…or, “What I learned on my recent trip to Europe.”
OK, I’ve been on the road and traveling for over 2 weeks and across 10 time zones, so maybe it’s me that’s a bit schizophrenic. But, bear with me a little bit as I relate a tale of many cities, and when we’re done, we can compare notes. I think you’ll agree that there are strange things afoot.
We’ll start with a simple little trip to Photoshop World, which is a twice yearly conference where about 4000 geeks like me come together to cram as much creative knowledge as we can fit into our brains in just over 72 hours. This particular conference was in Las Vegas, which is some three time zones west of my Florida home.
While I was there, I had the opportunity to to a little bit of photo-blogging, and I’ve posted my shots of Photoshop World, the Keynote Address, the pre-conference Forum party, and even the surreal taping of Martini Hour Live with Deke McClelland and Colleen Wheeler, in which Deke and Colleen interviewed Scott Kelby, Dave Cross and Matt Kloskowski. It was great fun.
But, I digress. While in Vegas, I was able to get out and do a little photo-walking as well, and I was somewhat taken aback to find many strange things there. For example, I learned that Paris is located in Las Vegas, complete with the Eiffel Tower! My school teachers have taught me a different story over the years, but hey, seeing is believing, right?
Now, finding the Eiffel tower in the middle of the Nevada desert, of itself, might not be such a big deal. I mean, so my teachers fibbed a little in the name of education. Perhaps Gustave Eiffel is rolling over in his grave.. But, little did I realize, the confusion was only just beginning…
After flying home from my trip to Vegas, I left the very next day on a business related trip. First stop: Budapest, Hungary. Now, Budapest is an ancient city, largest in Hungary, and is actually a collage of two cities: Buda, and Pest. The two cities straddle the Danube, and one the west you have the ancient Buda with its Palace hill, the Citadel hill, and many ancient and wondrous buildings and castles. One the east, you have the hustling, bustling city centre, with restaurants, bars, and… and… Las Vegas Casino?
OK, I thought, this is very weird. Paris is in Nevada, and Las Vegas is in Hungary. The jet lag must really be getting to me now. My solution? Take a short hop over to Copenhagen, in the heart of Denmark. Coincidentally, I happened to arrive on the eve of a MAJOR football game between Denmark and Sweden. 
The Swedish fans, dressed in blue and yellow, stormed the city and made a brave attempt to take over the park and “adjust” the statuary in the city centre, but all for naught as the Danish team won the game, 1-0.
The interesting thing about Denmark, as I discovered while having a pint of Tuborg and mixing with the crowd of crazy football fans:
It is a little known fact that Hong Kong is located smack in the center of the waterfront district of Nyhavn in Copenhagen. I know, I’ve seen it:
By now, my head was spinning, and it wasn’t just from the Tuborg. I’ve traveled a lot, and I’ve even made a few trips to Hong Kong, and I’ve learned a lot. One of the things I’ve learned in Hong Kong (and other destinations far and wide) is that, despite the possibility of Yummy Shanghai Crab, there are only a few things that remain constant in this world.
Thank goodness for the universal constants of KFC, 7-Eleven, and McDonalds. Other than that, the world is all mixed up…