“How is it that people who are quite obviously eaten up with Pride can say they believe in God and appear to themselves very religious? I am afraid it means they are worshipping an imaginary God. They theoretically admit themselves to be nothing in the presence of this phantom God, but really all the time imagining how He approves of them and thinks them far better than ordinary people.” - C.S. Lewis
Posts Tagged ‘oldies’
Aside: Religious Appearance
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007The Rolling Stones Stole Our Mojo
Tuesday, July 10th, 2007
We were on a roll. We hitchhiked from Holland to the southernmost part of Croatia - staunchly refusing to take any kind of paid transportation. When we reached Montenegro, however, some Stones blocked our way, and messed up our plans. Because of a Rolling Stones concert in a village nearby (Budva), we had to take a bus from a nearby town to Podgorica, Montenegro’s capitol. And what are the Stones doing in Montenegro anyways?
Aside from that one detour, our trip went just as planned. After our stay in Zagreb we travelled south through the coastal city of Split, then Dubrovnik, then Podgorica. At the moment we’re waiting on our ‘fugon’ (mini-van), which will take us to Shkoder, a town in the north of Albania. Our plan is to get to Durres today; our final destination.
In this town (Ulcin) about half the people are Albanians, and it’s been great to finally speak some Albanian again. I get very confused though, because throughout our travels we’ve spoken English, German, French, Albanian with others, and Dutch with my co-hitchhiker. A few minutes ago, I started a conversation with ‘Excuse me’ (I forgot the Albanian for that), asked for the time in broken French, used some German words for no reason, and padded all that with (I hope) some decent Albanian.
Of course the reply was in the Montenegran dialect of Serbian/Slavic, and she didn’t understand a word of what I said. Her eyes just sort of glazed over and she smiled. We get that a lot in this region. For some reason, I enjoy all this confusion.
A Short Break in Zagreb
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
After hitchhiking for three days, we took a short break from our spartan adventure in the city of Zagreb. We booked a room with two beds, and could finally sleep without the constant fear of being sent away (Munich Airport at night), robbed (a field in Slovenia), or taken into custody (an unfinished house in a rural German village). We got a much needed shower, went shopping for some food, and enjoyed the many beauties of Zagreb.
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On The Road
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007Clothes? Check. Sleeping bag? Check. Enough books to last a year? Check. My co-hitchhiker Ulysse (blog) waiting for me in Amersfoort? Check. Passport? Che… oh crap.
After discovering that my ID-card is valid only in the EU and a few other countries, but not Albania, I had to postpone my travels. Fortunately, a (expensive) speed procedure allowed me to finally leave today.
Current stop: Amersfoort. We’re visiting Baptiste, Ulysse’s cousin, and we’ll spend the night here, and start hitchhiking tomorrow. In an effort to keep my bag as light as possible, I’m leaving some stuff here. I still haven’t decided which book to take. I love them all equally! As it is, I’m carrying six kilo’s, which is much, much less then I took on my last trip.
This will be an interesting trip. I expect this trip will be quite a bit more spartan than my other hitchhiking attempts; I’m traveling with an experienced hitchhiker who spent three months traveling to and in India on an extremely low budget.
This will also be the first time I return to Albania in five years. I’ll get a chance to practice my Albanian again, and I’ll meet old friends, and visit all the places that were part of my youth.
And, of course, just getting there will no doubt be very interesting. Our current plan is to go through Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Bosnia, Serbia or Montenegro, and finally Albania.
Off we go!
Aside: interests
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2007“People tend to be extremely similar in their vulgar and prurient and dumb interests and wildly different in their refined and aesthetic and noble interests” - David Foster Wallace
Why Forced Charity is a Good Thing
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007Last Sunday, on of the pastors at my church, Eric Asp, preached about Ephesians 4. He read verse 28, which is on the subject of stealing, and linked this to the Dutch welfare system. A brave, and somewhat controversial statement, this caused a bit of a stir in the audience.
I’ve been thinking about the issue since then, and I’m torn between two points of view.
Aside: In my Head
Tuesday, June 26th, 2007“It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head.” —Sally Kempton
People Never Change
Saturday, June 23rd, 2007
Do people change? Do they better themselves, and do they overcome their deeply flawed nature? According to Miss Marple, they don’t. And Miss Marple knows these kinds of things. See, Miss Marple is the main character in a series of crime novels by Agatha Christie, and she’s the coolest elderly spinster ever. Seemingly harmless, gentle, and slightly clueless, she’s really a shrewd observer of human nature. She uses her innocent appearance and her powers of intuition and insight to solve all manners of crime in her quaint, seemingly peaceful town.
Aside: Fanaticism
Tuesday, June 19th, 2007“Fanaticism consists of redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.”
Aside: Human Instinct
Monday, June 11th, 2007“Tiger got to hunt, bird got to fly; Man got to sit and wonder, ‘Why, why, why?’ Tiger got to sleep, bird got to land; Man got to tell himself he understand.” - Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegud