Moscow and the Russian Federation

So there, I know I've been lazy with writing around here, maybe I'll change that (probably not though).

Yesterday I arrived in the glorious Federation of Russia, a truly different world I tell you. Moscow is fucking huge and bloody expensive.

What looked like a mid-range restaurant turned out to be one of the most expensive meals I've ever had. 60 Euros for a main course that was just a few pieces of meat and some fried vegetables!?! WTF? It was amazingly good though, I have to admit. And at least I know now why our per diem is so high around here.

Walking/Traveling around the city is a bit intimidating. Everything is amazingly huge, nobody speaks anything but Russian and the signs are strange and unreadable. Tomorrow I'll be visiting the Red Square and hopefully get to see the Kremlin and a few other sights. I promise I will post some photos once I'm back in Amsterdam, but I won't promise any further ;)

Tonight there is a big party going on. Traditional Russian dinner, I hear that is 90% Vodka and 10% meat, yumm!

Oh, and finally for those Viennese missing me a bit, I'll be back for a few days beginning/mid October...

New York (Extensively)

So, finally, two months late I manage to finish this blog post. Franz = Way Too Busy :( So have fun...

First off, that huge 767 that talk me all over the Atlantic Ocean.
After arrival and spending way too much time filling out forms, answering questions and giving my fingerprints, I was driven to the Chelsea part of Manhattan...

Well, to be honest, my cab looked a bit crappier than that one, but you get the idea ;)

I staid in a very cosy Bed and Breakfast around boarder between Down Town and Mid Town Manhattan...
Just two minutes walk away from that place to get anything from cheesburgers to pancakes, lovely pizzas, Chinese food, basically anything you would like 24/7. And all that while looking at the Empire State Building rising above the city. Lovely, especially after a few beers...


Of course all this was not just for the pure fun of it. A presentation had to be held and a conference attended, all at the (huge/impressive/lovely/...) Columbia University. However only one picture taken on campus shall be revealed to you...
Nevertheless there was some time for sightseeing. So there was Time Square...
And Broadway....
And a trip with the infamous Staten Island Ferry which revealed some nice views of the Manhattan skyline...
Like the Dutch the Americans also have a big dick and...
...apparently are all in all much less conservative than expected.
And after long days of walking around, there is nothing better than having one of the best burgers in the world at the Corner Bistro.
Good Bye New York, I'll be back....

New York (Briefly)

It is absolutely fantastic. Couldn't be much better. More will come when I won't be wasting the time that I could spend with much cooler things than typing blog posts around here. Just a quick picture.... (Double Standard, anyone?)

Leaving Europe

2 more days and the time is finally here. Your fellow writer will be leaving good ol' Europe, flying all over the Atlantic Ocean, just to arrive in The Big Apple early Sunday morning. Excitement about this trip couldn't be any more extreme at this point. But before... Money needs to be changed, cloths need to be packed and, since the stress concerning the trip is not enough on its own, two big parties need to be attended. (I will not even try to get into any work related difficulties involved here...)

So my (equally) fellow readers can expect some fun pictures and maybe a video accompanying the usual extensive reporting.

Surfing Couches and What Not...

Oh there, it's not December yet and still you'll have something new to read (and to look at). So, last weekend there was an Italian/Danish/American invasion going on in my flat. With pure excitement those strangers surfed my couch...

We had a fairly drunk tour through Amsterdam's liquor and beer pubs tasting the most wonderful beverages anyone could ever imagine in a Dutch city... And all while listening to great stories about The Netherlands and the rest of the world.


During the nights that Rumanian Band (Fanfare Ciocarlia) was seen right after some lovely Ethopian food... (How much more international can be on a single weekend?) Well, the band... Amazing... Instead of the usual one more song on stage after the show, they walked in through the entrance, that is normally only used by mortals like me, and played another half an hour while everybody was going mad around them. Again, I need to throw in a picture here, sorry for shitty cellphone camera:


Apart from getting drunk your dear writer showed off his Amsterdam-Sight-Seeing skills and, besides other things, took someone to the probably highest point in the city, Club 11, where the most adorable picture ever taken of anybody was made :)


Next week Vienna will be invaded, then this never-ending journey takes me all the way over the Atlantic Ocean, but not much further ;) Extensive reports will follow, maybe, eventually, who knows...

Work 'n Squatters

So, here we are once again. Life as a member of the graduate society has not proven easy so far. Instead of being relaxed by the lack of obligation to study all the time, everything else around me got so stressful that I can't even imagine how I ever had time to even look at my books...

It's not all that dark of course. Another weekend of pure joy is approaching. Many people will have to be met and pints of Guinness will hopefully make me strong for next week.

Obviously I can't let you, my dear reader, with out some random pictures. So, there is one of me in my office ...
... and me and my colleague explaining interesting stuff to some person at that big bi-annual conference ...

... and a shitty cell phone picture of police trying to get squatters out of a house by using water throwers and a box on the roof ...

... was the box magic ??? nobody knows ...


That's it for now. More to come, maybe in December...

Is there light?

Yes there is! Live around these days has been busy, and boring me has been practising his laziness a lot lately. But this is going to end. (At least for today...)

So where do we start off? A great summer with crowds of Austrians invading the poor author's home was had...



An amusing barbecue was held in Westerpark resulting in a night full of fat food, loads of beer and wine, spiced up with some good old Austrian Schnaps and eventually very bad headaches.

... photos appearing out of nowhere without any memory of them ever being taken ....

What can I say? Stuff just happens I guess...

Also, your dear narrator of these amazing stories finally managed to graduate from University. What a relief...

Don't hope for much more any time soon, though there might be some...

Oh, and... Thanks for nothing, to whoever made these pictures :)