Here is how to make the most of a one-week Mediterranean cruise and see as much of Europe that one can possibly manage in one week. I planned our cruise to minimize any unpleasant surprises and yet leave room to be spontaneous and adventurous. submitted by bahador9 to u/bahador9 [link] [comments] This article is not about cruise ships and you do not have to be a fan of cruises as my trip was mostly on land other than the overnight cruising. I felt that at the age of 57, I had delayed Europe long enough and with my busy business schedule, the cruise was the only way to get a snapshot of three countries and six cities in 10 days total, plus two days for flying from and to Canada. My wife does not like cruises, and I was left to travel with Lucas, our seventeen-year-old! In August 2018, Lucas and I flew to Barcelona, Spain, the embarking port for the Norwegian, Epic cruise ship. It was our very first time on a cruise and our very first time to Europe except for England. I do not recommend August or July for this trip as it is high season for local tourism, and it is too hot to walk the cities (well too hot for me). However, if you have kids in school, then you understand that it must be summer, unless you choose to go without them. Our ship would mostly cruise at nighttime giving us a full day from 7 am to 6 pm in most cities. That was perfect for me because there is only so much staring at water I can enjoy, and spending time in a tiny casino or eating non-stop are not my kind of pastime. If you are a cruise fan, then Norwegian Epic is great. They have about 10 wonderful restaurants, a superbly well-organized huge buffet with great selection of international food, a nice water park on the upper deck, and even a youth club with games, music, and dance to keep your teens entertained. Every evening after our long city walk, Lucas and I enjoyed a nice meal after our shower and then watched a show or a musical performance before we hit the sack in our comfortable balcony room. I do not like closed spaces and a balcony room was well worth the small difference in price, even though we did not have much time to be on the balcony. Epic was also completely renovated in 2015, which meant it was clean and up to date on amenities. Always check the year the ship was build or was renovated before committing to a cruise. Our cruise had stops in these cities: 1- Barcelona, Spain - embarking a. visit Gothic centre, La Rambla, La Sagrada Familia church, Park Güell, 2- Naples, Italy a. Rented a car and drove to Sorrento (an hour drive) 3- Rome, Italy a. Took the train to the city centre and then the city tour-bus to Vatican City, San Angelo Castle, Piazza di Spagna – drove past Colosseum 4- Florence and Pisa tower, Italy – walking tour, site seeing 5- Cannes and Nice, France – walking tour, site seeing 6- Mallorca (Majorca), Spain - took a taxi to Palma Nova beach, swam and chilled What to pack? We traveled very light with one carryon and a backpack. The backpack was for our extra stuff and NOT for touring the city. I do not recommend walking with a backpack, even less in the summer. Other than the usual travel items, here are some essentials I had to buy. 1- Light and cool walking shoes that were comfortable for walking and cool for summer. I bought a pair of nice leather sandals with good support and solid straps for walking. Also packed a pair of dress shoes for evening dinner on the ship and exercise shoes that I never used! 2- Summer shirts. I ordered some European collared Linen shirts. They look nice, are cool, and comfortable. www.bensherman.com has a good selection of those if you live in Canada or USA. Pack lots of tees for less formal places. 3- A couple of dress pants (linen and or khaki) for the evening restaurant and shows and dress shorts for long walks. 4- Beach sandal and swimming trunk for the Beach in Mallorca which I ended up buying in Cannes 5- Your credit card, Euro currency, and travel documents of course. Leave them in the safety box in your room and only take what you need for the day. Barcelona, Spain: We arrived Barcelona three days ahead of schedule to experience one city for more than just a day. We stayed at the Boutique Hotel Violeta (http://violetaboutique.com/home/) in the centre of the city and only three blocks from the Plaza Catalunya. It was the best and most centric location in my opinion. I loved the hotel. Violeta was a small hotel that reminded me of my apartment in Buenos Aires. The hotel is in a residential apartment building where they had turned two floors into hotel rooms. The Gothic architecture offered us a giant completely renovated room with a very high ceiling. We had two queen size beds in our room, a sitting area and plenty of open space. The reception was extremely helpful with information, and being small, made check-in a breeze. Violeta Boutique also included a European coffee and pastry breakfast but if you wanted an American breakfast, there was a small cafe next door on the street level and plenty of other options within a three-block radius. Our three days in Barcelona coincided with the Fiesta de Gracia (thanksgiving!) which was a 20-minute bus ride from Plaza Catalunya. I had bought a 10-ride Metro-Bus pass (Credit card size) from the Metro (subway, underground) station at Catalunya. Fiesta de Gracia was in the Garcia neighborhood where all the streets were colourfully decorated by the residents and live bands played all night on the streets and restaurants had set outdoor patios. The music was free, the food was reasonably priced, and people were jolly. It was my second favourite part of our time in Barcelona and we went there two evenings. Barcelona Gothic city From the airport, we took a bus straight to Plaza Catalunya (Plaça de Catalunya) in 20 minutes and then walked three blocks to our hotel. I had the hotel directions Googled (searched) in advance. I am fluent in Spanish (the Argentine version) so taking public transit was natural for me. Although Barcelona is a destination for international tourism and most people in the industry seem to speak English. I bought a SIM card for my phone (which was unlocked in advance) at the airport for €30 from Vodafone (https://www.vodafone.com/) that gave me 10 Gig of mobile data covering most of Europe for up to a month. It did not include coverage on the cruise ship. La Rambla and the old Gothic city in Barcelona were 10 to 15-minute walk from our hotel or Plaza Catalunya. You want to spend half a day walking this area, watching the beautiful shops, the narrow streets of Gothic centre and try a street café or restaurant. La Sagrada Familia is a must see for its architecture alone. We took a bus there, but you must purchase tickets in advance if you plan to go inside on a specific day and skip the long lineup. This is another half-day venture unless you want to tour the outside which is fascinating enough. I found it amazing to see how much craft and detail was offered to decorate the exterior of the building. It is no wonder that the new extension brings a modern and plain contrast that just does not quite match the elegance and masterful craftsmanship of the old. https://preview.redd.it/vtg8evyjdv851.jpg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=777149d10c02a875134f6fab5d5ae73072cbf3b7 Park Guell is another 20-minute bus ride to the higher altitudes of Barcelona. It is a beautiful park with some very interesting structures left behind. It was a good half-day break from the city to relax and enjoy the nature. You can also see the entire city from the top. Restaurant can be pricey in the touristy Plaça de Catalunya area. I managed to venture a couple of blocks off the main streets and find some local small restaurants. We had a great satisfying meal at a fantastic price and mingled with the residents. I even found a little Italian owned pizza place! Of course, we also tried the more refined tapas restaurants. After all, we were tourists. Naples, Italy: The longest leg of our cruise was from Barcelona to Naples which took a full day at sea. That was perfect because it provided us the opportunity to navigate the ship and the amenities, learn the evening programs, browse the list of restaurants, and to start our reservations. I did not think that Naples had enough to interest me for the whole day and I hungered to see the Amalfi coast. Amalfi coast was too far for a day trip, so I decided that Sorrento and maybe Positano would be close enough. I rented a car from Hertz in advance which was a five-minute walk from the port. The car cost me about $150 Canadian, tax included! Luckily, I still remembered how to drive standard transmission (stick-shift). We made it to Sorrento on the scenic highway with no problem. Traffic did slow at some points giving the driver (me) an opportunity to enjoy the scenery. About 10 minutes before arriving, atop the hills on the narrow road that took us to Sorrento, I found a little space to park the car and breath-in the fresh view of Sorrento waterfront. We could see the sail boats floating on the Mediterranean blue water, and the colourful little houses built on the slope of the hill from the top all the way to the sea. The buildings were in so many colours as if the quaint Sorrento were architected by Michelangelo to be lived by DaVinci’s Mona Lisa. Sorrento from the road top Sorrento was so beautiful that we spent the entire day there. We parked the car in an underground parking across to Gran Hotel Europa Palace (www.europapalace.com) on the hilltop. We must have spend about 45 minutes roaming the exterior of the hotel, admiring the architecture and the impressive iron gate, and then spending time on the back patio taking a closer look at the colourful buildings on the hill rolling down to the water. There were stone walking paths from the houses to the water where a giant deck with seats and shades turned the sea into a giant public pool. Sorrento Hotel The ladies in reception were extremely helpful offering us information and allowing me to charge my mobile since I had forgotten my charger! According to one of them, the German war maps were still on the lobby walks behind the giant paintings at this fortress (now hotel). I wanted to go down to the waterfront for lunch. So, the nice lady called her friend, the owner of a restaurant on the waterfront, and they sent us a car at no charge and after lunch they drove us back. The ride to the water was through narrow winding streets of Sorrento. After lunch we took a walk along the harbour and watched the sail boats rock on calm waters. I would like to spend a week or more in Southern Italy some day. I forgot to mention that my cousin lives in Naples working on his PhD. He was our translator for the day. This was our first encounter in forty years (that is a sad tale that should not ruin this travel story). On the way back, we sat in a very nice café in Naples and had an amazing coffee and pastry before heading back to our ship. Italian pastry is the best, with my apology to mom and all the Persians. Sorrento harbour Rome, Italy: The port for Rome is in Civitavecchia, an hour drive from Rome. A tour purchased from the cruise would have been around $300 CDN per person. I like to think that I am adventurous and enjoy experimenting the local ways as much as I can. However, I understand that you may think that I am just cheap. I am fine with that. My son (Lucas) and I took a five-minute bus ride to the train station and paid €10 each to take the fast train to Rome. I love trains a lot more than buses. We could have ventured Rome with local transit; however, our time was limited and we could not afford any time asking for directions. If I recall accurately, the daily hop-on-hop-off city tour was about €20 per person. To visit Rome and only spend one day should be a crime but a snapshot to calm my itching curiosity was the deal I had taken. I would say that Rome and Vatican City would require at least a week. There are many ancient Basilicas other than St. Peter’s each offering a unique history and that alone is well worth a week for me. The bus passed by the Colosseum, check mark. We were heading to the Vatican City knowing well that we may not make it inside. After all, Vatical city is a day by itself. The bus dropped us a few blocks away in front of San Angelo Castle also known as Mausoleum of Hadrian https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castel_Sant%27Angelo. The castle was a tall cylinder-like giant stone building walled all around like a fortress. I thought we would take a quick tour of the place at €15 (it was free for minors “Lucas”). We ended up spending over two hours admiring the decorated walls and ceilings with painting that were full of stories, and the museum items there were placed in its numerous rooms. We climbed many rocky stairs all the way to the top of this tallest structure in Rome, ventured the narrow hallways and took some pictures on the roof. San Angelo Castle The entrance to Vatican City was a ten-minute walk. Before crossing the bridge over Tiber (Tevere) we sat on the patio of a river-side food booth to have a snack. We walked to Vatican City and spent an hour in St. Peter’s Square (Piazza San Pietro) observing the architecture, the elegantly attired Guards, the crowd lining up and the shops that lure the tourist. We took the tour bus back to Piazza di Espagna. This was the cleanest, most modern, and prettiest part of the city that our eyes had seen in the past few hours. The bus left us on the upper escalation of the Piazza where I took some pictures before descending the steep long set of steps into the centre of the shops and restaurants. We walked for about an hour window shopping and then found a restaurant patio in a pedestrian intersection. It was a touristy area but still reasonably priced. We certainly could give ourselves this one treat before heading back to the train station for our hour and twenty-minute ride back. Piazza di Espagna Total cost of our Rome venture including transportation, admissions, and food (for two) was €150. Lunch was the biggest expense. ** Picture Florence and Pisa, Italy: Another restaurant and show evening aboard the Norwegian Epic, and we arrived in Florence (port of Livorno) early morning. Getting to Florence by public transit was too complicated. A car ride from port of Livorno to Florence was about 90 minutes and to Pisa around 30 minutes. I was lucky to find a private mini-van taxi (a brand new eight-seater Mercedes) that needed two more passengers to get going. At €50 per person to take us to Florence and then Pisa and back, it was a great deal. This deal could have been booked online in advance for €40. A lesson learned here. The other people sharing our ride were a family of four from Montreal, and a mother-son pair from Los Angles. Everyone was very reserved and quiet. Lucas and I sat in the front with the driver and I spend the entire trip learning from our friendly driver. Florence is beautiful and quaint. However, I thought I had enough architecture in Rome and did not feel like lining up for an hour to see another church. We took a walking tour of Florence and had a meal at small sandwich joint run by two very funny and entertaining ladies. They offered a great selection of artisanal sandwiches, but almost two years later now, I cannot remember what I ate. Pisa was another little town walled all around. I can imagine the great length the leaders had to go to protect people from attacks and we so often take our freedom for granted. Of course, we must protect ourselves from partisan politics and corporate lawyers, but that is easily manageable. At this point of the trip, I had enough sight seeing. I would have been good with a video of Pisa on YouTube. Here is a picture of the magnificent but defected marble structure. Florence Residents sunbathing in Florence Pisa Canes and Nice, France: Canes, France was physically the most beautiful city on this trip, in my opinion. It was manicured clean and peaceful. Canes did not have a port for the cruise ships, hence we had to anchor in the sea and take the emergency boats to the shore. The emergency boats were giant, and each held about 200 people. We had a short time here and we were tired. I should have taken a tour bus, but my sense of adventure (or cheapness) had us walking up the steep and narrow winding street and then back down to the city centre for a bite. I found a small sandwich shop to share a ham and cheese baguette and a couple of drinks with Lucas. In my broken French, I asked the young lady behind the counter if she could cut the baguette in half for us and she gave me a stern “Non”. I am not certain whether that was a lack of courtesy or I had crossed some religious or cultural boundaries. It was simple enough to split the baguette with me hand. We should have continued our tour of the city and stayed in Canes as I had advised our friends from Quebec. However, a sudden urge came over me to take the train to Nice. We did, and Nice’s downtown and beach area were beautiful to walk; however, the injustice I did to my own principals of travelling is unforgivable. The whole day was just too rushed and consuming. Canes, City Market Mallorca (Majorca) Spain: The trip from Canes to Mallorca was the second longest leg of the cruise. We arrived Mallorca around 1 pm giving us roughly five hours on the Island. After seven days of walking the cities in the heat of August, even the young Lucas was exhausted. The port in Mallorca was not walking distance to any interesting place and Lucas wished to spend the day at a beach. Great idea, I thought. I Googled the most scenic beaches nearby and Palma Nova was the second choice but the only feasible option due to our limited time. We had a brief line up for a taxi right at the port. There was a family of five from Peru from our cruise in front of us in the lineup and they could not all fit into one taxi. I invited the grandpa of the family to come with us since they were heading to the same beach. Grandpa was a good companion and an opportunity for me to learn about Peru. We agreed on a time for going back together and then split to our ventures. Palma Nova was perfect to spend a day. The beach had the right amount of crowd and was decorated by some rocky hills on one side for us to take a walk in between swims. The water was perfectly tempered, calm, and clear blue. There were no high rises nor big tourist hotels on this beach and plenty of restaurants and shops. For lunch we crossed the street on the beach to a patio and I shared a nice pizza and drinks for €12. We paid €15 for the bamboo umbrella and two chairs to have our spot on the beach and about €35 total for the taxi ride back and forth. That brings our total to €62 for a beautiful relaxing day in Majorca. Palma Nova beach, Mallorca I would like to spend a week in Mallorca. There are many scenic quaint towns and beautiful beaches to enjoy. If you are interested to know more, you can search for Palma, Sóller, Valldemossa, and Pollença. All these are on the west side of the island and within an hour drive from Palma. I would stay in Palma and make day trips to each of these towns. If you are a tennis fan, then you will probably add Rafael Nadal’s academy (https://www.rafanadalacademy.com/en) to the list, which is about an hour drive east of Palma. Palma Nova beach, Majorca Our last night on the cruise was concluded by a beautiful three course meal and listening to a live band on the middle deck’s lobby. There was a talented singer among the passengers and a few great dancers on board who joined the performance. It was a great way to end the cruise. We arrived Barcelona early morning, well rested, with a fresh shower and a full tummy. We found a taxi and headed straight to the airport to catch our noon flight back to Toronto without rush. I suppose my project management trainings mixed with my entrepreneurial nature, made a perfect schedule for the trip. You can check out www.pmi.org if you are interested in formalizing your skills for time and budget management. |
Hey, with my experience I had made a list of the top 10 places that is comfortable to travel with your friends. So that you can't find any trouble in searching the places. So let's go through my list. submitted by UtkarshAcharya to u/UtkarshAcharya [link] [comments] Here are some spectacular places that you can go with your friends and enjoy your vacation. Discuss these places with your friends and visit the most beautiful place in the world. 1. Barcelona, Spain https://preview.redd.it/pabhik0w54451.jpg?width=800&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d3cbe6a7d5a0a1c970f8dcc448211aa637b94f20 One of the famous attraction for backpacker, Spain. It attracts with its charming, traditional cultures and adventurous activities. It will be your best choice to travel with your friends. Spain is famous for its natural beauty and delicious food which makes it a perfect spot to travel with friends. 2. Los Vegas, USA https://preview.redd.it/t31fkguz54451.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=396fe94e0495ce86d5f2fb143971f21d5be8864a The city which never sleeps in Unite States. With full of pubs and casino Los Vegas is the best place to enjoy at nights and a perfect place to hangout. With its iconic landmark and beautiful natural views Los Vegas is always on the top of the tourist's list. 3. Reykjavik, Iceland https://preview.redd.it/8jkp8bv064451.jpg?width=910&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=63365395c16d45ee4a30c1395a17d24dd3c12b3e One of the largest city of spectacular Iceland, Reykjavik would be the very best option for vacation. It attracts with is natural beauty which includes volcano, waterfall, and mountains. So, if you are planing for a vacation with your friends the put Reykjavik on your list. 4. Lisbon, Portugal https://preview.redd.it/na8dtb6264451.jpg?width=1880&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=448c9577446a37113de666b79a4e58d8b665c06b Portugal oldest city Lisbon is now becoming one of the famous tourist destinations. With its most ineradicable historic landmark and beautiful nature sites Lisbon is must visit site with friends. 5. Rishikesh, India https://preview.redd.it/k432b9z264451.jpg?width=635&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c2bd0f2acfaa7285be8bdd482e6e01774be56289 Rishikesh is the best place in India to travel with friends. With its beautiful scenery of mountains and river makes Rishikesh a spectacular adventure spots in the world and best to travel with your friends. 6. Dublin, Ireland https://preview.redd.it/3o16j5b464451.jpg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=6821990113e43b631c38578ef17b39cc296e9ba6 Dublin, the capital of Ireland is the finest place in the world and having a spectacular place for viewing the nature scenery. With its attractive parks, shops, waterfall, and restaurant make this place more excited and charming. 7. Kuala Lumpu, Malaysia https://preview.redd.it/y7hoo2k564451.jpg?width=400&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=84f2bf70598137d58b5a9d810e736e0019da04e8 The most beautiful country in Asia, Kuala Lumpu. It is the great place to have a skydiving and water diving. Travel on the road meeting with new people and enjoy your vacation with friends. Don't forget to try street foods of Malaysia. Check out my link to know more... https://gsglowingstar.blogspot.com/2020/06/spots-to-visit-with-friends-top-10.html |
(PEP) – The beverage and snack giant , with quarterly earnings of $1.45 per share. Revenue also beat forecasts. Organic revenue growth was a better-than-expected 4.3%, and the company said it is projecting a 4% growth rate for organic revenue in 2020.
STOCK SYMBOL: PEP
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(BABA) – The China-based e-commerce giant , and also reported increases in various user metrics. Results got a boost from growth in both e-commerce and cloud computing.
STOCK SYMBOL: BABA
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(AIG) – The insurance company reported quarterly profit of $1.03 per share, 3 cents a share above estimates. AIG saw smaller catastrophe losses and improved underwriting results.
STOCK SYMBOL: AIG
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(KHC) – The food producer beat estimates by 4 cents a share, with quarterly earnings of 72 cents per share. Revenue missed forecasts as higher prices weren’t enough to offset lower sales volumes in the U.S.
STOCK SYMBOL: KHC
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(ACB) – The Canadian cannabis producer reported lower-than-expected revenue for its latest quarter and warned that industry headwinds will continue to impact revenue.
STOCK SYMBOL: ACB
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(GNRC) – The maker of power generators reported quarterly profit of $1.53 per share, 17 cents a share above estimates. Revenue also came in above Wall Street forecasts. The quarter was highlighted by a 9.7% increase in residential sales, although commercial and industrial sales fell 2.7%.
STOCK SYMBOL: GNRC
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(CSCO) – Cisco , beating estimates by a penny a share. The networking equipment maker’s revenue also topped analysts’ forecasts. Cisco warned of a revenue drop of as much as 3.5% for the current quarter, however, as global economic uncertainties slow technology investments.
STOCK SYMBOL: CSCO
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(MGM) – MGM CEO Jim Murren after the casino operator’s board picks a successor. Murren has been CEO at MGM Resorts since 2008, but said the company now needs a CEO who can lead the company into the next decade or two. Separately, the company pulled its 2020 forecast, saying it could not yet assess the full impact of the coronavirus.
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(TRIP) – TripAdvisor earned an adjusted 38 cents per share for the fourth quarter, beating consensus by 5 cents a share. The travel review site operator’s revenue also came in above forecasts.
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(NUS) – Nu Skin reported in-line earnings of 72 cents per share for its latest quarter, with the personal care products company’s revenue beating estimates. The shares are under pressure after the company warned of a 2020 decline in Mainland China sales of 20% to 25% due to the coronavirus.
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(AMAT) – Applied Materials came in 5 cents a share ahead of estimates, with quarterly earnings of 98 cents per share. Revenue also beat Wall Street forecasts. The maker of semiconductor manufacturing equipment also gave an upbeat current-quarter earnings forecast, helped by the rollout of 5G mobile technology.
STOCK SYMBOL: AMAT
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(HON) – The industrial conglomerate is weighing the sale of its protective equipment business, according to a Bloomberg report.
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(RDFN) – Redfin reported a smaller-than-expected loss for its fourth quarter and the real estate website operator’s revenue came in ahead of estimates. Redfin also gave a current-quarter revenue forecast largely above Street forecasts.
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(CAT) – Caterpillar at Goldman Sachs, which said that fundamentals for the heavy equipment maker have improved and that Caterpillar now has a favorable risk/reward profile.
STOCK SYMBOL: CAT
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bigbear0083 has no positions in any stocks mentioned. Reddit, moderators, and the author do not advise making investment decisions based on discussion in these posts. Analysis is not subject to validation and users take action at their own risk. bigbear0083 is an admin at the financial forums Stockaholics.net where this content was originally posted.
Written by Jonas Øvsthus“I was more addicted to self destruction then to the drugs themselves ... something very romantic about it” ― Gerard Way
Chapter one "Self Destruction"So there I sat... drenched in sweat and shame. Well, not really the shame part. That came later. I remember that day very well. It was a Sunday in 1998. I was in a hotel room in Los Angeles, California. I was supposed to be the key-note speaker at the Sunnyvale rehabilitation center. The conference was at 11 o´clock. It was eight o´clock at the moment. I had some hours to get myself back in shape. I still have the faint taste of cheap tequila and cigarettes in my mouth. I smelled horrible, but I did not feel like taking a shower. Instead I opened a can of Heineken and poured a line of cocaine. Columbia´s finest. I used my debit credit card to cut two perfect lines. I was strangely detailed about my lines of coke. I was not the person to cut up a two centimeter line and a three centimeter line. I bought the cocaine from a hispanic gentlemen outside of Baker´s Casino last night. At least I think so. I´m not really sure. The last week has been a real blur for me. Ever since I left New York, every night has gotten more blurry and every morning has gotten more grim. So I guess I should explain why I; a drug addict and an alcoholic are going to speak at a conference for some bullshit rehabilitation center. My wife, well ex-wife forced me to go to rehab about two months ago. And off course I went, I would not do anything to disappoint her. I put on fresh blue jeans and a cheap brown blazer and went on my way. I opened the door and there I saw a dozen of depressed, anti-social peasants drinking their coffee and pretending to be nice to everybody. I was not like that. I never pretended. I guess that is a problem, huh? Well anyways; I went to two or three meetings. I don´t really remember because I was high out of my mind, but nobody noticed. They really reacted badly when I refused to admit I was an addict. I clearly was, and I still am... But I adventualy got around to admitting it. And I was not proud. Not at all. They got the best of me. They took the one thing I owned. Something personal. That is all you really need to know.
Chapter two "Rebel Within"Was I fit to drive? Probably. I´m going to have to take that risk today. It´s not everyday you get to drive a masterpiece like the 67´Mustang. I started it and revved it. I cannot describe the sound that it made. It was purely orgasmic. I sat there and revved it for a few seconds. People started to look at me funny. I rolled down the window and yelled "All hail the mighty V8!" at the top of my lungs. People was just shaking their heads. They did not appreciate this like I did. I took out a tiny salt shaker from my pocket that contained the rest of the coke I bought last night. I placed a little dab on hand and snorted it. "God damnit!" I yelled and drove off. After just a few seconds of driving I realized that the trees around me was not friendly trees. They all had faces and had a smug look. I did not get afraid, rather unsettled. I rolled down my windows and yelled "What the fuck are you looking at, you filthy plants? Have you never seen a V8 before?". That showed them. They oughta know better than to stare at me with their stupid fucking faces. I can´t remember how fast I was going, probably 80 or 90. To fast, nevertheless. Then I saw it; blue rotating lights from my windshield. "They must be in a hurry" I thought to myself and pulled over at the nearest bus stop to let them pass. But he did not pass. He stopped behind me, and got out of his car. A filthy fucking pig with a mustache that will make you want to throw up. He dragged his fat pathetic ass over to the Mustang and knocked twice on the window. I rolled it down. "What seems to be the problem, sir?" I asked politely. And when I said a filthy fucking pig earlier, I meant it. This was a fucking pig in a police uniform. He grunted with his dirty pink nose. His uniform was very clean though, compared to his face. Wait... was this the acid? Maybe this is an actual cop and not a pig. I better play it cool nevertheless. "SIR! License and registrations, please!" the police pig said. He must have asked me a couple of times, according to his attitude. I was in a total daze, I could not focus if my life depended on it. All I could see was a pig in a police uniform. "Yeah, sure! Sorry, officer" I said and pulled out my driver license from my wallet. The pig studied my license and then my face. "Have you been drinking today, sir?" the pig asked. "No, sir." I answered. Confidently. He took another close look at my face and then rolled his eyes. "This right here is a Nevada driver license, you need to get it changed as soon as possible." the pig said. "Sure thing! I´ll get to it ASAP!" I answered. At this point I was afraid, I´m not going to lie. I was scared to death. This is the first time I´ve seen a talking pig, or an actual pig! "Are you on drugs?" the pig asked me. I was in pure terror. I was sweating so bad the pig could probably smell and hear it. "Absolutely" I answered. The pig froze. He was shocked. "Sir, step out of the vehicle, please." the pig said and stepped away from my door. "Sure" I said and took of my seat belt and stepped out of the car. The wind and air hit me in a beautiful way. I could hear birds and wind blowing in the trees. It was beautiful. Then the beautiful setting got interrupted by the pig throwing me to the ground. "I am getting real tired of your fucking games!" the pig said. He put me in handcuffs and rolled me over to my back. Then I saw it. It was not a pig that I had been seing. It was an actual police officer. The acid tricked me. He pulled me off the ground and put me against the Mustang. "What drugs have you been taking today?" the officer asked me. "Well, nothing much, two grams of cocaine and a sheet of lsd." I answered. I was always honest when it came to my drug use. Well not always, but sometimes. "Jesus fucking christ" the officer said to himself. "Are really the handcuffs necessary, officer?" I asked him politely. "They are for my protection" he replied. "Come on man, I´m calm. I´m not going to do anything stupid" I said. The cop looked at me. I could see the gears grinding inside his brain. He was weighing out the positives and negatives in his mind. "Well, I guess they're not necessary." the cop said and unlocked me from the hand-bound prison. I needed to get out of here, I had a conference to attend. I needed a distraction, or better; make one myself. "Hey, what is that guy doing?" I said and pointed across the street. The police officer turned his big stupid head like I was pointing to a castle made out of chocolate. I grabbed his baton and hit him across the back of his head. He fell to the ground. I felt alive. I also took his 9mm Glock and his police radio. I got in the Mustang and drove off. I had to get out of here quick. What was in this acid? I´ve never experienced this in the twenty-two years I´ve been taking psychadelics. But the acid behaved for a while after that. No more bad trees mean-mugging me and talking pigs with badges. I checked my wrist watch. It was 10.00. Only an hour til´the conference. I needed to straighten up. I was a mess. I checked my salt shaker. Empty. Well, fuck. I needed some coke right now. I opened my phone and scrolled through my contacts. "Hector" I dialed him. You see; Hector was my go-to guy when it came to cocaine back in the day. But he got busted for possession of illegal drugs with intention to sell, and for contribution to murder. He was locked up for seven years. Allround dangerous dude. But that did not matter, I needed coke. I needed it bad.
Chapter three "Customer Service""Hello?" I said. "Who the fuck is this?" Hector replied over the phone. "It´s Smith... I need some coke" "Hey fuck you man, I´m not getting you no coke" Hector replied. "Well I did´t ask you filthy puerto rican. I demanded" I replied. "Who the fuck do you think you´re talking to, white boy?" Hector said, aggregated. "You know damn well who you´re talking to, Hector" I said to him. By the way; I´m speeding down Hollywood Boulevard, dodging cars and responsability. "Don´t ever call me again, white boy" Hector threatened me. "Oh I don´t need to call you again, sandbag. I´m on my way to your house." I replied. "Wait, what?" Hector was starting to get worried. "Yep, about three minutes away now, you better have a fresh pot when I arrive" I said and hung up the phone. I cocked the 9mm as I pulled into his driveway. I was not three minutes away, it was more like three seconds. I got out of the Mustang and marched to the front door. I kicked the door in, with my 9mm pointing at anything that moved. But nothing moved. It was empty. "Where the fuck are you at, sandbag?" I yelled. "Where´s the coke?" I yelled again. No reply at all. "Hector!" I tried again. I don´t even think I finished yelling his name before I was rudely interrupted by the blast of a twelve gauge through the bathroom door. I jumped to the ground. He kept firing two more shots. I could hear him reloading. He was armed with a pump-action shotgun, because I could hear him cocking it. "Get the fuck out of my house, Smith!" Hector yelled as he fired another round. I crawled behind the kitchen counter. I could hear the bathroom door opening. It creaked really bad, could use some oiling. "Where are you, white boy?" Hector said. I could hear him moving closer and closer to me. Maybe he was getting to close? I needed to warn him. With my back against the kitchen counter, I fired two shots of the Glock at the ceiling. "Fuck!" Hector screamed and rain for cover. I stood up from the counter and got the Glock ready. "Listen, buddy. I just need some cocaine" I said to calm him down. But I was not lying. "You just want some fucking cocaine? Then why do you come in here strapped?" Hector cried. "Mostly for my own safety, you know how you drug dealers are." I said and laughed. "Listen man; I stopped dealing. I´m trying to go straight this time" Hector said. "Really? Well I´ll be damned" I answered. "There is no fucking snow in here, man. Just leave" Hector cried. "You better shit out some fucking cocaine, because I´m not leaving without my fucking cocaine!" I yelled. I was starting to get irritated. I knew damn well he had some bricks stashed in this shit hole. I started to hear sirens. Were they real? There was no way to tell. This acid trap was getting worse by the minute. I needed something to focus. But the sirens kept getting louder and louder. "Okay, Hector, I´m putting the gun down." I said and thew Hector´s phone on the ground. It was worth an attempt. I was pointing the 9mm at the corner where he was hiding. Waiting.... Then Hector peeped around the corner, and I placed a bullet right between his eyes. He fell to the ground and I started opening drawers and cabinets looking for the good stuff. "FUCK!" I yelled out loud. I ran into his bedroom. It was full of dirty laundry. I rain through his drawers and wardrobe. And here it was; at the top shelf of his cabinet. A brown beautiful bag wrapped in duct tape. There was a halo glowing around it when I held it in my hands. I swear to god I heard angels singing. I rain to the kitchen and got a knife and sliced it open. I stuck the knife in the bag and snorted the coke right off the knife. It was amazing. Truly wonderful moment. But then I realized: The sirens! They were getting louder and louder by the seconds. I was sure this was not just a trick made by my acid-filled mind. I opened a kitchen drawer and grabbed some electrical tape I found. I taped over the hole I made in the brick and took off. I started the Mustang and backed it off the driveway. I heard a loud bang. That was the sound of Hector´s mailbox I hit. Who the hell places a mailbox there? Never mind... I had to leave. As I drove off I checked my watch again. 10:45. Shit, only fifteen minutes till´the conference. I had to get out of here quick. I estimated about ten minutes till´the hotel. That is off-course; no traffic. But this is Los Angeles, the city of angels. And also the city of traffic jams. I just had to wing it. If I got there late... so be it. I was easily doing seventy miles per hour down the busy street of Santa Monica. Dodging oncoming traffic and lousy pedestrians trying to cross the road. "Get out of my way, dickheads! This is an emergency!" I yelled out the window. I may be in a hurry, but I took the time to appreciate the mood I was in. The coke did one hell of a job. And yes; I put the seat belt on my brick of cocaine in the passenger seat. Then a strange noise appeared. I could not figure out where it came from. I checked the glove box, the floor of the car and in the sunglasses-compartment on the roof. Shit, it was my phone. "Hello?" I answered. "Where are you?" a man said on the other line. "Ummm, Santa Monica, who is this?" I replied. "It´s Andy. We´re all waiting for you." Andy said. Andy was the president of the Sunnyvale Rehabilitation center. Real dickhead. Think he is SO fucking special because he´s ten years sober. "Yeah, well... I´ll be there in five minutes." I replied. "Five minutes? You said you were in Santa Monica, there is no way in hell you´re going to make it in five minutes!" Andy yelled at me. "Wanna bet?" I replied. "What?" Andy replied "I asked: Wanna bet?" I said again. "No, I don´t want to bet, just drive safe and I will talk to the board and say you are going to be late." Andy said. "I won´t be late. Five minutes. Five grand." I said and hung up the phone. Well fuck... Five minutes. I can make that. I picked up the knife from Hector´s kitchen and sliced a hole in the brick of cocaine. I took a huge snort. Probably close to one gram of pure columbian cocaine. You see; when you do cocaine, it increases levels of natural chemical messenger "Dopamine" in brain circuits controlling movements and pleasure. Cocaine prevents dopamine from recycling, causing excessive amounts to build up between nerve cells. Meaning; it will make you fell fucking invincible. So I did the only logical thing to do: I floored the damn thing. The Mustang roared a might roar as it geared down and built up speed. I turned up the radio. "Gimme Shelter" by the Rolling Stones was on. I turned it up and yelled: "Now we´re talking!
Chapter Four "Maybe I´m not fit for the job"As the screams of Mick Jagger we´re roaring from the car stereo, I was concentrating on not killing myself and innocent people on the road. I was doing good. There minutes left. I could make it. The four-lane highway was jam-packed with soccer moms in mini-vans and suits in nice Mercedes Benzes. I was tailgating this really nice Mercedes AMG. I though to myself: "Jesus christ, you have about three hundred horsepower in that thing, why not use it?" I had a huge V8 in the Mustang, and I made sure to use every single one of the ponies in the cylinders. I could see him lifting his head to check the rear-view mirror. He was not happy with me being this close to the ass of his nice car. But I had a important conference to attend to. I decided to calm down. This is going to be fine. I looked to my left and saw a beautiful woman driving in her BMW convert able. She was truly a beautiful person. She reminded me of my wife. Yeah I know: Ex-wife. Then my beautiful moment was rudely interrupted by a huge crash, forcing the Mustang to a complete stop. I hit my head on the steering wheel, causing bleeding from my forehead. All I could think was: "Isn´t there any airbags in this shit?". I could´t make sense of what happened. The front window was full of smoke from the radiator. Then, the driver door opened. "What the fuck are you doing? Learn how to fucking drive a car!" a mysterious voice said. I was still in a tiny coma. "W-What?" I replied. He talked some more, but his voice just got more and more blurry, so did his face. I unbuckled my seat belt and stepped out of the car. My legs were sore. Really sore. I had problems with standing up straight. I could´t make sense of what he was saying. Them my vision became more and more clear. The man was wearing a nice blue suit. "Learn how to fucking drive!" He yelled at me. "Yelling does not solve anything." I replied. "What the fuck did you say to me?" the man answered. Aggravated. He was furious. "Do you want some coke?" I asked him. I thought we would forget all this if he got a line of my precious cocaine. "Are you high?" he asked me. "Off course I´m high!" I replied. "Jesus christ!" he yelled and started dialing on his phone. "What are you doing" I asked him. "What do you think I´m doing? I´m calling the cops." the man replied. "No you´re not." I said. This went back and fourth. I went into the Mustang, grabbed my brick of coke and the 9mm lying in the passenger seat. "I don´t think that is a good idea" I said and pointed the gun at him. He froze. At this point several honest citizens started to stop to assist the accident. One gentleman that stopped drove a nice Audi sedan. I ran over to him and forced him out of the car. "I need your car!" I yelled and dragged him out his car. I took off. The Audi was not nearly as fast as the Mustang, but it did the job. At this point I was really late. I lost the bet. I had to pay that sack of shit five grand. I pulled up to the Hotel valet´ and ran out of the car. I rushed into the hotel and went up to the reception. "Where is the conference?" I asked. "It´s in the conference room in the basement" the nice lady replied. "Thank you, have a wonderful day" I said and took off. While I was running down the stairs to the basement, I realized that I had the pistol in my waist, and the brick of coke tucked into my shirt. Oh well, they won´t notice. There stood Andy. "Where the fuck have you been?" Andy said angry. "Here" I said and handed him five thousand dollars. "What the fuck?" Andy said. I walked into the conference room. It was jam-packed. And at that very moment, I realized that maybe I´m not fit for the job. I mean: I´m going to get on stage and lie to a hundred people. Lie about how my life has changed since I got sober. Since I joined this stupid club, the only hours I´ve been sober has been when I was sleeping, and I´m not even sure if I was sober even then. So there I stood. Sweat running down my forehead, still bleeding from that damn steering wheel and a head full of cocaine. I felt a tug on my shoulder. It was Andy. "What the fuck happened to you, you cannot go up there looking like that!" Andy whispered in my ear. "I have to." I answered. Andy kept trying to pull on my shoulder. "Momma did not raise no quitter!" I yelled and ran to the stage. Me yelling caught the people´s attention. I could only imagine Andy´s face as I ran. I walked towards the microphone. It was quiet. Dead quiet. "Hello everyone." I said. No reply. I guess a small part of me wanted the people to respond. "Pull yourself together!" I though to myself. "You´ve been lying to everyone your entire life." I said to myself. People were looking at me strange and whispering to each other. And I understood why. I couched twice and started my speech:
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