TRAVELLIN' MAN

Time to check in from Europe, so here's the Coles Notes: Arrived in Vienna on June 9th and have been wandering around the continent ever since. Here's an extremely brief rundown of the journey to date...

AUSTRIA

Vienna's a great city. Tonnes of sightseeing to do and a lot of it is guarenteed to impress. Stephansdome, the Rathaus and Schonbrun have been my favorites to date. They also play American football here - my QB from UBC, Shawn Olson, is the co-head coach of the team (and this year's Offensive Coordinator at SFU). Not bad entertainment as their fans get into the game and they have a cool beergarden afterwards. I was also served the largest plate of ribs I have ever seen in Vienna, as well as the largest Cordon Bleu. They may have to roll me home.

Salzburg is also very cool. Way different geography than Vienna, and way different feel. My buddy AC and I visited the brewery in Salzburg so that was our "Sound of Music". It was, like most breweries in Europe, started by monks, so we deemed it a religious experience. Salzburg is also on the German border and very near to "The Eagle's Nest", which was built as a prvate retreat for Hitler. Instead of destroying it, they kept it as a historic site (not a tribute, but more for tourist and info purposes). Make time to go there as it is right on top of a mountain and worth the visit if only for the views.

GERMANY

Only had a couple of days here, but they were good ones. Munich is the self-proclaimed home of beer and a visit to the Beer Museum and Hofbrauhaus seemed to validate that. We also made a quick trip to Neushwanstein, the reallife castle that the castle at Disneyland is based on. The guy who had it built in the mid-late 1800's was declared insane, but this pad must have been the inspiration for MTV's "Cribs" - it is PIMPIN'!!!!!

CZECH REPUBLIC - PRAGUE

Again, only a short visit, but well worth it. The Castle and Cathedral that defines it is intimidating to say the least, and the views from the Great South tower in St Vitus Cathedral made the 287 stairs worth the trip (although AC might disagree as a 6'4", 300lb man doesn't easliy fit up a small winding staircase!). The river and accompanying bridges provide welcome vistas of the historical part of Prague, and the narrow, winding streets make it a cool place to get lost. Did not see Jan Bulis here - obviously a major disappointment.

No more time to post but I will update you on Croatia and Italy when I get a chance. back in saddle on July 3rd, so until then... CIAO!

The Final Countdown

Yes, that's right. I'm off to Europe as of tomorrow night. A nice jaunt through the Central part of the Continent will undoubtedly find me refreshed as we kick off another CFL season and begin preparations for the Canucks' defense of the Pacific Division crown.

But before I begin my reenactment of the role of Rusty in European Vacation, a few final thoughts.

- So what has the Ducks' win taught us about the "New NHL"? Not much. Carolina won the first post-hiatus Cup with a completely different type of team than Anaheim. The Canes were loaded up front, feasible on the back-end, and wet behind the ears in goal. The formerly Mighty Fowl had a former Conn Smythe winner in net, a pair of Norris trophy winners, and a potpourri of talent for forwards. All we know is that there is NO SECRET FORMULA involved in winning a Stanley Cup, but it sure helps to stay healthy. That should be good news around the NHL, as team's that don't have [insert asset here] aren't condemned to the basement on opening night. Teams and fans can be optimistic for completely different reasons.

- Did the NBA's competition committee OD on stupid pills? They just rejected the idea of amending the rule that landed Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw in the stands for Game 5 of the Western semi against the Spurs. Apparently, getting stopped by your coaches before you even get near a scrum that has formed because your best player was just clobbered in a moment of senseless frustration is a still a suspendable offence. Next up for the committee: forming a rule that would limit the size of chalk cloud that players like Kevin Garnett and Lebron James could create when drying their hands before a game. Those fumes could be toxic, right?

- The guy who ratted out Michael Vick last week actually tried to make a case for dogfighting. He says that people support the UFC, so they should give dogfighting a chance. Hey jackass: the fighters in UFC are choosing to step into the ring; they aren't being bred to kill another member of their species. And no one has ever died in the Octagon. Please take a long walk off a short pier.

And with that brief offering, I'm off to Europe. I'll keep you posted on my travels every once in awhile, as I don't want a massive wave of depression to strike the Lower Mainland.

Keep it safe, keep it real, and keep on rockin' in the free world.