I said goodbye as we headed for different lines.

After I boarded my train i felt bad about not even offering to escort Laura back. I felt even worse after my train blew past five stops, they were running on reduced service, I prayed her line stopped where she needed it and got home safely. Surprisingly my train was calm.

I got off my stop at about 1:00. I am staying in Monmarte which has the sacre-coure, which the steps below it offer a stunning free view of the city. I had heard lots of people go up there and thought I might check it out.

Lot of stairs to climb but I knew it would be worth it. As I approached the top the noise grew and despite the stream of people going down as I was coming up the place was packed. The huge steps were filled by people just standing. I bought a beer from a street vendor climbed to the gates of the church and sat down. What a view! I could see the area where I am staying unfold before my eyes. A glowing Norde-dame shone in the distance. I quickly joined in a conversation and met some new people. The story they told of a international friendship with visits by both made me regret not getting peoples information from earlier. O well I’m convinced Michael will be famous someday anyway.

While I was enjoying the view, people and music it was quickly time to leave as the hostel locks it door at 2:00. I walked down through all the broken beer bottles, glad i don’t have to clean that up tomorrow, and headed to the hostel.

Of course my British friends were having food and a drink inside. I met emily’s other two friends and we talked about the day and the night. They laughed when I told them about thinking I was going to get to make them sing. They told me more about their job as hosting for a military convention and we made some grenade and tank jokes. Emily and i talked for a bit. I really like the British wit and humor. Highly entertaining. It did not hurt that she is just a nice person as well. Again while the coversation was great it had to end. We were both tired and the lounge area was closing for the night. I did not repeat my mistake thou, I got Emily’s email. We said goodnight and joked that most likely we would see each other the next night.

And with that this epic day is over. A little past two i climbed into my top bunk, put my earplugs in ( thanks mom) the nice guy from Singapore snores like a jackhammer, and quickly fell asleep on my sagging yet comfortable bed.

A day of specstular sights, entertaining music, history and meeting great people. I love Paris!

Is this a dream?

Paul

*sorry if there are spelling errors, it is sunny and my iPhone is small*

When I woke up this morning I had one thing planned, the Louvre. Beyond that I had no clue what would happen today. I started to plan my route and my trusty Rick Steves book recomeneded I get a museum pass so I made a slight detour and then was at the Louvre. I was there by 9:45 and there was no line for the pass entrance. I started my audio guide and began to explore. One problem, where the podcast said to start was closed after wandering around I got back on track and was enjoying the info while viewing and then no more sound. It did not download all the way this morning at the hostel, oops. I was enjoying the paintings by themselves, but also wanted the history so after a coffee break I went to get a museum audio guide, what an adventure that was.

I asked the women if there was a discount for students, being under 26 or the museum pass. She said “no, but you don’t need to pay if your under 26.” I quickly became worrried that I had just wasted 50 euro on a pass I did not need. She then said I did not look under 26. She took my ID for the guide and as I was asking her more about things being free her coworker overheard and saw my Oregon lisence and gave her a weird face. She quickly realized her mistake museums are only free for EU citzens under 26. We laughed, I calmed down and I walked in with my Audio guide. I quickly realized only one ear worked. I returned and she really felt bad and quickly gave me a new one. I enjoyed the audio guide more than tour as I could just wander and then find out info about whatever I was in front of.

I could go on for hours about the Lovre, just go it really is amazing to see all this art from all over the world and time periods in one magnificant building.

Crowds really build up in the Italain painting area by the Mona Lisa, not shocking. However in the French painting area where there are also great works it is a much more enjoyable enviorment. Tour groups are everywhere. I love the flags, sticks and umbrella’s they hold to keep their group together. Some now have personal sound systems and give the members headphones to wear. A pretty good idea. I had to remind myself to not
worry about getting in their way. I paid to get in too.

The highlights for me were the Itialian and French paintings. And all of them that were huge! 30 ft across, I just can’t believe how big they are. After I burned out of the louvre it was time for lunch and than Orsay.

While the London pass was a wash, if you come to Paris get the museum pass! Again get the pass! Not only will it pay off but getting to cut it the long lines is worth it’s weight it gold. At Orsay I waited in a line 1/3 as long as the line for people with no tickets. Get the pass.

Orsay was great it is smaller so less overwhellming and no mobs of tour groups everwhere! I loved some of the painting on a few I got close enough to admire the individual brush strokes, amazing how these artists create such grand things from a series of small actions. I was having such a good time that I closed it down, closes at 4. I really was the last one to get kicked out of the gallerys though.

I walked towards the obelisk in the place de concorde and just sat there people watching and planning for the evening and tomorrow. The Arc de Triomphe was open until 10 so I began walking that way. A now repeating theme of my trip I had to pee with no where to go. After checking at the adidas and gap I began to focus on cafes. I walked down a side alley and ordered in cafe and used the toilet.

The arc is incrediable the tumb of the unknown had just been lit what a solum reminder of the cost of freeing Europe from out of control evil. Thank you to everyone who serves or has served!

I quickly started climbing, did not have to buy a ticket thanks to the pass. The view from up top was great. I enjoyed seeing the city layed out before my eyes. See my photo on facebook for the cool trick the sky was doing. I also used a viewing thing to look at the people on top of the Effiel tower. I wanted to wait til dark but did not want to wait the hour that would require. So down I went.

Then I headed for the hostel and found
a local bar to watch world cup. The place exploded when Brazil scored, both times that I was therefore. The bartender was a big Brazil fan and got so excited he forgot to charge me for a
beer.

Back to the hostel. Met two girls from Englad who told me tomorrow would be an amazing day. “mental” as they said, Paris has a music festivel on the first day of summer. They kept hyping it up and I told them if I don’t see any bands
tomorrrow I would make them sing the next night. They laughed and assureded me I would have a good time. Now It is time for bed and we will see what tomorrow brings.

A great first day in Paris!

Sorry if these are long, it has turned into a journal of sorts for me.

Enjoying Paris,
Paul

What a great day! I should be in bed but I want to wrote some of this down before I go to sleep. I started the day at St.Paul’s the inside is amazing beautiful and ornate. They don’t allow pictures inside, do yourself a favor and do a google image search and enjoy. I did the hike up to the whispering gallery. This gives you a great view of the dome and the lower church. Worth every stair. I continued up the winding and very very narrow stairs to the golden gallery and the top one. Both with breathtaking views of the city. It was fitting to do this on my last day in London as I could see where I had gone the last two days.

I walked back down the 250+ stairs and then sat down and prayed for a bit. Since I’ve since left the country I feels it’s safe to reveal that I took a few photos. I could not help myself!

Next it was over the river on the milenium bridge for a tour of the Globe. I had a very entertaining guide and a very informative tour. This is the third globe that has been built. It is a very cool theater and kept thinking I really need to come back and see a show here. As the tour wrapped up we got to see the actors warming up for their 2pm show. I walked by the box office and noticed it did not say sold out, I was able to get a standing (groundlings) ticket for only 5 pounds! Score. Lunch, then show time.

I got there 10 minutes before the start of Henry the VIII but was still able to get 1 person away from the front of stage. Such a good view. I could tell it was going to be good. But I was still blown away by the performance. If you are ever in London and like theater at all, go see a show at the globe! It’s only 5 pounds. During the show the actors would leave the stage into the audience and would also come though the normal doors and push through the crowd onto the stage. At one point an actor was delivering a line while standing one person away from me. A great experience. I had to leave at intermission to see the cabinet war rooms before I caught my train to Paris. I will be back thou! A great unexpected event. I would recomend skipping the tour and just look around while you see a show!

The war rooms were very cool. Some rooms have not been touched since the war ended and those that were have since been restored. Seeing where Churchill met to dicuss strategy brought whole new life to history chanel WW2 shows. The map room looked straight out of a WW2 movie, but more real. Hmm. A great and informative tour, glad I found the time to do it. Cool walking the same hallways as the men and women who helped win the war.

Then it was off to Paris. But first called my parents from a payphone to let them listen to Big Ben chime. I ran out of time to get to platform 9 3/4, sadly, next time. I was shocked and disapointed that I had to go through security before getting on the train but at least I got one more passport stamp out of it!

The train ride went by very quick. I met a guy named Eric in the diner car who is from Paris but now lives in London. We chated for the better part of an hour and the a girl joined our converststion. Her and I had a very interesting convo as she has the unique viewpoint of have lived in the US, UK and Paris. In no time we were in Paris. Made my way to the metro and was on my way.

The metro is much dirter than the underground, felt more like the NYC subway. At my stop leaving the station looked like a scene out of westside story. Two guys with their hair slicked back, pulled open the exit gate and strolled through as other youths were just hoping the turnstiles. After getting a little turned around I found my hostel. The area of town I am in seems to have a decent night life. This hostel is not as nice but has free wifi so all things considered I am happy. Sorry if this has been long but it was a busy day! Louvre tomorrow. Bed now.

1 city down,

Paul

Woke up this morning after a great nights sleep to the sound of a busy road near the hostel. Got a weak but filling breakfast and was out the door. Gone was the beautiful sun and in were the clouds.

First stop was piccadilly circus, somehow I managed not to see it during my whirlwind adventure yesterday. I now realize that I stumpled upon leicester square during my circles yesterday. I bought the London pass, we will see if it pays off. My route today was a little odd but I had a fun time.

First up was the British museum. Amazing to see and touch (don’t tell anyone) art that dates back to 600 even 1500 bc. The artwork that the Egyptians, Assyrians and Romans created is amazing. They also have an exhibit on the history of clocks. It connected two more normal exhibits but was fasinacing. I did not know that the pendegulm was the breakthrough that made clocks more accurate.

Then it was off to the Tower of London. What a beautiful building. I still am having trouble getting my head aroud that it is over 500 years old. Even weirder to ponder that people lived and were killed within it’s walls. The crown jewels were stunning. I thought to myself, I have never seen such s big diamond and then read ” this is the largest diamond of perfect clarity in the world.” The vault doors made me laugh, as while they are quite large, what is the point if you just let everyone in. I hopped on end of a tour by a beefeater. I’m glad I did not do the whole thing, he was funny but talked a bit too much.

This is where my day gets weird. There was an hour and a half until St.Paul’s churh closed, or so I thought. I rushed to get there with an hour left and 1 minute before the last admission only to be told that they close in 30 minutes. I already thought St. Pauls in an hour was too short so I bailed.

I had no plan so I sat down to look at my map and saw that the millennium bridge was near by and decided I should cross it. I remembered the globe was near by and went to check it out. They were sold of shows for tonight and tomorrow but I did find out I can tour tomorrow until 1230. I walked back and realized I needed to pee. The worst part about a big city is having no where to pee. I must have been in the business district because everywhere I looked there were men in suits. After a fruitless search I found a sign for a public toliet. After a block and a half I got there and it was closed. Ugh. After more searching I found a pub and walked straight to their bathroom. Whew. Now it had started to rain so i headed for the hostel. I was impressed by how many londoners were reading the paper, until I saw the price, free. Victoria station was a madhouse at 6 for the evening rush. So many people all trying to go differnt ways.

I asked man downstairs at the bostel where a good pub was for watching the England match. He said “St. Georges tavern.” after walking much longer than he made it sound and passing two bars with multiple tvs but few people, I found it. Lots of people in a small space with one nice tv. I ordered a
Beer and fish and chips and watched the game. I was suprised how little attetiom people had for the game, lots of side talk and wandering eyes. Yet anytime the ball got close to algeria’s goal the room got quieter and when they missed let out a collective groan.

Met a girl during half time works for an consting firm in DC and he is here for training. Nice girl/woman. With about 15 minutes left in the game and still scoreless the noise in the pub died down and I could feel the tension building. The groans grew louder each time england came close to scoring. The eventual tie at 0 was dispointing, to me as I did not get to see anyone go crazy over a score. And to the locals as they expected a much better showing.

Whew I am quite tired again. Tomorrow is cabinet war museum, St. Pauls and the globe. Leave for Paris at 7pm.

Lanuague Barrier here I come,

Paul

The flight into London was quite nice. I did not realize how green it would be. Very pretty. Clearing customs was a breeze. Found my way to the underground I bought an later card, already saved me the trouble of buying tickets each time.

Got on the Tube and quickly hit goal 1 of the trip met a girl from australia. She is moving here, crazy. Made my transfer, tube kicks the NYC subways butt!

Made it to my hostel after taking the long way, stored my luggage and was on my way. It was only 10 so I decided to get some breakfast and then watch the changing of the guard and buckingham palace.

Made it there. Both goals met in under 3 hours. If only college was that easy. It was packed was clue to see them march in and switch places to music, however it went a bit long. After this I decided to do a hop on off bus tour cause I was already tired and wanted to get a feel for the city.

I’m laying in my hostel bed, which, is surpisngly comfy and losing the will to keep going.

Love the charm of the city.
Got lost, ended up going a circle but enjoyed all I saw.
Big ben is cool in person.
Met a guy named Elvis.
All the old buildings are really cool!
Portland should use double decker buzzes like London does for normal busses.
I don’t like pounds.
Tea and a salmon and cream cheese bagel was a great choice.
I am so excited this is only day one.

Loving London,
Paul

Day 0 travel day

Thank you dad for getting me to the airport ontime for my 6am flight. It was quite a bumpy ride out of pdx but I enjoy the 2-1 deal of a roller coaster and flight. Found out Greg Moore was on the flight and had a good time chatting with him.

Jfk was jfk. At this point I was just excited to get going. I enterted at the exact wrong end up the terminal and my gate was the furthest away. After a long walk it was time to board.

I badly needed sleep by now and quickly feel asleep after we took off as the sun was setting. I woke up hours later to the sun rising.

As I write this we are 45 minutes away and I know I’m going to Europe but since I have never been I don’t think I realize how amazing this is going to be.

Ready for culture shock,
Paul

For the next three weeks Frazier blog will attempt to capture my experience as I make my way through Europe. For those of you who don’t know I start working in the real world July 12tb and once I found this out I got an itch to go travel.

My intenirary is a bold one. I plan on visting in 7-8 countires during my trip. I want to see as many place as possible so I know where I want to come back to. If you have been to Europe before please tell me your favorite thing to do at these places. My route is. London-Paris-interlaken-cinque terre-Florence-Rome-Venice-Salzburg-Rhine area-Amsterdam(tbd)-Brussels.

For the last 16 years I have always been trying to do my best. Get the higest score and the best grade possible. For the next three weeks my goal is simple, see one sight, any sight, and meet one person. Once that has happened my goal for the trip has been met. A very low pressure trip.

I am excited and nervous to see what this trip brings. I can’t wait to experience new cultures, meet new people, see amazing scenery and art and for gelato. I am traveling by myself for the most part. By sheer luck two of my friends are flying into London the same day and we picked the same hostel without talking. While I certainly have no problem meeting people I still think this trip will push me out my comfort zone.

I thought about listing what I am most excited for, however I am truly excited for the whole trip. I will try and blog and post photos as much as possible.

Ready to explore,

Paul Frazier

On Friday night I went to downtown Portland to help serve with Nightstrike, a event hosted by Bridgetown Ministries. Nightstrike is a ministry that seeks to love on the homeless in the Portland area and show them the amazing love that Christ pours into us and out through us. I had an amazing experience serving God and loving on the people of Portland.

I arrived downtown at Liberation Street Church to attend the orientation and then go serve under the Burnside bridge. The orientation started with some worship to prepare our hearts to serve. Then came the meat of the orientation. Finally an orientation that was short and to the point; well done Bridgetown.

God certainly does have a sense of humor. At Nightstrike they have many ways to serve.  People can serve by washing feet, cutting hair, washing hair, distributing clothes, serving food, having great dialogue and many other awesome opportunities. I thought that all of those sounded great, but I had personally decided that I would not wash feet. I told Allie this as I drove downtown and she said “well maybe you should do it then.” But I assured her that I was already getting out of my comfort zone enough by hanging out with people under the Burnside bridge on a Friday night. As the orientation proceeded I felt God telling me, that I would be washing feet. And by the time the staff person took the mic to assign jobs I knew I would be washing feet. Then just to confirm it, the staff member said “Whatever you want to do, don’t do it, do the activity you don’t want to do.” Well that settled it, my role would be washing feet.

As I walked from the Church to the bridge I was with two girls. One of whom had done feet washing before. She assured me that it was not bad, and was a great experience. I said a quick prayer and then we were under the bridge. I made my way over to the foot washing area and listened for instructions. We were shown how to fill the tubs for washing, the flow of the process and what to expect. Now it was time to wash feet.

I put on gloves and walked up to someone waiting by the side and asked if they were waiting to have their feet washed. He said “yes.”  I told him to sit down in the chair. I introduced myself to him and he told me his name was “Mike.” His tub of water arrived and I knelt down to wash his feet.

What an experience. Instantly all my fears, and worries about being disgusted or embarrassed by washing strangers feet washed away. Mike and I had a normal conversation and I learned about his life and his travels around the country and his experience in hurricane Katrina. I finished washing his feet and started to dry them off. He told me about his plans to get a job, now that he had gotten his ID back after his wallet had been stolen. I gave him his new socks and he thanked me and went on his way. Then it was my turn to fill and empty used tubs. And repeat.

Throughout the night, I washed many feet and carried on normal conversations with each person. Many told me of their plans to get back on their feet. One man told me of his plan to get his GED, while another was struggling just to move around with his visibly swollen ankles. I felt that the act of washing their feet showed that I truly cared about them and created a great way to get to know them. You could tell that each person genuinely appreciated the act of service we were providing. Many, if not all remarked how nice it felt to have their feet washed. I was thinking, how weird it would be to not to have access to a shower on a daily basis.

The location of Nightstrike creates an almost surreal environment. It occurs in the same location of Saturday market, right in front of a MAX stop. The stop acts as window between two linked, yet different worlds. I felt transported into Batman begins, in the scene where the Wayne family is riding the Monorail through the city and Bruce’s father is talking about the plight of some in the city. I could see people staring out of the MAX onto the seemingly bizarre scene of people washing the feet of the homeless. For many the scene appears as one from an world seprated from their own, one they see but may never intract with. I could picture myself in the MAX and the countless times I have looked out onto the homeless while I have gone through the city. Myself being in that separate world. In this world there is so much that separates us, but yet we are all created by God and that should matter so much more then what our social class is.  For those brief moments on Friday night, I felt as if I was just having coffee with a friend, or meeting a new person and getting to know them and what is going on in their life. The acts of serivce that were being provided under that bridge cut down the differneces and linked the two worlds and connected the lives of Gods people. I love connecting with new people.

While washing feet I felt the joy of God through serving and loving on this group people. Serving always fills by heart and mind with such happiness. It never fails to amaze me how much serving for the right reasons energizes my life. While I know God is with me always,  in these moments I feel directly connected to God. I felt that being a part of this event truly had shown God’s love to more people in the city of Portland. This is very important to me as I feel that Christians, including my self, need to do way less talking and way more action. This year I have a desire to serve myself less and serve others more. I plan on doing this event again and hope that some of you will join me next time. As I head back to Eugene I hope I will be able to find other ways to serve and most importantly, take the time to do so.

As i have been reading the book of Acts I see the early church preaching , but they were also out in the community serving others. As Marshal the founder of Bridgetown said before we went out into the city “tonight instead of just going to church, we are being the Church.” I think most churches and myself included need to focus less on going to church and work harder on being the church.

Honored to be used by God,

Paul

I was reading an article on WashingtonPost.com and liked this comment.

Dear concerned citizens of America and mass media of the U.S.A.

As a concerned disabled American Veteran and American citizen, I consider it my duty and responsibility to address the following critical issues facing the voters of our Greatgrand nation, the United States of America [USA].

The citizens of the United States of America [USA] have the ultimate power and responsibility to elect the Right Ticket with the right joint “temperament, judgment, and statesmanship” to lead our nation as well as change our nation’s present and future moral, political, economic, educational, health care, energy, military, and foundational soul.
In my firm professional, personal, and political opinion, the media should help the common voter to explore and discuss the following attributes of the present Republican and Democratic presidential slates:
1. Does the joint ticket have a calm, cool, and collected ” temper and impulse” [Presidential Temperament]?
2. Does each ticket have sound and sustained “Judgment and Caliber”?
3. Does each ticket have a “presidential depth and degree” in regard to their purpose, policies, and positions?
4. Does each ticket have adequate, “understanding and knowledge” of workings around Washington”?
5. Does each ticket have enough “vigor, wisdom and Vision” for the future of our beloved Great-grand Nation?
6. Does each ticket possess enough joint foreign policy experience and ex-poser based on “American Values, Virtues, Vastness, and strong soul”?
7. Are their campaign talk, slogans, ads, plans, and programs based on facts and are they free of fear, fiction, frivolous labels, unfair attacks, negativity, and impulsivity?

If your answer to a majority of the above questions is yes, I suggest you vote for that ticket. As a Independent registered voter I have decided to vote for Obama-Biden ticket. I am sure they will protect our national security, Strong’s, stamina and strong soul. Rebuild our nation from bottom up in all areas of need, OBAMA-BIDEN ticket will once again restore and rebuild our global standing with the use of maximum international humane diplomacy and minimal force if and when indicated.
Yours sincerely,

COL. A.M. Khajawall [Ret] MD., Forensic psychiatrist, Colonel, US-AR / MC Combat Stress Control[Ret], Disabled American Veteran and Iraq Freedom team.
PS: This nation will not buy into kitchen sink approah. We are getting deeper into internal and external holes thru these attack and world is laughing on us and enjoying our kitchen sink gimmics. I am sure GOP.RNC, FOX, RUSH, And McCains his surrogates will fail to dupe, decieve, and deprive USA its deserved leadership.

Here is a video of what the GOP really thinks about Palin. This was recoreded when they thought the mics were off.

GOP thoughts on Palin