Itinerary 2011

Turkey, Istanbul: July 29th - August 1st
Spain:  August 1st - August 21st
Italy:  August 21st - September 9th
Switzerland:  Septermber 10th...
France: September
Germany:  September 19th-20th
Czech Republic:  September 22nd?
Holland:
United Kingdom, London:  September 30th - October 2nd
Iceland:  October 2nd - October 7th
Minnesota, Minneapolis:  October 7th
California, San Diego:  October 14th

Greece: Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ios

Greece - Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Ios

Athens: Nerd alert: me. I went to the planetarium. Nobody there. I was so excited during the intro and the next thing I know the janitor is waking me up as I passed out for the whole show. Damn.
Saw the silly walk before departing - one of the guys fell. Video recorded
Mykonos- met some awesome Greek musicians, kostas and nick, on the ferry. Got drunk on uozo and rolled until 5. Stayed at my friends place - amazing.  I was the unofficial pool boy, foozeball, basketball court, pool, ping pong, majestic view.  Gorgeous, but maybe superficial people on Mykonos. Many liberal sunbathers. Italians. Played with Tarzan on the beach. Danced until 7 am the clubs.

Santorini: met some girls from minneapols - crazy! Slept outside on a mat both nights - nice. Most gorgeous sunsets of the caldera - Santorini surrounds a volcano and villages are high up on the rocks.
Ios: wow.  I stayed 5 days because it is so much fun. No sleep. Met amazing girls from Ukraine, Sasha and Victoria.  They will visit the US in the fall. Best beach, company, Greek salad, and seafood.  More fun bums than you shake a stick at.
Went tubing (Mach 1) with the Ukranians. 
Random donkey showed up to dinner knocking over potted trees - amazing.
This island is not for kids or families or relaxing.  
My liver is throbbing and looking forward to boat ride to sleep.

Baby powered is a Godsend this heat.  Did you know you can put it in your hair too?

Hair is getting long: people have been calling me either, Tom Cruise or James Blunt.  I guess that must mean I'm short and have a feminine like voice.

answers to your questions: yes, yes, Russian, more or less, and I'm thinking about it.

Greece - Athens

Waw woo!!  Gyro!  Yum!
I'm used to spending so little on accommodation that Greece is expensive....so hung out at the bar in a hostel, took a shower, and snuck up to a rooftop last night to make a sleep - not bad ' )
Visiting the legendary Acropolis now and heading out for a week to the islands:  Mykonos, Santorini, and Ios! 
Much love - Mike

Egypt - Cairo/Alexandria

Alas the pyramids!  I've been want to see them since I was just a little guy.  Really made me feel tiny.  Did the touristy horse ride to the pyramids - why not?  I enjoyed a really great light show there as well.
Met many great people during the revolution. I  spent time with people in the rally in Tahrir square.  Many are good at separating American Policy from American people.
Egypt - land of the scams.  So many people trying to talk to you, to get you to buy junk.  Most of those sales guys charge ridiculous prices and lie. I think I've heard all of the stories now.  It's funny how they ALL have a brother/sister/son/cousin/friend that lives in Minneapolis - ha!  Even though, some are trying to sack you for money - I met some really great Egyptians and will go back someday.
Was invited on a yacht boat for a party with 200 people - free booze and good memories!
I was a kid in a candy shop when visiting the Egyptian Museum - king tuts tomb was incredible!
Alexandria is a really nice city on the Mediterranean - loads of history and super inexpensive delicious sea food.  Mistake #1 - cracking a crab leg with teeth - result:  shell stuck in tooth.  Mistake #2 - trying to floss the crab shell out with a tendon from the crab - result:  both shell and crab tendon stuck in tooth.

Egypt - Dahab

I made it to Egypt! Dahab is a really great place - in my top 10. It's inexpensive with a nice scene for chillaxing - $5 for your own room on the Red Sea. I spent my time diving and received my advanced open water PADI cert. Some of the best dives for me - tons of lion fish, deep holes, reef walls, sea turtle, canyons, caves, night diving. One day I was so exhausted (3 dives a day) that I grabbed a small women's booty by mistake and wore it because I was too embarrassed... My master diver noticed on the 2nd dive and ousted me in the group, which was more embarrassing, but funny. Anyway, Dahab is a place I will return to!

No Man's Land

Blog

Egypt day 1: denied
I will try again tomorrow or the next day.
I'm now trying to get back into Israel - not sure what country I'm in right now - no mans land? I tell you what, it is gorgeous though. I'm on the beach of the Red Sea listening to time after time on the stereo here.  It's not a bad place to be stuck.
Found put border control does not like humor because:
A) the seriousness of the issue/atmosphere
B) they don't get the joke
C) I'm just not funny
D) all of the above.
Multiple choice questions can be tricky - I'm going with D.  No, A. No, D - final answer.
Israel security is good - for any of you that have ever know me, Israel now has you on file, and your phone number, email, the size of your pants, the bad decision you made that night in college you don't remember, an the one after that, and they know what you did last summer.
Shortly they will be reading this blog and I'm going in for a strip search - good thing these Israeli girls are very pretty. 

Okay So....Minnesota has no government? What up with the twins? Will there be Vikings? WTF is going on with MN!?

Israel

Shalom!
I'm in Eilat, Israel on the red sea. From here I can see Jordan, Iran, and Egypt. Tomorrow I will go to Sinai, Egypt for some Scuba diving!
Israel has been great - Dave Hauth came out to play and I was able to meet up 3 great friends from here that hosted Dave and I - Bar, Yael, and Renana - thanks you wonderful girls! Special thanks to Gurion and Shira too!
Dave, myself, and friends rafted the Jordan river,
camped outside without a tent because bar forgot it (I mean the Germans stole it),
we walked on water in the sea of Galilea,
sunburned my white ass on the gorgeous beaches of the mediteranian,
Bike the beaches of tel aviv,
Floated in the Dead Sea,
Had eggs throw at us by Muslims in jerusalem (nice that they were cooked),
Drank in a kibbutz,
Smoked shisha with old Jewish men,
Walked the alleyways of ancient Akko (crusade era),
Dined during a kidush with Renana,
Searched for the Holy Grail in Petra (found it - Jesus coffee mug)
Rolled down sand dunes,
Dave and took turns getting the jeep stuck,
climbed mountains in the desert (should have been a Chaco commercial)
Camped with the Bedouins in the desert,(top 5 sunset)
Rode camels until our backs broke (god they are funny. Talk about camel toe)
Snorkled the Red Sea,
Watched belly dancing,
Hitchiked,
solved the economic crisisis (spelling?) faced today,
Went line dancing,
and that is the summary of Israel.
I'm now off to Egypt!


And that about sums it up for Israel/Jordan.