Saturday: Rave Till You Die

Sorry ive gotten behind folks and bare with the mispellings, im typing on an italian keyboard since my hosts here in paris are fro, italy.

Saturday was both exciting and one of the most discouraging on the journey. I got up and out pretty early because I wanted to go to both Camden Makrets and Portobello rd market. Camden was the most bizarre place i have ever experienced culturally because they spoke my language but operated completely different than you or me. it was definately the youth scene of london which is hugely into punk, goth; but most importantly, rave; i started taking pictures of everything and with matt austin in the back of my head, asked people to pose for me. i was getting a good response and it was so hilarious to me, this culture. I was super pumped and so encouraged to take pictures because the day before i had taken very few because it is very hard in places like these to take original pictures. everyone has seen those buildings a thougsand ti,es and the same sorts of pictures. so i decided to stick zith a the,e that is going to be prevelent in italy: youth. tweens qnd teens around the zorld are basicqlly all the same just different trends and styles zhich i find fascinating; especially in places that represent so much culture and history itùs strange to see so,eone walking around in neon green space age skirts, as opposed to all the kilts ze,re used to seeing. i want to further co,pare this by trying to photograph the old too; preferebly next to the youth, zhich i got the most perfect opportunity in london. a girl probably of 16 in full out rave zear and neon patch hair sat dozn with her very traditional grandfather for ice crea, at a picnic table. so seeeing as i could not have asked for a ,ore perfect picture i knez that i could not voyeuristically take this picture. so i mustered up the strength and asked to take their portraits for a project. i think they zere surprised and i was shaking as i wz meetering them, but i think itùs going to be good.

Im going to cut to the chase because this co,puter is getting annoying. i went into this ,ega rave store which is by far the most bizzare place i have ever been and most culturally uncomfortable. techno music was blasting, blacklights were glowing wnd kids as young as 10 were shopping for rave gear that consists of clothes in neon colors, and if you combined the subcultures clothes of punk, gothic, and 1960s space age futuristic clothes. i wanted to take this girl picture that zorked there so so so bad but she was really busy and did not look very freindly; i will describe her when i get back because it requires hand motions.

so i was going to settle for a pic of the in shop dj, and began fooling zith ,y bronica wastefinder camera. he noticed, cursed me out and made me leave the store. as i was briskly walking out i caught gli,pse of a photo book titled: the people of camden. great. so i was taking same old pictures. i got so discouraged because of these tzo events. why are people so opposed to cameras? i dont get it.

this slozed my picture taking dozn immensely. so i ate azesome indian food and zent to portobello rd market that was much more quaint and cheerful. not too many pictures zere taken though.

after mistakenly buying a zhole basket full of bananas for a pound, zhich is the cheapest thing i ever bought in london, i decided i better head back to my hosts house to set the 20 banans dozn. i ended up just staying in for the night, my really great hosts had friends over for dinner and invited me and the outher couch surfers from ca to stay. we then wathced a couple of episodes of the bbc office and went to bed. hozever; i went to bed even more discouraged because i completely misunderstood the train system here. i thought you could just go and buy a ticket the day you wanted to leave. like the metra in chicago. well not unless you want to spend 300 dollars. so i was having to cut a day in london and spend it on an 8 hour bus ride to paris. very disheartening indeed. but i was ready to get to paris where the euro, cheese, wine, and a familiar face greeted me. it was saturday that i felt so lonely and miserable. i am glad i will have more time in london later because i did not get to see london bridge except form a distance, london tower, big ben, buckingham palace, all the big ones you knoz?

but paris. i was terrified because of the language barrier, dreading the journey, but ready for a new and much cheaper place.

SUNDAY: Castlelot Cruiselines

not much to sunday. i got to see a part of london i zouldnùt have seen fro, a train, by riding the bus and i got to see a lot of castles from a distance. i actually wantedt ophotograph more what i saw on the bus than anything yet.

the bus took a ferry to france zhich was like beeing on a cruise ship for an hour. i never want to go on a cruise ship. never hace i seen more old decreped people before zith food in between their teeth marveled by each individual wave. ugh. i went to sleep.

finally finished my book and finally reached paris at 9pm zhen the journey started at 11:30am.

met my host, marianita, zho is actually from venice, and another couch surfer zho met me at the metro stop, david, from california. both very interesting and extremely kind people. as soon as i walked in the door i felt at home. she has made me feel so zelcome with pasta that night to a light and refreshing breakfast each morning with freshly brewed coffee and foamed goat milk. she is amazing. and her roomate is a street mime, how cool is that? she has travelled all around europe to make money toing mime and is leaving tomorroz to go back to her home, rome because the money isnùt as good here in paris. i was lucky to be here.