France ::: Paris & Versailles (10/22/06)

Day 1 (10/22/06) ::: It took us over four hours to get back to Paris after stopping once and dropping a few people off around the city. After that, it was shower, eat, sleep, eat, sleep.








Day 2 (10/23/06) ::: My first time in Paris - so much to see! Let's just say I was very efficient the first day... cruising the landmarks and checking out the city. Sami dropped me off at the Arc de Triomphe before heading to school and after that I took the long walk down the Champs Elysees (a 5th Avenue-like stretch of mostly shops and restaurants), past the Obelisk, through the Tuilenes Gardens, all the way to the Pyramid and the Louvre. I even managed to find a marionette theater in the middle of the gardens! I decided to get the Da Vinci Code audio guide in the Louvre, which was an absolute blast...definitely a cool way to see a museum. Highlights were the Mona Lisa, Winged Victory of Samothrace (Nike, Greek Goddess of Victory) and the Venus de Milo.

After the museum, I explored the Palais Royal and Opera Garnier before meeting back up with Sami. He took me to the Galleries Lafayette, a GIGANTIC department store complex (think Bloomies x 5), whose interior is absolutely stunning. He also took me through the Louis Vuitton section where the hordes of Japanese tourists were lined up for their chance to by some authentic Parisian LV bags. Apparently LV puts a limit on the number of items each tourist can by and so the Japanese actually pay young Parisians to buy bags for them. The best item in the store had to be the white-fur-fanny-pack-type-bag with the infamous rainbow LV print. I'm so pissed I didn't get a picture with it on! After the department store, Sami took me by La Madeleine (parish church of Parisian high society, modeled after the Parthenon) and Place Vendome (luxury square, home to one of the three original Ritz hotels) before it started to pour. We made one quick dash to the real LV store on the Champs Elysses before taking the metro back to Nanterre to have dinner with Sami's family. I couldn't have imagined a nicer, more hospitable family - after yet another home cooked meal, Sami had to do school work so his parents took me out on the town! We drove to Montmarte, a hilltop area in the northern part of Paris and walked the streets, visited Cafe de Deux Moulins (from the movie Amelie), saw Sacre-Coeur (a beautiful white church that can be seen from all of the city), took in the view of Paris by night and then had a glass of wine in a little brassiere. To finish off the great evening, we drove past the shimmering Eiffel Tower on the way home!

Day 3 (10/24/06) ::: I started my day in the Ile de La Cite, a small island in the middle of the city where Paris began. It was settled around 300 BC by a Celtic tribe, the Parisii and in 52 BC was overrun by Julius Caesar's troops. It's also home to the Cathedrale de Notre-Dame, one of the masterpieces of the Gothic age. I really enjoyed visiting Notre-Dame, but to be honest, I always thought it had a golden dome like the one at the university in the U.S. - I guess not! lol. Oh and for a split second I was tempted to hit the confessional...but reconsidered when I realized that it would probably take up the rest of my time in Paris. After my near cleansing, I had some proper French onion

soup and then made my way to the Catacombs, a giant quarry network underlying southern Paris (300km of tunnels!). The crazy part of the story is that the tunnels contain the remains of some six million Parisians, lined up throughout like a stone wall. Apparently in late 1700s the cemeteries were overcrowded and they had to find a place to store them. Soon there after they piled the bones decoratively and made it available to the public. CREEPY + WEIRD. After the house of bones, I went to the Montparnasse Tower, Paris' first skyscraper. I decided to take the elevator to the top because the view is as good as any other and from this point, you can actually see the Eiffel Tower along with the rest of Paris. Quite beautiful!

After seeing the Eiffel Tower from above, I decided it was finally time to make my way over to see it up close. I never knew that it was originally intended to be a temporary structure for the 1889 World Fair. Pretty incredible considering what a symbol of the city it has become and... to think, all that NYC built was that ugly Unisphere-thingy in Flushing Meadows for the World Fair in the 60s. That night, I hung out with Sami's parents again... talking politics and watching a debate between some of the presidential candidates. Americans and the French do have something in common after all... we both think GWB is jacka$$!



Day 4 (10/25/06) ::: Time for a day trip to the Palace of Versailles! After only a 35-minute train ride from the center of Paris, I found myself at the sprawling grounds of the chateau, which were even bigger than I had imagined! Although the first part of the palace was built sometime long before, it wasn't until 1682, when King Louis XIV moved from Paris, that it became the center of power in France. For nearly a century there were extensive upgrades including the Hall of Mirrors (where the Treaty of Versailles was signed), the chapel and the theater. Each room is spectacular in its own right, but together this complex is simply awe-inspiring. And I haven't even mentioned the gardens yet! Actually, the gardens were my favorite part. I wish there was a way to adequately describe the extensive parterres (formal gardens), fountains and canals... and the scale... wow! I toured the grounds, had a very overpriced lunch in the gardens and then called it a day. Oh but one quick story before I forget - as I was getting off the train in Versailles, two young women from Uruguay asked me for directions and I wound up hanging out with them for most of the day. It turns out one of them works in for my future employer...small world (yet again!)




Day 5 (10/26/06) ::: After seeing almost all of the major sights, I was ready for a relaxing day. Well, that and I figured it was time to do at least *some* of my homework. I took the Metro to the Sorbonne - Paris' famous university neighborhood - and parked myself at a cafe for a few hours, reading though my assignments. After finishing my work and my lunch, I met up with Sami in Marais for a coffee before going home to Nanterre. That night, we decided it was finally time to see some Paris nightlife. We decided to do something a bit different and go to Nouveau Casino for some Swedish electro-pop. The venue was great and the music was interesting... we danced and laughed a bunch and I even had my picture taken with the Swedes. I think they were like 16 years old. Ha!


Day 6 (10/27/06) ::: I took my time getting up and then made my way to Saint Germain to have some lunch and walk around a bit before meeting up with my roommate's friend from Costa Rica who happens to be living in Paris. We chatted a bit over cappuccino at a great cafe in Marais and then made our way to a fashion expo for young designers. I was *very* tempted by a great coat, but somehow managed to escape with all my cash. After stopping at a flower shop to buy a bouquet for my gracious hosts, I made my way back to the house for my final dinner in Paris. We celebrated my stay with a bottle of champagne, a 23-year old bottle of red wine and a traditional French dish (filet cooked in a "fondue" of oil at the table). It was delicious! After dinner we talked and drank a digestive liquor... Sami had to drag me away from the table in order to get ready for our big night out.

Finally... time to MAKE PARTY at Rex Club, the clubbers club of Paris. After listening to Sami bitch for a week about the scene in Paris, I wasn't too such what to expect. But actually, the party was off the hook... Sami and I were both really impressed with the music and the vibe in the club. Plus, they just installed a new sound system and the space is great.

The opening DJ, Andy, played until 3am and layed down some really nice, danceable electro and techno. Thomas Schumacher came on from 3-5am and did his thing, playing a lot of his own jams including "Heat it Up" toward the end of his set. I enjoyed his music but expected a little more energy out of a headliner. He had a comfortably crowded floor and just didn't push it as I would have hoped. However, the good news is that he set things up nicely for D'Jedi to throw it down from 5-7am. I hadn't heard of him until my visit to Rex, but he was really awesome. I don't even know how to classify what he was playing, but I'll just say that I was thrashing HARD and non-stop for his entire set. And yes, we closed Rex Club after a 6-hour session of sweaty, crazy dancing. As expected... we came, we danced, we MADE PARTY.



Day 7 (10/28/06) ::: Finally, after an amazing 10-day tour, it's time to head back to BCN to regroup and go to class for a few days. After that, it's time to plan the next adventure!

Belgium ::: Brussels, Bruges, Ghent, Tielt ::: I Love Techno (10/19/06)

Day 1 (10/19/06) ::: The first flight of the day is always the cheapest, which meant I was up and out of the house at 4:45am to catch my flight to Brussels. After 2 hours in the air and a short train ride into the center of the city, I made my way to my hostel, Le Centre Vincent Van Gogh. Six bed dorm room baby... nothing like traveling in style! After ditching my bags, I wandered around town with a quick stop at "The Cathedral," and another at the Galleries St. Hubert for lunch. I felt slightly out of place at the cafe where I ate, as almost all of the other people were older, well-dressed Belgians who seemed to be talking about very sophisticated issues. Or maybe that was just because I couldn't understand French or Flemish (-: The next stop was the Grand Place, the center of it all and home to 17th century guild houses, Hotel de Ville (town hall) and of course, the Brewers Museum. Take one guess which one I went into? Ok, so I'm a little predictable. But seriously, who would pass up a museum that costs 5 Euro including a free Belgian beer!

After sucking down a smooth beverage I went to check out one of the most odd sights I've come across in my travels... Manneken Pis. I wasn't really sure what to make of the tiny statue of a pissing urchin, which is supposed to embody the "irreverent spirit" of the city. You can buy just about any kind of souvenir with this little guy on it. Umm... ok... lol. After visiting Manne, I decided to cruise back to the hostel for a quick nap and a shower and then found a cute little spot where I could enjoy moules and frites (mussels and fries). After dinner, I made my way to the Theatre Royal de Toone to enjoy a puppet play in the bruxellois dialect known as Brusselse Sproek. I could tell that Charlemagne was the main character and there was a war and a woman involved, but I didn't catch more than that. After the show was over, I looked around the theater for my puppet friend, Loco, and when I didn't find him, I went back to the hostel to crash for the night.


Day 2 (10/20/06) ::: Up and out the door, it's off to Bruges! Bruges is a tiny little town near the coast and happens to be one of the most beautifully preserved medieval cities in western Europe. I took the 1-hour train ride from Brussels and on the way met a great Aussie named Adrienne. We became fast friends and decided to spend the day touring around together. We hit the two main squares, Markt and Burg, toured the canals by boat, saw Michelangelo's "Madonna and Child" sculpture in the Onze Lieve Vrouwekerk (a 13th century church) and wandered the streets for hours eating Belgian chocolate every 10 feet or so. Early in the evening, Adrienne went back to Brussels and I jumped off the train in Ghent... it was almost time to make party! I lugged my big backpack around for a bit trying to find the one and only hostel. And, the first thing I heard when I finally walked in the door was David Guetta vs. The Egg, "Love Don't Let Me Go (Walking Away)" - somehow I don't think that track would ever be playing in the US hostel!! After a nap and a shower, I hopped a tram and a bus to the outskirts of town to meet up with a group of friends from Paris and New York, who were also in town for the I Love Techno Festival. Sometime around 12:30am that night, we made our way to Tielt, a TINY town about 25 miles from Ghent where two DJ friends from NYC were playing. We had a blast hanging out at the venue, LondonBeat Cafe, and getting to know the locals who were absolutely STUNNED that anyone from Paris or New York would ever come to their town for a party. The night ended sometime around 5am when I rolled back into my hostel... the only bad news is that I had to check out by 10am.

Day 3 (10/21/06) ::: Shopping, strolling, sightseeing... what a great day! I was able to catch a bunch of the amazing sights in Ghent - St. Niklaaskerk, Belfort, St. Baafskathedraal, St. Michielskeerk, Gravensteen Castle and the incredible view from St. Michiels Bridge - before meeting up with the gang for the festival. We gathered everyone who was already in Ghent and then met up with five more people from Paris around 7:30pm. We boarded the tram for the Flanders Expo at the St. Pieters train station and watched in amazement as the crowd and energy grew. Kids from all over Europe were boarding the trams... boozing and chanting the entire way to the venue. We finally got into the expo center around 8:30pm and the party had just gotten started. The place was absolutely HUGE and kudos to the organizers because everything was extremely well-run. There were six different rooms with capacity of 5,000 each and a central space to chill, get food and regroup. Over the course of the night I found and lost numerous friends, but wound up having a blast checking out Deetron, Laurent Garnier (live&DJ) vs. Carl Craig, Motor (live), Boys Noize, Soulwax Nite versions (live), 2 Many DJs, Tiga, Tiefschwarz, Kraftwerk, James Holden, Philippe Zdar (Cassius DJ set) and a few others. The party ended sometime around 6:30am and we, along with the other 30,000+ people, re-boarded the trams bound for Ghent. After a few quick goodbyes, I hopped in my friend Sami's car and started the journey to Paris.

Costa Brava, Spain ::: Figueres & Cadaques (10/12/06)

There's only one thing better than only having class 2-3 days a week... the 4-5 day weekends! Believe it or not, the weather is actually starting to cool here, so I decided to convince my friend, Oliver, to join me on a short trip up the coast (Costa Brava) before it gets too cold. We decided to hit Figueres, birthplace of Salvador Dali and home to his famous museum, on the first day. It wound up being a good time to visit a museum as it rained much of the day.

The museum is incredible! I enjoyed it more than any other I've been to because 1) Dali's stuff is amazing and 2) its setup to be an interactive experience rather than a passive stroll past a collection of artwork. We spent a few hours there, taking in all of the famous works (some of which are pictured below) and exploring the many mediums in which Dali worked. I had no idea about his jewlery and gold sculptures. After the museum, we cruised the dead, little town in the pouring rain... entertaining ourselves with goofy photo shoots along the way. That night we grabbed a quick dinner and were in bed by 10pm.

Outside of the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres:

Installation based on "Face of Mae West Which Can Be Used as an Apartment":
"Gala Contemplating the Mediterranean Sea/Portrait of Abraham Lincoln":

Me being eaten alive in one of the museum's hallways:

The second morning we woke up and made our way by bus to Cadaques, a beautiful coastal town near the French border. Neighboring Port Lligat happens to be the location of Dali's summer home, which has been made into another museum. Unfortunately we weren't able to enter the museum (it was full), but we did hike around both of the towns, taking in the incredible scenery and relaxing in the sunshine. After a lovely day, we grabbed the last bus back to Barcelona... just in time to get the real weekend started!

Beautiful Cadaques:

Me and Oliver on the beach at Cadaques:

The view on the Port Lligat side:

Me and a double-fisting, Lady Liberty:

Miss Kittin @ Razzmatazz (10/6/06)

Ummmm, wow! I knew Razzmatazz/ The Loft was a great venue and I knew that Miss Kittin was a local favorite, however, I was not at all prepared for what took place last weekend in Barcelona (my first night out at a proper club).

I got there around 2am to find the line was down one block, around the corner and halfway up the next. I never see lines like that anymore!! Luckily my friends helped us cruise right to the front and we were able to make our way in fairly quickly. I walk in and nearly lost it at the size of the venue and the incredible energy (and amount of people in the room). We surveyed the scene from the balcony for the first part of the night ... but then later on, cruised down to the middle of the dancefloor and got nutty with everyone - so much fun. Miss Kittin was an absolute blast - played a ton of great music, was super involved with the crowd and even walked out to the front of the stage to breakitdown (dancing) for a few minutes. We left sometime just before 6am as it was ending and the place was just as crowded as when we arrived. I was so impressed with BCN and how up for it the people were all night. Can't wait to go back - the lineups this month are ridiculous!

The View from the Middle of the Dancefloor:


"Beat that Bitch with a Hit"


The View from the Balcony:

Sitges, Spain (10/6/06)

I had heard so many great things about Sitges, an amazing little beach town 35 km south of Barcelona, so I decided to make a trip there while the weather was still nice (although apparently they are blessed with 300 sunny days a year!). Me, KJ and our friends Oliver and Nicole went down to spend the day snoozing in the sun and exploring the little village. It's no longer high season so we were able to enjoy it without throngs of sun bathers and tourists. Sitges is a gorgeous, bohemian sort-of-place with tons of great little cafes, boutiques and sites. Besides attracting artists and some tourists, it's also known to be a gay-friendly destination. We soaked in the sun, ate ice cream, had a fun beach photo shoot and cruised the streets. It was a great way to spend a Friday! Next time, I'd like to stay overnight to enjoy the notorious nightlife, including the original Pacha (Pachito).

Ibiza, Revisited (9/24/06 - 9/27/06)

Words cannot really describe, so I'm not even going to try.

::: We Love Sundays @ Space Closing Party ::: Circo Loco @ DC10 ::: Circo Loco Afterhours @ Privilege ::: After-After Hours @ Privilege (Coco Loco Room) ::: Eat, Shower, Sleep ::: Bora Bora ::: Beach ::: Home

The Wiz went looking for Loco with no luck, although he did make some new friends. A special shoot-out to my homies from London, who took my friendless, homeless butt in for the duration. Muah!

Danny Tenaglia drops Goldtrix "It's Love (Trippin)" @ Space:


Richie Hawtin vs. Ricardo Villalobos @ Circo Loco, DC10:


More Richie vs. Ricardo @ Circo Loco, DC10:


Rene drops Ricardo's Bootleg Remix of Depeche Mode "Sinner in Me":


The Crew Minus One:



The Wiz with Richie & Ricardo:

La Merce (9/22/06)

In between trips to Ibiza, I had the chance to enjoy Barcelona La Merce, which is the 3-day festival held in honor of the Patron Saint of Barcelona. The festival, which first took place in 1902, "bids goodbye to the summer with a bang and welcomes in the cooler months of autumn." It was so much fun to see the entire city come together to enjoy the its traditions. I went to Plaza de Sant Jaume on Friday night to watch Toc d'Inici (The First Note), the opening act which involves giants and mythical figures taking to the streets to celebrate the start of the festival. The night ended with Los Diablos running through the Plaza with loads of fireworks and torches.

Saturday night was more fire and devils! Correfoc (Fire Run), "is one of the most exciting and representative events of the Festival, where more than 30 groups of devils from all over the city and its suburbs come together, along with dragons and other fire beasts." Literally, it's like The Running of The Bulls only with fire. At first, we couldn't understand why many of the spectators had their faces covered... but by time the faux beasts ran by us, we realized it was to protect themselves from burning. Spain is not a litigious society - they allow anything here!

After Correfoc and a few hours spent drinking beer and waiting out the rain, we made our way to Parc del Forum for BAM (Barcelona Accio Musical), a huge live music and DJ event held in conjunction with La Merce... even MTV Espana was there! There was a wide range of musical acts (including Juan Atkins, which I didn't realize until afterward!) and a monster carnival with all sorts of fun rides and games. We hung out there for 4-5 hours, watched the crowd build to many thousand, took our turn on the biggest rides in the park and then finally made our way home.