We had the good fortune to be on the island of Santorini for the European Cup soccer 1/2 Final where Greece beat the Czech Republic. That island rocked hard after that victory. Izumi and I were in a local taverna and were the only tourists in the joint. At first, the atmosphere was a little tense and we were feeling like real outsiders, but after we joined the crowd in yelling at the referee for his ‘so-called’ bad decisions we were accepted into the “taverna clan” like brethren.

After Greece won, the guys in the bar erupted. They were dancing, hugging and cuddling. However, just after the man-on-man kissing started I told Izumi it was time for us to leave (but only because I forgot to bring my lip balm that night and my lips were a little dry from the salty breeze).

We then did a 3-hour island hop on a ferry to arrive on the island of Mykonos. This coincided with the Euro Final.

For the Final, we found a small bar in the Little Venice area. We had a table on a balcony that overhung the ocean with a direct view of the television. The beers that night costed 5 Euro (AUD10) per pop but it was well worth it – the cool breeze of the ocean blowing mildly across the balcony coupled with the heat erupting from the fiery Greek guys and girls (who were sitting at a table across from us) collided to form an ambient yet authentic atmosphere.

The authenticity of being in Greece kind of evaporated when we were served by a gay Finnish out-of-work masseuse who blew kisses to me whenever he served my beer.

When Greece won, we had to make a hasty exit from the bar as I knew that although I didn’t bring my lip balm again that night the Finnish guy would have a spare for me

As we walked home along the harbour the streets were alive. People were dancing and singing. Cars were honking horns. A firework display erupted over the harbour. Amateur fireworks were being lit on the beach which shot into the nearby tourist crowd.

Anyways, beers are a calling. I hope that all is well.

Anyways, in Denmark I learnt not to ask for a ‘Danish’. I was expecting a pastry, instead they offered a girl from Denmark (I guess that’s the same as asking for the ‘cheque’ in the Czech republic).

We left Denmark (without a prince) and headed for Amsterdam. Strangely, in Amsterdam we stayed for twice as long as planned (4 days) and did half as much as what we did in other locations. I learned that in the Netherlands, whilst finishing a meal in a restaurant with newly found Netherland friends, don’t suggest to go ‘dutch’, they’ll take you to a brothel. I guess that these jokes are now wearing thin, but that is not going to stop me…

After Amsterdam we made it to Belgium [yawn] and then on to Luxembourg [yawn yawn]. We then hit Basel in Switzerland and rented a car and tore up Hansel and Gretel territory in the Black Forest in the south of Germany. What a fantastic place!!!

Then back down into Switzerland, did a bit of a scenic rail tour from Bern to the Italian border, then headed for Bologna in Italy where Zooms insisted on spaghetti bolognese. We did Parma and Zooms insisted on eating parma ham, parmesan cheese and embarked on the Nakata (FC Parma) soccer pilgramage.

We hit Florence, then Pisa and Lucca. Right now we are in Siena and did a tour of the Chianti wine region. I bought a bottle from a vineyard and polished it off whilst watching England’s demise in the Euro 2004.