2006 Europe travel of Sunflower lee

2006 Europe Trip of Sunflower Lee
July 15.2006----August 15. 2006

I am back home in Beijing from my one-month-long trip in Europe. I enjoy it very much!! It is so different, the people, the customs, … everything. Here below is the dairy about all that happened during my trip. The holiday can be divided in 3 parts. The Swiss part pf my trip, the journey with a Dutch family & traveling alone. It is a little bit long, but I hope you can finish reading it: The Experience of a Chinese Girl in Europe.
Swiss part
Today it is July 15th 2006, a special day! I am up early about 6am, I am so excited. Sunflower Lee is about to embark on a trip through Europe! My first trip abroad to the west!

My sister-in-law and nephew Zhengzheng woke up to say bye to Auntie Lee. I will miss him a lot……My brother will see me off at the airport. I got a very big backpack, it is for all the presents for my friends & my daily things. We had a transfer in the Beijing train station taking the shuttle bus to the airport. There I remembered I forgot my electric dictionary at home. Brother asked me if it was very necessary. Due to the time, I refused, as the traffic in the morning was so bad. We arrived the airport at about 9:20, I went to check in, and left 2 small hand bags with my brother, there were so many people today. I had to get all my stuff for checking in, here I got some problem. As I booked a cheap European flight through the EASYJET, KLM couldn’t get connection with it, so my luggage couldn’t be checked in Geneva airport. I had to send all the luggage to Amsterdam. So I took out all the presents for my Swiss friends I had taken with me. It was really heavy. My friends would like it that’s the most important. It took some time to receive my boarding card. I tried to go out to see my brother. Due to the limited time, I couldn’t, the lady from KLM told me to go through customs soon. My handbag was a little bit over-weight. There was a man stopping me at the entry of plane. I explained and passed. Now I was very worried about my brother, he must wait till 10:30 am. That’s really bad, I called my mum to let brother know I was fine, the family always cares about you so much, especially when you are away. I didn’t tell mum I was leaving for Europe. Even though she is a teacher, Europe is still a strange world. “Sorry mum, I didn’t intend to do this, I will tell you afterwards, I will be safely back home”. I am sure you wish me to grow up, Sunflower Lee thinks on her own. She wants to know about the world.

There was a couple sitting beside me, they were on their way to Britain for a month long training, and they had brought a lot of Chinese noodles. I was surprised. The lady told me she wasn’t sure about European food. As for me, I think it would be fine for just a month. I inquired about the luggage problem on the plane and the KLM staff suggested me to get an answer in the Amsterdam at the transfer desk. They wished me good luck. Maybe because of this word Lee got everything resolved.

After flying for about 9 hours, we arrived Amsterdam Schiphol airport But when I got the answer, I was totally shocked. The Easyjet flight has to be checked in outside of the custom. The thing was I had only a one time entry permit to Schengen, and if I was left once, I wouldn’t be able to go back. Oh, my god! What can I do? The lady at the transfer information office told me to get help from immigration office, the police there told me they wouldn’t do anything about it and that Easyjet was responsible for me. So I went to Easyjet desk. There was a man wearing black suit. It is a shame that I can’t remember his name now. Actually he was originally from Vietnam. He took me to the immigration office and we got special permission out of custom without stamping my passport, I got my boarding card, there was no time for luggage picking. Anyway I was already very pleased. When we got back to the customs there was a little bit of a problem, after a call from the stubborn police man to immigration headquarters. This problem was solved and I really appreciated him a lot. I left my card with him. Maybe one day I could host him in Beijing. He got a small car to drive me to the KLM desk. There they would solve my luggage problem. The Dutch lady was really patient. My family name is so popular in China that she had a little difficulty searching the name. Finally everything was fixed. I stayed at the airport for more than 4 hours. My friend even said it is Holland airport, not He Nan(a province name in China) airport. It was boring too! It is a quite nice airport, small, but full of shops, plenty variety of items, buy-buy-buy!

Finally I was in the plane to Geneva. A gentleman sitting next to me thought I was smart to choose Easyjet, but how could he know the series of troubles that happened to me? I look forward Geneva, my friend Cyril will pick me up. I hoped everything would be fine now. After about 2 hours driving I was in Switzerland, everybody passed the custom so easily, but the Swiss policemen made trouble for me. They asked me why the flight number on my visa was different from that on ticket. What a hell! I asked them to call my friend Cyril, there Cyril had to sign another paper. I was very disappointed with Swiss bureau. I passed customs. That was not the end of the day, ‘cause my luggage had not arrived yet. So I had to get my luggage sheet. Finally I was in Switzerland “Hi, Cyril!” he was waiting for 1& a half hours. I burst out in laughing, ‘cause Cyril hold a big sign with my name LILEI on it. It was just like when I pick up my guest in Beijing. What a day!

Cyril’s driving was great! He told me there were half hours ride to Lausanne and we would pass by a area. He told me it would be better to close my eyes. Of course I didn’t, I found out there were many street-girls at a crossing with funny dresses, waving to the gentlemen in the car, I was like this. Oh, my god! Was it the first face of the Swiss? Cyril explained he didn’t want to show me such Swiss at the beginning of my trip. But we must drive through this road. He would show me something nice tomorrow. I laughed. We were home over midnight. He shared the apartment with 2 other roommates, one of them moved away, so I could stay in the empty one. I had a jetlag and even though I was tired, I couldn’t sleep. Cyril took me to the old city where its full of outdoor pubs. We would meet some of his friends too, his roommates. David was also there. Cyril told me don’t be surprised with the Swiss hello, it is always with 3 kisses on the cheeks, Wow!! In China we shake hands for Hallo, sometimes my guest wanted do the western way, I normally tell them when you are in China, do as Chinese do, here I haven’t any excuse to tell them. There they really got very nice music, pop, rap…. Everything, all people standing, drinking, shaking, dancing…..wow!! I was really surprised, the Swiss are not conservative at all. We met a few his friends. There was a boy asking me, why I wanted to come the pub, for music? Or friends? Of course for friends I told him. He said I had a good soul, he made a mark on his arm with a pen and added god bless you! I was the No.5 with a good soul tonight! He was so funny! We tried a few different pubs. We left and walked to another open pub, they played very good French country music, everybody seem to be enjoying themselves so much and waved their hands, jumping…...I really like it here, The people here were much different from the staff at the Swiss embassy of Beijing. They have emotion, smiling and lovely people. We were back at Cyril’s apartment about 2 am, his roommates were back very late too.

I got up about 7 o’clock, and then I went out for a walk! It was so peaceful. There I only saw a few seniors walking around with their pets. I went to the old city again, it was so quiet now. Some people were waiting for bus at the station. It could never be like this in Beijing. I turned into a lane, there was van waiting for the Chinese group to check out. I don’t like to join the group, because I there I am a dependent girl .I said NiHao to my Chinese friends. They all said that I’m a brave girl! I continued walking down the road. The train station was just there. This afternoon I would take the train to Bern. I went back before 9:30. Cyril & David were still sleeping. I woke them up. For breakfast, Cyril asked to have cereal. It was a kind of hard baked beans. It can go with yogurt or milk. I didn’t like it with milk, so I tried yogurt. I didn’t like the taste and couldn’t finish it. When we left David was still sleeping, if I was not here, Cyril would be sleeping too.

Cyril showed me Olympic Museum. We didn’t go inside, there were families and couples, picnicking along the lake. Some people were playing ping pong too! Then we went to a very nice castle called Chilon. It was really cool! They had Chinese an introduction at the ticket office. So there was no trouble for Cyril. It was built along the lake. He explained he was not a professional guide as Sunflower& had only been to there once. Cyril was fine, he told me about the architecture of the building, and a little bit of history on our way. For the lunch Cyril asked if I’d like to go to Mac Donald’s. Definitely not! I didn’t like to eat something against my body. We had a Swiss sandwich. And it was quite good at least I got something I can eat and drink. Such a small thing cost 7CHF. For that price I could have wonderful dishes at home, but anyway I was in Europe now. The next thing Cyril wanted to show me was the Swiss country site. We drove through the country and would drive up to the mountains to hike a little bit. Cyril’s brother called. I met him too when he was in Beijing. I showed both of them the Fragrant Hill in Beijing. I remembered he was very tall, so I asked Ohio if he was taller than before. He laughed. Everywhere it was so green, clean……relaxing! All the households had the Swiss flag hanging out of the window, I was quite sure they were nationalists. I love the environment here. According to my plan I would leave Lausanne at 3:30 pm, so I could have only a 30 minutes long hike,. Cyril was laughing at me, Japanese fast tour! I decided to take a late train. So I called my girlfriend in Bern to pick me up at 9pm. It was such a charming day! There were mainly local Swiss. many tourists came here in winter for skin treatment. Maybe one day I’ll try it too. We had a one and a half hour’s hike. It was fun.

Cyril had some work to do this afternoon. He had to go to the ICF. It was a kind of church, but I would call it a club, because in the middle of the house they had a big stage in ICF where they talked, sang, danced….Cyril was the messenger of the god. During the party he held a speech. There was a big slogan in front of ICF- Welcome home. When you were upset, ICF would try to make you happy, and free and you’d return with happiness back home. Cyril spoken in French, so I had a translator called Elizabeth. She was originally from Canada, she repeated: “ to say god, to say himself, to say the people…..” they had a girls group, boys band, they had all those different activities….swimming, camping. If you want to know more, maybe you should check the website http://www.icf-lausanne.ch/ . The people in ICF were really friendly, they had great conversation after the weekend prayers. The singer thought I was Japanese and I was really disappointed. Maybe it is hard for Europeans to tell the difference between Asians. The ceremony was ‘till 8 o’clock and I had to leave for Bern, bye ICF. Cyril saw me off at the train station. It was just 5 minutes away, the train system here were just fantastic! You shouldn’t miss it by even one minute. There were plenty available seats. In China if you want to catch a train you must be at the train station at least half an hour ahead. When you buy a ticket, there is the seat No. on your ticket. All the seats were nearly booked. Especially during the tourists season it was hard to book a seat. We have the largest population in the world. Certainly we had to use the right system. Bye .Cyril, thank you for the hospitality. I would come back for ICF. Merci Beaucoup!

I arrived in Bern in half an hour, but didn’t see Huifang, my girl friend, she married a Swiss man, and Max, once a guest of mine who ever visited Beijing two years ago. I went out of the train station and made a phone call with a 2 Euro coin, so, be careful, sometimes the machine wouldn’t give u change back. I was so happy to see Huifang & Max. Max drove me and Huifang to his home. He has a very nice and beautiful house with 3 floors. the wife of Max was really friendly. I also met the son of Max –Markus. He is a professor at a university. There was also a Chinese family that came for dinner. This was the family that Max joined for his China trip in 2004. Wow!! I really felt grateful, ‘cause in every room a sunflower was displayed to welcome me. Tonight I would stay at Max’s house, and my girl friend was driven home by Markus. She was pregnant, and I was so pleased for her.

The next day we got up very early, Max told me today I would be on the top of Europe- Jungfraujoch. It would be cold there, so he lent me a pair of socks. Huifang wouldn’t join us, ‘cause she needed to catch some sleep for the baby. We would meet her around 2 pm for boat ride. I was really lucky, it was fine day again. We had to change 3 times trains to the top, the special cogwheel train was wonderful. Max found me a seat, the family took their dog to Jungfraujoch too. He didn’t want to give us a seat, but Max said that his dog could sleep on the floor, anyway we managed. Max sat not too far away. It was very crowded in this cogwheel train, and some tourists had to stand. The family were nice people, there were Germans, they took their daughter and dog on holiday here. I told them to come to China one day and be a hero on the Great Wall of China! We all laughed. There was an ice palace built on the top, there were nice sculptures, and then we went to the peak. It gave us a great view. The mountain was covered by snow, the Swiss flag was blowing in the wind, the snow was shining below the sun, some people were hiking on the snow. After a short stay we had to go down, Japanese fast tour! With same process, changing trains 3 times again. We had same Swiss sandwiches as in Lausanne. The carriage was quite empty, most people were enjoying the landscape there. We got down the last train to meet Liu, and suddenly I found that Max had forgotten his camera in the train, we ran back, it was still there. Thank god. The people here were really modest & honest. But I still thought you should be careful with your own goods. Huifang was just waiting there. We had some Swiss ice cream on the way. Huifang told me I should have Italian ice cream when I am there. I look forward to it. We had a 1 hour boat ride on a Swiss. We got off at Thun and walked around the streets that were really clean, everywhere full of flowers, lawns….fountains. It was a lovely place, I wouldn’t mind to have a nap on the lawn if I had enough time. We walked around the town a short while, we went to a Chinese supermarket, there were very many items inside, clothes, food…..the smell was mixed. The owner was from Hong Kong, I was sure he wanted to sell everything in one day. Huifang bought some Chinese chili, we didn’t pay attention, it was over-dated, we had to go back to change it for another. Huifang told me the over dated shouldn’t be sold anymore. I didn’t think they would take our advice.. Tonight Huifang would cook Chinese noodle for us, because I had a very bad stomach with the Swiss food. I needed something Chinese. Now I really understood why my guest sometimes wanted pizza hut in Beijing. It was totally different diet. We split up in the train station, I went back home with Max and picked up his wife, Hui, and went back to their home for cooking. She was fabulous cook and made Shanxi style noodles, the sauce was chicken with potato, green pepper, red pepper, oranges and carrots.Max and his wife enjoyed the food very much, they said: real Chinese dishes. Tres bien! Unfortunately I couldn’t eat very much. I really got a problem with my stomach. Huifang gave me some Chinese pills. Actually I brought some with me, but it was in the big backpack.. Huifang’s husband went to America, so she was alone at home. At night I would stay with her, we had so much we wanted to say…….the past, present & future. We were very close buddies before. Hui & her husband got alone well, and I was very happy for her.

The next day I went to the Rose garden, they know I love flowers. Then we went to Bear Hill. Legend has that it once was said that they would name the city after the first animal to be caught here. It would be a bear—Bern. We had walk in the shopping area of Bern and went back to Max‘s home for lunch. I enjoyed my last Swiss meal too. Max and Hui saw me off at the train station. My next destination was Holland, to see my old friend, Tjerk, his family and the country.

The journey with my Dutch family
Tjerk was already there, waiting, as my flight was delayed. Now I was here in Amsterdam at Schiphol airport again! Holland is really flat, such a big open place, I have never seen so many cows in my entire life! The thousands of canals, the wonderful Dam square…..We arrived in Gouda after a half hour’s drive. I met Christina and one of his daughter- Renske, the son moved out to live by himself, Sanne was studying in Italy, I would meet her at the end of my trip. They had a guest room on the 3rd floor. I went up to sleep.

I got up at 8 o’ clock, Christina would go to work, Tjerk showed me around for 4 days in Holland. Later I would join them to trip to France and Italy by car. Today we would only take the boat trip the canal of Amsterdam, the captain of our boat was really humorous, he explained the sites we passed by in Dutch, English. Sometimes the people burst laughing. I was really surprised with so many bicycles. There were some quite old buildings along the canal, every year the Dutch government would spend a large budget to renew the face of the city. It was just as the HuTongs of Beijing. There I saw the Central Station……a Chinese palace restaurant was built in the centre of the river. We had talk with an American couple sitting nearby. It was lovely! We went to the Dam square, there I saw the royal palace of the queen. At a very old building which is the post office at the present, we had coffee. Then we met my cousin for lunch, it was in a Chinese Dim sum restaurant. The food was very good, with a southern taste, but I would say more a foreign taste. Tjerk told me I should see the most popular area in Amsterdam called the Red Light district. When I reached it, I was shocked! The ladies sitting behind windows & calling the men. There were sex shops everywhere, it was disgusting. Tjerk told here they even got a sex show here. Oh, my god! I couldn’t imagine the audience in the show. It was really something new for me, frankly said, I didn’t like too much. A different world! We went back home, Christina was back from work, and was cooking dinner, salad and bread. They keep a very healthy diet. I would be fine here.

It was my 2nd day in Holland, Tjerk would show me something serious today, the government town Den Haag. On the way we crossed the Gouwe river, IJssel river, and Maas river, which, Tjerk told me, flows to the North Sea. The beaches here or there you can see. Soon we arrived at Madurodam, a miniature of Holland. There were many families with kiddies, the exhibition is well organized. We had a stop at Scheveningen beach, there were many people lying down on the beach, trying to get more suntan. In China the people like the white skin, but here they prefer brown, the people always want to have something they don’t have. Some lovers were kissing on the deck, the sea gulls were flying, children were doing bungee jumping……we had a Dutch lunch here. It was ok for me. Finally we were in Den Haag. Tjerk showed me a very special art gallery called Mesdag, A panorama painting, painted on the ceiling. It was great! Then we went to the parliament, the area was still along the canal. It was very hot that day, but there were still a lot of people walking around, we walked in a shopping mall here. There we had Italian ice cream. It was very good indeed. Then we went back home, tonight we would have spaghetti for dinner. It was not salty enough, I had to ask for more salt, and spicy chili. Tjerk and Christina put cheese in it too, I didn’t like the taste of the cheese , and milk and just hope the diet would be ok for me. As usual I would help Christina wash the dishes. When I finished the washing, I had to clean it dry with a big square tower. It was fine day!

On the 3rd of Lee in Holland, we passed by Gouwe river, there I saw the TV station. We drove along the IJsselmeer lake. The dam here was built in 1931, it took 15 years to finish. We arrived Lelystad. I did a little shopping too. Here we visited Nieuw Land Museum. It was great, you wouldn’t imagine how the hard working people with wooden shoes were? They could build a land on the sea. The dike along the lake was lovely. Far or near you could see people picnic. We passed by Enkhuizen, Hoorn, and reached Marken at last. All the green wooden house were built 100 years ago. Now it is quite a hot attraction, there were lots of tourists too. Tonight Chistian wouldn’t cook, and we would go to Rotterdam to have dinner with some old friends. I was their guide when they were in Beijing. It had been a wonderful day again.

Today was my last day in Holland. We would go on a biking tour to the town of Gouda.. There they sold ‘haring’, a kind of salty raw fish from the deep sea. It normally goes with onion and cucumber. I didn’t try, I was afraid of the taste. We had coffee here, and went back home for breakfast. This afternoon we would come here shopping for the next journey. We stopped at a Gouda cheese farm. The host was really hospitable, she showed us the cheese workshop. It takes 3 steps to produce it. She told us one person could eat 10 kilo of cheese every year. I was shocked again. I bought a small cheese to take home. The cows were chewing grass not to far away, she had a big land with 30 cows. I saw the cows’ barn too, the host were cleaning the house for the winter . Tjerk took one of the best pictures of my journey. I like the far, it was great riding too.

On July 23rd we left home, to start our summer holiday. Tjerk, Christina, and Lee. We drove
through the south of Holland. There were many people with a big caravan behind their car. We had coffee in Luxemburg, passed through Belgium and the France country site, where Tjerk and Christina were many years ago. I made anniversary photos for them. We had coffee again at a bar, and ice cream to celebrate. You wouldn’t be surprised why the French are well know for being called romantic, the flowers in the street, the windows of their house, the bridges ….. everything. I really like the France country site. Our destination was a French town called Mulhouse. We stayed at an IBIS hotel. The city were nearly empty, most of the people were on holiday, and the shops were closed…..We took the tram here and finally decided to have a Chinese dinner here. This was expensive for me, but normal in Europe.

I went out for a walk the next morning. Every shop was still closed, finally I found a bakery. There I bought some bread for our lunch picnic, I was a little surprised that there were so many Turkish restaurants. Tjerk told me they came to build the city during the 2nd World War and then settled here. In Berlin I could see much more. We left Mulhouse. The picnic was great! Christina prepared a knife, spoon, cucumber, cutting board…. everything, it was my first time! I liked it. We arrived at another IBIS hotel in a French town called Annecy. At night we had Italian food—Cheese noodles, it was not salty enough for me. Christina was astonished to see how much salt I added. Then I need Tabasco,. Christina said don’t ask for Tabasco when we are in an Italian restaurant. The cook won’t like it. Or they don’t offer you Tabasco. Anyway, I still need something to go with it, tomato sauce. Oh, they wouldn’t know the taste of my noodles. Eventually I ate all the food. I was not hungry anymore. We stayed at this hotel for 2 nights.

We had 2 and half hours driving and arrived at La Plagne, which is 1960 meters high. It was about 25 degrees on the top and a lovely day too! Unfortunately a big cloud suddenly drifted by, so the cable cars were stopped, we couldn’t reach the peak. However, we enjoyed the beautiful view in the sunshine and under the clouds. Christina was good at driving, too. After we got at the bottom of the hill she started to drive. We took the other road around the lake and stopped somewhere people were doing jumping parachute. That was really cool! And the first time I saw this. Fly like a bird. It must be very exciting, I would have the best view of the lake. We just wanted to figure out where they landed. Then we went to the city of Annecy, a lovely town with ancient buildings, canals, restaurants……. Dinner was really good: Annecy fish, chips, and beer. After a cup of espresso we went back to the hotel.

Unfortunately we had to leave the lovely town of Annecy. Our next destination was Nice. It was a long day driving again. Christina found for me the post office on the way, and we had coffee in this country. There they bought a small knife, a special one from this town. We crossed French boarder and picnic in Italy. Then we drove to French harbour city of Nice. Tjerk and Christina really took good care of me. We had Chinese dinner again and luckily the owner spoke Chinese. We were tired and went back to the hotel. There were welcomed with a free cup of summer cocktail.
Christina drove a lot, so this morning she needed to catch up on her sleep. We would meet her at 10:30 for breakfast. Tjerk and I went out for a walk. There were already so many people on the beach. The sun was rising. We walked along the harbor, the boats here were really colorful, Green, red, blue….. some people were trying to get their boat surfing. There was a huge one. It was a privately owned, luxury ship. They supposedly to filled her up with fuel or food. Here it seemed to be difficult to park the car. Finally we got the spot. Tjerk showed me the old city of Nice. I saw the morning market. They were selling bags with brand name. I don’t think it was original ware. The flower and fish markets we visited too. We smelled the herbs. There was a herb shop with plenty different types. I wasn’t sure if they got Chinese herbs. Tjerk bought 3 packs of herb for cooking and gave my brother 1. He would like the herbs, because my brother loves cooking. Christina was feeling better. We had breakfast together. And then we checked out. It was a really big surprise for me today. We were passing through Monaco. What a wonderful princedom!!. The landscape there are fantastic! The billionaires’ ships, the nice apartments, the prince’s palace, the wonderfull aquarium..……it would drive you crazy! I love this place. So, on my backpack I got one more flag of MONACO. Whenever I visited a country I would collect a small patch of the state flag. I was sure at the end of my trip my backpack would be very colorful! After a few hours’ driving we arrived in Genova, Italy. We droved 1290 kilometers so far, here we had a wonderful hotel with a luxury room. Tonight would be my last dinner with my Dutch family together with whom I traveled so far. We went to a particular local Italian restaurant, we had local wine. I didn’t ask for any salt, Tabasco, or tomato sauce. It was a lovely dinner. Then we went to the train station to get the time table for tomorrow. I really enjoyed the trip with my Dutch family. They were so thoughtful and took really good careful of me. From today on I would trip alone with my backpack. With Tjerk and Christina, I needn’t think about directions, sites, or whatever. It has been wonderful to be with them. I would miss them.

Traveling alone
Today it is July 28th, the beginning of my trip, alone through Europe. The train left for Orbetello at 9 am. I made my Dutch family an early breakfast. They saw me off at the train station of Genova where there are many motorbikes. They are small and fast, and can easily go in front of the car. The traffic is terrible today, some people jumped out of bus to walk to the office. We were 100 meters away and had to wait 30 minutes. I was late for my train. Christina checked the next one for me. It would leave 1 hour later. We had a last cappuccino together. The train arrived, we waved and kissed. Bye, bye, my dear Christina and Tjerk.

The train was really good but empty. There was an old couple from Genova sitting besides me. They couldn’t speak English, so we didn’t communicate, a lady sitting next to me started to talk with me. Her little girl was sleeping on her knee. She told me she was once in Beijing just last year. her hotel not far away from my home, wow! She wished she had known me before. She translated to Italian for the couple. The little girl woke up. We talked a lot. The couple left a Genova cap for me with a Genova flag on it. They wished I could stay longer in Genova. I told the couple that they should come to Beijing one day so I could show them my city. The ticket man came. He told me I should make reservations for the fast train. It was my first time to use Eurail, so he didn’t ask me to pay extra kindly.

I had to make at transfer stop in Pisa, Tjerk told me I should visit the Pisa tower if I had time. I deposited my backpack in the train station and decided to take a late train at 3 pm, and then I would have 2 hours time in the city. My first test was coming. I couldn’t find the bus ticket, the people told me here, there…..I had to wait in the bus station and tried to buy a ticket inside the bus. Finally the bus came, but the bus driver told me he ran out of tickets, I should get it at the bus station. Then I went back, I asked the staff, they all seem to find it funny to give me wrong directions. I nearly gave up. Luckily the gentleman in the grocery shop helped me, the bus ticket office was hidden inside a tobacco shop. Oh, my god! I spent 40 minutes looking for it. The city of Pisa is really nice, I like the buildings along the canal. After a 15 minutes bus ride I arrived at the Pisa tower. Here I had a quick Japanese tour again. It was really worth the visit, one my favorite sites of my journey. Unfortunately I only had a half hour for sightseeing and ran back to the train station again. But train was delayed 40 minutes. It was incredible! I wish I could have stayed longer at the Pisa tower. It was almost 6 pm when I arrived at Orbetello. Christian, one of the guests I took around Beijing, had written me an e-mail that he had time to show me around in Italy, he had arranged my stay in Italy too. He told me I must visit Giglio Island. His family had a summer house there. It sounded really good! My Dutch family Tjerk had a book from Christian’s farther. His father published many architectural theory books. A small world! Finally Christian came. After a 20 minutes bus driving, we arrived at the harbour, he told me we would have 1 hour boat ride to reach Giglio island. There we got some more time for ice cream. It was really so tasty! The boat riding was real fun, I had a talk with some people who were going to the island. They all spent their weekends in a summer house. Christian told me he had made reservations at a hotel nearby their summer house, there was no more space in his summer house. His mum and sister’s family all lived there now. I was really getting worried. I couldn’t spent a great deal on my stay here, because I had much further to go. Christian should have told me about this ahead. I asked him if there were a hostel available on the island. He said none. Then he added tonight his family would pay for it as I was his guest. It was totally dark when we arrived at the island. Christian told me we had to change to another bus. We were both hungry, so I treated Christian to a pizza Italiana. Maybe I was the first backpacker on the island, because when I put down my bags, they were all watching me. probably they were trying to figure out how much more I carried than the gentleman? Then we had a 10 minutes bus ride. And with my big & heavy backpack we had another 15 minutes to walk, there was no light on the way, you could just see motorbikes, and cars. I was a little bit scared, fortunately I had my small lamp. It would help a little bit. When we arrived at my hotel, I was so completely exhausted! Christian went back home, he would meet me the following day at 10:30. I quickly fell asleep.

Christian came after I had breakfast,. I asked him to help me make a reservation for a hostel in Roma. Finally we had the reservation. Then I visited his home. His mum got a bit of a cough so I brought her some Chinese tea, hoping it would help her. I met his sister and the rest of his family. He’s got a very cute nephew, 8 years old and trying to speak English. It really was a nice place and very cool!! I just learnt how to swim last year, so I was swimming along the side, hoping I would survive. Actually I was quite good. I was astonished with my own skill, but I still was afraid to go further. We had a most expensive water melon afterwards. I told myself, you are in Europe. I would get used to it. Then we went back to his home to say goodbye to his mum. She was surprised I was leaving so soon. Christian told the reason of leaving…..etc. Then his mum said I could stay on the terrace if it was ok with me. I like this place and decided to stay one more night here. There was a very old castle on the top of the island. Christian would show me around there in the afternoon. I had tea with his mum at home. She was a really nice lady and very knowledgeable too. She knew some history of China too. When I mentioned my Dutch friend Tjerk had a book of her husband, she was so pleased. Then I went out for a walk and sat a while on the beach. I met Christian at 3 pm to visit the castle. There were local Italians lived on the top. It was a small village actually with 200 residents. We passed by a wine-making shop. Christian had some, but it was too strong for me. So I didn’t have any. I more liked a hanging screen, because it was made of wine cups. You could read the history of wine making here. When we were home, the food was nearly ready, the husband of his sister was the chef tonight, he was just upset that I didn’t eat much. It was very good. Christian gave me a notebook, he asked to write something about the island. Already many guest had written in it. Spanish, German, French…. I did in Chinese. I enjoyed the Giglio island! His sister lend her computer to me to check email. I wrote to my Dutch family that everything was fine here. I received an email from home too. It was bad news. My grandpa was in the hospital. It was very serious…..I was very worried. I cried that night when everybody slept. I wanted to be home. Sea waves were getting stronger. It was dark, I couldn’t see the birds flying. I missed my mum very much, and also my nephew and brother.

I woke up very early, the sun was rising, I went over to hotel where I stayed, ‘cause I didn’t want to make noise in the house. The family was still sleeping. The brother-in-law was awake, when I came back. He made espresso coffee. Then he went to the sea. I rested a little bit. Then the whole family got up and I went swimming again. Maybe today I’d try the deep water. There was a blue boat not too far away. I told Christian we could go together, because I was a novice. We reached the boat, and had a short a break. Then I went back, the water was blue. The fish and the rocks were really pretty, but when I saw the seaweed, I got scared. It would suddenly take me over. My arms and legs were getting sore, I choked with water in my mouth. I was screaming “help! help! help!…”. An Italian couple came over quickly. I survived. I needed a short break. I didn’t know where Christian was. He was not responsible! He came, I slowly swam to the shore without watching the bottom of sea. I got saved by the couple. Christian tried to explain……I didn’t talk with him for quite a while. I was just very upset with Christian. I wanted to revise what I wrote of the island. I was still alive. I miss home. With the life-at-risk experience I left Giglio for Roma. We were all on our way, nobody could predict what it would be. Tomorrow would pose another risk. But Lee will handle it.

Everything here seems to be complicated after I left my Dutch family. I took a van to go down the hill for a 1 hour long boat ride. I couldn’t find the bus ticket office, but luckily the bus driver told me I could buy from him. At last I was on the train to Roma. It wasn’t really lucky, a few stations later two Russian boys came and sat besides me. One talked so loudly and his arm nearly occupied one third of my seat, they put their legs on the seat. They asked so many questions…….I couldn’t stand it. So I moved to another seat sitting besides a Roman. He was quiet and gentle. I arrived Rome around 6 pm. Christian told me where I could deposit my bags at the train station. He would take a late train to Rome and pick me up. He would give me a place to stay in his grandma’s apartment. He marked for me how to get to Piazza di Spagna. It was really helpful, I found it easily. It was so hot and crowded. I sat there writing my in dairy. There were 2 students with their guitar singing. They brought a really fun atmosphere for us. Everybody clapped for them. I walked around a little bit in the street. There was a shop with really funny decorations. All the models were standing on the window. There was a lady dressed as an ancient roman girl. Many people were taking pictures of her, it was just as Marilyn Monroe in movie. I had an ice cream again and went back to train station to wait for Christian. He was not there yet. So I had coffee and something to eat. Finally Christian came, he said he was hungry. We found him something to eat and went back home. I tried to buy the bus ticket. But even Christian didn’t know where to buy one. He had monthly ticket. He said don’t buy, nobody checks. I really felt guilty to ride without a ticket. We were in his grandma’s home. He told me tomorrow he had to go to work, (I wasn’t surprised.). So I should tour alone, he gave me a city map and marked all the sites. He said I can walk from one to another, no need for a bus or subway. His work starts very early, so I was out at the same time. He showed me a breakfast bar and left. I walked nearly the whole day, 12 hours, one Piazza after another. The city is a museum. I was so tired. Christian came back home very late at 8 pm. I was out for entire day. I treated him to a Chinese dinner that night. I need something I am used too. Christian said there was a concert by Bryan Adams & Billy Joel in the Colosseo …….outdoor. Free, everybody could go. So after dinner we went there, It was so crowded. They played nice music. I didn’t enjoy it because I was so exhausted, I needed a rest. Christian works for the Italian government, he told me he saw Anan & Rice. I wasn’t sure about it. And he was helpful indeed, one of his friend Roberto took me and another couple in the Palazzi E Musei Vaticani through the staff entry. I was really lucky! Because I saw a very long queue standing in the sun, they had to wait for at least 3 hours to get inside. I really appreciated that. The paintings were amazing!! I sat in the Piazza San Pietro for a while. I tried to go inside the San Pietro in Vatican, due to the crowded I gave up. I had a nap in a park not too far away Christian’s apartment. I had fruit in the breakfast place, it was the most expensive fruit I had ever had, and they charged me tourist prices. Anyway I was a tourist. I had ice cream twice. Eventually, Christian came back home. I really needed something really Chinese. The Chinese food wasn’t good in the restaurant. I decided to make some dumplings for dinner. That was a really tough job for me. I never cook when I’m at home, normally I eat out , or with my brother and my sister-in-law. I would try. The material here was difficult to find, we went the 3 super markets to get all the ingredients. I had to make everything by myself. I was normally an assistant for my mum when she makes dumplings. I spent 2 and half hours to make it. The Christine was shouting “hungry, hungry, hungry”. He repeated it so much! I reminded him it was not good habit to repeat what you said. I enjoyed my own food. Christian would visit Venice too, he made reservations at a hostel in Venice. That was really appreciable. He said if he had come alone, he would have stayed at a better hotel. I told him go on! I have only a budget for a hostel. I asked him to make a reservation for my hostel in Vienna too. He said he only knew Rome, Italy. He could only help me in Italy. I tried to use his home phone to call Alex in Vienna. He said he wouldn’t pay the bill and that it was at the expense of his mum. Of course I didn’t make any call from his phone. He was really selfish. I would try to call Alex in Venice. Maybe he could make a reservation for my hostel there.

We took a very fast train to Venice in the early morning. I didn’t sit next to Christian. Actually he sat not too far away . I had good conversation with a girl from Spain. She was 2 years younger than I. She traveled with her mum to Florence, Venice, Rome. From Florence they flew back to Spain. I told her all that happened on my trip. I certainly told her about the danger I was in on the island. It seemed as if Christian didn’t like me to talk about it. It was his fault! People talk freely in Europe, don’t they? We arrived in Venice, and when we got off the train Christian shouted don’t be shit with others. He really offended me, what for? I was here for a holiday. I didn’t fly so far away to listen to this! I was very angry! I would rather continue my trip alone..….I didn’t talk with him all the way to hostel. I didn’t think he was familiar with Venice at all. He had to ask more than 10 times for directions to the hostel. In fact we should have taken the water bus which was only 5 stops away from train station. So I had to walk with 30 minutes my heavy backpack. Christian didn’t help me at all. At last we were in the hostel. I paid my bill. He repeated so much I was really getting tired of it. So I toured alone. I had 4 roommates, 3 of them were from America and the another was French. They toured together. They said I was the first Chinese backpacker they had met. They were really helpful and told me where to go and I got an extra 24 hours water bus ticket. I bought some fruit in the supermarket and had something quick to eat. I was not so difficult to figure out all the places. I was in Peggy art gallery. There I spent 1 hour. I liked the paintings inside. My favorite one was called Mystery, painted by Boccioni Umberto. I just regret that I didn’t buy a print at the shop. Then I went to San Marco and had a walk around the shopping area. There were so many pigeons here. They were really fun for the people. I just wish they didn’t destroy the buildings. I was back at the hostel and nobody was back yet. It was so empty. I went out again and sat a while under the tree. It is nice area, actually, where I was staying, because there was restaurant and outdoor pubs. I enjoyed my day. I could rest whenever I wanted. I went back hostel and slept.

The fisherman was already singing outside of our window. My roommates told me they had this song for a few days. Here was a fish market here everyday in the morning. There was really a fishy smell. I met Christian the next morning at breakfast. Whenever he spoken, my roommates burst out laughing, everything was repeated 3 times. My ears couldn’t stand it anymore. He told me he got lost yesterday. I laughed. Anyway, Christian helped a lot. I felt grateful to him. If I hadn’t known Christian, I wouldn’t have been in Giglio, I wouldn’t have had a chance to try the risk. That was the experience of my life. We are all on the way, at risk. Life is risky indeed. I had experienced risk. I didn’t know what more would happen on my journey, but I would do my best to solve it with courage. I gave Christian a present, hoping it would be the best excuse for touring alone. I would leave at 8 pm, so I had the entire day off in Venice. I went to a San Polo too, a very noble church. I went to a very crowded bridge, with shops, full of masks…..there I used the most expensive toilet in Europe which cost 1euro per person. Anyway ladies have to go so often. The streets were really peaceful, I was amazed at such a big water town. I went back to the hostel and had ice cream again. I was sitting on the bench enjoying myself, I tried to take a nice picture of my ice cream, but it appeared to be difficult, a Belgium family not too far away burst out in laughter, they were watching me. The lady helped me take a photo and I joined them and had a talk. It was wonderful journey! Venice was lovely. I’ll maybe be back for the mystery. I took the water bus to the train station. It took me so much time to make a reservation for my ticket. There were a long queue, but only 3 windows were opened, a Dutch family standing next to me was getting really angry. The woman’s face was getting red. She told me it wouldn’t be happen in Holland. The efficiency was terrible! Finally I got my tickets. Then I went to an internet café to try make reservations for the hostel in Vienna. But all were fully booked. I was getting worried. I called Alex, unfortunately I couldn’t reach him and just leave a voice message, hoping everything would be fine.

I had 3 other people in my carriage. They all were all Austrian. There was an aunt with her nephew from Vienna for holiday here in Venice. The boy was very smart and polite. The other guy would get off on the way, then we had another lady. She also got off at a half way stop. So we could pull down the seats and sleep. The aunt was very helpful, she suggested where I should go for accommodation. Some university in the summer tries to make extra money and opened a summer house for tourists. I really felt grateful! Maybe I could try it in case I couldn’t get in contact with Alex. She was really a good talker and smoked too much. The carriage was foggy which I didn’t like. She was also trying to be a local tour guide in Vienna. Small world! She met Chinese guide in the carriage, she asked me a lot of questions about China, how did I like Europe…..I was getting sleepy. We all slept.

Maybe is highlight
Maybe is reviviscence,
Maybe is melody, the music cradle—Vienna.
It was almost 8 am when I woke up. The overnight train was fine for me. In half an hour we would be in Vienna—the Music City. We got off the train. They had so much luggage, and a big shopper too! I was really anxious to call Alex. The phones were all broken, then we went to a coffee shop. I needed to get something spiritual in the morning, to keep me awake. I went out to try again. Thanks, my god! I got through, Alex would pick my up soon. He found me in the coffee bar. I said good bye to the enthusiastic aunt and nephew. The Lonely Planet had a hint. It said, that when you meet an Austrian if you say you are from California they will offer you a drink. The aunt said Lee was nice, that’s why she wanted to offer me a drink.

Alex asked which one was my back pack, actually I tried to ask him to take the small one. He picked my big backpack. I had carried it all the way after I left my Dutch family, It made me feel really grateful and made me feel at home, he was so gentle, warm and smart! Alex told me if I like to stay in his apartment, it was lovely offer! We went to his apartment, I had a shower. I brought him a small rabbit, caused there is an old saying in China: don’t catch two rabbits at the same time. I believe this too. You must concentrate on doing one thing. Then you can do it well. Alex took me to a coffee shop with normally is frequented by young people, he showed me two churches Stephansdom, the one full of tourists with magnificent architecture. The other one was St. Peter, they got fine paintings. In fact I prefer this one to Stephansdom, because it has nice atmosphere. Then we went to a shopping area, Alex showed me a popular fashion shop called H.M, it was a cool shop and sooner or later you’ll find one in Beijing. Then we went to an old coffee bar with a history of 100 years. Oesterreichische Galerie Belvedere was wonderful! I like the art of Schiele, there were lots of his fine pieces, I just feel sad he passed away at such young age or he could read much more. Alex likes the art of Kimt, we saw his Kiss. Then he showed me the Parliament and we sat down for a while. Then we passed by the Opera House. I saw another church, then we went back home, we washed clothes. Alex cooked me dinner at night, spaghetti. It was fine. He told me that was the only one dish he can cook. I did an embroidery of the Austrian flag on my backpack.

It was almost 11 o’clock when we got up the following day, maybe I was too tired from the journey. We first went to a Indian restaurant for breakfast, but it wasn’t easy to find. The food was delicious indeed. Alex would show me a local market, which was really cool! It was the first time he saw it too. They were selling all kinds of items, paintings, 2nd hand clothes, antique…food. There I tried a Korean soft drink, it was very fruity, very tasty. It was really cool here and crowded too. We took a tram to the palace of the old emperor—Schonbrunn. The explanation was really very good. Then we went up the hill. I took one of the best photos for the city view. Flowers, fountains…….ducks were swimming in the pool. It was a peaceful place. I enjoyed sitting there.
Then we went back home, Alex was so concentrated on something that he forgot to get off the subway. At the apartment he burned a CD for me and made reservations for hostels in Munich and Berlin. Everything was well arranged. He called the pizza boy so we could have dinner at home. Alex really took good care of me.

The next day we got up a little early. Breakfast was ready after I took shower. We had a double espresso, fruit juice, and the cake we had bought at the market. Everything was perfect. We went to train station at 11:30, I got my reserved ticket. I had to make a transfer to Munich. It was one of most enjoyable parts of my trip, I had great time with Alex. I enjoyed Vienna!!

I arrived in Munich at around 6 pm on Aug 6th. Unfortunately it was raining, the hostel was not difficult to find. It just took me 10 minutes walking. Afterwards I checked in and went out for a walk. There were really many Turks and Muslims, It was still raining and it was even getting worse. I went to an internet café and wrote e-mail messages to friends, also to Thomas, a guest from Munich I guided 3 months ago. I didn’t think we would meet again, because it was on too short a notice. I didn’t count on it. The boy in the café told me I could walk around in the shopping area. It was raining, I was alone, and getting hungry. I miss Vienna and my Dutch family, and didn’t know what to order. What can I eat? Finally I stopped at an Indian restaurant. I saw many local people inside, the food would be ok. I had curry vegetables, it was not too bad, at least I was not hungry anymore. After I finished dinner I continued walking to the center. It was a huge shopping area as the Wangfujing street at home. The malls were nearly closed. It drizzled again. An old man approached me and offered me an umbrella with bad purposes. I told him Nein and quickly walked away. I took off my necklace and put on my long rain coat. I hope nobody will disturb me anymore. It did work well. I was starting to miss Alex. Then I saw some Chinese guys, I made some photos for them. They were surprised I traveled alone. They hoped there children would be able to the travel, just as I do. It was really nice to talk my own language in a foreign country. I was safely back at the hostel. 2 roommates came. One girl was from America, we talked a lot about the trip, the other girl came, she didn’t talk very much. We didn’t know where she was from, possibly Korea. Silence fell and we all fell asleep.

The hostel here was not too bad. nice location and clean. I went downstairs to deposit my luggage, the lady at the reception told me my Munich friend had called. He was working in the morning. I can meet him at noon. He could show me around in the afternoon. I had my first coffee at McDonalds which was nearby and decided to visit the Berlin Museum in the morning. The subway system here was so efficient just as a net. I walked around the city a bit and arrived at the museum, at the beginning I was afraid to go inside. I think it is because of the history of Germany. I didn’t want to read about its bloody past. I would cry for the people who died. Then I went to the Museum shop. From the introduction book I knew it was not related the history, the present of Germany, how the people created their hometown within such short decades. Of course I’d love to see this. It was really huge with 5 floors. I couldn’t finish all expositions in 2 hours, it takes you at least 5 hours. I found the most interesting parts astronomy, the machinery, the boat and train system, including the subway. I was in the Agriculture Department too. I wished I could have stayed longer. I was back a little bit late, Thomas, my Munich friend was already there, waiting. He came with his car. It was a big one for 6 people. I was surprised that in the back there were no seats. He told me he would purchase some furniture for his house. His wife was back from training. She needed a cabinet for her books. She was a teacher, for the time being I couldn’t visit her. Thomas asked if I like to try the Bavaria food. We went to a particular restaurant with big tables and long benches. The dishes were fine for me. I like the German salad, I preferred the mashed potato better to the meat, Thomas was a diploma for his town. The most interesting thing we saw was the China tower, it was a beer garden, the policemen here patrolled on big horses. Then he showed me the football stadium, the Olympic stadium, the BMW tower & factory. I had many guests from BMW before. It was really worth to see it. We passed by HB, the beer workshop. It was one of my favorite beers. Thomas told me during October, there would be a very crowded beer festival with many Australian and Japanese tourists. You had to make reservations for your stay at least 1 month ahead. Mine was short visit! After the quick ice cream, I had to leave for Berlin.

The train left at 5 pm. It was long ride too. Unfortunately the train was delayed half an hour on the way, it was almost 23:00 when we arrived. I read my books all the way up to Berlin. There was a Chinese girl. She seemed to be too shy to talk. Finally I started the conversation. She told me she thought I was Japanese, I was upset again. Why the people always thought I was Japanese? 100% from China. My roots are in China. She was working on her doctor’s diploma in Berlin .Luckily she got scholarship there. To be sure she must be very smart. She had to help her professor at the laboratory. So she couldn’t take me around, at last she left me her phone number. I didn’t call here these days since she was so busy. I arrived at the AO hostel after half an hour by tram. There were some people checking in, so I had to wait. I went to my room…..I was shocked!!! You couldn’t imagine how the room was, it was completely awful! the socks, underwear, the shoes were flying all over, all the beds were occupied, luggage was all over on the floor……you couldn’t step in. I went downstairs and asked the man to change room for me. He asked what’s the matter with it? I told him the room was very good, if you like I could offer you a night there. He asked me if I would mind to take a room for 8. I told him no matter how many people, I just wish it is not for pigs,. The room was ok. Human beings can live there, 2 room mates slept already. I quietly took a shower and fell sleep soon. Another roommate arrived after me. She was from the US, we had a talk next day. One of the girls had checked out already before I got up. Another lady was from Sweden, she was a good talker too. I went out for coffee. The AO hostel is located in the western part of Berlin with fancy shops on an avenue, called Ku’dam, but I think it would be much better if I had stayed in eastern Berlin. The culture was lively. My friend told me there was a department store, called the KaDeWe which I should visit. It is fancy store like the Sundongan Plaza in Beijing. I took bus to the Parliament, some people were having boat ride on the river. The Brandenburger Tor (Gate) was just on the other side of the road. A lot of people were parading along the streets there, I took a bus again to the main train station. There I found an Asian shop where I got a Korean drink again. It was really cool, there was a coffee shop called Alex on the way. Same name as my Austrian friend. I had coffee inside. It was really cool Alex! I went to a church, it was just beside the CCTV tower. The core of the tower was painted as a football just for luck at the 2006 WCP. You can imagine how the passionate Germans are about football. The fountains here were really attracted the people, the benches, further away some teenagers were playing basketball……..I was trying to take a picture of myself. There was a French man who helped me. He told me Berlin was very different, it was mix of cultures. The eastern is part much more interesting. When he came first, he found himself in love with the city and then he settled there. I was still on the way to find the beauty of Berlin. He marked me some places on my Lonely Planet guide which was really helpful. I continued my walk and I went to the SAS hotel for toilet, it was brilliant with 5 stars. The design of the elevator was really amazing, it was built as the core of a column shaped aquarium. There were some street vendors performing some kind of puzzle in the street. I wouldn’t think you can win. It was a trick. Still there were some people to try. You can easily lose 50 Euro in a minute. I didn’t know how much money they would lose. Hope they could be smart and wise. When I arrived at the Berliner Dom, many people were lying down on the lawn, an amateur band was singing, people can give them coins as they like. I really love the nature here and sat down to write my diary. Enjoying watching people. I walked down and stopped at Habao University. The girl, I met on the train, was doing her diploma here. There were books vendors, I got a book on art for my friend in Beijing, one cartoon book for myself. I went down the Unter den Linden Avenue. I was feeling a bit tired and went back to hostel. The Swedish lady came back too. She was talking to me more about herself and said the reception had sent a man to our room, she threw him out. She said our room was only for ladies. The Swedish lady went to an Irish bar tonight. I was trying to go out having something to eat. But I met some funny Russian boys again. They had not good purposes, and then I jumped on the subway and back to the hostel. I finally found something I could eat. I had Tai food. It was ok. I just miss my food in China. The American girl in our room slept already when I came back, the Swedish lady hadn’t come back yet. I just wished her not to get drunk at the pub. The next day I had coffee and tried Chinese fried noodles. I didn’t like it. Then I went to the Berlin wall. I walked around there for a few hours. I went to another shopping area….. There I tried kebab, grilled sheep or chicken in a flat, round bread. I didn’t like so much. Then I took the subway to find a beer garden in Berlin. It was somewhere in the bush, I was just afraid to go alone. There was a statue of Angel. I went there and took a few photos. I met some Dutch girls who were from Gouda! They were 4 traveling as a group in Berlin. I was sitting there a little bit. There was a guy sitting next to me. He started to talk to me. The first question was if I was Japanese, I was really very upset, I dislike people thinking I’m from Japan. He was from Austria. Oh, Alex, I found your roommate here in Berlin. He was from….. We decided to have coffee together. I asked him if he wanted to join me to the beer Garden. It was actually not to far from the monument. It was good choice to come here and not dangerous at all. I had a glass of apple juice. My mum wouldn’t allow me to drink any wine or beer outside of Beijing. It was really lovely place, and today was a fine day, so there were lots of people having a meal and drinking, talking here. I hope one day we can build some places like this in Beijing. It was fast Japanese tour again, he had to leave for a show, and I went back to the hostel and to have a rest. The Swedish was back too. We found that more roommates had come. The lady just hoped there would be no man. She said that if there happened to be a man, it would be my turn to go to the reception. One roommate came back, she was from Mexico. She said there was not supposed to be a man. The Swedish lady took off her pants, the door was opened, It was a boy! It was really embarrassing, The Mexican girl and me all burst out in laughter. The Swedish lady was very hungry. She told the boy to change to another room, he came back with his girlfriend. Both of them moved out. Another 2 roommates came back, they asked why we were laughing, we explained, they laughed too. They were from the city of Prague which I really would love to visit, due to the visa problem I had to leave it for my next trip. The Swedish lady asked one of the girls if they minded to stay with a strange man in the same room, the girl said she would not mind, the Swedish lady continued: “I’m not one of your young generation, I was more conservative, I couldn’t stand to stay with a strange man in the same room….”, but it was a hostel, sometimes you had no choice. It was acceptable for me, but the awfully dirty room was not! I was trying to get a small patch of German flag.

I was the first one to get up, I did some embroidery again. Today I was about to Brussels, actually I could stay longer, but here in the city I didn’t have any friends, so it was better to stop over in Brussels. If you don’t make friends, it is like being a stranger in the town, you couldn’t get involved in the local people’s lives, that is too bad. When I take my groups through Beijing, I normally take them to the Hutong area, there they can visit a local family, if they had any questions, and I’d translate them for both sides. If you know the people, you will know the city. Seeing tourist attractions is not enough, we need to communicate. I went to the National art gallery area again and took a walk, and then I went back the beer garden. Today it was a bit cool. There were not so many people, I had my late breakfast there, pizza and apple juice, and then I walked back to the hostel to get my backpack, personally I’d say that Munich is preferable to Berlin.

I had a transfer in Frankfort and after 8 long hours we finally arrived in Brussels. It was really boring on the train. I read my book a little bit. I needed to stretch my arms and legs. A lady sat aside started to talk with me, she was from Germany and lived now in Brussels. She asked me a lot about Beijing. 2008 she’d possibly visit my town-Beijing. There were 2 boys sitting in front of me. One was from Lepanna where the war was. I was really sad about it. I wish his family will be fine. The lady was very enthusiastic, after we got off the train she found me the restrooms. I tried to call my Brussels friend, Bassel. Maybe he could drive me to my hostel. It was still drizzling. I really dislike this kind of weather. Bassel came in half an hour and he drove me to my hostel. It was the best one I had during my trip. Very clean and in a fine location, 10 minutes walking from the Grand Piazza. Bassel had a meeting in the morning and he could show me around in the afternoon. Here I had 2 roommates, one was boy. They were classmates, after the school camp was over and they traveled a little bit more in Brussels before going back home. I had a very good night’s rest. The next day I went the Grand Piazza, the artists were making a flower carpet, they told me that tonight they would finish, I should come here again later. The Peepee Boy was much smaller than what I thought he’d be. It was the opening day for the flower carpet, they made it once every 2 years. I was really lucky. The Peepee Boy was peeing red beer for everybody. A Chinese student who studied here in Brussels gave me a news paper. It was against our government. I didn’t ask what she was doing now. She told me you couldn’t believe how much human rights they had here. I agreed, the people should have free talk…..whatever. China is such a huge country. We must have the right system to go with it. One party is absolutely good for the general policy, if there were too many parties, it would be impossible to get the common idea across. I couldn't imagine how it would be, such a big mass. We have 80% farmers, they are not well educated. You can not give them so many rights. We need a right policy. I think the situation now is fine. The people is much better off than before. When I was a child, there were only two TV sets in my town, now every household owns one, even more, everyone has a washing machine, a computer, farmers use trucks. The situation is changing slowly. Yes, there is a large difference between the city and the country. The government is trying to fill the gap. It takes time. I didn’t like that girl, because she had abandoned her hometown. I had a talk with Bassel when I met him in the afternoon. He wished the Chinese could have all the human rights the people in the west have. We are on our way.

Bassel showed me the Atomium that was built for the World Fair in 1958. It represents an iron molecule, magnified millions of times and really is something. But if they had had galleries inside, it would have been wonderful! He showed me the European Parliament It was fantastic area and Bassel drove by the China Tower, the Japanese tower, a gift from China. Then we went to a church. It was Gothic with very nice, colored paintings. Then we went to king’s palace. He bought some chocolate. The girl in the shop was from Japan. Around 6 pm we went back home. There I met his wife and kid. His daughter is 9 months old and has a lovely smile. She slept separate from her parents since she was 7 days old. Here in China the kid sleep with their mum. My nephew conquered my brother’s place, he had to sleep in another bed. I don’t think it is a good habit. I like the western way. Children grow up fast and independent. I stayed at his house, Bassel and his wife were invited for dinner with friends. Two aunts of Bassel came to help them taking care of the baby. I went to the Grand Piazza again. The flower carpet was completed. There were so many people around, looking it. It was a little bit cool, I had some hot chocolate and something to eat. It was not difficult to find the subway back, unfortunately I missed the stop. Then I had to wait for the tram back to his house. His 2 aunts were still there, Bassel and wife were not back yet. After a shower I slept. The next morning Bassel’s mother came for breakfast. Bassel and his wife drove me to Chinese embassy and council, 2 big buildings one just next to each other. Then they showed me yet another church. The baby slept in the car so she couldn’t visit the church. It was a short visit too, I had to say goodbye to them.

I came back Amsterdam again. an old friend picked me up from trainstation. it was raining too, we waited a little and then he took me to a Chinese restaurant. We talked a lot about Holland, Europe and China…….i was just regret because I did take a reunion photo with sjaak. he has a daughter now without marriage, in China it is impossible, because the people are very conservative, if you live with boyfriend before marriage, it is shame for the family. They could abandon you. But here it is different! It is Holland--Europe. Sjaak would attend 2008 Olympic game, Beijing welcome you! so does Lee.

I tried to contact my cousin but couldn’t get any connection with her phone. He had to go back for her daughter. So I was walking around a little and tried to call her later. Unfortunately I didn’t take my cousin’s home phone number. I went to a dim sum restaurant, the one I had lunch at with my cousin and my Dutch family. I wished the waitress had more things on the menu card. I waited and still there wasn’t any news from cousin. I need a place to say, I called my Dutch family, but they were not back in Gouda yet. They asked to take a train to meet them in another town. I declined. I left my backpack in the Dim Sum restaurant and tried to find an Internet café. All the hostels were fully booked. In Amsterdam it really is difficult to book a hostel, also because the booking period is limited to 3days. I went out to a big hotel, trying to get the phone number of my cousin’s home. But there nobody answered my call, because it was 3 am in China. So I went back the internet café. Finally I made a reservation for the Lind hostel. I went back to the dim sum restaurant, they told me it was about 15 minutes walking. Finally I found the Linda hostel. They boy at the reception couldn’t find the booking, because the room was full. Then he found out I made reservation for the next night. Not for tonight. Oh, my god! I tried to stay a standard room in the Hotel part, but it was occupied too. I asked the boy to give me a place stay. I was really tired, angry and sad. I told them I was your guest, I was here now. You are responsible for me. I didn’t need a room for the next day, it was for tonight. I begged the boy find me a place, no matter where, I could sleep on the floor……finally he took me to a big dorm with 10 people inside, I couldn’t see any girl in the room. So I was a bit scared. I told the boy I could sleep on the floor. The boy suggested I could sleep in the breakfast place, there I may sleep better. I refused, because it was just next to the reception. I thought it was more dangerous compared to there. The people in the room would be fine. I decided to sleep in the corridor. The boy went down…….I was really missing home now. The tears was filled in my eyes. After a while some two guys and one girl came back and went quickly out again. I was asked them if I could join? They said of course. Two boys were from Israel and the girl was German. We went to a pub. The German girl told me she could lend her sleeping bag to me. It would really be helpful, I felt better now. There I took a wonderful picture for the Dutch Peepee boy! They shouted pay money. That was really funny. We all laughed! We went to a Jazz bar, they played very good saxophone. I found this bar just too smoky. Then we went back to the hostel. The next day I got up very early. I had a long shower, It helped me feel better. I went to the reception to ask if it was possible to cancel the booking for tonight, the girl checked and said ok. That was the most experienced day of my journey. as Lee said, she would handle everything.

I went to my cousin’s company. The secretary of my cousin helped to get through to her. She was going to pick me up in half an hour. I left my big backpack at the company and went out for a coffee. My cousin told me she was in Brussels yesterday for business. The telecom connection was really bad. Finally we were home. I felt much better now. I met my brother–in-law. We had breakfast, and then we went to Volendam, there I tried the herring. It was very juicy for me. My cousin told me if I finished the 2nd plate, I would get used to it. Anyway it was good to try. Then we went to Giethoorn with the old farm houses, canales…..I like it here very much, it was one of my favorite places in Holland. I had a fun day again.

The next day I went to the Van Gogh museum, it was great! Unfortunately my Chinese friends couldn’t be there. I bought a poster of the Sunflower painting, and then I did some shopping. I took a train to say goodbye to my Gouda family, I brought my Dutch family a bunch of sunflowers, I hope Sunflower can be with them longer. I met their younger daughter Sanne. Christina was cooking something really taste. Christina asked me: “Did I find Mr. handsome?” I told her yes, in Austria, Sanne asked me: “Will he come to see you?” I will leave this up to Alex. After dinner Tjerk drove me to my cousin’s home, I just felt very sorry that my cousin didn’t invite Tjerk to come inside. She told me the house was not clean enough, It would be impolite for guests according to Dutch custom.. We are different in China. I like Gouda better than Amsterdam, ‘cause I feel home there. I really appreciate my Dutch family, Tjerk and Christina for everything!!

Today is my last day in Europe -15th of Aug. My cousin had work to do, so brother-in-law would see me off. I went downtown,there i did a little bit of shopping and went back to my cousin’s house. My brother-in-law was already waiting there. We had some fruit at home and then we went to Schiphol airport. Bye, to all my dear friends! I enjoyed Europe very much, Lee would be back soon…..

I finally finished my diary. The tours have been keeping me busy. It will be more and more work. Lee look forward to my next holiday!

Best wishes
Sincerely yours,
Beijing Sunflower Lee