Poop Euro Tour 2005!!!

Friday April 8th, 2005, I left Washington DC to visit Europe for 10 days. I'd been wanting to go back since my visit to Verona, Italy last year, and I asked several of my friends if I could visit them and crash at their place. The original plan was to visit more countries than I did, but time, money, and places to stay ran short. Here is my picture journal of the trip. You can also read my txt file I updated while I was in europe here.

My luggage as I was packing. I made sure to take only carry on luggage. I never trust airlines to get my luggage there.

Frankie's apartment. I pulled the pillows off the couch and slept on the pile of them on the floor. The view from those windows was great, and the area of town he lived in was green and cheery.

Whatsup DAWG!! My host himself. Frankie was the only person I visited from polycount that I had met in person before.

Frankie and Firestarter at the pub that night. It was great to finally meet Fire after talking to him online for so long. He is a tallented guy being held down by "the man". 8-)

More pub action. Is that beer poop is holding? It is! Notice the liquid level? That's where it stayed for the rest of the night, muuuahahaha.

Me and Peppi. He is a bit shy, so most of the pictures of him are with him covering his face. I was extremely excited to finally get to meet Peppi. He is one of my friends I talk to the most often online. He is insanely tallented as well.

The next day I met up with people from the conceptart.org website that I had met in San Francisco at the last concept art workshop. You can see pictures of that event, here. On our way to meet them, Frankie kept getting the call and the directions, and the second he hung up, promptly forgot everything that was said. After wandering around for 15 minutes lost, I insisted on taking the next call and then we found them three minutes afterwards, because I actually paid attention. This is after we met up with them, and I found a group of kids playing on wooden rocking horses/whales/fish/ducks. I decided to join them!

The concept art dudes, and MOLLY! I passed my PSP around for all to play. You can see CartoonFox at the edge of the picture with his prize I brought from America.

Here he is! He couldn't wait for me to give him the bag so he tore it from my hands with his teeth. Apparently they don't sell twizlers in the UK. He brought me a bag of welshcakes (he is from whales, and they were tasty) in exchange. We let everyone else from the group try the twizlers and they all hated them. Me and Fox were the only ones with a peasant tongue I guess. 8-)

The view from the pub we settled on. I love the faberge egg building on the right.

The concept art peoples. We eventually migrated inside but the whole time we were sketching away. We also had a good talk about art schools and motivations for doing art. Frankie was good to go along with me so I didn't get lost.

PHONE SEX!!!

This was the most sketch elevator I had ever seen. You *pull* the door open by a handle and it swings out like a regular door. Once you are in, there is nothing between you and the moving wall where the doors of the different floors go by. If that was in america, it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen. It was fun though, hahah.

The sites around London. Monday Frankie and Peppi had to work, so I was on my own. Luckily Bronco from polycount traveled into the city and wandered around with me. He was my tour guide, and a good one at that. Though I got the distinct impression I was more at home in the big cities than he, hahah. London truly was a beautiful city, ripe with architecture. We also visited a Salvadore Dali exhibit, which was quite nice, but no pictures allowed.

Me with my namesake, Big Ben.

This was just weird. We saw these two walking through the park, and I had to get a picture for the sheer oddity of the site. I don't have a clue what they were for.

At the Pizza Hutt that night. Bronco is on the right wearing the vest. They got me to drink two pints of beer. That's the most I've ever had, and it made me quite tipsy. I fell out of the booth while trying to go to the bathroom, and I dropped the phone while we were talking to a friend. I think I also claimed to be George Bush at some point in the night. Peppi is off the the right of me.

There he is! This was the only picture on the whole trip where he sat willingly.

See!? These were all my attempts at the ninja photo, and his success in ruining them. I did get pictures of him later in the night but he made me promise not to post them (he was looking pretty drunk and tired)

Frankies apartment the morning after. My last day in London, I was pretty sad. I went to meet up with Frankie and Peppi for lunch, but I didn't know that their work was only one stop down from his apt. I traveled all the way into London proper, then took a train all the way back down, passing his apt stop, to go only 5 minutes further to their work stop. They laughed at me, and rightfully so. We had some mexican food for lunch, and it was the only place the entire trip that had free refills on soft drinks (neanderthals I tell you) so I had about 90 glasses of diet coke. I was sad to leave the two, but we still talk everyday online so it wasn't too bad. I will always remember this visit to London fondly, way more because of the friends I got to be with, than the city itself.

Paris! I took a quick plane trip over to France, and Pior and his girlfriend Virginie were kind enough to pick me up and host me for my stay. This is the first place we visited after stepping off the train. My camera can take half the picture at a time, so this is all three of us in the picture at once. Pior was a "bit" happy to see me.

Had to have a pose with just the attractive one. 8-)

Pior inflating his air mattress. It was funny because Virginie started helping at the other end, and at the end of our stay when we deflated the mattress, she said "all my breath was in there". It was very cute.

This is the entrance to the Louvre. While we were waiting in line, I hear "Ben?" So I turned around, and it was ShadowCat from Polycount. He was on vacation as well and we just happened to run into each other. We didn't get a picture this time, but we randomly met up again! and I got one then in front of the eiffel tower.

At Louvre, of course had to take a shot of the Mona Lisa. I think it's a rule or something.

My favorate painting at the Louvre. The facial features were exquisit, and the colors were spot on. I really enjoyed this piece.

Pior, Vahl, Virginie and I having lunch at this really good noodle shop.

My favorate bust at the museum.

We found this statue taking a picture of himself with his camera phone, and I decided to follow his example.

This statue was just gorgeous. The folds were amazingly well done.

Trying to take a picture all together, unfortuneately that's just my shoulder that made it in the picture.

The guys!

Me and Pior having a bit too much fun at the Restaurant that night. I had leg of lamb and creme brulee for desert.

The eiffel tower at night. It was sparkling with thousands of little lights.

The next morning, the three of us had pastries and croissants.

I *really* enjoyed my croissant.

This trip was tons of fun, but it wore me out. This is only an hour after waking up, I'm already napping again.

You can't see it very well, but this pink rabbit warns you not to leave your fingers in the door when it closes.

This really fun looking greenhouse was in one of the parks we visited. I love the architecture of it.

Who knew I would see a wallaby in France? Not I.

This was another museum. We tried to go up to the top of the building where there was a balcony, but it was being used by a business function. The cool thing about this building, is that it is arabic themed. Each one of these windows had all these small electric window shutters that could dial open and closed based on how bright it was outside. It was very cool to see them all.

In the basement playing hide n' seek. Where's waldo... er poop?

We finally met back up with ShadowCat randomly in front of the Eiffel Tower. This time we made sure to get pictures.

Looking up!

Who's your daddy now?

Looking down from the top of the tower.

At the top of the tower, they marked in different spots what direction certain large cities were and how many kilometers away they were. I was feeling a bit homesick when I saw where Washington DC was. 8-)

After we left Paris, we took a train back to Strasburg, which is where Pior lives most of the year. I had never played original Doom before, so Pior sat me down and made me play a bit. Notice my awesomely awesome tshirt.

This is the Cathedral in Strasburg. It was made of pink granite, and was just humbling to behold, it was so large.

The inside.

Er... what?

POOPINMYMOUTH

One of my favorate paintings in the modern art museum. The colors really were much better than this, but the museum had skylights and wooden floors. The wooden floors were so yellow they bounced yellow all over everything. It really wasn't a good way to view paintings.

Apparently the french don't like it when monkeys strangle dolfins. I thought this piece was hilarious, but it got a thumbs down from Pior.

The view from the top of the Modern art museum. Pior and I had a great talk about schools and game art and the future of the industry. It was a nice little cafe, and the weather was so perfect.

They had Muybridge originals there.

Pior using the phonebooth with our two bikes out front. We pedaled a lot in Strasburg.

We were supposed to meet the guys at 9:00 PM in front of the cathedral. However it was raining, and since they had phones with them, and we were hungry, we went to a restaurant right near by and waited for them to call. Well 9:15 rolls around and no call, so I go out to find them. They were huddling under an awning in the rain, with at least three cell phones on them, waiting for us. Hahahahah. I pulled the three wet german speaking moon people back to the restaurant, and we had a great dinner, complete with wine and dessert. I had a very local Strasburg dish with deer and beef in it.

Pior explains the finer points of art. It was quite the discertation, you should have heard it.

Prs-phil on the left, Shimmer in the middle, and his girlfriend far right.

Pior gets animated when he is drunk.

Wow those are happy faces. 8-)

On the way back, we all got a little crazy.

W00t, my third shipped title. It's my second that I worked on in house full time. Dark age of Camelot: Catacombs expansion pack.

Me mocking the Europeans who don't get the PSP till September! One guy saw me pull it out and wanted to play the PSP. He only spoke french so Pior had to translate, but I let him play a race in NFSU: Rivals.

Ok, STORY TIME. This is a table designed by the group Daft Punk. It is sound activated. The red squares light up based on sound. Pior thinks it's amazing, and this is him worshipping it. Now I wanted to make them light up faster, as all we had been doing is clapping at it. I yelled as loud as I can at this table. (anyone who knows me knows how loud that is). Pior clamped his hand over my mouth and escorted me out of the store as fast as he could. Hahah, I had forgotten it was a public store. 8-)

Pior took me shopping. I ended up buying the white shirt, and a leather jacket. But when I got back stateside, I bough a Perry Ellis jacket and jeans just like the above outfit. I love how that looks. So now I alternate between the ever present shorts year round look, and the well dressed business professional.

YAY FOR SMOKING!! LOOLZ, CANCER! Me and Pior didn't smoke, but the rest were going like a factory on the Thames.

Look at those two attractive faces? Who couldn't love em?

Then there is Shimmer.... Just kidding, he was an awesome guy to hang out with. He made me laugh quite a bit, and I'll always keep the sketch he did in my sketchbook proudly. 8-)

We took a giant block of clay down to the park and modeled for a while. Pior's is obviously the first one on the right. I made the round bulldog ball, Shimmers is next, then I think the last two are his girlfriends, although the torso might also be his at the end. Phil put his back into the block before Pior could abscond with it.

Phil playing Mario Kart on Pior's emulator. Me vegging out and eating french cookies. Shimmer reading an art book while his girl dozes in his lap.

Me sleeping. I was so tired.

Pior thinks he is cool.

The last night at the pub. It was called Le Trou or "the hole". We kept coming back there because it was so friendly and the prices were good. We tried going to a club, but it was so high priced, and Shimmer lost his mothers camera there, and his girlfriend lost her coat. On top of that it was just a bunch of rich kids showing off, no one was very friendly there. So we made our way back here, and had a blast again, sketching and drinking. I had strawberry, caramel, and honey beer. Shimmer said that was a raping of good beer, to which his girlfriend replies "may I try the rape?" I laughed very loudly and told her that was my favorate quote of the trip. When the pub closed we all had to say our fairwells. I was leaving before the other three would be awake, so we all hugged and gave a polycount cheer! Go black and green! It was sad parting ways, but I'm sure I will see them again in the near future.

When we got home, it was far too late to go to sleep, so we devised a plan. I slept for an hour and a half, then pior woke me, and he slept for an hour and a half. That way I made it on time to the train. I think we are both showing our wear and tear in this picture. I had to make it from Strasburg, back to Paris, navigate the subway and make it to Charles du Gaul airport by myself. I don't speak any french whatsoever, so Pior made me signs in french in case I got lost. I think we were both sad to say goodbye, as I know I had such a good time hanging out with him. This trip was such an amazing time the whole duration, it will be something I'll cherish for the rest of my life.