I'm Baaa-aack.....

Well folks, I am back at home, safe and sound. I made it, thanks to a little hope and a lot of luck and a wonderful loving mother. My departure was bitter sweet. I had the most amazing time of my life, my blog cannot even describe it. When ever I get a chance, or if you see me out I will gladly share more amazing stories with you.
I learned a lot of things and met a lot of great people, I have tons of photos some of which I will post, I am still trying to figure out what to do with the photos and videos, truly amazing. I will definitly do something cool and get them to you all this I promise. Allow me briefly to highlight differnt parts of my experience.

Food & Drink
Those of you who know me well know I LOVE food. I ate a lot of sausage, drank a lot of beer (In a nutshell). The Doner (Doh-ner) was a staple in my diet as well.
There is a difference between the exported beer (Our import)and the local, in Holland and Germany, it is called Reinheitsgebot (German Purity Law) adopted in 1516, the oldest provision still enforced to protect the consumer. Beer is not made with preservatives and has a short shelf life. The taste is phenominal.

Nightlife
The most amazing mix of music was in Holland, truly beautiful Afrikaan, Carribean, Latin, Lebaneese and Turkish just to name a few. Cool clubs, They don't sleep in Berlin at all. I went to this club called (in english) old school, It was an old school and had the dance floor in the old emptied pool..... awesome.
Amsterdam is great, aside from the "Popular" attractions it was a pretty funky place, a MUST see in europe.

Culture
What can I say, I was in Europe. Culture is like Alcohol here, smooth and flowing.
I saw some cool things in Berlin, remebering the country's rough times like the World war. I saw the Jewish museum and was almost brought to tears, beautiful but you also remember why it is there. Evrey where was so rich in culture and history but I think Berlin was my favorite for those reasons.

People
I met the nicest people in the world! (And some really bad ones as well). But friendliness and gererosity were in the air where ever I went. I met some friends who I plan on staying in contact with, and definitly meeting with again.

Football
The reason for the trip. I found a new love for this sport, more than I could ever imagined. The beautiful game....it really is. The passion, the glory and the sorrow.
You see all of these everywhere you go, in a bar, in the airport, in the street and of course at the events, and especially at the games. I saw a World Cup match and have the ultimate souvinier, My ticket to My game. I loved every minute of it and could not hold back my excitment dispite not sleeping. It is a must for all football fans. To hear the songs and chants with the music and dance combined with the passion, Can truly be an emotional experience. I'm glad I had it.


I will send out photos and update this blog with photos later this week, please check back to see these. Till then, enjoy the World Cup...


Richie.
richyt21@hotmail.com