Sun
Aug
1
death valley and las vegas are next on the list and the endless rocky desert with its unbelievable heat doesn’t fail to impress. also buying one of the biggest cans of beer i have ever seen which may slightly influence my judgment. las vegas is smaller than i thought, but arriving there late pays off as the city really shines at night. endless rounds of drinks and endless rounds of black jack and roulette once again proof that there is potential for a gambling problem, however the night ends with hardly any money lost and the promise of a big hangover tomorrow…..
Fri
Jul
30
a long drive ahead to and through yosemite national park, a very popular attraction it seems as most time in the park is actually spent stuck behind dozens of other cars in an endless traffic jam. magnificent views make up for it, but again the large groups of people frantically taking pictures at each vista point make it seem more like a fast food all-you-can-eat nature experience…..
Thu
Jul
29
leaving for napa valley to recover from last nights hangover. first need to rest some more in the hotel which has a pool in the middle of the parking lot (and cancelling the pre-arranged guided wine tour), then its time to properly explore the wineries and see what california grapes have to offer. boutique tasting rooms with fountains and statues and glass walls to attract tourists who don’t seem to mind that you only get one glass in which they make you taste all the red and white wines in (thus creating a rather unique cuvee by the end of it) and the complimentary water is served in plastic cups…..
Tue
Jul
27
waking up at 4.30am to make it to the marathon on time. its a good thing the race starts at 6am, sleepwalking through the first 5 miles and things are going surprisingly well until i hit the wall at mile 21. its as if someone suddenly pulled the plug and all life has been sucked out of me. somehow you can feel your body shutting down without fainting so you get to watch yourself fall apart with eyes wide open. quite a once-in-a-lifetime experience indeed.
i somehow finish the marathon in 4:14:11 which is still a pretty decent time for a first time runner over these damn hills of san francisco.
a wild night of celebration follows but dancing is out of the question (even walking hurts), so i have to overcompensate with alcohol and finish the night off in style with half a bottle of champagne…..
Mon
Jul
26
time to properly explore san francisco which doesnt require a whole lot of walking, thanks to the glorious 49-mile scenic drive which takes you through the whole city and its major attractions and historic structures without ever having to leave your car. also picking up my ‘bib number’, timing tag, goody bag and the official t-shirt for tomorrows marathon. a bit scary to finally meet some of the other racers who seem to be taking this whole thing much more serious than i do. not yet sure if this is a bad sign. or not yet willing to admit the truth…..
Sun
Jul
25
today it was time to visit the six flags discovery kingdom roller-coaster park where people working at the rides greet you with obligatory high-fives and everyone must have an id to get a beer (there is of course a maximum of 1 beer sold per id).
arrived at the hotel sober and sunburnt and off to a dodgy club with cheap long island ice teas and a random stranger complementing my teeth (?) and trying to kiss me. sadly this was not half as tempting or flattering as it sounds. oh well, there is always tomorrow…..
Sat
Jul
24
waking up in a dodgy hotel in the middle of nowhere, half a bagel with orange peel jam for breakfast and continuing the journey up north. sea elephants on the shore and locals who turned a regular road into a private road because of its popularity and the opportunity to cash in. arrive in san francisco at last where the relative cost of a parking space is higher then the cost of a hotel-room. i get all ecstatic at night because my favourite small austrian beer brewery actually has a subsidiary here and trumer beer is sold on every street. have to take a risk and ignore all the warnings and drink my first two bottles right there. drinking on the streets. totally illegal…..
Fri
Jul
23
more than 10 hours on a plane, not enough wine to get drunk, not enough comfort to get a proper rest. half awake, half asleep and finally joining the mile high club, though i guess it might not really count if you are all by yourself. running out of conversation, running out of papers to read, running out of patience for the spanish woman behind me who seems to have a pretty bad bladder problem. yet time flies by and i finally walk around lax where people take my fingerprints and cellphones and cameras are banned. the immigration officer asks why i travelled to the us and regrets it when i begin to tell the tale of how my friend talked me into running the san francisco marathon and then gave up and how its now all up to me, insufficient training and that damn ego of mine that keeps me from quitting…..
Sun
May
2
the thing about living in a first world country is: we somehow are much more detached from sickness, deseases and death. many things can be cured and everything else happens hidden from view in hospitals or homes for the elderly. only the odd car crashes or some national catastrophes bring death in sight once in a while.
i guess thats the reason why a sudden, unexpected death of someone close to you feels like a wake up call. ultimately it is not going to make you turn your life around, it’s not going to affect your faith (or lack thereof), but it does emphasise the fact that death is a reality, an unavoidable certainty. for a few hours, days or weeks we walk around with eyes wide open, mortality lurks around every corner. we mourn, and we grief. but its not just about the death of a loved one. there is also the realisation that our own life will come to a definite end at some point, the feeling that we need to embrace life even more than ever. and the hope that we will keep walking with open eyes from now on. if we dare.
Fri
Apr
16
ever since i have moved to london people have been queuing up to visit me. free accommodation seems to be quite an incentive to visit the uk and i have always been known to be quite hospitable. however a few unspoken rules applied and i can get very frustrated if people disregard them. its just rude to stay at somebody’s place and not bring a small token of appreciation for the host with you. a bottle of wine will do.
also do let me know more than 1 day in advance about your flight schedules and try not to break the air-bed i bought for you. if you do, how about being sorry and thanking me if i move out of my own flat so you can use my bed instead? of course you can use all my toiletries and empty my fridge, but it would be appreciated if you would at least buy me a drink sometime or visit the supermarket around the corner. is this too much to ask for, really? looking forward to your next visit……
