More posts coming soon...but in the mean time...

I am currently on the road and unable to upload any pictures, so I decided to wait to make any new posts, despite the protests, because without pictures it wouldn't do it justice. So far I have been to Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp, Belgium, as well as Amsterdam and Utrecht in The Netherlands. In approximately five hours I will be on a train which will be arriving in Cologne, Germany. I don't know what is there besides beer and a big cathedral, however, I felt that if I passed up this opportunity to go to Germany I would regret it, so I am going. From there I am headed south to Luxemburg then finally back up to Brussels for my flight back to Lyon. After two days in Lyon I jet off for Barcelona, Spain...but that is another story.

In the meantime, I thought I would chime in about travel accessories. After living and travelling in Central America I have a good idea about what kind of stuff and clothing to take with me. For example, I whittled down my two weeks winter vacation here in Belgium and The Netherlands to only a day pack...no hard feat. Anyone who had talked to me knows my favorite two travel accessories. Good earplugs and a LED headlamp. These are a must. My earplugs are soft and work wonderful, pillaged from the Forest Service by my brother in law Rene. They are soft and conical-shaped, allowing for a tight fit. Anyone who has slept in a dorm room knows these are critical. Next, the headlamp. A good LED headlamp from Petzl or Black Diamond will last forever (unless it gets stolen in Nicaragua). The LED is a great light for reading and doesn’t wear down your batteries nearly as fast as a regular lamp.

On this trip I have begun to embrace a few more items that I will add to my list of must-carries. The first is a microfiber towel. I received mine as a gift from my Mother in law Nancy, and am only now getting around to using it. It is great. Perfect size for absorbing the water from one shower, dries super fast, and packs small and light. Mine is from MSR. The next item is smart wool socks. I bought my wife a pair a few years ago and she loves them. I on the other hand never picked any up because they are expensive. However, my REI dividend was running out and there was a sale on REI.com and I picked up two pairs for around five dollars. Where to start...they are soft, warm, and light. However that is not why I love them. I think the best thing about them is that they do not smell! After a days use, if they are aired out, they smell as good as new! I even had a used pair in my pack and a clean pair and went to put on the clean pair, but I could not figured out which was which. This is a great feature because they will not smell up your bag and in a pinch can be used again.

There you have it! Next time you are travelling I recommend you try or bring all of these things and you will see why they are the top four travel accessories to pack.

Vacation Planning

So I have been starting to work on my vacation plans for the coming weeks here in Europe. I have three weeks off, yes, three weeks. I figure I need to make the most of my time here so I am hoping to leave the country any chance I get. On February 8th, I will be heading to Belgium from where I will be basing my trip. I will have two weeks in the reigon and will be going to The Netherlands and Luxembourg as well. If I feel like it I might bop over to Germany too. I am so excited to go to Belgium as it is essentially the beer capitol of the world. Those who know me are well aware of my addiction to fine craft beers. I am hoping to visit a few of the Abbes were Trappist monks make their world famous beer. My ultimate goal is to get to Westvleteren Brewery, home of the best beer in the world. It is in the middle of nowhere, so I might have to rent a car. It is, however, somewhat of a beer pilgrimage and will have to be done. After Belgium, where I will meet some other friends from school, I will be heading north to The Netherlands were I will spend a few days as well.

My University

Here are a few pictures of my university and the views from close by. The school is specifically the law school campus for University Jean Moulin Lyon III. The school is right on the river Rhone and is acress the riverr from the big central square and shopping district of the town. I live a little ways across town and have about a 15 minute walk to school if I don't talk the subway.
Across the beautiful bridge it the town center "Bellecour" where all the expensive shops are located, including the two town Starbucks which are apparently extremely popular, expensive, and always require a long wait in line.


These weird torch-like structures are across the street from our University and we can't figure out what they signify. There is an old abandoned pool and water slide at their base.