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Welcome To Miami
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Miami, Florida
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This place was Average
visited Mar 2001
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Welcome to Miami, Bienvenido a Miami. That is probably the reasoning of the cleaning lady. We have been driving for 15 hours. Still we can’t get any rest, since our hotel room isn’t ready for another two hours. Finally we get the keys to our room. The door is wide open. There, in the bed, sits the cleaning lady and a male figure, who probably doesn’t even work at the hotel. They are watching a soap opera in Spanish. Very hastily they leave the room with the excuse ”We were just fluffing the pillows.” How very considerate. No harm done though, and now we know that the bed is comfortable and that the TV is working...
posted Mar 7, 2005
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Guardians Of The Prague Underground
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Prague, Czech Republic
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This place was Great
visited 1997
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They work in pairs, they are big, and it’s their home court. In other words, no way of screwing them. They hit down on tourists with large backpacks, exiting the Prague subway. Prague is a very nice city. Lots of things to see, lots of things to do. Most locals are very nice. With European standards it’s a cheap city to visit. Still, most people choose not to pay the streetcars, buses, or the subway. So also the tourists. That is when the two big guys get you. Just when you think you made it yet another time without paying, they walk up to you with a piece of paper. The text is written in Czech, obviously. The two guys, wearing civil clothes, tell you that this is illegal, and that a fine has to be paid. Then they need to see the passport. The thought of being in trouble in a foreign country and having to turn over the passport to a stranger is probably not very pleasant. Therefore, most people pay the $30 or so on the spot, glad to get off the hook. If the collectors work on part of the government, the subway, or on their own initiative is probably not known to many visitors. But it seems like a good business...
posted Mar 7, 2005
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Mall Rats
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Santa Monica, California
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This place was Average
visited 1994
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”How are you doing?” The question from the little greeting girl in the sports store surprises me quite a lot. It’s my first visit to an American mall, and pretty much my first visit to a store overseas. Why does she want to know how I am doing? Do I know her? No, I don’t know her. Does she want to get to know me? ”Ehh….I’m ok” is my reply. Lame. But it could have been worse, hadn’t I realized pretty fast that this is how they do it over there and started a conversation with the little poor girl. It’s nice, makes me feel special. Wouldn’t work in Sweden though, the language and tradition would make it awkward. Maybe a vodka shot to greet the customers here...?
posted Mar 7, 2005
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Anti-Nazi Riot
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Lubeck, Germany
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This place was Great
visited Apr 1988
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The main square of Lübeck is very nice. It’s surrounded by nice buildings. And a church, the Maria church. The whole block is probably very old. Lübeck was the very center of the Hanseatic League, 700 or so years ago. This organization was a very strong power, ruling the better part of the Baltic sea. Probably many a thing took place at this very square. Markets for sure. Maybe executions. This night there is a riot. Not a very big one, but still a riot. Nazis are holding a demonstration. Anti-nazis disapprove of this. They are chanting, loudly, and then decide to take it one step further, and teach their antagonists a lesson. Since they outnumber the nazis, the latter have to halt their speech, and concentrate on running for their lives. Many of them manage to escape. A few don’t. They are being beaten up by the crowd. One guy is lying on the ground, while several others are beating him and kicking him. The police is there, but they don’t seem too concerned about what’s going on. The whole thing is over pretty quickly. We never feel threatened or unsafe. If it wasn’t for the sincerity of the issue, it would almost seem like a nice little evening arrangement for the tourists. ”Tonight’s special! Riots for dummies!”.
posted Mar 7, 2005
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Cordoba Awards
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Cordoba, Spain
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This place was Poor
visited 1997
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We’re on our way back to the little hotel when we notice the party in the backyard. Of course we enter. There are lots of people. It’s some kind of ceremony. Children walk up on a small stage and receive awards of some kind. We have no clue what this event is all about. We don’t really care. It’s nice, and we clap along when the crowd does. Nobody seem to notice us. Rather peculiar, considering I’m by far the tallest guy there, and my friend is by far the blondest girl there. Food is served. We help ourselves. Still nobody seem to take any notice of us. Or, maybe they do, maybe this is Spanish hospitality...Needless to say, we leave unnoticed...
posted Mar 7, 2005
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