New York (USA)

So it has been a while since my last update I didn’t think it was since Suzdal, however I guess that's what happens when you're having one of the most eye opening times of your life. Where to begin, more than one months has passed and I've been though Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and England. I've visited old friends and made new ones, discovered the generosity of people and how difficult it can be to be fish out of water and gasping for air. I guess having no written for such a long time all I can do is really give the highlights and given how public web pages actually are I'll not mention names, although the photos probably tell the best picture.

I discovered couch surfing when I was desperate for a place to say for a week in Moscow and the ever increasing accommodation costs were looming large as I moved further West. I stayed with a very nice guy living an interesting life, has a nice and rather large apartment in central Moscow into which he invites near strangers. The story was similar in Munich and also in Brussels, these people who have or are perpetually traveling, and continue their journey through hosting people who need a place to stay and are after a bit of genuine hospitality rather than the manufactures stuff of which hostels and cheap hotels are made. Each one of these people has really blown me away with their generous nature and friendly spirit. I can only hope that I'm in a position to return the hospitality and reciprocate the generosity.

From a place rather than a people perspective I must say that Germany is ever feeling more and more like a home away from home. The generous and lovely family with whom I was privileged to meet on my AFS exchange eight years ago again opened their home and there lives to me, I fell right into "at home" mode within the space of 24 hours. These people have really become my extended family.

Berlin is an amazing place. It was the re -consolidation of an old friendship and her hospitality and company which made the experience all the more special, as well as taking care of some very personal family matters, and visiting the old family home which has almost become a sight of pilgrimage for me. Berlin more than ever has gained my attention as a place I hope to return to. I hope next time it will be for considerably longer than the 4 days I managed to have there in this fleeting visit. It is a vibrant, diverse, edgy, metropolitan and affordable city with a scene to match every personality imaginable. It is for me the crux of a city at the peak of it's life, a peak not defined by material wealth, polished pavements and ultra efficiency but by it's self generating energy exuded by its people. Unlike a lot of cities in the West, Berlin, and particularly the old Eastern parts are like a blossoming flower, sorry about the cheesy analogy, but it is because it is in a state of flux, the East to West transformation which makes it such a great place in my eyes. Perhaps in another ten years it will have changed as it matures and it will no longer have the culture and diversity which affordable inner city living brings to the place. An essence which Munich, in spite of it's beauty clearly lacks. All the people with whom I stayed, the old and not so old friends made it really special and although I would have liked to have come back earlier than now I'm almost glad sufficient time has passed such that I could look at through another set of eyes.

Belgium for me was limited to Brussels and Oostende. Brussels and my host there were great, it is again a place of much diversity and a great deal of people. The density of the population means that the public transport infrastructure it can support are great, although crowded. Post card photo opportunities are countless from the Manneken Pis to the Grand Place to the old three story apartments which overhang the streets surrounding the city. Oostende was almost as different from a New Zealand beach experience as you can get. I'll leave the photos to explain that but it was a nice feeling to think that I'd made it from the Pacific cost of China and Japan to the Atlantic/North Sea coast of Europe.

Rottenburg was not perhaps a city which did not strike me as particularly anything much. The world renowned architecture and urban design is evident though is well the exception rather than the rule. "The Cubes" are definitely cool but that photos can not convey the litter and smell of urine which accompanied a personal visit.

Amsterdam Continues to be one of my favourite cities in Europe (though perhaps now overtaken by Berlin) and for more than the obvious reasons, though the obvious reasons were good too. The canals and buildings are nice when the weather is ok and stunning when the weather is good. Unfortunately the weather was rather poor and although it did not stifle the activities of my very good mate who cam to meet me there and I, it did detract a little, particularly as last time I was there was in Spring. I can not think of a more beautiful city as Amsterdam in Spring. The canals bring something really unique to the City, and the ethnic diversity again gives a flavour that is not able to be acquired any other way. Perhaps the one detraction for me was the tourists. The shear number of tourists and the infrastructure which supports them was difficult to look past, over or through. I imagine it would be quite an amazing place to live, where cycles are King and cars are subjugated to second class vehicles, almost everything is walking distance and

More to come I'm a little jet lagged and realized that although it's only 20:50 her the 6 hour time shift means that my body is thinking it's two in the morning.... it's been a long day having flown today from London.