BeBlogger

Ingrid's Version

In the past, my travels have always been organised through a travel agency. The hotels had several stars and my time was divided between going to the pool or going to the beach.

But this time things will be different.

First of all Frank explained me about the way Hospitality Exchange(hospex) works. I had to look for my English dictionary in the attic and became a member. Pretty soon my free evenings were filled with surfing on the HC site and it didn't take long before I got addicted to their way of travelling. I even invited my first guest from Indonesia.
When I showed him the city I realized that I didn't know a lot about my own city. From that moment onwards I have been keeping a book about Hasselt on my bedside table.

Frank gave me a list of things that I HAD TO and things that I COULDN'T take with me. Most things I didn't own, so I started looking for a sleeping bag and a camping mat. In every shop I asked about the different qualities of sleeping bags and I bought one that guaranteed up to + 4°.

In the meantime I had my hair cut short and filled my toilet bag (not a beauty-case) with mini-versions of deodorant etc.
I'm still thinking about what clothes I should bring. This time I can't bring a suitcase filled with 7 pairs of shoes, skirts, blouses and shirts. Instead I need to make a realistic choice.

During our trip we well travel approximately through the following towns :

- Hasselt (
- Düsseldorf (D)
- Poznan (PL)
- Turek (PL)
- Warszawa (PL)
- Vilnius (LT)
- Kaunas (LT)
- Trakai (LT)
- Hill of Crosses (LT)
- Gizycko (PL)
- Gdansk (PL)
- Sczcecin (PL)
- Berlin (G)

One of the funniest movies I have ever seen, is without a doubt Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the movie that made Ben Hur look like an epic.

In contrast to the group's first film, And Now for Something Completely Different, which was a compilation of sketches from the television series, Holy Grail was their first film composed of wholly original material. It generally spoofs the legends of King Arthur's quest to find the Holy Grail. The film was a success on its initial run and retains a large-scale cult following today. The film was the inspiration for the 2005 Tony Award-winning musical Spamalot, written by Eric Idle.

It contains so many memorable moments, that it makes me laugh every time I see it. Even now tears are coming to my eyes when I think of the Holy Handgranade of Antioche, the frolics in Castle Anthrax, and the legendary Bridge of Death.

Short Summary

The movie starts out with Arthur, King of the Britons, looking for knights to sit with him at Camelot. He finds many knights including Sir Galahad the pure, Sir Lancelot the brave, the quiet Sir Bedevere, and Sir Robin the Not-Quite-So-Brave-as-Sir Lancelot. They do not travel on horses, but pretend they do and have their servants bang coconuts to make the sound of horse's hooves. Through satire of certain events in history (witch trials, the black plague) they find Camelot, but after literally a quick song and dance they decide that they do not want to go there. While walking away, God (who seems to be grumpy) come to them from a cloud and tells them to find the Holy Grail. They agree and begin their search. While they search for the Grail, scenes of the knight's tales appear and why they have the name they have. Throughout their search they meet interesting people and knights along the way. Most of the characters die; some through a killer rabbit (which they defeat with the holy hand grenade), others from not answering a question right from the bridge of Death, or die some other ridiculous way. In the end, King Arthur and Sir Bedevere are left and find the Castle Arrrghhh where the Holy Grail is. They are met by some French soldiers who taunted them earlier in the film, so they were not able to get into the castle.

I would like to share with you my passion for Urban Exploring or Urban Exploration. Every two weeks I will publish one of my adventures in Urbex Land.

Urban exploration (often shortened as urbex or UE) is the examination of the normally unseen or off-limits parts of human civilization. Urban exploration is also commonly referred to as "creeping" or infiltration, although some people consider infiltration to be more closely associated with the exploration of active or inhabited sites.

In the USA, it may also be referred to as "draining" (when exploring drains) "urban spelunking", and "urban caving", "vadding", "trolling", "building hacking", "reality hacking" or "roof and tunnel hacking".

The rise in the popularity of urban exploration can be attributed to its increased media attention. Recent television shows, such as "Urban Explorers" on the Discovery Channel, MTV's Fear, and the ghost hunting exploits of The Atlantic Paranormal Society have packaged the hobby for a popular audience. Talks and exhibits on urban exploration have appeared at the 5th and 6th Hackers on Planet Earth Conference, complementing numerous newspaper articles and interviews. With the advent rise in the relative popularity of the hobby due to this increased focus, there has been increasing discussion on whether the extra attention has been beneficial to urban exploration as a whole.

Along with the rise in the popularity of urban exploring, numerous events have been hosted throughout the world. These organized meetings have included campouts, barbecues, day-long explorations, and tours of active and abandoned sites. While most of these are illegal in the sense that they involve trespassing or breaking and entering, a handful of meets, such as a recent event held at the West Virginia State Penitentiary, involve tours or lock-ins. Others include UE-related gatherings, such as a meet held by an urban explorer who calls himself Shiroi in which stunts were performed in an abandoned structure. This has received mixed criticism from the urban exploration community.

Urban Exploration is a hobby that comes with a number of inherent dangers. Storm water drains are not designed with human access as their primary use. They can be subject to flash flooding and bad air. There have been a number of deaths in storm water drains, but these are usually during floods, and are normally not Urban Explorers. Confined spaces rules may need to be used in drains and some confined spaces that urban explorers travel into.

Many old abandoned structures feature hazards such as unstable structures, unsafe floors, asbestos, carbon monoxide, exposed electrical wires and entrapment hazards.

Asbestos is a long term health risk for urban explorers, along with breathing in contaminants from pigeon faeces. Urban explorers use dust masks and respirators to alleviate this danger. Simple dust masks do little or nothing against faeces, asbestos, mercury, ammonia, PCBS, and many other hazards

American supermodel Marisa Miller has knocked actress Lindsay Lohan from the top of men magazine Maxim's list of the 100 hottest women in the world.

It was the first time that Miller, 29, a Victoria's Secret model, appeared on the annual list and comes after she also graced the cover of the 2008 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

"(Miller) embodies the official return of the all-American supermodel. Not since Cindy Crawford ruled the catwalk has a pinup born and bred on U.S. soil so thoroughly captured the imagination of the American male," noted Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky.

Now isn't this strange? Not only the fact that a complete unknown suddenly becomes the most popular, but also that not-so beautiful girls like Lohan and Britney Spears even make the top 100?

If I take a look at the list, i don't know half of them and I would not call them extremely beautiful either.

But if you twist my arm, my top 10 would look like this :

1.Jennifer Connolly
2.Cameron Diaz
3.Eva Mendes
4.Penelopé Cruz
5.Sienna Miller
6.Keira Knightly
7.Jessica Alba
8.Christina Ricci
9.Dita Von Teese
10.Lucy Lu

Here is the Maxim top 10

1. Marisa Miller
2. Scarlett Johansson
3. Jessica Biel
4. Eva Longoria Parker
5. Sarah Michelle Gellar
6. Elisha Cuthbert
7. Eva Mendes
8. Christina Aguilera
9. Lindsay Lohan
10. Ashley Tisdale

Lohan, who topped last year's list of the Hot 100 "Ultimate List of the World's Most Beautiful Women," fell to a somewhat lukewarm No. 9.

"After a tumultuous year involving a car wreck and rehab, La Lohan had Hollywood wondering if she was worth the trouble," said Kaminsky.

Miller was followed by actress Scarlett Johansson, a "dangerously curvy bombshell" who, according to Maxim, also possesses "the acting chops to back up her mind-melting hotness."

And while Jessica Biel may have starred on the U.S. family-friendly television drama "7th Heaven" as a preacher's daughter, the actress is starring at No. 3 on the Hot 100.

Britney Spears just cracked the Top 20 in the ninth annual list, squeaking in at No.19 after a year that included stints in rehab and a notorious head-shaving incident.

The rest of the list includes the usual suspects - Beyonce, Charlize Theron, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Heidi Klum, and some new faces, including 22-year-old Ashley Tisdale from the hit tween movie series "High School Musical."

Rounding out the Hot 100 women in film, television, music, sports and fashion at No.100 is Tila Tequila, the self-professed bi-sexual TV reality star.

Here is the complete top 100 :

100. Tila Tequila
99. Olivia Munn
98. Cheryl Burke
97. Olivia Wilde
96. Michelle Merkin
95. Zooey Deschanel
94. Emma Watson
93. Brittany Snow
92. Ali Larter
91. Danica Patrick
90. Lacey Chabert
89. Stacy Keibler
88. Evangeline Lilly
87. Dita Von Teese
86. Ashley Scott
85. Paz Vega
84. America Ferrera
83. Whitney Able
82. Penélope Cruz
81. Mila Kunis
80. Natalie Zea
79. Christina Milian
78. Susie Castillo
77. Alicia Keys
76. Kate Bosworth

75. Mandy Moore
74. Audrina Patridge
73. Gabrielle Union
72. Natasha Bedingfield
71. Mariah Carey
70. Roselyn Sanchez
69. Vanessa Minnillo
68. Emilie de Ravin
67. Sarah Mutch
66. Christina Ricci
65. Karolina Kurkova
64. Diora Baird
63. Selita Ebanks
62. Kat Von D
61. Isla Fischer
60. Taryn Manning
59. Malin Akerman
58. Rebecca Romijn
57. Taylor Swift
56. Lauren Conrad
55. Kristen Bell
54. Minka Kelly
53. Jessica Simpson
52. Mena Suvari
51. Leslie Bibb

50. Anna Paquin
49. Nelly Furtado
48. Leighton Meester
47. Ashley Olsen
46. Amanda Bynes
45. Danneel Harris
44. Jennifer Garner
43. Blake Lively
42. Zoe Saldana
41. Nadine Velazquez
40. Drew Barrymore
39. Sofia Vergara
38. Eliza Dushku
37. Ashanti
36. Heidi Montag
35. Fergie
34. Jessica Alba
33. Heidi Klum
32. Lake Bell
31. Molly Sims
30. Julianne Hough
29. Shannon Elizabeth
28. Rachel Bilson
27. Sienna Miller
26. Cameron Diaz

25. Hilary Duff
24. Avril Lavigne
23. Jaime King
22. Mischa Barton
21. Amber Heard
20. Jennifer Love Hewitt
19. Britney Spears
18. Ashlee Simpson
17. The Pussycat Dolls
16. Megan Fox
15. Rihanna
14. Beyoncé
13. Hayden Panettierre
12. Vanessa Hudgens
11. Charlize Theron

One of the most fascinating countries in the world is at the same time one of the least known: Molvania. Often confused with nearby Moldova, Molvania offers the traveller a broad range of interesting features: The monotonous steppe, the sweeping mountains, the wet lakes and of course the green valleys.

It's a small, land-locked republic in eastern Europe, famous as the birthplace of whooping cough. Molvania also produces 83% of the world's beetroot.

The Tourism Bureau of Molvania have created an account on Deviantart to promote this lovely little country. Take a look at their pictures on MOLVANIA.

Due to the erotic nature of some of the pictures, only members of the Molvanian politburo and their children are allowed to see all pictures. But luckily they released some of the less offensive ones for the enjoyment of all the world (this offer is not valid in China, Cuba, that little island at the bottom of England whose name eludes me and of course France).